I have written for this excellent magazine now for over six years and I spend a substantial amount of time on the headings. As with all editorials the headline is there to tempt the reader to explore the content and if the content is carefully written and thought promoting perhaps the entire content will be read.

This article is focussed on shots that are less than full shots. These shots are invariably called chip shots; chip and run shots pitch shots, floating shots etc.

All shots that are less than full shots I simply call them short shots. Nearly all short shots can be played with adjustments, NOT changes to your normal swing.

Golf is a difficult game and I find that my pupils who take the time to understand what they are attempting to do improve faster than pupils who are looking for the ‘secret’

The secret is in fact that there is not a ‘secret.’

One of the most misunderstood aspects of the swing is the swing plane.

It is really important to have a correct concept of the swing plane as without a correct concept you will be reduced to guess work and endless experiments so this article is intended to present you with the facts.

The computer programme I have used for the last 6 years is an excellent programme called GASP. GASP stands for Golf Analysis System for Professionals.

It also stands for GRIP AIM STANCE and POSTURE.

In my opinion the Grip Aim Stance and Posture represents approximately 75% of the shot.

We will examine these four aspects in some detail and in the sequence they should occur prior to the shot-taking place.