“I’m Better Than That”

This is the biggest lie in golf, and it’s one that every golfer I know has told.

Some golfers tell The Lie out loud, trying to protect their pride by tongue-lashing themselves.  Others silently tell it to themselves after a bad shot.  But no matter how it’s communicated, it’s a lie.

In this lesson, I’ll explain why that lie is hurting your game and how you can play better with a healthy dose of the truth.

This Lesson Is For You If:

You get frustrated with your game

You want to shoot better scores

“You Are What Your Record Says You Are”

This line from coach Bill Parcells cuts to the heart of The Lie.  If you are the player who hit the bad shot, you aren’t better than the bad shot.  That’s not to say that the bad shot is all that you are or that you aren’t capable of better sometimes, but denying that the bad shot is part of your game is folly.

The full grown version of The Lie is the player who says, “Well, I shot 94, but…” and then explains how they actually shot 85.  It shows a detachment from reality that won’t help them improve.  Those nine extra strokes were not the result of the golf course conspiring against them.  The sooner they take responsibility for the mistakes they made, the sooner they will be on their way to fixing them.

Understanding Peak, Range, and Probabilities

Every player has a range of shots that they’re able to hit.  A 30 handicap can hit a solid approach shot, but they can also hit it three inches fat or slice it off the planet.  And those bad results are far more likely.

As we move toward scratch or Tour players, the high quality shots become better and the bad shots become less likely.  What’s important to understand, however, is that the chance of a bad shot is never zero.  Players on the PGA Tour can hit shanks or miss three-footers.

The Frustrating Middle

Being a mid-handicap player – someone between those two extremes mentioned above – may be the most frustrating.  As a 10 handicap, you’re an above average player.  You’re capable of hitting really nice shots.  But you can also hit terrible shots.  It’s not out of the question for you to lay the sod over a chip or duck hook your drive.

To stop telling yourself The Lie, you need to understand your peak, your range, and your average.

Peak Performance

This is the one that most golfers know best.  What are you capable of doing when everything goes right?  It’s the most fun element to think about, and it’s a key to good strategy.  If you have the horsepower to hit it 225 yards off the tee, you shouldn’t aim at the lake that’s 220 yards away.

That said, many golfers dramatically overestimate their peak.  This is the golfer who waits for the green to clear from 275 yards out after driving it 210.  Learn your actual peak – distances, shot control, etc – instead of playing on hopes and dreams.

Learn about your peak, range, and averages with these tips HERE

The Other Side of Your Range

Most sports psychologists would caution against negative thoughts, but it’s important that we’re aware of what kind of bad shots we hit.  I know that a snap hook off the tee is never out of the question, and I’m capable of thinning a routine chip.  That doesn’t mean I hope for those outcomes, but, if I’m going to operate in reality, I need to be aware that they exist.

We can go a step further and consider what situations make those bad outcomes more likely.  Do you slice more when you’re under pressure?  Do you hit it fat when faced with a forced carry?

In practice, we can work on eliminating these poor shots.  When we’re playing, we need to know they exist so we can minimize the damage they can cause.  Here’s an example: if I haven’t played lately, thin chips are more likely.  That may lead me to use my putter around the green more often, especially if there’s trouble long.  I’m not throwing in the towel, I’m not giving up on the idea of ever being a good chipper, I’m just adapting my strategy to my strengths and weaknesses.

Averages

The most important thing to know about your game is your average outcome with each of your clubs.  This starts with distance.  You can’t score well if you’re constantly expecting to hit the ball your all-time best distance; play for your average carry.  Similarly, while we all love hitting a laser at the flag, those are rare.  Play for your most common shot shape.

And remember that with every shot, you are aiming your whole shot pattern, not a single point.  The size and shape of your shot pattern will change from club to club, and you need to think about getting the biggest chunk of that shot pattern into the best position possible.

Play the Odds

If you know about your peaks, ranges, and averages, what should you do?  Play the odds.  Most of the time you’re going to hit an average shot.  Pick a club, a shot, and a target that will give you a good outcome most of the time.  Give some consideration to the extremes, especially when there are stroke hazards involved, but play for the fat part of the bell curve.

Laugh it Off

Have you ever seen someone throw a tantrum when they find out their Powerball ticket isn’t a winner?  Of course not.  Everyone knows that most lottery tickets are losers.  You buy a ticket to have a laugh and a chance at something great.  When it doesn’t go the way you hoped, you give a wry smile and move on.  If it does come through, you can be elated.

We should treat golf much the same way.  Most of our shots are going to be average.  That’s fine.  Go hit the next one.  When one of the bad ones pops up, laugh it off.  Go hit the next one.  And when you’re lucky enough to get one of those shots from the top 1% of your range, recognize that it’s special and enjoy the hell out of it.

The post The Biggest Lie in Golf appeared first on Plugged In Golf.

The Trouble with Modern Greens

During my recent golf trip to central Oregon, I had the opportunity to play Tetherow Golf Club [review HERE].  This David McLay-Kidd design features very large greens.  This led me to an interesting question: do the large greens favored by modern architects negate the value of greens in regulation?

Get caught up on the first ten installments of the Course Management Basics series HERE.

This Lesson Is For You If:

You play courses with large greens

The King of Stats

Greens in regulation (GIR) is the king of golf stats because it’s the one that correlates most closely with handicap.  If you hit about 7 GIR per round, you’re likely to be a single digit handicap.  Hit 10 or more and you’re flirting with scratch.  But do the benefits of hitting lots of greens diminish when you playing on larger greens?

The Data

First, thank you to Shot Scope for providing the data for this lesson.  Their data is pulled from millions of shots hit by thousands of golfers of all handicap levels.  If you want to start tracking your shots and playing smarter golf, click HERE.

If we were to boil this down to one number, it would be 30 feet.  That’s how much closer you need to be to negate the benefits of being on the green.  Golfers who are 21 feet from the flag and off the green require slightly fewer strokes to finish (between 0.04 and 0.17, depending on handicap) than golfers who are on the green but 51 feet away from the cup.

What is the benefit to being on the green?  That depends on the handicap.  Comparing like distances – 21 feet from the hole – on and off the green, the difference in strokes to finish is 0.22 for scratch players.  For those with handicaps of sixteen or more that jumps to almost 0.5 strokes.  While this highlights how much better scratch players’ short games are, it also indicates what a massive advantage it is to be on the green.

Before moving on, let’s spell out the two obvious inferences.  First, if you’re off the green but more than 30 feet closer, that’s a win.  If 30 feet closer confers a small advantage, being 50 feet closer should give us an even larger advantage.  Conversely, if you can’t get at least 30 feet closer, just get your ball on the green.

Real World Application

Obviously, golfers do not get to stand in the fairway and decide between being 51 feet away on the green or 21 feet away in the fringe.  They need to hit shots that will have a variety of possible outcomes.  Because there are so many variables in play – the size and shape of the green, pin location, hazards, shape and texture of the surrounds, the player’s tendencies, etc – I can’t give you a single, simple rule for how to play.  Instead, here are a handful of things to consider so you can make the best decision for your game.

Note: these ideas are listed in order of importance.  If you’re a newer player, or simply trying to play smart for the first time, start with one or two.  When those ideas become second nature, add more.

“Shotgun, Not Sniper Rifle”

I’ve discussed this concept before, but it bears repeating.  Scott Fawcett, creator of the Decade Course Management System, is responsible for the phrase, and I think it’s the one thing that will make every golfer a better player instantly.

What he’s saying is that your golf clubs create a shot pattern that covers a certain area.  Depending on the club and your skill level, that pattern will change in size and shape, but it’s never a single dot.  You need to think about placing the entire shot pattern safely when you pick a target.  Keep this in mind from tee to green, and you’ll start making better decisions.

Eliminate Hazards

Whether we’re playing on big greens or small greens, staying out of hazards is essential to scoring well.  We need to be aware of OB, water, sand, and less obvious hazards like steep depressions or areas with tall grass where we might lose a ball.

Keeping the ball out of trouble sounds obvious, but it requires discipline.  When the flag is on the side of the green near a hazard, you need to move your whole shot pattern away from it.  That can be tough, but it will pay off in the long run.

Here’s another stat from Shot Scope that will help you stay on the disciplined path: 0.52.  That’s the average penalty, across all handicap levels, for hitting into a greenside bunker.  Keep in mind that number does not assume that you’re getting a GIR, simply that you stayed off the beach.  Bunkers, especially for higher handicap players, are a major driver of higher scores.

Green Undulations

Generally, these big greens that we’re discussing are also full of sharp undulations and steep tilts.  They also tend to play firmer and faster.  This has a couple implications.  First, you need to hit your approach high and soft or plan for some amount of roll out.  Second, the ball is likely to move once it’s on the ground.

This second point is my focus.  Consider the green above.  This is an upside-down saucer or turtleback green that runs off in every direction.  The day this picture was taken, the pin position on the front was fairly friendly – a little long is fine, and short leaves you a simple chip.  But what if the pin was near the back edge?  The average golfer would play the flag number, hit a “good” shot, and then watch their ball run off the edge of the world.

Before hitting your approach shot, consider where your ball is going to land and where it will roll to.  If certain landing spots will roll into hazards or end up miles from the pin, try to remove those landing spots from your shot pattern.

We can also consider using the green’s slopes to our benefit.  The green above is #18 at Sedge Valley [review HERE].  You can see how it has friendly banks on both the left and right side of the mouth of the green.  This is a smaller green, so those banks won’t impact where we place our shot pattern.  On a larger green, however, these features could allow us to pick a more aggressive target, knowing that a shot that’s a little left will be shoved back toward the middle.

Evaluate the Surrounds

Whether the greens are big or small, we should also take a look at the undulations in the surrounds.  On small greens, we should consider this because part of our shot pattern is likely to be off the green.  With larger greens, we should think about the surrounds because they might be a better place than the far reaches of the putting surface.

As a general rule, we’re thinking about the same things that we did on the green: if my ball lands in a certain area, will the slopes make things better or worse?  Where will my ball finish?  Will this lead me to a hazard, closer to the pin, or farther away?

Let’s look at a couple examples from Tetherow to illustrate.  In the photo above, we can see that the green is heavily segmented – any long putt is going to be tough.  But are any of the surround areas better?  No.  Closest to the flag, the surround falls away steeply.  The same is true on the right side (from our perspective).  There is some fairly safe space on the far side of the green, but it’s narrow.  In this case, we’re better off playing for the center of the green and accepting that we might have to navigate some challenging putts.

In contrast, the green above has a very mild surround, with the exception of the bunkers.  With the flag all the way back, the center of the green is probably the best play.  However, if the flag was in the front or middle, we should take advantage of the flat surround on the front side to eliminate the sand from our shot pattern.

Is Flag Hunting Good Again?

“Flag hunting” or “pin hunting” are terms used to describe aggressive play and, often, poor course management.  In the amateur context, I use them almost exclusively negatively, talking about players who shoot the flag with their rangefinder and play that number with no regard for anything else.  But, with larger greens and our 30 foot rule, is flag hunting the way to play?

The short answer is, “No.”  As we’ve just discussed, there are a myriad of factors we should be considering before picking a target.  So while the flag may end up being a good aiming point, it’s never a good idea to aim at the hole without regard for anything else.

Is the Middle of the Green Ever Bad?

Again, the short answer is, “No,” but we can offer a little more depth and nuance.

The average green is somewhere in the neighborhood of 5,000 square feet.  If we assume a fairly normal shape, that’s about 70 feet on each side.  From 85-115 yards, the average 15 handicap has a dispersion that’s around 90 feet left-to-right and front-to-back.  All that to say, with a wedge in their hand, a 15 handicap should probably aim for the middle of the green and be happy with any GIR.  That’s why many pros and coaches have said some variation of, “The middle of the green never moves” or “The middle of the green is never bad.”

It gets a little more complicated when we get to large greens or greens with unusual shapes.  Take the boomerang-shaped green at Mammoth Dunes (above): should we be aiming for the skinniest part of the green because it’s the middle?  For most pin positions, the answer is probably no.

When you’re in doubt about the value of the middle of the green, remember what we’ve discussed here.  Consider your whole shot pattern.  Avoid hazards.  Think about what the ball will do when it lands.  Follow those three steps, and you’ll see your scoring improve.

Find more Course Management Basics HERE

The post Course Management Basics – Part 11 appeared first on Plugged In Golf.

Solving Other People’s Problems

Humans tend to be really good at seeing solutions in two situations: 1) hindsight 2) when the problem belongs to someone else.  In this lesson, I’ll explain how we can leverage that second skill to become better golf strategists and shoot lower scores.

This Lesson Is For You If:

You need to improve your course management

You mentally “zone out” during rounds

You want to shoot lower scores

Undercover Golf Coach

The next time you’re playing golf, secretly take on the role of coach for another player.  Let me stress the “secret” part of this plan – you’re not going to say anything about this to the other player.  No one likes unsolicited advice.

Now, silently, think of what you’d be saying to the player throughout the round.  If your paycheck was riding on their performance, what would you tell them before a shot?  What club and type of shot would you have them hit?  What things do they need to consider – wind, temperature, elevation, hazards around the target or landing area?

I think you’ll find that you’re a pretty good coach.  Not too much is slipping past your notice.  You’re recommending sensible plays.

Part of the fun of this game is seeing how often the player follows your plan.  Are they ignoring that howling wind?  Are they taking on low probability shots around the green?  If they’re making mistakes, can you learn from them and play better?

Not Just What But How

Something else to consider is how you would talk to this player.  After they hit a bad shot, are you rubbing dirt in the wound or lifting their spirits?  When they have a challenging shot, are you giving them words of encouragement, helping them focus?

My guess is that you’re being very positive with this player.  You might consider taking that approach with yourself, too.

Short Term Benefits

Being an undercover golf coach can have immediate benefits on your game.  You’ll see the game from a new, detached perspective.  When it’s your decision, it’s easy to think, “I’ll just hit this 8I a little harder.”  When you’re coaching, you can see how silly that is, because your ego isn’t involved.  This new perspective should lead to better decision making.

Undercover coaching can also keep you engaged between shots.  While there can be value in relaxing or switching your focus after a shot, it might also lead you to miss important information.  If you’re focused on coaching, you’ll pick up on more of the information that’s available to you on the course: wind, temperature, elevation, and the nuances of the course design.

Perhaps most importantly, coaching another player forces you to articulate your thought process.  When you’re coaching someone else, you can’t just shrug, “Yeah, it’s like a 4I.”  You need to consciously explain the decision: “It’s 185 yards to the middle of the green, but long is better than short.  The wind is in my face, and there is no elevation change.  I should play this closer to 200 yards.”  Doing this forces you to check all the boxes on every shot.

Long Term Benefits

If you’ve ever played golf with an experienced coach, you’ve seen the benefits of this exercise firsthand.  Not every golf coach hits the ball beautifully, but most score well relative to their physical talent.  They’re calm on the course.  They don’t compound their mistakes.  The ball tends to get from tee to green without too many detours.

The reasons for this are fairly obvious.  If you’re constantly telling other golfers to take more club and factor in the wind, you’ll start doing those things, too.  Coaches get free experience in decision making from other players, so they level up faster.  Start playing their role and you’ll see your scores improve.

The post Undercover Golf Coaching appeared first on Plugged In Golf.

Winning Your Way

The phrase “winning on your own terms” is generally used in a positive way.  It can describe achieving success without compromising your values or priorities.  In this lesson, I’ll explain why trying to win on your terms in golf may be a fool’s errand.

This Lesson Is For You If:

You’re trying to shoot lower scores but aren’t making progress

A Prefatory Analogy

I coach my daughters’ basketball teams.  Every kid on the teams says they want to win.  But when some are assigned positions where they’re more likely to set screens than shoot, they pout.  On the court, they’ll sabotage the team by doing what they want rather than what the team needs them to do.  These players don’t want to win – they want to win on their own terms.

Winning at Golf on Your Terms

In golf, this negative version of winning on your own terms can take many forms.

For the purposes of this lesson, let’s understand “winning” to only mean shooting lower scores.

The Clubs You Play

Many players are trying to win on their own terms before they even get to the course.  We all know players like this.

“I couldn’t possibly put (club that might help my game) in my bag.”

There’s also the failure to get fit, the refusal to play the appropriate shaft flex or weight, and playing eight different types of golf balls per round.

Whether your objections are aesthetic, financial, or something else entirely, you’re welcome to play clubs that don’t fit your game, body, or swing.  You can insist on playing the same shafts at 65 that you did at 24.  Just know that you’re making winning a lot harder than it needs to be.

Club Selection

The most cliched version of this disease is taking too little club.

“I want to hit that green, but only if I can do it with a club that has the same number on the sole as the one Fred used.”

If you’re a regular reader, you already know that the number on the sole is virtually meaningless.  There are no standards – OEMs can put a “7” on a club with 20 degrees of loft if they want to [more on irons lofts HERE].

This can also happen on the tee.  While the math supports hitting driver as often as possible, there are players who should stop hitting driver until they fix their 40 yard slice.  On the other hand, there are players consistently hitting less than driver because they’re convinced it’s the smart play and won’t be told otherwise by silly contrivances like statistics.

You can hit whatever club you want off the tee.  You can hit 8I into a 197 yard par 3.  Just don’t tell me you care about winning.

Putting

This one is going to ruffle some feathers: on the green, roughly half your misses should be short of the hole.

“I want to make putts, but I’m more afraid of people making jokes if I leave it short.”

Much like the guy who can’t tolerate hitting a 6I when Fred hit a 7I, this player is busy tending to their ego rather than their scorecard.  If you’re smashing every putt, refusing to ever leave one short, you’re wasting strokes.  But, in reality, you’re probably also scooping up that six footer, so you’re not actually playing to win anyway.

Shaping Shots

Every high level swing coach and golf strategist that I’m aware of preaches the virtue of choosing a single shot and playing it over and over.  Yet the game is full of delusional mid and low handicap players – and some truly delulu high handicappers – who think they need to work the ball in every direction to score well.

I’m not suggesting that the skilled ball striker shouldn’t occasionally flight the ball down.  I’m saying that the overwhelming majority of the time, you should play your stock shot.  And when you’re not going to play your stock shot, the one you choose better pass the 80% Test [more on that HERE].

If you want to play “all the shots” because Tiger does, feel free.  But you’re not Tiger Woods, and that strategy is not going to lead to winning.

Ignoring the Conditions

If you’ve ever felt the wind in your face and said, “It’s ok, I’ll just hit this harder,” you’re trying to win on your own terms.

Playing to win requires a lot of different things.  First, you need the mental discipline to be aware of the conditions on every shot.  Is it windy?  Is the turf hard or soft?  Are you dealing with elevation changes?  Second, you need the emotional maturity to take more club or play the conservative shot when it’s called for.  Finally, you need the social fortitude to ignore the eye rolls when you go back for a different club.  Just like leaving putts short may result in taunts, taking the time to get the right club and commit to the shot* may get you roasted by your friends.  But if the score is what you’re after, it’s what you need to do.

*This is not an endorsement of slow play.  If you’re consistently changing clubs, the conditions aren’t the problem, you are.

Practice Habits

If you’ve spent any amount of time on this site, you know about good practice.  You’ve probably read about tracking your practice [HERE], practicing with purpose [HERE], finding The Goldilocks Zone [HERE], and worrying about the things that really matter [HERE].  Also, being a smarter-than-average golfer, you know that you need to work on all aspects of your game if you’re going to score well.

If, in spite of all that, your practice routine consists of smashing the extra large bucket, primarily with your driver, at no particular target, you’re trying to win on your own terms.  Practicing putting and bunker shots may not be as much fun as hitting driver, but it’s what winners do.

Not Shot Tracking

If you’re not shot tracking, you don’t actually care about your score.

“I know my game.”

Do you know your game better than a PGA Tour player?  No.  And many of them, perhaps most, employ statisticians and coaches who pick apart their shot tracking data to find ways to improve.

“Well, I’m not a PGA Tour player.”

Does it hurt your back to move the goalposts like that?  We know you’re not a Tour player.  But you asserted that you’re playing to win, just like they do.  If you mean it, you need to start shot tracking.  You are going to find weaknesses – and possibly strengths – that you were not aware of.  This gives you places where you can make quick, easy progress toward a lower handicap, and parts of your game you can lean on when things go sideways.

Two Roads to Success

I wrote this lesson with the hope of helping golfers.  I envision readers falling into one of three camps:

The first group is truly committed to better scores, and this helps them to see their blind spots.  After reading this, they understand that they can’t beat golf on their own terms, so they need to adjust something in their approach.

Another group will realize that they actually don’t care about their score that much.  This is a huge step forward for your enjoyment!  Now you’re free to play golf for whatever reason you choose: hitting the longest driver, playing the prettiest clubs, talking the most creative s*** to your friends.  To those that would rather play on their own terms than “win,” welcome to the club.

The third group thinks this doesn’t apply to them.  They’re smarter than me and math and everyone else who’s trying to help them.  By including this, am I trying to chide them into joining one of the other groups?  Absolutely.  Do I think it will work?  Probably not.  They’re too smart for that.

Regardless of which of those groups you fall into, I want to sincerely thank you for reading.

The post Winning at Golf on Your Terms appeared first on Plugged In Golf.

Inspiration on the Road

I recently took a road trip to several national parks out west.  In addition to entire days spent driving, there was a lot of time spent outdoors, many miles hiked, and some less-than-restful nights.

What does any of this have to do with golf?  Let’s discuss.

This Lesson Is For You If:

You know the right strategic decisions but don’t put them in practice

You want to make better decisions on the course

“Forearm-Deep in a Bag of Doritos”

I try to lead a healthy lifestyle.  At home, I work out daily, and I monitor my food intake closely.  During the aforementioned trip, however, I frequently found myself forearm-deep in bags of Doritos.  Candy wrappers started taking up an increasing amount of real estate around my feet.

Why did this happen?  Did I lose my knowledge of nutrition when I crossed the Illinois border?  No.  I was exhausted and lacking the resources to make good decisions.

Good Decisions Aren’t Complicated, They’re Hard

There’s nothing complicated about making a good decision.  Everyone knows we should floss daily, eat our vegetables, and stop aiming at flags.  However, simple is not the same as easy.  Making good decisions requires resources – physical and emotional energy.

Bad decisions typically require less energy, and they’re often more enjoyable.  I’d rather sleep than floss.  I’d rather eat pizza than broccoli.  And I’d definitely rather fire at the pin than play to the center of the green.

Fill Your Tanks

The next time you have a round of golf on the calendar, think about filling your tanks before you play.  Get a full night of sleep.  Eat a good meal and get hydrated before the round.  Bring a healthy snack to eat on the course.  Try to clear out your mental checklist so you don’t have outside things shouting at you from the back of your mind.

When you take care of your basic needs, you have a greater ability to focus and control your thinking.  This should lead to more thoughtful decisions, better self control, and lower scores.

The post Unlock Better Golf Decision Making appeared first on Plugged In Golf.

10 Rules for Better Golf Scores

This August will mark nine years of Plugged In Golf.  Add that to several years of teaching and writing elsewhere and you have a pretty healthy amount of words written and spoken about how to improve your game.  In this lesson, I’m aiming to distill all that down to the ten things I think are most important.  In short, if you adhere strictly to these ten rules, you will shoot lower scores.  If you prefer listening to reading, I have this lesson in podcast form HERE.

Before I get into the list, I have two caveats.

First, most of these are things you can do for free, but a couple do cost money.  I wish golf was free, but unfortunately that’s not the world we live in.  If you want to score your best, there is going to be a financial investment.

Second, this list is for those who view their score as the #1 priority.  Score does not have to be your top priority.  It hasn’t been mine for over a decade.  If score is not your priority, you can still read this list and maybe there’s something for you, maybe there isn’t.  But if lower scores are your number one goal, these items are not negotiable.  Don’t want to do them?  That’s fine, but don’t tell me that lower scores are your priority.  That’s loading your plate with cake and telling me that you want to lose weight.

Onward.

#1 – Thou Shalt Shot Track

You can’t fix a problem that you don’t understand, and, if you’re not shot tracking, you don’t understand your game as well as you can.

It’s 2022.  Shot tracking technology is affordable and widely available on a number of platforms.  I think Shot Scope [review HERE] is the best, but you can use Arccos [review HERE] or Garmin or any one of the apps out there.  But you need to shot track.

Why do you need to shot track?  Because it’s the fastest way to learn the most about your game.  Scorecard stats don’t begin to compare to shot tracking.  If you think you know your game, just wait until you shot track for a few rounds.

This depth of knowledge is invaluable in shaping your strategy on the course and your practice habits.  With Shot Scope, for example, you can see your Strokes Gained stats compared to players of different handicap levels.  If you’re trying to move from a 15 to a 10 handicap, you can see exactly where you’re losing those five strokes.

A final word on shot tracking: you need to give it time.  One round is not an adequate sample size from which to draw conclusions.  Log at least five, preferably ten, rounds before you start diving deep into the data.

#2 – Thou Shalt Stop Flag Hunting

Greens in Regulation is the king of stats [full discussion of that HERE].  It is the stat most strongly correlated to score, for obvious reasons.  If you’re on the green in regulation, you might make birdie, and it’s hard to make worse than bogey.  So how do we hit more greens in reg?  Stop aiming at flags.

First, understand that your dispersion with any club is more like a shotgun than a sniper rifle (hat tip to Scott Fawcett).  You are going to miss long, short, left, and right.  Knowing this, you should aim at a target that puts all or most of the possible outcomes on the green.  When you aim at flags that are on the edges of the green, you’re doing the opposite [more on this HERE].

To this end, you might also consider trading your rangefinder for a GPS.  I love my rangefinder, but I know that it gets me focused on the yardage to the flag instead of the distance to the center of the green.  When I play with a GPS, I hit more greens in reg because that center of the green yardage gives me margin for error.

#3 – Thou Shalt Know Thine Distances and Play Accordingly

If you’re going to score well, you need to know how far each club actually goes.  Not how far it went that one time when you flushed it and it bounced off the cart path – how far it actually goes, on average.  And then you need to play those distances on the course.

To gain this information, you can use a shot tracker or a launch monitor.  Both are useful in their own way, and using both is a great idea.

With shot tracking, you’re going to get the measurements of the actual shots you hit on the course.  Shot Scope puts all your clubs’ distances on one screen with something called “Performance Average” which removes the outliers for a truer representation of each club.  The downside is that it will take a lot of rounds to get enough shots with each club.

If you use a launch monitor, you can get a lot of swings with each club in a much shorter amount of time.  You’ll also get the full data on each shot.  The only drawback here is that you need to be honest with yourself about what the data says.  Far too many golfers will skim over the ten shots they hit, pick out the longest, and say, “Yup, my 7I goes 170 yards.”  If you’re going to use a launch monitor, you need to look at the mean/average or median distance.  You can also use this as an opportunity to see how often you strike each club well.  If your 3I session was eight chunks and two balls hit 210 yards, it might be time to take that out of the bag.  I have a full lesson on using a launch monitor to learn about your game HERE.

Once you have all this information, you need to use it on the course.  Stop talking yourself into – or letting others talk you into – taking less club than you need.  Pick the club with an average distance that will get you to the middle of the green.

#4 – Thou Shalt Hit Driver

Now we’re on to a fun rule: you should hit driver more often.

Why?  On average, golfers across handicap levels hit their driver 20 yards longer than their 3W.  If your 3W and driver go the same distance, you need to get a driver fitting to address that…now.  When golfers hit 3W, they are giving up 20 yards to hit 1% more fairways.  That is a horrible trade.  20 yards less means hitting 6I instead of 8I.  That’s a recipe for higher scores regardless of handicap.

Finally, to preempt the stupid comments: no, you should not hit driver when doing so will land in a hazard or OB.  However, unless there is a strong reason (read: stroke hazard) not to, you should be hitting driver.

Get the full Golf Myths Unplugged breakdown on hitting more driver HERE.

#5 – Thou Shalt Stop Laying Up

If you asked someone who had never played golf if it’s easier to hole out from 50 yards or 100 yards, they would say 50 yards.  Only golfers would concoct nonsense explanations of why laying up to “magic” yardages is better than getting close.  Thankfully, in 2022 we have the data to show that closer is better.  Whenever you have the chance to get closer to the green, do it.

Again, to preempt stupid comments: no one is advocating hitting it into hazards.  Similarly, no one is advocating hitting clubs that you skull nine times out of ten – though I would strongly advocate taking such a club out of your bag.

Get the full Golf Myths Unplugged story on going for the green HERE.

#6 – Thou Shalt Practice Thine Putting Speed

One of the hardest things to accept about golf is that you can’t force the ball into the hole.  The best players in the world – with all the money on the line, all their hours of practice and talent, and all their laser focus – only make about half their putts from five to ten feet.

With this in mind, the best way for us to save strokes on the green isn’t trying to make more putts but to avoid three putts.  To avoid three putts, we need to become masters of speed control.

Think about your local putting green.  Everyone is practicing ten footers, no one is working on thirty footers.  Be smarter than they are.  If you can develop a reliable thirty-foot stroke, you will have so much less stress on your game.  Every GIR is going to feel like a guaranteed par.  And, with superior speed control, more of those long putts are going to find the bottom of the cup.

#7 – Thou Shalt Know Thine Gear

It’s nearly impossible to play good golf if you don’t know your gear.  That starts with the basics of knowing your yardages, but it goes beyond that to things like how each club performs on certain misses, shot shape tendencies, and how the ball lands.

The only way to develop this knowledge of your set is to stick with your clubs for numerous rounds.  If you’re constantly remaking your bag, there’s no way to know how much your 8I tends to draw or where the big miss is with your 3W.  Playing with new clubs is fun, but if scoring is your priority, you need to pick a set and stick with it.

Beyond keeping the same clubs in the bag, you need to commit to one golf ball.  I know this is painful.  When we find a quality ball, we want to play it.  When we get a dozen for Father’s Day, we want to use them.  But, if you want to score your best, you need to know the tendencies of your ball just like you know the tendencies of your clubs.  When you hit a chip, does it stick or roll out?  How does it feel off the putter?  Constantly changing your ball makes it more difficult to play good, consistent golf.

#8 – Thou Shalt Play Thine Own Game

We’ve already established the outline for a smart game plan: playing for GIRs, knowing your yardages, hitting driver, and not laying up.  Now you need to stick to it.

Golf is loaded with temptations that try to draw you away from your plan.  Your playing partners will goad you into taking less club.  One bad swing will make you question the wisdom of hitting driver.  A scary looking hazard will keep you from going for the green.  A small gap in the trees begs you to “get it all back” after a bad drive.  Don’t be swayed.  Play your game.

Consider this: you’ve had a bad putting round.  Did you start putting with your wedge?  Of course not.  Why?  Because using the putter is the smart play.  The same applies to hitting driver off the tee.  Even when it’s not working, it’s the right play.  Stick to it.

#9 – Thou Shalt Do Thine Homework

In 2022, golfers have a wealth of options for gaining course knowledge.  In spite of this, most players choose to learn only from the school of hard knocks.  Be smarter than those people.

If you’re playing a new course, check it out in advance.  Even if it’s a course you’ve played before, get a refresher.  You can use Google Earth, the course’s website, a GPS app, or a yardage book.  As trite as many of the hole descriptions can be on golf course website, they often reveal great info like the hazard you can’t see from the tee or the lake behind the green.  Picking up tips like that can save you multiple strokes.  This is also one of the few tips that can save more strokes for the stronger player, as many of the hidden hazards are more treacherous for them.

#10 – Thou Shalt Give Every Shot Complete Focus

As obvious as this seems, I guarantee that everyone reading this gives up at least one shot a round due to poor focus.  Sometimes this is the result of fatigue.  Concentrating on every shot is hard, and we can space out and make a bad swing.  Sometimes it’s emotional.  We miss a putt or get a bad break, rush into the next shot, and throw away a stroke (or more).

If the score is your top priority, every single stroke matters.  Develop a bulletproof pre-shot routine that locks in your focus.  More importantly, never give up on a round, a hole, or a shot.  Embrace that you – not the weather, not the pace of play, not the course conditions – are responsible for every swing.  Know that every swing is a chance to do something great and give it your full concentration.  This alone can have a tremendous impact on your scores and the way you play the game.

The post The 10 Commandments of Better Golf Scores appeared first on Plugged In Golf.

A Clever New Swing Tip?

When we play golf with other people – whether it’s a stranger or a lifelong friend – we size up their game.  It’s human nature.  And as we get to know their game, we often become critical.  We don’t have to give voice to these assessments nor must we be unkind, but thoughts like, “That wasn’t a good decision” are often unavoidable.

The title of this article, “Pointing the Thumb,” is not a new swing thought – it’s about directing that criticism inward to make yourself a better golfer.  Let me explain how that works.

This Lesson Is For You If:

You’d like to play better faster

You want to make fewer mistakes on the course

Learn From Their Mistakes

First, let me reiterate that I’m not condemning anyone for having these thoughts.  Observing other peoples’ games is natural.  The point of this lesson is to take those observations and try to learn from them.

Here are four flaws that we can easily spot in others and learn from.

Bad Alignment

Alignment is a lot like driving.  No one thinks they’re bad at it, but we all know that most other people are terrible.

If you see your friends aiming their shots into neighboring zip codes, take that as a cue to check in on your own set up.  Alignment sticks are the cheapest training aid there is.  Get a pair and make them an essential part of your practice routine.

Find a whole lesson on the proper use of alignment sticks HERE.

Poor Club Choice

There isn’t a golfer alive who hasn’t silently thought, “Oh geez, [fill in name of friend], you know that your 8I won’t get to this green…”

Don’t be that golfer.  As Shot Scope shows us [details HERE], most golfers are leaving a solid majority of their approaches short of the green.  Take an extra club and give yourself a birdie putt.

Emotional Issues

This is one that can take many forms.  I’ve golfed with people who are so tense and nervous that they have no chance of playing well.  I’ve seen the club slammer, putter snapper, expletive screamer.  And I’ve played with the self-flagellator.  What they all have in common is that their emotions are ruining their game.

You don’t need to be an extreme case to learn from this.  Take some time to reflect on how you talk to yourself and what you think about on the course.  Is it helping your game?  If not, make a conscious choice to change for the better.

Bad Decision Making

Here’s another flaw that can appear in many ways.  It could be trying to gouge a 3W out of the tall rough.  Maybe it’s going for the green over a lake.  Or it could be playing too conservatively.  The takeaway is this: anytime you see another golfer making poor strategic decisions, check that you’re not making them, too.

Find our 10-part series on Course Management Basics HERE

What flaws do you notice in your playing partners’ games?

How have you learned from your observations?

The post Learning to Point the Thumb appeared first on Plugged In Golf.

You’ll Never Listen

Not long ago, I wrote a lesson giving each handicap level three tips for improving their approach game [read it HERE].  The main takeaway was, “Stop coming up short.  Hit more club.”

In the days after I wrote that, I spent some time thinking about why this advice is universal and timeless.  The answer I reached comes in four parts, and I’ll share them in this lesson.

This Lesson Is For You If:

You want to hit more greens and shoot lower scores

Mental & Emotional Pain

Can you think of a time when you listened to that sage advice of taking more club only to strike it pure and airmail the green?  I bet you can.  Even if you can’t recall the exact date and time, you know the feeling.

Can you think of a time when you pulled the club that you wanted to hit – the “If I flush this, it’ll be perfect” club – hit it slightly on the toe, and came up ten yards short?  Unless there were some serious stakes on that shot, I’d bet that you can’t.

Why is there this discrepancy?  Because one shot caused you more mental and emotional pain.  In that first example, you did what someone else told you to do rather than trusting yourself, and you were “punished” for it.  That sears the memory into your brain.  Now every time you step up to a long par 3, that emotional memory pops up telling you to ignore the “haters” and hit the club that your gut says is right.

If you want to shoot better scores, focus on the process.  Feel good that you made a smart, high probability decision, regardless of the outcome.  You can also focus on the long term improvement of your GIR stats rather than the occasional shot that flies the green.

Fairness

The concept of fairness is inextricably tied to the emotional pain I just mentioned.  We have this notion that, if we mishit our shot, we “deserve” a bad result.  We can live with that.  However, if we take that extra club, hit it pure, and end up over the green, that’s “unfair.”

It doesn’t take a modern day Socrates to punch holes in the idea that golf is fair.  We putt on living surfaces that get walked on all day long, resulting in uneven rolls and bad breaks.  A gust of wind can turn a potential hole in one into a water ball.  Golf is unfair.  As soon as you accept this, you’ll have an advantage on your competitors.

High Hopes

No successful golfer has ever walked into a shot thinking about hitting it a little chunky or slapping the ball off the toe.  We expect to hit every next shot perfectly.  And this makes sense – the whole field of sports and performance psychology tells us to think positively!  So, with the assumption that we’re going to deliver a perfect strike, why would we not choose the club that will reach the pin only with an ideal swing?

The marriage of golf strategy and golf psychology is a difficult thing.  To shoot our best scores, we need to pick conservative targets and clubs, then swing aggressively with positive thoughts.  This is a very difficult balance to maintain.

Ego

You knew this one was coming.  If your playing partner is hitting an 8I, you’re hitting a damn 8I, too.  It doesn’t matter that they’re 10 years younger, 20 pounds lighter, practice three times more, or that their 8I has the same loft as your 6I.  You will not suffer the indignity of hitting more club!

There’s no clever tip to solve this one.  You can choose to get over yourself or not.  

Know What You’re Doing

If you thought I was going to end this lesson by chiding you about making bad club selections, you’re wrong.  All I’m going to ask is that you be aware of what you’re doing.

Your game is your own.  If you want to adhere to your personal notions of fairness, maintain your ego, and avoid mental pain, you should do that.  Just know that you’re costing yourself strokes, and don’t complain that your handicap never goes down.  Alternately, if you want to shoot the lowest possible scores, know that you’ll have to live with some shots that go too far.  There are no bad choices as long as you know what you’re doing.

The post Why You’ll Never Take Enough Club appeared first on Plugged In Golf.

The King of Stats

Greens in regulation is the stat most closely tied to score.  Hit more greens, shoot lower scores.  So how can we improve our approach play to give ourselves more birdie putts?

In this lesson, I’m going to give each handicap level three bullet points that can be used to set realistic expectations, improve strategy, and reach a new level of play.  This data comes to us from our friends at Shot Scope and their analysis of millions of golf shots.

This Lesson Is For You If:

You want to improve your iron play

You want realistic expectations for your game

For the 25 & 20 Handicap

Take More Club

At these levels, you’re hitting just 14% or 20% of greens in regulation, respectively.  You’re leaving 71% or 58% of your approaches short.  For the 25 handicapper, it’s five times more likely that you’ll be short of the green than that you’ll hit the green.  Stop playing for the 1/100 shot that you hit perfectly and pull a club that will get you to the green more often.

Focus On Your Short Irons

From 75-125 yards, you’re only hitting the green 27% or 35% of the time.  If you want to see your scores fall quickly, get dialed in on those full wedge and scoring iron distances.  Also, again, take enough club.  47% or 36% of your shots from this range end up short.

Work to Improve Your Long Game

From 175-225 yards, you have a 1% or 5% chance of hitting the green.  You’re leaving 96% or 79% of your shots short, so to make a serious dent in your handicap, you’re going to need to A) add some distance to your game and/or B) improve your ball striking.

For the 15 handicap

Play the Averages

As a 15 handicap, you’re making several pars each round, and your blow up holes are less frequent.  However, you’re still hitting just 24% of your greens in regulation and leaving 53% of your approaches short.  Stop pulling the club that will get to the target on a perfect strike and start playing the club that will get there on an average strike.

Any GIR is a Good GIR

This will shock you, but as a 15 handicap you’re only hitting 42% of your greens from 75-125 yards.  Stop worrying about knocking the flag down and get yourself a birdie putt.  Your average proximity from this range is nearly 20 yards from the cup.  If you hit a shot inside 30 feet, you should be pumped!

Factor in the Rough

Above a 15 handicap, it barely matters whether you’re playing from the fairway or the rough.  At this level, however, playing from the rough cuts your chances of hitting a GIR by 5%.  When you’re in the tall stuff, make sure you’re taking enough club and choosing a more conservative target.  Hitting any GIR is a win, but hitting a GIR from the rough is stealing strokes.

For the 10 handicap

More Birdie Putts

The jump from a 15-handicap to a 10-handicap comes with the biggest jump in GIR – 24% to 34%.  You also cut down your percentage of shots left short from 53% to 41%.  Those are great accomplishments, but there’s still a lot of room for improvement.  Stop targeting flags that are on the front of the green.  You have enough ball striking skill to hit a lot more greens if you choose better targets.

A Rough Penalty – Especially at Close Range

From 75-125 yards, you’re hitting 58% of your GIRs from the fairway but only 38% from the rough!  That’s because you’re leaving over 10% more shots short when you’re in the thick grass.  Put a little more time into reading your lie in the rough.  If the ball is sitting up, you may need more club because the ball can hit the top of the face and fly straight up in the air.  If it’s sitting down, put some extra force into your swing and pick a target with some margin for error.

Big Improvement on Long Shots

The jump from 15 to 10 also coincides with one of the biggest improvements to long approaches.  You’re now hitting 17% of your greens from 172-225 yards.  But just as with the short shots, the rough really hurts you: your GIRs drop from 22% in the fairway to 12%.  Predictably, the majority of those shots (60%) end up short.  While this lesson is all about hitting more greens, when you’re in the rough at this distance, consider a line that will be ok even if you don’t get the ball all the way to the putting surface.

For the 5 handicap

Cashing In Your Opportunities

What separates a 5 handicap from a 10?  A big part is hitting the green at short range.  As a 5 handicap, you’re hitting 62% GIR from 75-125 yards, 11% better than the 10 handicap.  You clearly have the ability to hit your wedges well, but keeping your expectations and targets realistic will enhance those skills.  Anything inside 30 feet is a great shot, so stop aiming at sucker pins.

The Road to Scratch

The biggest difference between a 5 handicap and a scratch player is their ability with the long irons.  You’re hitting 19% of your GIRs from 175-225 yards.  They’re hitting 31%.  That 12% difference is entirely comprised of shots left short.  Work on hitting your long irons flush and start aiming at the center of the green from long distance.

The Road to Scratch Part 2

The other massive difference between a 5 handicap and a scratch player is the short and mid iron game.  From 125-175 yards, the scratch player hits 15% more greens in regulation.  Again, the majority of that difference is made up of shots left short.  This is more likely about bad target selection than it is about ball striking.  At this range, you’re hitting less than half of your GIR, so stop aiming at flags and get yourself a birdie putt.

For the Scratch Player

Congratulations!

At this level, you’re an excellent ball striker, and that’s reflected in the fact that you hit 53% of your greens in regulation.  What’s more, you’re only leaving 25% of your shots short of the green – far less than any other handicap group.  That said, you hit only 6% of your shots long, so you still might consider choosing a target slightly deeper on the green.

Always a Threat

Moving from a 5-handicap to scratch comes with the biggest improvement in long iron play.  A scratch player hits 31% of their greens from 175-225 yards.  Interestingly, they’re also largely unbothered by the rough at this distance.  While you may be the most skilled ball striker, you still have more shots that are short of the green than GIRs.  Take enough club and stop aiming at front pins.

Room for Improvement

Even as a scratch player, a real stick, you’re hitting just 69% of your GIR from 75-125 yards.  Just because you have a wedge in your hand doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a tap-in birdie.  Think about aiming your entire shot pattern onto the green – shotgun, not sniper rifle – and you’ll have more birdie putts and fewer bogeys.

The post A Data Driven Approach Game appeared first on Plugged In Golf.

Nonsense?  Nonsense.

I know this lesson has a weird title, but stick with me for a minute.

Today’s lesson comes directly from diatribes I heard from two fellow golfers about a new course.  Their rants gave me an insight into the unproductive way that some golfers view the course, and how you can avoid that to shoot lower scores.

This Lesson Is For You If:

You only play well at one type of course

You want to enjoy, and play well at, more types of courses

You want your game to travel

The Rant

In a nutshell, the complaint was this: the ground at this new course was too firm.  But what both admitted in their complaining was that the starter had told them, “You can’t expect the ball to stop where it lands on these greens.”  In spite of this warning, both golfers fired at the flag stick and then were outraged when their shots careened into parts unknown.  After repeating this for 18 holes, their scores were…not ideal.

We Can Be Smarter

Every golfer has a type of course and a level of conditioning that they prefer.  I like courses with plenty of width, interesting greens, and firm, fast conditions.  Other players like tight fairways, lush rough, and flatter, glassy greens.  Regardless of what our preferences are, we will encounter other conditions.  This is when we need to adapt.

Make Changes

Playing the course that you’re at can require a wide variety of changes, some big, some small, some obvious, some less so.

In the category of obvious changes are things like landing the ball short when the course is firm, playing more conservatively around hazard-heavy courses, or laying up from very thick rough.  Less obvious changes could be things like staying “under” the hole when the greens are slick or using your putter around the greens if the surrounds are tightly cut.

You should also consider how big your changes need to be.  If a course is slightly firmer than you normally play, you might only need to land the ball a few yards short of your normal target.  If the course is rock hard, taking a full club less might be in order.  Similarly, much faster greens may require you to adjust your reads a lot; slightly faster greens demand a smaller adjustment.

Regardless of how or how much you need to change your game from “normal,” the key is having the right mindset.  Try to continually learn and adapt throughout the round.  If you slice three straight drives, you’d make an adjustment on the fourth, right?  The way you approach the course should be no different.

The Course Is Going to Win

Let me start by admitting that I’m no stranger to complaining.  But, though I am sometimes guilty of bellyaching, I know that it does not help my score or my enjoyment of the game.  When we encounter a tough course or bad conditions, we need to recognize that we can’t change those things by whining.

If the course is playing very firm, shouting, “That was a great shot!” and throwing a club when your pin-high approach ricochets over the green is pointless.  The green isn’t going to come to life, apologize, and miraculously become softer.  Ditto for greens that are too slow/fast, rough that’s too high, bunkers that are too deep…

You against the course is not the meeting of an unstoppable force and an immovable object.  The course will not change.  You can.  Choose a new game plan, or at least a better attitude.  Your scores will be lower and your enjoyment of the game will be higher.

The post Play the Golf Course That You’re At appeared first on Plugged In Golf.