May 5, 2008 -- Congratulations to Anthony Kim for winning the 2008 Wachovia Championship. This was such an impressive win for Kim in many ways, not the least being that it is his first -- a month shy of his 23rd birthday! He is the youngest player to win on Tour in six years and he did it in record fashion. Saturday he carded six birdies for a 6-under round of 66. On Sunday, Kim had eight one-putts and a chip-in to finish with a 69 and win the tournament by five strokes. It was a dominating performance in so many ways. But what part of Anthony Kim's arsenal was most critical in him cruising to victory? It was his short game! As spectacular as his full swing was all week, it was his ability to get up and down or make critical putts that won Anthony Kim his first PGA Tour tournament.

Anthony Kim cruised to victory thanks in large part to his superb putting. (photo: WireImage.com)

And that's the Lesson Learned for this week -- getting up and down from around the green. Let's look at chipping first. When I give a chipping lesson the first thing I look at is the student's set up. You want to be sure that the ball is back, aligned inside the right heel. Your weight and hands are ahead of the ball. Now this is where I make sure the student's head is AHEAD of the ball. If your head is in front of the ball, your weight will go there automatically. This puts the bottom of your swing arc in front of the ball insuring that you will hit the ball first and then make a divot. This will impart the needed spin to the ball to allow it to check and release. The check and release give you control over your chips; instead of the chip running across the green with no spin. Next, you want to pick your landing area on the green. Too many amateurs look at the hole instead of a landing that when hit will allow the ball to roll toward the hole. You can't be thinking of landing the ball at the hole, can you? You have to allow for the roll of the ball after it hits the green. No matter what club you use, pick a spot just a few feet onto the green and let the loft of the club dictate the roll to the hole. This makes chipping a lot easier.

Now, let's talk about putting. I feel that if a student if comfortable over a putt, he has a better chance of making that putt. There are a couple of fundamentals that need to be addressed. First, make sure your eyes are over the ball. This will allow you to see the line correctly. Next, ball position should be slightly ahead of center. You do not want the ball back in your stance as this will cause you to hit down and the ball will pop up and start off line to begin with. You don't want it too far forward, as this will cause a deacceleration into the ball and it won't get to the hole. Last and the most important is to keep the head still until the ball is on its way to the hole. If you move your head to follow the ball to the hole, it will change the path that the putter will travel. Usually this is a pull and you miss the ball left. Try to keep looking at a spot under the ball until it is on its way. This covers the fundamentals of putting, but how about the swing itself. Two in-swing thoughts I have my students use is putting a line on the ball for alignment and taking practice strokes looking at the hole or a spot near the hole. If you can use an arrow to align your putts, wouldn't you use it? I do on every putt and so do the pros on tour. Next, how can you judge how hard to hit the ball if you are looking at the ball instead of where you want it to go? I have my students look at a spot (allowing for break, uphill or downhill) and make 3 practice swings to get the feel for how hard to hit the putt. The best drill for this is to putt looking at the hole. It gives you a good sense of how hard to hit the ball. I have used this so much that on my long putts, I look at the hole every time!

Well, these are the things I have my students work on in their short game. Try them for yourself and when you feel good about chipping and putting take this test. Take one ball and a couple of clubs to chip with and practice getting up and down. Drop a ball, pick a target, chip it and then go putt it. Keep score and set some goals. You are now practicing like you would play and this will get your scores to drop very fast!

Cheryl Brankel is a Certified PGA Instructor who owns two golf academies in the state of North Carolina. A PGA Professional for 18 years, Brankel was the first woman Certified in Instruction on the Grand Strand (Myrtle Beach, SC) and has been nominated for the 2008 Carolinas Section PGA Teacher of the Year. Brankel is also a certified club fitter for Henry Griffitts and has authored a book: Your First Steps on the Course, A Beginner's Guide. She can be reached at Cheryl@cherylbrankel.com