Jordan Spieth’s short game was one of the highlights of his most recent PGA Tour season.
He’s built a reputation for pulling off some remarkable shots around the greens, with several moments standing out over the years.
The 2013 John Deere Classic is a good example, where he holed a bunker shot to force a playoff before picking up his first PGA Tour win.
Another came during the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits when he managed to pull off an incredible recovery along the edge of Lake Michigan, somehow staying upright in the process.
Jordan Spieth’s coach addresses the short game myth
It doesn’t seem like having a strong short game is essential for success, even at the top level of golf.
Still, it’s hard to ignore that many of the game’s greatest players have been exceptional around the greens.
The challenge lies in the variety of ways to play shots near the putting surface. That opens up plenty of opportunities for errors, especially for amateurs trying to make progress.
Spieth’s coach, Cameron McCormick, has pointed out one belief about the short game that he thinks holds players back from getting up and down more consistently.
“One of the biggest lies in golf, and one of the most common misconceptions, and quite frankly, a pet peeve of mine is when I hear on broadcast coverage of professional events, or even when I’m playing with amateur golfers is steady legs in short game shots,” he said.
“Quite frankly, it’s a myth that I’d like to help you understand that you must bust today. And so, any short game shot needs to be a marriage of movement between what the club head is doing…”
“Because without this marriage of movement… you end up delivering very rigid motions to impact,” McCormick continued. “You lose rhythm. And quite frankly…”
Drill recommended by Cameron McCormick to boost leg movement
He began by placing the head of his club under his foot at address. “A really good exercise here is allowing that foot to let this lob wedge that I just put under it hit the ground. That would be true for low chip shots, it would be just as true for mid-trajectory pitch shots right there,” he added.
“You can see right heel off the ground. This would be me performing that same movement with a pitch with that shaft hitting the ground there, and it is just as true when we got to more lofted shots.”
Jordan Spieth’s short game looks to be a work in progress in 2025
It is an area of his game that appears to have taken a step back so far this season. Spieth was 26th for strokes gained around the greens during the 2024 PGA Tour campaign. But he is down in 30th this year.
He has, however, already surpassed his total number of up-and-downs from a season ago. In fact, only two players – Sahith Theegala and Mackenzie Hughes – had more than him through the first half of the year.
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Spieth also ranks fourth on the PGA Tour for proximity to hole shots around the green. So while he could be finding more consistency in other statistics, he still boasts some strengths as well.
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