Work on your short game at Dave Pelz Golf School

'Drive for show, but putt for dough" is a well-worn maxim that most golfers will have heard at some stage out on a course somewhere. What it means, in essence, is that you can boom 300-yard drives down a fairway all day long, but when it comes to the short game - your chipping, pitching and putting - that is where titles are won and lost. Get this aspect of your game right, and success will surely follow. The short game tends to be many players" Achilles Heel and is the aspect which a great many average golfers tend to focus on when it comes to practice, but often without any real idea of how to do it right. A visit to a professional is often worthwhile, but now, a golf clinic concept which has recently opened at the new Killeen Castle development, near Dunsany, is likely to attract much interest from local golfers anxious to improve this part of their game. The Dave Pelz Scoring Game Golf School applies a practical, scientific approach to golf instruction, honed through years of research and providing golf lessons to many of the game"s top professionals. Dave Pelz has a scientific background and some of his better-known clients include three-time Major winner Phil Mickleson, and US Tour regulars Vijay Singh, Mike Weir, KJ Choi and Jim Furyk. Pelz Golf Institute research has shown that golfers lose almost 80 per cent of their shots to par inside 100 yards of the green. To that end, this golf school focuses strictly on what is defined as 'The Scoring Game" - a combination of the short game (distance wedges, pitching, chipping, sand play) and putting, which comprise 60 to 65 per cent of the total number of shots played per round. The Dave Pelz Scoring Game School at Killeen Castle is the only Pelz facility outside the United States and is staffed by two Irish PGA professionals, Jussi Pitkanen and Conor Devery, both of whom have trained in the US under the tutelage of Pelz. The only thing they teach is the short game and putting, as this is the aspect which has the greatest influence on scoring. All levels are catered for and the information they impart applies equally to beginners and tour professionals alike. The new facility, which includes a very comfortable clubhouse and dedicated outdoor areas, is currently offering one-day clinics which include three hours of short game in the morning (chipping, pitching and bunker play) and three hours of putting fundamentals in the afternoon. The cost is €395 and lunch is included. Also, during the winter time, the Pelz School offers a three-hour evening session on the fundamentals of the short game aimed at helping golfers of all skill levels and abilities. These sessions are conducted at a 4:1 student ratio to maximise the learning potential. The cost of the evening session is €149 and runs from 6.0 to 9.0. Two- and three-day scoring game schools are also available, mainly during the golf season and depending on demand. All information on schedules and bookings is available on www.pelzgolf.com or contact (01) 6893030.