WHY IS THIS MAN SMILING?

Because Parker McLachlin, journeyman pro and Tour winner, knows a few things about the short game most don't. And he's damn happy about letting you in on his secrets.

- NICK DIMENGO

It’s easy to access golf instruction these days. This thing called YouTube or Instagram. Even the pages of this magazine. Everywhere you look tips are everywhere for the taking. Helpful? Absolutely. The search and glut of information can also be overwhelming for some players, to say nothing of conflicting. But Parker McLachlin—who played collegiate golf at U.C.L.A. and first earned his PGA Tour card in 2007— is cooking up a different way to help players at all skill levels improve their games. Rather than chasing 300-plus-yard drives, Parker delivers fundamentals on saving strokes where it matters the most: in the short game.

McLachlin, who goes by the Instagram handle @short- gamechef, regularly provides videos on both his social media account and website (ShortGameChef.com), encouraging better play from 100 yards and in. And, with clients ranging from weekend warriors all the way to PGA Tour players, the ingredients used in his test kitchen are proving to be the right recipe for success.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way...

Parker McLachlin will be the first to tell you, playing professional golf is freakin’ hard. Even for a golfer who’s actually won on Tour (2008 Reno-Tahoe Open), maintaining a consistent career on “the circuit” is a massive challenge.

“My short game was there, my putting was there, but my swing wouldn’t always hold up,” says McLachlin of his Tour days. “When you’re in the middle of it, it’s hard to quantify… you just feel like your whole world is crumbling. Golf had been my