Ask any professional golfer where rounds are won or lost and they will tell you the same thing: the short game. Statistics consistently show that amateur golfers average more than 40% of their total strokes within 50 metres of the green — yet it is the area they practise least. Over many years coaching students at Tanah Merah Country Club and Friends Golf Clarke Quay, I have seen this pattern repeat itself at every handicap level.
What separates a good short game from a poor one is rarely physical talent. It is almost always decision-making — the ability to assess a situation accurately and select the right shot before addressing the ball. This article will walk you through the three-layer assessment process I teach all my students: reading the lie, reading the conditions around the green, and reading the green surface itself.
"The best short game players in the world are not the most technically gifted. They are the best readers of a situation — and that is a skill anyone can learn."
— Daren Lim, PGA Golf ProfessionalStep 1: Assess Your Lie First
Before you think about where the flag is, before you calculate slope, before you even look at the green — look down. Your lie dictates everything. It tells you what the ball will do at impact, how much spin you can generate, and ultimately which shot options are available to you.
Too many golfers make the mistake of committing to a shot in their mind before they have assessed the lie. They walk up to the ball already picturing a high lofted pitch, only to discover they are sitting in a tight divot or a slightly bare patch where that shot simply will not work. Good short game players assess first, then decide.
The Four Primary Lies
| Lie Type | What It Means | Best Shot Options | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fluffy / Sitting Up | Ball sitting on top of longer grass. Club can pass underneath — risk of hitting it thin. | Bump-and-run, medium-loft chip. Avoid high flop shots — too much risk. | Manageable |
| Tight / Bare Lie | Ball on hard ground, closely mown grass or a worn patch. Very little margin for error at impact. | Low running chip with a 7–9 iron. Putter if fringe permits. Avoid high loft. | Requires Care |
| Divot or Depression | Ball sitting below ground level. Club must dig down — forward ball position, more shaft lean. | Chip with a steeper angle of attack. Expect lower flight and more run. Accept bogey as likely outcome. | Difficult |
| Rough / Thick Grass | Ball buried or semi-buried in longer grass. Grass between face and ball will reduce spin and control. | Higher lofted club to cut through. Expect a "flier" — more run than normal once it lands. | Difficult |
The Golden Rule of Lies
A poor lie limits your shot options. A good lie gives you options. Never fight your lie — work with it. The golfer who accepts what the lie offers and plays the appropriate shot will always outscore the one who tries to play the shot they wanted from a lie that does not allow it.
Step 2: Read the Situation Around the Green
Once you understand your lie, widen your view. Look at everything between your ball and the hole. The situation around the green — how much green you have to work with, what obstacles lie between you and the pin, and the terrain — will shape which shot you should play.
One principle I constantly reinforce with my students is what I call the "lowest risk, highest percentage" rule. When you have assessed a situation and two shot options are available, always choose the one with the largest margin for error. The chip-and-run, for example, is statistically more consistent than the flop shot for the vast majority of amateur golfers. Save the high-risk shots for when the situation genuinely demands them.
📋 Situation Assessment Checklist
- Where is the flag positioned — front, middle, or back of the green?
- How much green do I have between my landing zone and the flag?
- Is there a bunker, water, or rough I must carry?
- Will I be chipping uphill or downhill to the flag?
- Where is the "safe miss" — left, right, or short?
- What is the lowest-risk shot that gives me a makeable putt?
Step 3: Read the Green Conditions
The third layer of assessment — and the one most commonly overlooked — is reading the green surface itself. Understanding how the green will behave once your ball lands is what separates a good short game from a truly elite one.
Speed of the Greens
Green speed changes with conditions. Early morning greens, damp from overnight moisture, will be significantly slower than afternoon greens baked by the Singapore sun. Always note the conditions when you practise your lag putts and chips during warm-up — the information will serve you all round.
On slow greens, your chip will release more and run further than expected. On fast greens, even a gentle chip can run well past the flag. Adjust your landing zone accordingly — land the ball shorter on fast greens and slightly further on slow ones.
Grain Direction
In Singapore and throughout Southeast Asia, our courses predominantly use Bermudagrass and Paspalum, both of which have a strong grain. Grain direction has a significant impact on how the ball behaves when it lands on the green:
Wet vs Dry Conditions
Playing in Singapore's tropical climate means wet conditions are a regular factor. A damp green — common after rain or early morning dew — will grip the ball and reduce its roll significantly. Conversely, a firm, dry green will allow the ball to release and run much further.
On wet greens: carry the ball closer to the flag, use slightly more loft, and expect the ball to stop quickly. You have more margin to be aggressive.
On firm, dry greens: land the ball short, let it run, and choose a less lofted club. Respect the speed — a chip that runs past the flag on a fast green often leads to a three-putt.
"Before I even think about technique, I want my students to stand behind the ball and build a complete picture of what they are facing. Lie, situation, green — in that order. The right shot choice is worth more than a perfect swing from the wrong decision."
— Daren Lim, PGA Golf ProfessionalPutting It All Together: The Decision Framework
Assessment only has value if it leads to a clear, committed decision. Indecision at address is one of the most common causes of poor short game shots — the body hesitates, the swing loses its rhythm, and the shot suffers.
Here is the simple decision framework I use with all my students. Walk through it every time you are within 50 metres of the pin:
🏌️ The Pre-Shot Decision Framework
- Lie: What does my lie allow me to do? What does it prevent?
- Situation: How much green do I have? What must I carry? Where is the safe miss?
- Green: How fast is the surface? What is the grain doing? Is it wet or dry?
- Shot selection: Choose the highest-percentage shot that gets the ball within one-putt range.
- Landing spot: Pick a precise landing zone — a mark, a discolouration, a patch — and commit to it.
- Commit: Once you have decided, trust the decision. A committed average swing beats a hesitant perfect swing every time.
Club Selection: The Chip-and-Run First Principle
One of the most practical changes I make when working with new students is to encourage them to use less loft by default. The lofted wedge is not always the answer around the green — in fact, for many amateurs, it is the wrong choice most of the time.
The principle is simple: get the ball rolling on the green as quickly as possible. A ball that is rolling behaves more predictably than one that is flying through the air. A 7-iron chip from just off the fringe, landed on the green early and allowed to roll to the flag, is more consistent and easier to judge than a high-lofted pitch for the same shot.
Matching Club to Situation
7 or 8 iron: Tight lie, lots of green to work with, no obstacles. The most reliable chip for distance control.
9 iron or Pitching Wedge: Medium rough, some green available. Good all-round option.
Gap or Sand Wedge: Must carry rough, bunker, or significant fringe. Short distance to flag. Requires precise contact.
Lob Wedge: Only when you must fly the ball high and stop it quickly — a flop over a bunker to a tight pin, for example. High skill, high risk. Use sparingly.
Practice Drill: The Three-Lie Challenge
The best way to accelerate your short game improvement is to deliberately practise from different lies and conditions — not just the perfect flat lie on a perfect surface. I call this the Three-Lie Challenge, and I use it regularly with students at TMCC.
How it works: Pick a flag. Play the same shot three times — once from a fluffy lie, once from a tight lie, and once from the rough. Before each shot, go through the full assessment process. Notice how your landing zone, club selection, and expected ball behaviour changes with each lie. Over time, this builds the instinctive assessment ability that good short game players rely on.
Add variety by changing the target — a pin at the front of the green, then the middle, then the back. Combine different lies with different pin positions and green speeds. This is far more effective than hitting 50 chips from the same spot.
Final Thought
The short game will not transform overnight, but your decision-making can improve immediately. The next time you walk up to a chip shot, resist the urge to reach for your favourite wedge and swing. Stop. Assess the lie. Read the situation. Read the green. Then make a decision and commit to it fully.
That process — repeated consistently — is how you start turning bogeys into pars and pars into birdies. And it does not require a perfect technique. It requires clear thinking, honest assessment, and the discipline to play the shot the situation demands rather than the one you wish you could play.
If you would like to work on your short game with me in person, I am available for private lessons at Tanah Merah Country Club and Friends Golf Clarke Quay Central. WhatsApp me at +65 9622 2845 and we will build a plan around your specific game.
