The Chipping Framework
The bump and run is the highest-percentage shot in links golf. Three-time major champion Padraig Harrington considers it the foundation of every short game. His philosophy: treat it like a long putt, not a miniature swing.
Harrington's Rules
Set your weight firmly on your lead foot and stay there. Your sternum must be level with or ahead of the ball. Grip down the shaft for control. Use the shoulders and chest—keep the wrists quiet. Pick a lower-lofted club (7, 8, or 9 iron) and land it on the green, never the fringe.
Padraig Harrington
3x Major Champion • Links SpecialistHarrington's YouTube channel is a masterclass in pragmatic, links-ready instruction. His 20-minute short game compilation alone is worth more than most coaching sessions.
Watch on YouTubeThe Alignment Stick Gate
Place an alignment stick 3–4 inches behind the ball. If you sway backward or flip your wrists, you'll strike the stick. This forces you to stay forward and maintain a clean, descending strike.
Dan Grieve's "3 Releases" system is the clearest framework for understanding spin around the green. Release 2—the spin shot—lands softly and checks. The key is using the bounce of the wedge, not the leading edge.
Grieve's Method
Open the clubface before you take your grip. Let the club "rebound" off the turf rather than dig. Your hands stay passive through impact while the chest rotates. The ball pops up with backspin because you're using the club as it was designed.
Dan Grieve
Short Game Specialist • Author: "3 Releases"Grieve's system categorises every chip into three releases: the bump, the spin, and the lob. Once you learn the framework, you never feel lost around the green again.
Watch on YouTubeThe Towel Landing Zone
Place a towel 3 feet onto the green. Hit 10 balls with your 56° wedge. Goal: land every ball on the towel. This trains distance control and consistent strike—the two pillars of the spin shot.
The lob is the highest-risk, highest-reward shot in golf. James Sieckmann—coach to multiple PGA Tour winners—calls it the "Finesse Wedge" and treats it as the opposite of a full swing.
Sieckmann's Finesse Wedge
Narrow your stance. Open the face. The sequence is intentionally reversed: club moves first, then arms, then body. The lower body stays quiet—it's a stabiliser, not a power source. Aim for the club to reach its lowest point 1–3 inches in front of the ball. Accelerate through, always.
James Sieckmann
PGA Tour Short Game Coach • JSE Golf AcademySieckmann's method is built from studying Seve Ballesteros and thousands of tour players. His "Finesse Wedge" system is the gold standard for shots inside 60 yards.
jsegolfacademy.comThe Stork Drill
Hit lob shots while lifting your trail foot off the ground at impact. This forces your chest to rotate through with the arms, preventing the fatal "stall and flip" that chunks lob shots.
Links Bunker Survival
The pot bunkers of Royal County Down, Muirfield, and Carnoustie are not the fluffy white sand traps of resort golf. They are revetted, steep-faced punishment cells designed to cost you a full shot. Gary Player—arguably the greatest bunker player in history—built his entire technique around five non-negotiable principles.
Player's Five Rules
Non-Negotiable Bunker Principles
- Wide stance. Dig your feet in for stability. No rocking.
- Quick wrist cock. Hinge early in the backswing for a steep angle of attack.
- Hit 1 inch behind the ball. Not 2 inches, not half an inch. One inch.
- Accelerate through the sand. Sand creates resistance. You must overpower it. Think "striking a match."
- Open the face before gripping. Expose the bounce. Let the sole skip, not dig.
The Pot Bunker Exception
When the lip is steep and you're tight to the face, your only objective is escape. Forget the flag. Take your most lofted wedge, open it wide, and swing steep and hard into the sand. A sideways exit to the fattest part of the green is a victory. As the old caddies say: "The worst place on the course is still in that bunker."
The Buried Lie
For a fried egg, Player reverses his own rules: close the face, keep a steep swing, and chop down hard behind the ball. The ball will come out low with no spin. Accept it and play position.
Putting Intelligence
Putting is 40% of your score but receives 10% of your practice time. The best online putting instruction comes from two sources: Phil Kenyon (coach to Justin Rose and Francesco Molinari) and the AimPoint green-reading system used by over 200 tour professionals.
AimPoint: Reading Greens With Your Feet
AimPoint replaces guesswork with a systematic, repeatable process. Stand behind the ball, feel the slope through your feet (rated 0–6), then use finger-width alignment to find your target. It sounds simple because it is—once calibrated by a certified instructor, it becomes automatic.
Pace Over Line
Phil Kenyon's research shows that pace control accounts for over 80% of putting accuracy on putts beyond 10 feet. Most amateurs obsess over the read; the professionals obsess over speed. Kenyon's advice: on a 30-foot putt, your read could be 2 feet off and you'd still two-putt if the pace is correct. Misjudge speed by 3 feet and you're looking at a three-putt regardless of line.
The Gate Drill
- Place two tees slightly wider than your putter head, 5 feet from the hole.
- Roll putts through the gate without touching either tee.
- Once you make 5 in a row, narrow the gate by half a ball width.
- Advanced: Place a second gate 1 foot in front of the ball to train your start line.
Me and My Golf
Piers Ward & Andy Proudman • PGA ProfessionalsThe most accessible online coaching channel for structured short game improvement. Their putting series is methodical, drill-heavy, and designed for self-guided practice sessions.
Watch on YouTubeReady to Apply This on Championship Links?
Every course in our Vault includes hole-by-hole tactical strategy guides. Know where to land it before you arrive.