How many swings do you need to break 80? If you’re like most golfers, you’d probably say two—your full Swing and your putting Strike. Right? But Dave Pelz, golf’s well known short-game guru, thinks otherwise. He says adding a third swing to your arsenal can take your game to the next level and help you break 80.

Using two swings, says Pelz, limits your ability to score. But developing a third swing—a “finesse” swing designed for hitting pinpoint pitches and chips—boosts your ability to score dramatically. That, in turn, cuts strokes from your scores and increases your chances of breaking 80. It also helps you lower your golf handicap.

Coil—or the lack of coil we should say—is the key to developing Pelz’s finesse. With your power swing, you need to turn your upper body against a stable lower body during your backswing to generate power. This coiling between your upper and lower bodies creates the force you need to hit those 275-yard bombs.

But you don’t need that kind of coil when hitting short range shots.
Instead, you need la “smaller” coil when hitting short-game shots. This small coil provides the control you need to hit accurate pitches and wedges. You can gain this kind of pinpoint control by making a shorter, rhythmic, synchronized swing, according to Pelz.

Here’s how Pelz describes the mechanics of the finesses swing in an article in Golf Magazine. To generate a finesse swing, says Pelz, you need to do the following:

Rotate your hips and shoulders together in your backswing. Do it in slow motion, and stop about half way back.  Then rotate everything through impact at the same speed until you reach the finish. You shouldn’t feel any coil between your upper and lower body at any point in your motion.

Compare that description with how Pelz describes the mechanics of the power swing:

Keep your hips and lower body motionless while turning your shoulders and swinging your arms and the club in slow motion to the top of the backswing. Hold for a count so you can sense the coil—and energy storage—between your upper and lower body. Now rotate your hips toward the target in slow motion and pull your upper body along through impact.

As you can see, there’s quite a bit of difference between the two swings. So it will take some work to master it. But once you do, says Pelz, you’ll be able to dial in chips and pitches that help cut strokes from your score and your golf handicap.

Below are two drills that will help you master the mechanics you need to develop the two swings that Pelz advocates. One drill is for mastering a power swing. The other for mastering the finesse swing:

Take your normal address position with a wedge. Place a spongy ball between your forearms just below the elbows. You can also stretch a towel across your chest and hold it under your armpits. Now make half-swings with the goal of keeping the ball (or the towel) in place. After practicing without a ball, drop one down and hit some pitches with the ball or towel under your arms. Pick out a target and aim for it first.

Set up with your weight equally distributed. Now swing back, exaggerating your weight shift as you do. It should feel as though you are pushing off on your front foot. Allow your front foot to come off the ground and move a few inches closer to your back foot, like your trying to click your heels.

Your weight should be on your back foot by the time your hands reach waist high in your backswing.  Drive off your back foot just before starting your downswing, and step in and plant your front foot just ahead of the ball. Now swing aggressively through the ball.

Work on these two golf drills often. They’ll help you develop the two kinds of swing that Dave Pelz advocates. Mastering them along with your third swing —your putting stroke—will boost your ability to score and help you break 80. It will also help you cut strokes from your golf handicap.