In the post from a couple of weeks ago, Improve Your Short Game, I covered some very general short game tips, things to think about on your way to your chip shot.  Now we're going to cover club selection when it's time to play that chip shot. 

Like I said before, carry the unpredictable and get the ball on the ground as soon as you can.  If there's no unpredictable area for the ball to roll through or an amount that can be carried with a 36° to 44° club, I'd suggest using either a 7, 8 or 9 iron.  The lower the loft of the club, the sooner the ball will get on the ground, more overspin it will have and better it will run.

If there is an unpredictable area, and it's less than 40% of the way between you and the hole, choose a club that will allow you to carry the unpredictable area and then run to the hole.  Now, one clarification on this rule, don't take it too literally.  Meaning, if you have a 50 foot shot around the green and need to carry the fringe that's 19 feet away (39%), don't go trying to land the ball on the 19.5 foot mark, give yourself some room for error and land it past that mark to reduce the chance of hitting it into the fringe, getting caught up and leaving yourself with a 30 footer that could have been a 3 footer.

A general rule of thumb to consider with this type of shot, anytime you need to carry the ball the same distance, or less, as the distance you need the ball to run, use a wedge.  Wedges to use for this shot will range from 48 ° to 64°.  I carry a 50° as my pitching wedge along with a 54° and 58°. 

Yesterday I got out for my first short game practice of 2013.  This was probably the first time in 20+ years that I haven't played a round of golf before The Masters either, so you can imagine my excitement to just go chip.

I've been thinking a lot recently about my 'secrets' to the short game. I practice my short game a lot and in competition get up-and-down a lot and from a lot of places.  But I've been thinking about the keys to help someone, anyone, improve their short game. Mechanics aside, here are three things to use when practicing and playing that I guarantee will help your short game.

Get the ball running on the ground as soon as you can.

Carry the unpredictable (ex, mound, slope, knob, tier, bunker) then get the ball running on the ground as soon as you can.

If the unpredictable (ex, mound, slope, knob, tier, bunker) is more than 40% of the way between you and hole, run the ball on the ground over it.

Pretty simple.  Running through this quick checklist in your mind when you're approaching a short game shot, while riding your cart to the green or walking, will help you with club selection, confidence and more up-and-downs. I guarantee.