One of the most common things I hear from players—across every handicap—is this:

“I can hit my irons fine… but inside 100 yards, my game falls apart.”

The tempo and rhythm you rely on with full swings don’t automatically translate into finesse. If you never learn to transition your full-swing athleticism into short-game control, you’ll struggle with distance, contact, and trajectory in the part of the game that matters most: the scoring zone.

Today we’ll look at how to make that transition smooth, confident, and repeatable.

1. Build a Short-Game Tempo You Can Trust

Full swings run on power.
Short-game shots run on tempo.

If your full-swing rhythm leaks into a 40-yard pitch, you’ll either decelerate or rush — both leading to mishits.

Try this simple drill:

• Count “ONE—TWO” on every chip or pitch.

• “ONE” is the backswing.

• “TWO” is impact.

• Keep the same spacing no matter the length of the shot.

• Try practicing with headphones and listen to anything in 4/4 time.  A few classic rock examples, Queen's "We Will Rock You," the Beatles "Yesterday," or Zeppelin's "Kashmir."

This creates the quiet, repeatable tempo great wedge players rely on.

2. Let Your Body Rotate (Not Just Your Hands)

A full swing uses body rotation — yet many players switch to all hands around the green. That’s when flip shots, chunks, and skulls appear.

For solid contact:

• Rotate your chest back,

• Rotate your chest through,

• Keep the hands quiet in between.

Body-driven motion equals predictable strike.

3. Shrink the Motion, Not the Commitment

One of the fastest ways to ruin a short-game shot is trying to “baby” it.

Instead:

• Keep your athletic posture,

• Keep the same body stability,

• Simply reduce the length of your swing.

Small swing, full commitment.
That’s how you maintain speed control without losing confidence.

4. Turn Swing Speed Into Distance Control

What separates great wedge players is one simple skill:

They know their carry numbers at half, three-quarter, and full swings.

To build your own distance control matrix:

1. Hit 10 balls each with your 50%, 75%, and 100% swings.

2. Record the average carry, not total distance.

3. Repeat for all your greenside wedges.

4. Log the numbers in a small notebook or your phone.

These are your scoring-zone “yardage maps.”
Once you have them, your short game becomes intentional—not guesswork.

Key Takeaway

Your full swing gives you athletic power.
Your short game turns that power into scoring.

When you blend your full-swing tempo, commitment, and motion into your greenside technique, you’ll finally develop predictable distance control inside 100 yards. And the design of your wedges plays a major role in that predictability—higher centers of gravity, consistent launch windows, and tight dispersion patterns all help your natural athletic motion produce consistent results.

Master the transition, and the scoring zone becomes the strength of your game—not the gap in it.

Next Week in Inside the Scoring Zone

Fall Short Game Tune-Up: Indoor Drills You Can Use When It’s Too Cold to Play