Seven years ago to this day, I was in my living room in a hospital bed we had rented for me to stay in following back surgery I had had two days earlier. Since I wasn\u2019t going anywhere soon, I watched a lot of television. <\/p>\n
I watched all the Dollar westerns, and Once Upon a Time In the West.<\/p>\n
I also watched a lot of golf, including the Waste Management Open, the very one being played this weekend. All four rounds.<\/p>\n
When you have nothing else you can do but watch, you can\u2019t get up and wander into the kitchen to get a snack, for example, you really watch. <\/p>\n
This is what I saw.<\/p>\n
Whenever a player played a chip or a short pitch, they ROLLED the ball up to the hole. There was no flying the ball up the hole and making it stop on a dime.<\/p>\n
Now that\u2019s a spectacular shot, and it has its place, but it rarely ever gets done what a touring pro wants to get done\u2014put the ball in the hole.<\/p>\n
You see, the pros aren\u2019t trying to get these shots close. They’re trying to sink them. It\u2019s a rolling ball that will go in.<\/p>\n
I had never noticed that until I saw a steady diet of it over four days. <\/p>\n
The next weekend I was still housebound and I saw it again at the next tournament, the AT&T at Pebble Beach.<\/p>\n
Roll the ball to the hole, don\u2019t fly it there.<\/p>\n
So when I was able to get up and around, but not able to swing a golf club, I had a lesson on chipping. From the ground up, learning how to roll the ball.<\/p>\n
That, and lots of practice, changed me from an indifferent chipper into a very good chipper. Chipping is one of the strengths of my game.<\/p>\n
So when you practice around the green, if you\u2019re not doing so already, practice that way. Roll it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Seven years ago to this day, I was in my living room in a hospital bed we had rented for me to stay in following back surgery I had had two days earlier. Since I wasn\u2019t going anywhere soon, I watched a lot of television. I watched all the Dollar westerns, and Once Upon a … Continue reading Roll the Ball To the Hole<\/span>