The Short Game Scientist…

How a NASA physicist revolutionized golf—and taught us all to score better

The golf world lost its ultimate short-game savant Sunday when Dave Pelz—part mad scientist, part golf whisperer—passed away at 85 at his Texas home after complications from prostate cancer. The man who turned chips and putts into a precise science leaves behind a legacy measured in majors won (over 20 by his pupils), strokes saved (millions), and wide-brimmed hats worn (countless).

From Rocket Science to Short-Game Revolution

Pelz’s journey reads like a golf nerd’s origin story:

• 1950s: Gets humbled as a college golfer by “some kid from Ohio State named Nicklaus”
• 1960s: Spends 14 years at NASA calculating satellite orbits (casual)
• 1974: Leaves rockets behind to solve golf’s greatest mystery: Why do we suck within 100 yards?

His discovery? A staggering 80% of shots lost to par happen in the scoring zone—a truth that became golf’s North Star.

The Pelz Playbook: How He Changed the Game

Armed with data and endless curiosity, Pelz became golf’s MacGyver:

🔬 Inventions That Stuck

• The Putting Tutor (now on every Tour practice green)
• The 3-ball putter concept that birthed Odyssey’s iconic 2-Ball
• The 4-wedge system that helped Tom Kite win the ’92 U.S. Open

📚 Wisdom That Spread

• Bestsellers like Short Game Bible (the holy text for hackers)
• 15 years of Golf Channel shows making stats sexy
• The legendary “Lumpy Donut Effect” (why missed putts cluster)

🏆 Proteges Who Dominated
From Mickelson (“I owe him everything”) to Singh, Stewart to Reed, Pelz’s stable of major winners proved his methods worked at the highest level.

The Man Behind the Numbers

Beyond the analytics, Pelz was beloved for his wit and warmth:

• Built replica Augusta greens at his Texas school just for fun
• Coined immortal advice: “Practice makes permanent”
• Once said golf should be about “smelling grass and hearing birds” between math equations

His final gift? Teaching us that greatness isn’t just power—it’s precision, patience, and knowing a 56° wedge works better when you actually practice with it.

Final Thought: Next time you save par with a clutch 8-footer, whisper thanks to the physicist who made it science.

Hanju Lee
Better Golf News

P.S. – The Pelz family requests donations to [prostate cancer research] in lieu of flowers. And if you really want to honor Dave? Go chip 100 balls.