3 Keys To Hitting The Green

So you’ve selected and committed to a certain ball.  You’re working on your swing speed and getting more distance out of your drives.  That’s all great.  But what do you do next?  

Next, as in you’re about to hit your approach shot into the green.  This is where better players begin to truly differ from average golfers.

According to a study of millions of golf shots cited on practical-golf.com, an 18-handicap leaves an astounding 60 percent of their shots short of the green.   And knowing this, short of the green is where most bunkers, thick rough and water are placed by golf architects.

What most golfers rarely do is hit the ball over the green.  Only 4 percent of shots are “air mailed”. 

So why do you think this happens to us?  First of all, we are all better range players than we are on the course.  Second, we all think we hit it farther than we actually do.  Last, we get lazy and don’t figure out our true yardage to the center of the green and over any trouble (with an actual rangefinder or using GPS).  

Here are three keys to hitting the green…

1. More Is Better

The next step to lowering your scores is hitting greens.  “I believe just by choosing more club into the green (a) player will be able to eliminate a couple of shots per round,” says Jon Sherman, author of the bestselling book 101 Mistakes All Golfers Make (and how to fix them).

My head professional, Kevin Lim, always tells me to take more club into every green.  In fact, he agreed with numerous articles saying you should take enough club to get to the back of the green.  Since average golfers slightly mishit most all shots they will wind up in the middle the green instead of splashing into water or the sand, Kevin explains.  

I just finished playing in our member-guest tournament last week (hence the delay in getting this out).  During our practice round, I told my (can be stubborn) partner to take more club going into the 8th par4 green… she holed out for an eagle!  She’s now a believer.

Reality: Most golfers rarely “flush” their shots into the green.

2. Aim For The Largest Part Of The Green (i.e., the Middle)

If you are already a great player, you are able to to hit clubs into the green and perhaps get them close to the flag.  However, for those of us with greater shot dispersion playing it smart and aiming for an area of the green that is large or doesn’t have much trouble in its path is always the best option.  Again, studies of millions of shots also show that all players miss the ball both to the left and to the right right almost equally.  Aim for the middle of the green, not the flag.

3. Know How Far You Hit Your Clubs

I’m talking about on average, not when you hit the occasional perfectly flushed shot.  Know the distances of each of your wedges and short irons, your 9 and 8 irons in particular.  These are clubs you should expect to get on the green the majority of the time.  Once you have hit a wood, hybrid or long iron, chances are you are going to be chipping or pitching onto the green with your next shot.

Working on your approach shots is one of the fastest way to lower your scores, i.e., your handicap.

Now that fall has arrived and winter is around the corner, we are going to shift the focus of our posts from playing to the holiday season (think, gifts!), fitness, equipment, clothing and accessories (of course!), practicing indoors and travel. 

Thanks for tuning in.  If you find yourself digging my blog, please feel free to forward it to a friend who might also enjoy it.  As always, I would love to hear from you — feel free to shoot me an email to blake@thewomangolfer.com with any questions, comments or suggestions for future posts.