Keeping the ball on the fairway can be tough but hitting the green is even tougher but if you can manage to get it the ball on the green, you will increase your chance of keeping your score low. in this article we will cover a few tips to continuously hit the green.
Improve your ball striking
If you are hitting poorly struck shots you are going to struggle with distance control and overall directional control. The best golfers, that hit the most greens in regulation, hit a high percentage of their shots crisp and on the right target line with a predictable curve. For right now, we are going to provide a drill to help you improve your ball striking, which comes from being able to control the low point of your swing.
The goal is to strike your shots crisp 99% of the time.
The Low Point Control Drill
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Take some yard paint and paint a 1-2 yard long line.
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Setup with 55% of your weight on your front side.
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Try to hit the target side of the line and see how many times out of 10 you can do this successfully!
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Repeat this drill every day for a month, tracking your progress and your ability to to this successfully in trials of ten.
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You may need to start with half swing and progress to full swings.
If you are struggling, put more weight forward and work on keep your head still to help control the low point in the swing.
Have proper aim points and distances
If you are standing in the fairway from 175 yards and there is a tucked pin, the chances of you hitting the green if you aim right at the pin are lower than if you aim for a wider part of the green, or if you have 130 yards left to a front pin with a bunker protecting the front of the green. Trying to hit the shot exactly 130 yards and only hitting it 125 yards will destroy your greens in regulation and your score. Taking the right club, by understanding how far you actually hit your clubs, is essential to your score and the number of greens hit in regulation. Part 2 is picking the right line to start your shot on. If you aim for centers of greens you will hit more greens in regulation, make more 2 putts and the occasional birdie and make more putts.
Did you know that the proximity to the pin on the PGA Tour from 100 yards is 18 feet? This should be the reality check for many amateurs to aim for the middle of the green, get good at lag putting and take your birdie when you get the chance.
Become consistent and develop a stock shot
Golf becomes a lot of fun when you can pick a target line, start it on the target line and have a predictable curve to your shot. Have you ever golfed with the person that hits stock draw after stock draw? They step up to the tee and you know that 3-5 yard draw is coming. They step up to a shot from 150 yards out and you know they are going to hit a slight push draw that curves right towards the pin!
You can do this in your game with the right drill. Below is my all time favorite drill to dial your swing in to work on clubface control and swing path control.
Stock Shot Drill
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At the driving range, set up an alignment stick about 6-8 yards in front of you, straight down your target line.
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If you have a second alignment stick, set the stick 3-4 feet right of the first stick (for a draw) or left of the first stick (for a fade).
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Complete your initial assessment see how many times out of 10 you can start the ball to the right or left of your target. Pick one side and measure your game at this point.
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The goal is to eventually get 7 out of 10 shots to start to the correct side and draw back towards the target.
Aim for the widest part of the fairway
On most golf courses there are 14 holes that are par 4s and par 5s. The goal with your driver is to have 14 full swing shots into the par 4s and par 5s. For clarity, you want to stay out of the trees and out of hazards. If you are able to do this on par 4s and par 5s, in addition to the par 3s, which are a given, you will have 18 good looks at hitting the green in regulation.
If you are able to practice the drill above and develop a stock shot (see tip 5 below) you will hit more greens in regulation. Golf becomes difficult from the trees as you are often punching out and adding shots to your score before you even get a clean shot at the green.
As far as fairway vs rough, the bottom line is to keep the ball in bounds, out of a hazard and between the trees or desert. If you can do this, the impact of the fairway vs rough doesn’t have as much significance as the total distance you hit the ball off the tee.