Up and Down Golf Term – Golf Journey 365

Did you know that the fastest way to get better at golf is to have more “up and downs?”

You might be saying, “great, but what does up and down mean?”

Up and Down Golf Term?

An up and down is when a golfer is able to hit one chip and one putt for a total of 2 shots typically to save par on a hole. This often occurs when a golfer misses a green in regulation and has a chip or pitch shot left to get onto the green.

The best golfers are able to chip or pitch the ball close to the pin (within 3-10 feet) and make the next putt.

I have always promoted getting good at the short game. It doesn’t take great strength, speed, or athletic ability to be an excellent short game player. The formula for breaking 80 is simple:

Hit 6 greens in regulation and 2 putt

On 6 holes save a par by getting up and down
On 6 holes don’t make anything more than a bogey

Next Steps: Track Your Stats

I would highly recommend tracking your stats over your next 5 rounds of golf to future out your percentage of “up and downs.” Here is a sample chart you can use.

Hole #	Distance from Hole	Proximity to hole (feet)	Up and Down?
2	15 yards	10	No
5	10 yards	8	Yes
6	20 yards	12	No
8	15 yards	5	Yes

10	25 yards	8	No
11	17 yards	1	Yes
13	12 yards	1	Yes
18	11 yards	6	No


Total			4/8
			50%

Looking at my chart above from my most recent round, I was able to hit 2 of my chip shots inside of 1 foot and made a 5 foot and an 8 foot putt. Several of my chips were disappointing in the distance left.

Overall, I need to continue to work on getting the ball inside of a about a 6 foot circle to keep my chances of making the putt high.

Following the formula I recommended above to break 80 was followed as I saved par 50% of the time. I was able to make several birdies during this round to get my score in the mid 70s.

Did you know: The average make percentage on putts from 8 feet on the PGA Tour is only 50%?

What does this stat tell us?

If we really want to be good at getting “up and down” the key is to hit your chip shots inside the 3-6 foot circle a high percentage of the time.

Spending time around the greens is vital to your success!

What is a good percentage for up and down?

If a golfer can get in the lower 50% area for up and downs they increase their chance of being a scratch golfer. Here are some key stats for what it takes to play at the scratch level. Pay extra attention to the “scrambling” stat below:

Greens in Regulation	67%
Fairways Hit	53%
Putts Per Hole	1.67
Scrambling	54%
Sand Saves	59%
Average Driving Distance	251

The great news for golfers is that the quickest way to lower your score is by becoming an excellent short game player and by improving your swing speed.

These two areas will give you the greatest return on your time spent practicing.

Short Game Resources (Top 5 Posts!)

11 Golf Drills for Chipping

When To Use A 60 Degree Wedge

We highly recommend speed training and become an expert with the wedge on those chips and pitches!

Do you need a Speed Training Protocol? Here is our number one recommendation!

#1 Recommendation: OverSpeed Training

I spent many years wondering how I can increase my swing speed. When I was playing junior golf, we weren’t fortunate enough to have some of the training aids and knowledge that is now available. Smart people have studied the golf swing and have created training aids and protocols to help all golfers increase their distance!

At around the same time, the statistics from the PGA Tour have become more clear and the importance of speed is acknowledged by many to be a key to being the best on the PGA Tour.

Within the past several years, there have been several products hit the market to make speed gains possible. While many people for many years waited for the latest driver to come out to gain an additional 5-10 yards, you can now do this even with your current clubs.

Did you know that with the SuperSpeed Training System you can gain 5-8% increase in swing speed as early as the first training session? This would allow you to gain somewhere between 10 and 30 yards depending on your current swing speed.

SuperSpeed Golf – Use Discount Code Golfjourney365 for some savings!

The SuperSpeed Training System is based on three different swing speed sticks all weighing at different weights. There is a green club that is 10% lighter than the average driver, the blue club which is 5% lighter and the red club which is actually 5% heavier!

Following their prescribe protocols (see video below) the golfer completes the training every other day. The total time to complete most of their protocols is between 10-15 minutes. Most people can find the time to make this happen. The golfer will also need a swing radar to measure their progress.

The science behind the SuperSpeed Training System is based on overspeed training. Overspeed training has been around for several decades now and has been used by olympic athletics in the sport of Track and Field.

The science behind this overspeed training is based on the premise that your brain will only allow your body to move as fast as it feels it can stop safely! So, you get to work and swing the clubs as fast as possible, retraining your brain to allow you to swing your driver faster.

For more permanent results, the golfer should continue these training protocols for several months. The initial 5-8% is great and can become more permanent with the right length of training. The golfer can expect to continue to break down barriers every several months at a 1-2% increase.

If you want to hit your 5 iron 200 yards, it will take some serious work for most people. However, the system is there and there are ways to accomplish this goal.

My own experience has been an increase of 7-10 miles per hour on average from between 98-101 all the way up to 106-109. My goal is to hit the PGA Tour average of 113 mph in the coming months. I will continue to train every other day and watch in amazement as I am hitting drivers longer now than ever before!

Phil Mickelson has been known to increase his swing speed in the past year or so and is close to 120 miles per hour in his swing speed. There are potential results for golfers of all ability levels and age!

Check the current price on SuperSpeed Golf System, here!

Original Swing Speed	After 4-6 Weeks	New Carry Distance	Total Distance
95	102	245	265
100	108	259	279
105	113	271	291
110	118	283	303

A complete game changer! Get to work as soon as possible on improving your swing speed!

My Secret To Golf Improvement

Let’s face it, in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently. About three years ago, I made the leap and invested in a golf simulator build for my garage. I went with a SkyTrak Launch Monitor and the TGC software and can now play over 100,000 courses including Augusta, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits. St. Andrews and many other of the top 100 courses in the world.

This golf simulator setup, which is more affordable that you might imagine, has been a game changer. I can now play golf everyday of the year regardless of rain, snow, cold weather or time of day. I can practice or play rounds of golf. I can stand in the 11th fairway at Augusta and with the auto-rewind feature I am able to practice my approach shots from various differences.

It is worth checking out through Rain or Shine Golf as they offer some incredible packages along with financing offers that are difficult to beat.

Some direct links to Rain or Shine Golf for pricing and financing:

Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better

What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better:

1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options:

Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:

George Gankas

2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options:

Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:

3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through:

We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.

How to Break 70

4 – Practice Frequently

Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system? It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions:

Is a Golf Simulator Worth It?