SIFY includes every shot that comes inside a full, stock swing of the shortest club you use for full swings. Some people don’t like to use a lob wedge for full swings, hopefully through the Black Iron Golf STRIKE program this will change. Most of the time Full Yardage is 70-90 yards, but the actual yardage is only relevant to the individual. The principles used are applicable no matter your specific Full Yardage.

These shots include chips, pitches, flop shots, bump-and-runs, bunker shots of varying length, and every shot up to your full swing with your shortest club. For high handicap and beginner players, who rarely hit a Green In Regulation (GIR), there can be 30+ SIFY each round. Tour players miss an average of six greens each round, are often within 100 yards on the Par 5’s, and occasionally on short Par 4’s; without short game mistakes they can have 12 SIFY each round. These 12-30+ shots can have a major effect on anyone’s score and need special consideration, which is why we have the SIFY program.

Quality of contact is the top priority, just as it is with the full swing. Fat shots (the leading-edge of the club digs into the ground before contact with the ball) and thin shots (the leading-edge of the club, rather than the face, strikes the ball first) are common with partial swings and around the green. Mishit shots from this range can have a greater negative impact than mishits for full swings. A fat shot from short yardage can easily leave you with the same shot from just a few yards closer. A thin shot from short yardage can go screaming across the green and end up twice as far away. These results often lead to doubles or worse. Contact, as always, is KING.

Speed is a major variable for Shots Inside Full Yardage. Speed, with proper contact, is how you control distance and distance control is vital from short range. The term “feel” or “touch” is very common in golf, feedback is what builds “feel”. A structured way to learn feel for SIFY will help expedite improvement, guessing doesn’t work. That’s not true, guessing can work, but without structure you have no idea what works and what doesn’t.

Controlling trajectory is important to reliably predict distance. If you are great with controlling speed and contact but deliver varying degrees of loft with each shot, the ball will fly and roll out different distances. Learning to deliver the club repeatedly will make distance control easier going forward. Obviously, there will be situations that call for different shots, but mastering one shot from these awkward, partial yardages will pay huge dividends.

Finally, you must make proper strategic decisions. Often, going directly at the pin is the proper choice from these positions. Occasionally, based on skill level and situation, aiming away from the pin is the correct play. There are other considerations to make as well including which shot, or club, to hit. All these decisions are based on your skills, not general statistics.

Contact, Speed, Trajectory and Strategy. Get these right and Shots Inside Full Yardage become a strength instead of a liability.