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Masterful approaches
Congratulations to 2002 Masters champion Tiger Woods , who continues to display his golfing greatness. What aspects of Tiger's excellence can you apply to your game? Maybe his physical conditioning (to hit the ball farther) or his mental toughness (to make more putts). But did you know that there is only one performance statistic that Tiger dominated in each of his three Masters victories? Greens in regulation. In 1997, 2001 and 2002 he led the field in this stat. Surprisingly, since Augusta National is a course that emphasizes putting, Tiger wasn't even in the top 10 in putting the last two years. So how can you improve your approach shots when you play? Know the yardage to the entrance of the green. When the average golfer is ready to hit an approach, he checks a yardage marker for the distance to the middle of the green. But the middle of the green is not necessarily the real target. I teach my students to determine the yardage to the entrance of the green. (In his book How I Play Golf, Tiger says that he considers two yardages: the yardage to the flag and the yardage to the front of the green.) By playing your ball to the entrance of the green, you are subtracting as much as 15 yards from the actual yardage. Let the pin placement determine trajectory. Now that you know your yardage to the entrance, take a look at the pin placement. Golf courses usually set their pins in a rotation: front, middle and back. These placements should influence the ball trajectory you choose. Play smart. Knowing when to go for the green and when to lay up is the key to playing good approaches. David Toms proved that at the 2001 PGA Championship when he elected to lay up on the 72nd hole and play a pitch-and-putt for the title. You can learn from Toms. If you have more than a medium iron shot and there is a lot of trouble around the green, you may want to lay up short of the green and let your pitching and putting keep the big number off your card. Practice. On the range or on the course, learn to play a stronger club to your targets. If you hit your 9-iron 125 yards, practice playing a more controlled 8-iron or 7-iron and let the ball do the work for you. If you are playing a difficult, single-digit-handicap hole, give yourself the green light to lay up at a comfortable distance short of the green for a pitch and putt. You will strengthen your short game while keeping that big number off your card. © 2002 Rob Stanger Rob Stanger is teaching professional at the Mission Hills Country Club Golf Learning Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Contact him at robstanger.com.
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