Few frustrations in golf are as universal as missing a short putt to save par. It doesn’t matter how well you’ve struck your drive or how solid your approach iron has been: an error from a metre out instantly wipes away all the satisfaction. And the opposite is equally true: there’s nothing more rewarding than hearing the crisp sound of the ball dropping after a perfectly executed chip from the rough.
That is the essence of the short game. While long shots may steal the spotlight, it’s putts, chips and approaches that truly decide the scorecard. Between 60% and 70% of shots in a round fall within this range. In other words: you might have a powerful swing, but without accuracy around the green, your results will never live up to your potential.
It’s not just the statistics that say so. Tiger Woods summed it up best: “The short game is not half of golf, it’s more than that.”
The importance of the putt
The putt is the most frequent and the most treacherous shot. Anyone who has missed from a metre knows it is not about power, but concentration and confidence. An amateur typically takes between 30 and 36 putts per round; professionals often manage fewer than 28. That difference of eight strokes is what separates frustration from excellence.
Improving your putting comes down to three simple habits:
Always maintain the same routine before striking the ball.
Read the slope of the green from several angles.
Control the pace: a putt that races past the hole leaves the next shot as punishment.
At Pula Golf Resort, our academy coaches recommend practising from short distances until the stroke becomes second nature. Confidence builds as you hole out time and again from under two metres.
Chipping and recovery around the green
The chip is the great lifesaver. A poorly struck chip can ruin a hole; a well-executed one can turn a mistake into an opportunity. The key is to keep it simple: a short swing, firm wrists and clean contact.
Picture just missing the green and finding your ball in the rough, with barely ten metres to the flag. That tense moment is resolved with technique and practice. And it isn’t always about reaching for the wedge: sometimes a 7-iron to run the ball up is the winning choice.
The approach as the gateway to a birdie
If the chip saves, the approach sets up. This is the shot that creates a birdie chance and, if well executed, leaves the ball a couple of metres from the hole. Club selection and distance control are what make the difference.
Practising approaches on the pitching green at Pula Golf Resort allows you to experiment with different trajectories: high shots that stop dead, or lower ones that roll out towards the flag. Out on the course, that confidence translates into fewer mistakes and more birdies.
Advice from the PROs at Pula Golf Resort
The professionals at the Pula Golf Academy know that mastering the short game doesn’t come from magic formulas, but from method and consistency. Their advice is built on three pillars:
Simplify the technique: compact movements, no unnecessary flourishes.
Expand your repertoire: from a putt rolled from off the green to a high flop shot over a bunker.
Train under pressure: simulate tournament situations with targets and penalties.
The academy offers private lessons, improvement programmes and tailored follow-up. It also boasts Trackman Range technology, analysing every parameter of the shot, with multilingual coaches ready to welcome golfers from across the globe.
Practical drills for daily training
Skill is built through intelligent repetition. These drills, common on Pula’s greens, are straightforward and effective:
Putting ladder: hole consecutive putts from one, two, three and up to five metres. Pressure builds with each stroke.
Chip to the circle: set a one-metre ring around the hole and try to leave every ball inside.
Zone approaches: practise from 50, 75 and 100 metres, counting how many finish close to the flag.
Up & Down Challenge: place yourself in tricky positions and force yourself to save par in two shots.
Practised consistently, these routines turn golfers into more confident and decisive players on the course.
Pula Golf Resort: facilities to perfect your short game
Few places provide such a complete environment for sharpening the short game as Pula Golf Resort, in Son Servera, Mallorca:
A course redesigned by José María Olazábal, a demanding par 72.
Driving Range with two levels, one covered.
Two putting greens, a pitching green and a large chipping area.
Fitting Centre to adjust equipment.
Trackman Range, unique in Mallorca.
A multilingual academy with top-level professionals.
The resort is completed by a hotel housed in a 16th-century manor house, Mediterranean-style suites, a spa, and the S’Era de Pula restaurant, supplied by its own 6,000 m² organic garden.
It has also been awarded ARC 360 certification, as Mallorca’s first competitive regenerative hotel. This means it generates more positive than negative impacts — a pioneering model in sustainable tourism.
Beyond the swing: sustainability and authenticity
Pula Golf Resort’s commitment to the planet is as strong as its commitment to golf:
Use of treated water for irrigation.
100% renewable energy: geothermal, aerothermal and solar.
Elimination of single-use plastics.
Zero-mile produce from its own organic garden.
This pioneering model makes the resort an asset for the land and the local community, reinforcing the idea that golf can be a driver of sustainability and social wellbeing.
The next step to master the short game
Golf is not won with the longest drive, but with precision in the final metres. Those who master the short game manage their handicap, enjoy each round more and play with greater confidence.
At Pula Golf Resort you will find everything you need: a prestigious course, unique facilities, a renowned academy and a Mediterranean setting where training becomes a pleasure.
Book your lessons at the Academy,
or your stay at
Pula Golf Resort
today — and turn your short game into your greatest competitive weapon.