Your Short Game Solution: Mastering the Finesse Game from 120 Yards and In - Hardcover

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

For the past twenty years, James Sieckmann has honed his strategies, and taught PGA and LPGA professionals at his school Shadow Ridge Golf Academy. He lives and works in Omaha, Nebraska.

David DeNunzio is a managing editor at GOLF Magazine and has coauthored twelve instructional books on the sport.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I owe much to many, and I’m supremely grateful to all those who have supported and believed in me over the years. First to my father, Whitey, an amazing athlete, tireless worker and devoted husband, who led by example and kept our family close together. To my mother, Lonnie, who taught me to love the game of golf and always thought of her boys before she thought of herself.

Lastly, a big thank you to two real pros: photographer Angus Murray and my editor, David DeNunzio, who despite his busy duties as instruction editor at Golf magazine, graciously offered his time, expertise, and experience in the writing of this book.

FOREWORD

At the Titleist Performance Institute (T.P.I.), we use the latest technology to unlock the secrets of the swing, then use what we learn to help our Tour staff professionals squeeze out every ounce of scoring potential from their game. We often do this with state-of-the-art fitness training. Other times, we crunch data. And on some days we go the old-fashioned route and dig it out of the T.P.I. practice-range dirt.

The biggest perk at T.P.I. is getting to work with the biggest names in golf. I see dozens of Titleist staffers every month from all of the tours. One of the most fun to be with is Tom Pernice Jr. Tom is obviously a solid player with multiple wins on both the PGA and Champions tours and he controls his wedges like no player I have ever seen. In my mind he is the best wedge player alive. Obviously, he has the right information on how to hit wedge shots, so when another Titleist player began struggling with his short game, I called Tom and asked if he wouldn’t mind helping me out. I knew it was a strange request, especially since I was asking him to share his insights with a competitor. He asked me who the player was, and when I told him it was Ben Crane, he quickly agreed to help. Turns out that Tom and Ben are good friends.

With a few simple setup changes and a key technical alteration, Tom got Ben pitching the ball better than ever. We visited Tom on two other occasions over the next several months: once to help Ben’s bunker swing, and another to improve his play from Bermuda lies. When we rang Tom a fourth time, I detected a noticeable pause on the other end of the line. “Guys,” said Tom, “I’m more than happy to keep helping you, but why don’t you just make an appointment with my short-game coach and have all of your questions answered?”

Ben and I looked at each other with surprise and in unison said, “You have a short-game coach?” And that was the first time I heard the name James Sieckmann. It was a day I would never forget, because James has become a close friend and a secret weapon for my players and me.

James was the first coach to explain to me, in simple words, how a short-game swing was completely different from a full swing. Like almost everyone else, I thought the former was just a miniature version of the latter. Was I ever wrong! James’s theories made me look at golf in a completely different light and answered questions about the short game that had plagued me for years.

When James is at T.P.I. coaching one of his players, I make a point to watch “The Master” at work. James has an amazing amount of knowledge and a real gift for communicating his message. I’m constantly picking his brain to improve my understanding of how all the pieces fit together. If you struggle with your short game and think that you’ll never get better, trust me: It’s not your fault. You just need the right information. Information is the key to success. James Sieckmann has the correct information and experience to help you quickly build a short-game arsenal for maximum confidence from 120 yards and in. Once you understand the secrets to making solid contact with a wedge, there’s no looking back. By understanding the fundamental differences between the full swing and the different types of wedge shots, you’ll finally see why you’ve struggled for so long. Better yet, you’ll be the envy of your regular foursome.

I hope you enjoy James’s book. I know your short game will thank you forever!

DR. GREG ROSE

Cofounder, Titleist Performance Institute

Oceanside, Calif.

March 21, 2014

PREFACE

I’m excited for you and the improvements you’re about to make to your short game. I’ve played professional golf on the PGA and Champions tours for more than twenty-five years, and every week in event pro-ams I see firsthand the devastating wedge-play struggles of the recreational golfer. Sometimes I’ll ask a pro-am partner why they do the things they do from 100 yards and in. I’m shocked at the answers and concerned at how bad the information is that they’re carrying in their heads. I do my best to help them as we go, but I feel like an army of one battling thousands.

James Sieckmann is my personal short-game coach. In this book, he’ll explain the true wedge fundamentals and how to fuse them into your game. I’m positive that as you work your way through the book, you’ll clearly see why your short game is failing you. It’s not your skill level; it’s your information. The players I’ve tried to help haven’t been given the tools to get the job done. But those days are over. I see a great, confident, and consistent short game in your future.

James and I have worked together for more than twenty years. In the early days, I was lucky enough to befriend and practice with the great Seve Ballesteros and see his short-game magic up close. James has studied Seve’s techniques intensely. We’re a perfect match in that we both believe that Ballesteros’s wedge work is unmatched in the history of the game. In basing his systems on Seve’s methods, James has become the best short-game instructor in the world.

My short game has improved to a point where I can confidently (and without feeling too boastful) say that it’s right there at the top of the PGA and Champions tours. I owe it all to our hard work and James’s ability to communicate and teach with passion.

Enjoy the read and the process.

TOM PERNICE JR.

Nashville, Tenn.

April 25, 2014

CHAPTER 1

THE DAWNING OF A NEW WEDGE ERA

Most weekend players—and a surprisingly large number of Tour professionals—are working hard but failing to develop the simple short-game skills required to reach their true scoring potential. It’s not their fault, because what most instructors have taught about the short game for decades is, in a word, wrong.

It’s an exciting time in golf instruction. Old-school coaching—and its reliance on hunches and guesswork—is evolving into a modern, fact-based discipline. Credit goes to the massive and recent influx of science and scientific study in every area of the game, including the full swing, short game, putting, motor learning, and biomechanics. Many undeniable truths have been discovered, and just as many myths have been dispelled. Coaches are seeking and sharing knowledge based on research and testing instead of blindly accepting tradition, cutting the emotional ties that allow faulty theories to live beyond their time. We’ve come to that point in the short game. The earth is no longer flat.

This research revolution has been a long time coming. In 1994, when I first started teaching the methods that you’ll read about in this book, they were often met with a sideways stare from the golf establishment. I swam upstream for years, but remained steadfast as I continued to learn and grow in my beliefs. It has taken more than two decades, but the tide has turned. A new generation of...