Gary Nicol - The Lost Art of the Short Game: Discover what is truly possible for YOU around the greens

The Lost Art of the Short Game

Discover what is truly possible for you around the greens

By Gary Nicol and Karl Morris

The authors of the best-selling The Lost Art of Golf series

lostartofgolf.com

Gary Nicol and Karl Morris 2021

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any other means without the permission in writing of 18Players except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review for a magazine, newspaper, website or broadcast.

ISBN: 978-1-9162106-1-5

The Lost Art of the Short Game was edited by

Dan Murphy, content director at 18Players.

The illustrations were drawn by Pete Swaine.

Published in 2021 in Great Britain. All rights reserved.

18Players is a subsidiary of Sports Publications Limited,

2 Arena Park, Leeds, LS17 9BF.

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Contents

- Foreword by Bob Vokey, the godfather of wedges

- Introduction

- Chapter 1: What is The Lost Art of the Short Game ?

- Mike Clayton: The canvas to display our short games on

- Chapter 2: Is technical short game mastery a pre-requisite?

- Dean Robertson: The secrets of wedgecraft

- Chapter 3: How can I transform my bunker play?

- Andrew Coltart: My reflections from the Tour

- Chapter 4: How can I stop my short game ruining my score?

- Vin Harris: Mindfulness can help you become a better golfer

- Chapter 5: How can I overcome the chipping yips?

- Perspectives: The powerful concept of gratitude

- Chapter 6: How should I approach my next short game shot?

- Dr Mike Grevlos: Short game motivation

- Chapter 7: Which shot to play and when?

- Bob Vokey: Choosing your short-game tools

- Chapter 8: Who am I scoring for?

- Perspectives: The effect of our environment

- Chapter 9: What is the true potential of my short game?

- Exercises: Training games

- Our Conclusions

Foreword

By Bob Vokey, the godfather of wedges

I feel it is important for me to give you some background to my life in golf as I introduce you to the wonderful ideas Gary and Karl are about to share with you in The Lost Art Of the Short Game .

My name is Bob Vokey and I have been fortunate to be around the great game of golf for the majority of my life, initially due to my father being an avid golfer and constant tinkerer of golf equipment.

Growing up in Canada, I played baseball, football and ice hockey and while I played a bit of golf with my father, I didnt necessarily share his passion for the game at that time. That soon changed when I moved to Carlsbad, California, in 1966. I lived near a golf course and it wasnt long before I fell in love with golf. I loved playing and I guess having watched my father in my early years, also developed the desire to play around with golf clubs with the aim of making them more suitable for my own game.

While I loved to play golf, I soon realised that my talent was only going to take me so far. It wasnt long before I discovered that my hobby of tinkering with golf clubs was something I was pretty good at. I became aware that rather than playing golf, my real strength lay in learning about golf clubs, re-shafting them, designing and making them.

In 1976, I opened Bobs Custom Golf shop at Fallbrook Country Club in San Diego before moving on to larger premises in Vista, California. I had started to make a name for myself and became the go-to guy for club repairs. That in turn allowed me to become personal clubmaker for some of the biggest names in professional golf. I got to know a lot of people in the industry, including Gary Adams who encouraged me to join TaylorMade in 1986. Gary founded the company and is known as the father of the metal wood. In fact, I put the shafts in their first ever metal woods.

During my time at Taylor Made, I had the opportunity to work with some amazing players including Mark OMeara, Dave Stockton, Lee Trevino and Seve Ballesteros. Looking back, that is what probably sparked my real interest in the short game and wedge design. Seve and Lee were the most incredibly creative short game artists and I learned so much from them and about what they wanted from their clubs, especially their wedges. I had a close relationship with both players and have remained in contact with Lee since 1986.

In 1991, I helped set up Founders Club with Gary Adams where I got to work with the likes of Lanny Wadkins, Fred Funk and Peter Jacobsen, all of whom were excellent players and great to work with.

Five years later, I joined Titleist where my first project was assisting with the final design specifications of the Titleist Titanium 975D driver which was to become one of their most popular models ever.

It was during my early time at Titleist that I started specialising in wedges. They wanted to get into the high-performance wedge market. I was asked to do them, was given the resources and away I went. I have been incredibly privileged to work with some amazing players and some of the best short game exponents in the history of the game.

Since joining Titleist, I have worked with players like Tom Kite, Tom Pernice, Steve Stricker, Brad Faxon, Davis Love and Steve Elkington.

I have also worked with a couple of other short game wizards you may have heard of Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, whose short games are nothing short of spectacular. These guys can play shots that mere mortals couldnt even imagine, never mind execute. Believe me when I say it has been an absolute pleasure to work with all of these guys.

I have often said that I have the greatest research and development laboratory on the planet, the driving ranges and short game practice area of the PGA Tour and other Tours around the world. Over the years I have worked closely with hundreds of tournament professionals to better understand exactly what they need from their wedges in terms of design, feel and performance.

Vokey Design wedges have been the overwhelming favourite among Tour players since 2004, with close to 50 per cent of sand, lob and approach wedges in play each week. Its something I am extremely proud of. I am also very proud of the fact that I am a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, which is something I am sure my late father would be delighted about.

While I understand that the Professional Tours of the world are the ultimate proving ground, I always have the amateur or avid golfer in mind when I go to the design table with the exceptional team I have around me. Our collective philosophy appears to have resonated in the marketplace where Vokey Design wedges are best-sellers with golfers of all skill levels.

We design and produce the best product possible and take it to the Tours. If the Tour players accept it, then we say this must be awfully good.

I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to have seen some amazing things in my life in golf but nothing excites me more than watching a true short game artist at work. First of all, they understand the shot they are faced with. They also know what shot will produce the best result and, just as importantly, they understand and know how to apply the appropriate tool or wedge correctly.

Its all very well having the best available equipment in your golf bag but ultimately you must learn how to use the tools of your trade, your golf clubs.

Having spent time speaking with Gary and Karl at great length, I know their passion for the short game is something we all share. What you are about to read in this book will hopefully inspire you to become the best you can possibly be as a golfer. While the thoughts and ideas of Gary and Karl are about performance, they understand every bit as much as I do that golf is to be a game to be enjoyed rather than endured.