We have devised a Short Game Skills Test here at BHSG to get to the root of any underlying deficiencies in student's short games. The basics of the test are that there are twenty shots to twenty different locations around the green. The students hits two balls from each of the twenty spots and we measure how far each one of the shots is from the hole in inches using a meter wheel. The longest shot is fifty-five yards and the shortest is around 5 yards and players can use whichever club they want. There are some sloping lies, rough and bunker shots to contend with and there are no practice shots or re-takes because your short game is your short game!! If a player misses the green, we add four hundred inches onto the total score and if a player holes a shot, we subtract four hundred inches from the total.
Now for the cool info. We have had around a thirty players take the test so far- Wallace Booth has had the best score with 2,685 points. When you take this total, divide by forty and by twelve you get the average distance which Wallace was from the hole on each of his shots- 5 feet and 6 inches. Wallace plays from a handicap of plus 4.
The average of the other players who’s handicaps range from 8-14 is 7,258 points. I make the same calculations and the average distance which these other players were away from the hole is 15 feet and 1 inch. The common sense about the skills test and how we then can help to make players better is glaringly obvious; in doing so, we can knock shots off their games.
Short Game Skills Test League Table and Average Distances from the hole.
1. Wallace Booth 2685 (5"5)
2. Mads Vibe-Hastrup 3109 (6"4)
3. Johan Edfors 4343 (9"0)
4. Stephen Reid 4500 (9"3)
5. Khalid Yousuf 4534 (9"4)
6. Ferdinand Mueck 4942 (10"2)
7. Scott Kerrins 5422 (11"2)
8= PeterBoland 5996 (12"4)
8= David Sykes 5996 (12"4)
9. Faruk Roked 7138 (14"8)
10. Irving Underwood 7148 (14"9)
