3 Times You Should Miss The Green On Purpose

Missing the green on purpose may sound ridiculous but it’s not. Smart golfers do it all the time. They base their decisions on how they play that day, the course layout, how firm or fast the greens are and even what the wind is doing.

The better you get at shot planning, the easier it is to score. Sometimes that means aiming away from the flag or even intentionally missing the green. Here are three situations where a purposeful miss could save you strokes.

To avoid short-sided trouble

You’re 130 yards out with a wedge in hand. The pin is back right with a bunker and thick rough guarding it. Instead of going at it, aim left-center. Even if you miss the green to that side, you’ve got green to work with and an uphill chip to the pin.

Short-siding yourself leaves no margin for error. A miss to the “fat side” might leave you off the green but now you have room to work with.

Unless you feel confident and have a perfect yardage, don’t chase tight pins with danger nearby. Play to the bigger target and take double bogey out of play.

To stay below the hole

You’re hitting an 8-iron into an elevated green with a back-left pin. The slope feeds hard from back to front. You can get it there but if you go long, you’re left with a slick downhill putt. So take one less club, aim for the front-middle and miss short.

Now you have a simple chip or uphill putt instead of a tap-and-hope situation.

Fast greens with big slopes can turn a solid approach into a nightmare if you end up on the wrong tier or above the hole. Being on the green doesn’t always mean you’re in a better spot.

Think about slopes and green speed when you are hitting your approach shots.

When you’re out of position, don’t try to be a hero

You’re in the left rough with a tree partially blocking your approach to a right-side pin. Trying to hit a fade brings all the trouble into play. Instead, you aim left, maybe even into the fringe or short rough. This leaves you a clean approach angle and no real danger.

Sometimes, when you hit a poor tee shot or have something blocking a stock shot to the green, it’s not worth going for the pin (or even the green).

Short or to the side with space to work with is a smart miss that gives you a chance to recover.

Final thoughts

Sometimes it hurts not to be able to go for the green. You know it’s your shot at birdie and an easy par but smart golfers realize that sometimes going for the green is how you can easily make a double bogey. Avoid these course management errors by thinking through your approach shots, making a better club selection and plan.