Tiger Woods and Fred Couples are two of the PGA Tour’s most experienced and best players of the last few decades and when they’re giving out tips to improve around the greens, it’s worth listening.

Couples and Woods are one of golf’s great friendships, with Couples among the first to speak to Woods after his latest injury in 2024.

Between them, they have over 120 wins in professional golf, with Couples’ 1992 Masters win bringing the total majors won to 16 as a duo.

Over the years, Couples and Woods have made a habit of being outstanding around the greens.

A good short-game in golf is integral to any player at any level and anyone who plays the game knows that shots can be saved in abundance by being smart and skilled from short range.

And looking back at some instructions from Woods and Couples, they have some key advice to help the amateur when trying to improve their short-game.

Masters Tournament - Preview Day TwoPhoto by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty ImagesTiger Woods and Fred Couples explain how to be better at chipping

During Tiger Woods‘ career, he’s often been lauded for his shot-making ability in any situation, while Couples is widely regarded to have one of the smoothest swings going.

So, with Woods and Couples teaming up to offer some short-game advice, it’s worth tapping into.

As the duo explain here, there are some simple steps the amateur golfer can take to improve.

“This is what people don’t understand. When I’m chipping really well this is a pretty easy shot, but once you start doing other things and the ball gets higher it’s going to be hard,” Couples explains.

Woods then offers his own take on proceedings, giving further advice on getting the ball on the right trajectory.

“I do not want the ball to get higher. I want it as low as I can to the ground. I was taught by your mentor Raymond Floyd and he would always say land it a foot to a yard on and let the ground do the rest of the work,” Woods commented.

“What I have found that works best for me is that whatever length of shot I have, I try and imagine whatever club I would need to make the same stroke I would with a putter.

“If I was going to hit a normal chip at a tournament this would be closer to a nine iron, so same length I would for a putt. I would not want to change much.”

Tiger Woods’ 2009 short-game stats that showed his class

Tiger Woods has had some memorable years on the PGA Tour and his dominance in his prime was unquestionable.

However, it is a year where he didn’t actually win a major where Woods had arguably his best ever year when it came to short-game statistics.

Tiger Woods 2009 short-game statsPosition Scrambling 1stOutside 30 yards scrambling 3rdSG around the green3rdScrambling from the rough7thSand save %3rdTiger Woods’ short-game stats in 2009

Over the 09′ season, Woods was up there in nearly every metric the PGA Tour measures, including being third overall for strokes gained around the green and crucially, first in scrambling.

Lee Westwood spoke of Woods’ brilliance as a scrambler previously and a quick glance at these stats very much prove that opinion.

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