Short Game Practice Routine for 90+ Shooters

There's a hard truth about golf: You don't break 90 with your driver. You break 90 with your short game.

If you're shooting 90+, your full swing is probably fine. You're hitting decent drives, solid iron shots, and getting on the green most of the time. But when you miss the green or face a crucial chip, something goes wrong.

This guide gives you the exact short game practice routine that transforms 90-shooters into 80-shooters.

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The Short Game Truth

Here's what the data shows:

For a 15-Handicap (90-shooter)

• Fairways hit: 60%
• Greens in Regulation: 55%
• Putts per round: 33-35
• Up-and-down %: 35-40% ← This is the problem

For an 8-Handicap (80-shooter)

• Fairways hit: 65% (only 5% better)
• Greens in Regulation: 70% (only 15% better)
• Putts per round: 31-32 (only 2-3 fewer)
• Up-and-down %: 60-65% ← This is the difference

The gap between 90 and 80 isn't distance or accuracy. It's converting missed greens into up-and-downs. That's the short game.

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Why 90-Shooters Struggle with the Short Game

1. No routine. They chip and pitch randomly, without targets or consistency
2. Wrong focus. They practice the dramatic long chips, not the 15-yard chips they face most
3. No pressure. They practice casually, not like tournament golf
4. No tracking. They don't measure up-and-down %, so they don't see improvement

This routine fixes all four.

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The Short Game Practice Routine (60 Minutes)

Here's the exact structure used by golfers who consistently break 90:

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• 20 chip shots from 10 yards, flat terrain
• Focus: Tempo, not results
• Goal: Feel your stroke

Main Block 1: Chipping Drills (20 minutes)

Drill 1: Target Circle (10 minutes)

• Distance: 10-20 yards
• Setup: Mark a 4-foot circle around each target
• Chips: 20 chips from various spots near the green
• Success: 15/20 chips within the circle (75%)
• Tracking: Record your success rate

Why this works: Short chips are the most common. Getting within 4 feet means an easy putt. 75% is achievable and realistic.

Drill 2: Different Lies Chipping (10 minutes)

• Terrain variety: Tight lie, thick rough, downslope, upslope
• Distance: 15-25 yards
• Chips: 5 chips from each lie type (4 lies = 20 chips)
• Success: Chip close enough for 1-putt from each
• Tracking: Success rate by lie type

Why this works: Real golf has varied lies. You can't always chip from perfect turf. Practicing different lies prepares you for the actual course.

Main Block 2: Pressure Chipping (15 minutes)

Chip to Make Putt (PRIMARY DRILL)

This is the most important drill. It's the one that improves your actual scoring.

Setup

1. Chip from 15-25 yards to a target green
2. Make the resulting putt
3. Track: Did you get up-and-down? (chip close + 1 putt)
4. Goal: 70% up-and-down rate

Why It's Primary

• Chipping in isolation is pointless. You never chip for chipping's sake
• In real golf, you chip to make the putt. This drill mirrors reality
• 70% up-and-down is a realistic goal that improves your score by 2-3 strokes per month

The Drill Structure

• 10 chips from various distances (15-25 yards)
• Each chip attempts a putt immediately after
• Track: 7/10 up-and-downs (70% is the goal)
• If you miss 4 chips, you're below target—next session, focus harder

Progression

• Week 1: Easy chips (15 yards, flat terrain), 50% success is good
• Week 2: Standard chips (20 yards, slight slopes), aim for 60%
• Week 3: Harder chips (25 yards, tricky terrain), aim for 65%
• Week 4: Tournament chips (varied difficulty), goal 70%

Main Block 3: Pitching (15 minutes)

Pitch to Target Area (10 minutes)

• Distance: 30-50 yards
• Setup: Mark a 6-foot circle around the target
• Pitches: 15 pitches from different spots
• Success: 12/15 within the circle (80%)
• Tracking: Record success rate and distances

Three-Distance Pitch Ladder (5 minutes)

• Distance 1: 30 yards
• Distance 2: 40 yards
• Distance 3: 50 yards
• Pitches: 5 from each distance
• Success: Hit within 6 feet of target from each distance
• Tracking: Success by distance

Cool-Down (5 minutes)

• 5 casual short game shots (chips and pitches)
• Goal: Reinforce rhythm and confidence
• No tracking—just feel

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Weekly Short Game Schedule

Minimum (3 sessions/week)

• Session 1: Full 60-minute routine (Monday)
• Session 2: Short Game Focus - 20 minutes of Chip to Make Putt (Wednesday)
• Session 3: Short Game + Putting - 30 minutes (Friday)

Recommended (4-5 sessions/week)

• Session 1: Full routine (Monday) — 60 min
• Session 2: Chipping focus (Tuesday) — 30 min
• Session 3: Pitching focus (Wednesday) — 20 min
• Session 4: Chip to Make Putt (Thursday) — 30 min
• Session 5: Bunker practice (Friday) — 20 min

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The Bunker Component

If you struggle from bunkers (most 90-shooters do), add this:

Bunker Basics (15 minutes)

1. Setup: 5 balls in the bunker, target 10 feet from pin
2. Goal: Get all 5 out and within 10 feet of the pin (bunker save %)
3. Track: How many of 5 you get up-and-down

Progression

• Week 1: Target 10 feet away, goal 3/5 out-and-close
• Week 2: Target 8 feet away, goal 3/5 out-and-close
• Week 3: Target 6 feet away, goal 4/5 out-and-close
• Week 4: Tournament bunker shots, goal 4/5 up-and-downs

Most 90-shooters don't practice bunkers. Those who add 15 minutes of bunker work see immediate improvement (1-2 fewer bogies per round).

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Tracking Your Short Game Progress

Weekly Tracking Template

The Goal

• Target Circle: 75%+
• Chip to Make Putt: 70%+
• Pitch to Target: 80%+
• Bunker Basics: 70%+

When all four hit their targets, your up-and-down % will improve dramatically.

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Real Course Impact: Before & After

Before Short Game Routine (Average Round)

• 18 holes, 6 missed greens
• Up-and-down: 2 of 6 (33%)
• Result: 4 bogies, 14 pars = 88 score

After 4 Weeks Short Game Routine (Average Round)

• 18 holes, 6 missed greens
• Up-and-down: 4 of 6 (67%)
• Result: 2 bogies, 16 pars = 84 score

Score improvement: 4 strokes in one month. That's breaking 90.

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The Discipline Factor

Here's what separates golfers who improve from those who don't:

Golfers who improve:

• Practice with specific targets ✓
• Track results weekly ✓
• Adjust focus based on data ✓
• Show up consistently ✓

Golfers who don't improve:

• Hit random chips and pitches
• Don't track anything
• Practice the same way every session
• Only practice when they feel like it

Which will you be?

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Common Short Game Mistakes (And Fixes)

Mistake #1: Practicing only from perfect lies

If you only chip from the fairway, you'll struggle from rough.

Fix: Use the Different Lies drill. Practice from tight lies, rough, slopes.

Mistake #2: Not measuring up-and-downs

If you don't track, you won't see improvement.

Fix: Use the weekly tracking template. Record every session.

Mistake #3: Ignoring the bunker

One bunker shot costs 3-4 strokes per round when you don't practice.

Fix: Add 15 minutes of bunker work weekly.

Mistake #4: Practicing without pressure

Casual practice doesn't prepare you for tournaments.

Fix: Use Chip to Make Putt. Make each shot count.

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12-Week Short Game Transformation

Here's what realistic improvement looks like:

Week 1-4: Foundation

• Chip to Make Putt: 50-60% success
• Bunker save: 50%
• On-course: Still struggling with short game

Week 5-8: Development

• Chip to Make Putt: 65-70% success
• Bunker save: 70%
• On-course: Noticeably fewer bogies

Week 9-12: Mastery

• Chip to Make Putt: 75-80% success
• Bunker save: 80%+
• On-course: Short game is a strength, scoring is lower

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The Short Game System

Want the complete short game curriculum?

Our Complete Golf Practice System includes:

• 12+ short game drills with detailed progressions
• Full 12-week short game roadmap
• Up-and-down tracking worksheets
• Bunker drill progressions
• Mental game drills for pressure situations

Or start free with the Free Practice Playbook — includes the Chip to Make Putt drill and a 30-day routine.

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Action Steps This Week

1. Practice Session Today: Do the full 60-minute routine outlined above
2. Track Results: Record your Chip to Make Putt success rate
3. Play a Round: Notice your up-and-down % (count how many of your missed greens you get up-and-down)
4. Compare: Next week after 3-4 sessions, you should see improvement

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The math is simple: Better short game = Lower scores = Breaking 90.

Start this week. Track for 4 weeks. Watch your scores drop.

This works. Thousands of golfers have done it. Now it's your turn.