TEEING OFF: Jones walks through short-game training session

That range session consisting of a few smooth seven-irons followed by 70 maximum-speed drivers isn’t helping.

I know, I know, it’s fun to try to send balls over the fence, but distance is just one small part of golf, and one that’s better trained in other ways.

If you want to play your best, try practising like the best. Your back and your handicap will thank you.

When thinking about ways to practise more effectively earlier this season, I checked in with Drew Jones, multi-time Team Manitoba representative at various Golf Canada championships.

Not surprisingly, his mind went straight to the short game.

Now we’re talking about a guy who shot a bogey-free 67 in the last round of the Golf Manitoba men’s amateur to finish solo second for the third straight year last month, so his standards are higher than most.

But the Brandonite’s goals are worth noting, adjusting and striving for.

Jones starts with a few minutes of putting with a mirror on the green to make sure his eyes are directly over the ball and his shoulders are squared to his target. He’ll roll 10 putts from about six feet to calibrate himself.

Then, he moves to the “Death Star,” placing five tees around the hole at four feet away and has to make all five to move on to five feet. He repeats from there, then from six feet. As you can imagine, pressure builds as you near the fifth one. While it can be frustrating to start over, the confidence it builds when you know you can make five straight is worth it.

Next is 10 minutes of “easy” up and downs. Find a few simple chip shots and give yourself a good lie for each one, with the goal of lagging each one as close to the hole as possible.

“Focus on quality contact, energy control and hitting your landing spot,” Jones said.

These are arguably more important than the tough, short-sided ones because missing them hurts more.

But Jones will still spend some time trying those. He’ll look around a practice green for short-sided ones, or shots that need to carry bunkers, then try to play a high, soft shot so he has a feel to reference if it comes up in a round.

Finally, Jones goes to one ball and drops it in the fairway with the goal of getting it up and down in two shots. Once you succeed five times in a row — or three or four out of five if it’s too tough — move to the rough and repeat.

Whether that routine is part of a larger practice session or something to do when giving your body a break from full swings, it will absolutely make you better.

About half your strokes in an 18-hole round are less than full swings, with the goal of chipping or putting it close and then cashing in.

As boring as it sounds, the short game makes a big difference.

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com