I get several golf messages in my e-mail inbox every morning. One of them is The Morning Read. This morning’s message contained a comment from professional caddies about the mistake recreational golfers make most often.
It is that they think they hit the ball farther than they do.
If you want to have the shot after your 6-iron be a putt, you have to know how far you actually hit that 6-iron. How do you do that?
Find a range that has a launch monitor and pay for some time with it. Hit your 9-, 7-, and 5-irons. Hit them using the ball you play with, and do not try to see how far you can possibly hit them. Use your playing swing. If that leads to shorter distances than you thought, so be it. Interpolate the distances for the rest of your clubs.
When you take these distance to the course, monitor your results and adjust them to what you really get under playing conditions.
Now when you’re playing, please do not be concerned with how far. If you need a 6-iron to get on the green and your buddies are using a 7, what do you care? Your ball is on the green!
What about your driver? How far you hit your driver is pure ego. Use it to get the ball in the fairway, period. After a while you’ll know how far you can count on hitting it when you play, anyway.
Great write up! I fully agree and sadly am guilty of making this mistake.
One shot I would note is the chip shot. Most people I play with miss the green with a sand wedge or PW in hand. Full disclosure I do as well. A double chip to me is as bad a a three putt.
Thanks for your posts
Leaveyour ego in the car when you play.
John,
I would suggest getting a lesson how to hit the shot that is troubling you, and then whenever you go to the range for the next few months practice that shot exclusively. Problem solved. This what I do/have done to plug up holes like this in my game.
Bob.