Your Approach Shot Will Help You Hit More GIRs

Most courses are designed to destroy shots within 75 yards of the green. If you can’t hit a perfect shot to land on the green the course designers make you pay for your poor shot by landing in water, sand or on a steep pitch beside or over the green. Hitting a great shot to land in the perfect location for your approach shot will save more strokes.

Bobby Jones said that the easiest way to lower your score is to turn 3 shots into 2. One difficult missed shot can easily turn 2 approach shots into 3 or more shots (depending on the level of your anger).
The most important
One of the most important tips that I received from a scratch golfer was to plan for your preferred approach shot. He did this by developing a consistent carry distance for his wedge from 100 yards. (The total distance is frustrating because it includes the rollout depending on backspin and the contour of each green.) On a par 4 or par 5 he would always lay up to 100 yards. Using this commitment, it give me the focus to hit more Greens In Regulation and save a lot of strokes.

Golf Magazine used this photo to illustrate Hideki Matsuyama’s slight pause at the top to control his tempo and delivery

1/ Break 85 by eliminating penalty strokes (including sand traps, trees and water). Try these tips for a more controlled hit for your approach shot from the ideal location and distance.
• Tee the ball lower for more control.
• Move the ball slightly back in your stance
• Choke down on your grip
• Use cruising speed versus your full speed. A pause at the top my your solution to slow down your transition.

2/ Know your Carry Distance as you can never trust the ground to increase your Total Distance

3/ Sink more short putts by practicing 3, 4 and 5-foot putts. Practice to hit past the hole by 1 or 2 feet so that you eliminate any imperfections at the hole as well as the increasing amount of break as your ball slows down.

Don’t blast your shots and hope that they will miss the penalty areas. Focus on hitting to the perfect point where you know you can make your approach shot land close to the hole and stay on the green. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to add more control to your direction and distance for every club in your bag. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com