When playing approach shots to the green, it is very tempting to look at the pin position and get your ball as close to it as possible.
Watching professional golfers play on the PGA and European Tour, the likes of Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose attack the pin, to give themselves the best chance of a birdie. However, these are professional players, not amateurs and although it may not seem like fun, sometimes the best policy for approach shots is to aim for the middle of the green.
The problem with aiming directly for the hole every time you play an approach shot is however well you hit the shot, there is a good chance the ball will not finish near the hole.
On many golf courses, the pin position is near the front, back or sides of the green, rarely in the middle. This means, even if you hit what feels like a nice shot, the ball can easily land in trouble by rolling off the green at the back, or finding a bunker at the front. Either way, despite hitting a nice shot, you are left with the prospect of dropping shots.
As a beginner golfer, you want to find the green as early as possible and this means aiming for the largest part of it. Often, this is the centre of the green.
The reason for this is to keep the number of mistakes you make under control. Think about the odds of you hitting a shot which leaves the ball a few inches from the hole, like you see when watching the highlights of the Open Championship on television. These odds are not in your favour so why risk dropping shots?
Aim for the middle or the largest part of the green. This gives you the best chance of keeping your ball on the green and not sending it into water, a bunker or the rough.
To play a shot to the largest area of the green often means aiming to the right or left of the flag. When practicing on the driving range you nearly always aim directly to the flag so doing this may feel a little strange. You will see the flag and naturally want to aim for it but must remember you are on the golf course not the driving range.
To help with this, try picking something out behind the middle of green which you can aim for instead of the flag. It could be a tree or the top of a building, anything which means you are aiming for the centre of the green. By having this focus, you will concentrate on finding the fattest part of the green, leaving you with the putter in your hand for the next shot.
Stop dropping needless shots by aiming for tricky pins and get your ball on the green.
Recent Comments