Professional golfers hit about 65 percent of greens in regulation (GIR). Amateurs hit between 30 and 50 percent. Hitting greens in regulation makes pars and birdies much more likely. However, if you get on the green just six out of eighteen times, you leave yourself a lot of scrambling. If you want to hit more greens in regulation, implement a few of these strategies into your game today.
Aim based on your typical dispersion pattern
Aiming at the flag is generally a bad idea. When you aim at the flag, you don’t take into account your typical shot dispersion. Are you someone who typically hits a draw? Does your shot tend to fade? Are you known for a few severe slices each round?
You know your typical shot dispersion. Plan for this when you aim for the green.
If a pin is on the left side and your normal miss is left, aim for the right side of the green and leave yourself in the center. This way if you hit a perfect shot, you’ll still be on the right side of the green. If you hit a poor shot, you’ll be in the bunker on the left side of the pin.
Choose the right club for the conditions
Even if your 7-iron is your 150-yard club, you need to assess the course conditions to ensure it’s the right choice that day. Things like temperature, wind, the firmness of the course and more will impact how the ball travels.
You may need a little more club when the course is playing soft and wet. This will help the ball make it to the green. If the course is playing hard, club down and roll one onto the green.
Club up for confidence
How often are you missing greens because your golf ball flies too far?
For most amateur golfers, hitting shots too far is not the standard. Coming up short is by far the more common miss. The next time you play a round of golf, record how many times your approach shot comes up short. If it’s more than a few, you may need to start taking an extra club.
Eliminate vague terms
Every golfer has conversations with themselves about their plan for their approach shot to the green. When calculating your yardage and determining your target line, be very precise and definitive.
Eliminate saying things like “I think I want to hit it here” or “I’ll land this somewhere over there.” Pick very specific targets and execute the shots confidently.
It’s also a good idea to work on visualizing your shots. The better you are at visualizing the perfect shot, the easier it is to pull it off.
Commit to a consistent routine
Your pre-shot routine can help you hit more greens in regulation. Develop a routine that you can stick to every time you play. Focus on something you can use throughout your entire set (driver to wedges).
The routine usually includes movement or a practice swing, an aiming component and a visualization/mental component.
Many players forget one important aspect of the pre-shot routine: timing. You should take about the same amount of time to complete your pre-shot routine before each swing.
If you start rushing or taking too long, it can throw off your rhythm and cause you to miss more greens in regulation.
Use a distance-measuring device
This may seem like an obvious concept but some golfers still do not use distance-measuring devices. Using a laser rangefinder or GPS device will help you get accurate yardages you can trust. Pay very close attention to the yardage that gets you to the middle of the green. This is the one you will need the most.
A few of the best rangefinders and GPS devices we tested include:
- Bushnell Pro X3 (Best Overall Rangefinder)
- Nikon COOLSHOT PRO II Stabilized (Runner-Up Rangefinder)
- Shot Scope PRO L2 (Best Value Rangefinder)
- Garmin Approach S70 (Best Overall Golf GPS)
- SkyCaddie Pro 5X (Runner Up GPS)
- Bushnell ION Elite (Best Value GPS)
Practice your aim at the driving range
When you go to the driving range, do you practice your aim? Most players skip this step and only work on gaining yardage or working out swing faults. As important as those things are, you can’t give up on your aim. Pick a target and ensure you know how to correctly aim so you can transfer that to the golf course.
Players often miss greens simply because they didn’t aim properly.
Get as close to the hole as possible
Here’s an interesting concept that smart players are incorporating into their games. Instead of hitting golf shots to the 100-yard marker and laying up on a par five, try and get the ball as close to the hole as you can. Recent data from Shot Scope tells us that when you have a shorter approach shot, your chance of hitting the green increases.
More importantly, the chance of you getting the ball in the hole in fewer swings also increases.
Of course, there are situations where awkward yardages can make it difficult for you to hit the green, but you can practice some of those and still be more accurate because you are that much closer to the hole.
Let this play into your tee shots as well. If you’ve been hitting the 3 wood and laying up on the shorter par fours, it may be time to start pulling the driver out of the bag.
As always, track your golf game and see which method seems to work best for you.
Final thoughts
Hitting more greens in regulation will instantly impact your ability to score lower. Having to get up and down on every hole leaves you with a high likelihood of making double bogey or worse. Use these key strategies to change your game and hit more greens in regulation. Even hitting just one more than your average will help!
Gary
2 years ago
I saw a great article on Pros playing off their “cover” number. What’s my number to clear the front bunker, or water or past the front edge of the green. Then they hit a shot that will cover that number even when it’s less than 100% hit. We Ams think of numbers and solid shots. They suggested using 80%. So if the cover number for the front bunker is 110, what club at an 80% hit, less than a solid shot, will cover? Play that club. A solid 100% won’t hurt us, but if a less than solid shot covers the trouble than we are going to improve our SG Approach. I’ve been using that and love it.