Golf Tip # 6

IMPROVING YOUR APPROACH SHOTS

A Three Part Series

Part 3: COURSE MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGY

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I hope that you have taken the first two steps with us in our three-part series to improve your approach shots. You are playing with one particular ball, you know your shot distances with your irons, you have a laser rangefinder AND you know how to use it!

Now, let’s talk about Course Management and Strategy.

Many of you would be better players if you didn’t have those holes with big scores! The dreaded snowman (8) or the snowman with two kids (10)!!  Most big numbers are caused by hitting the wrong club and or by hitting it to the wrong target at some point on that hole.  You aim at a pin that is much too difficult to for you to be aiming at or sometimes you aim at the green itself!!

So we are not going to talk about swing mechanics to get better approach shots. We are going to achieve this by THINKING better.

You need to know the depths of the greens on the course that you are playing.

Let’s say the depth of the first green is 50 yards deep.  This means from the 150 marker in the fairway to the CENTER of the green is 150 yards.  Thus, the back edge of the green is 175 away and the front of the green is 125 yards.  Your ball is at the 150 marker in the fairway and you laser the pin at 130 yards with no wind, so you understand it is on the front of the green.

Don’t hit your 130 yard iron!  Here is your new strategy - use your 140 club because you know you have plenty of green in behind the flag.  Let’s say you hit this 140 yard club perfectly.  You will be about 30 feet past the flag.   Good Shot!!  Let’s say you hit it slightly less than perfect.  Just 10 yards less than a good shot and it could end up next to the hole.   Just say thank you when someone in your group says, "Great shot"!  They do not need to know your thought process or a detailed description!!   Get the idea!  You were just successful with an unsuccessful shot!!

It might work the opposite way.  If the pin was in the back of the green, with possible trouble over the back of the green, you laser the pin on the same hole and get 170 yards.  This time use your 160 club and plan on being short of the flag.  This way you take the possibility of being over the green and in trouble out of play. Let's say you hit that 160 yard club poorly and only hit it 140 yards, 20 yards less than normal, you may have a long putt, but you are still on the green and not over the green in trouble. Again you have been successful with an unsuccessful swing.

These are just examples and will not be used exactly the same way every time but, you will notice if you follow these two examples just as they are written you will see a positive change in your approach shot to the green!!

Golf is not a game of perfect! Ask any touring Professional how many perfect shots they hit in a round and the answer will surprise you!  Most often it’s one or two! 

I can’t tell how many times I have needed to use a 5 iron for a 185 yard shot but knowing there is plenty of green behind the flag, I chose to hit a 4 iron "less than perfect" and it ended up close to the hole. Someone in the group will say "Good shot"!!  I just say, "Thank You"!!

We will discuss Course Management and Strategy again next month.

Randy Brown
Golf Tips from the Pro