Rethinking Your "Best" Shots

I found an older article from Hank Haney over at the Golf Digest site that some of you might find interesting. It's called 4 Obsolete Shots and What to Play Today , and it's about the strategy you use out on the course.

Haney says there are 4 generally-advocated strategy hints that absolutely are not beneficial anymore. They are:

1. Hit your 3-wood for accuracy
2. Lay up to your favorite yardage
3. Take dead aim at the flagstick
4. Chip your ball from the fringe

I'll let you read the article to find out why he says you shouldn't follow them most of the time -- hey, there's always an exception to the rules! -- but I want to focus on that third one because I think it could help most of you a lot.

Rather than aiming at the flag, Haney recommends shooting for the middle of the green. And the logic of this is so overwhelming that it's hard to believe we don't do it automatically.

Simply positioned, most weekend golfers don't know precisely how far they hit the ball. I suggest, do you understand -- right right here, at this very moment -- how a long way you deliver every iron, how some distance it rolls out, and how some distance typical you could expect the ball to tour? Probably now not. But through capturing at the middle of the green you maximize your possibilities of hitting the green and leaving your self a putt.

And, although you may not have thought about it this way, if your ball always ends up in the middle of the green you'll never have a putt that's more than half a green from the hole! And since most holes aren't placed right on the edge of the green, they'll usually be much shorter than that. It's simple logic.

So pop over and examine the object. It will give you some meals for thought. And by means of all approach, try taking pictures for the middle of the green for some rounds and see if it doesn't lower your rating.