Hitting More Greens, Golfers Let’s Look At The Numbers

I recently saw some numbers about the greens in regulation (GIR) statistics for the pro golfers on the Tour.  The average pro hits twelve green in regulations.  Wow, don’t we wish we could do that? Now I don’t expect us amateur golfers to compete with the pros, but how can you hit more greens?  Read on to find out more.

Two things that I have seen help amateur golfers improve their GIR numbers, which, of course leads to lower scores.  These are really simple steps that just about any golfer can implement right away.

But before we start, think about your results.  Now, you may be different from most amateurs, but most of the golfers that I have seen, worked with, or played with come up short more often when they miss than anything else.  And I believe that this is due in no small part to a key mental mistake.  They get in their head that they should hit a certain iron a specific distance.   Why?  Well because their regular golfing partner hits it that far.  Or they hit it that far one time out of a thousand on the range.  Or that’s the average distance for that club that they read about in an article….etc.  You get the idea.

But the key question is what is the real distance for you for that golf club?  I suggest you take a little time on the range with your 7 iron through your wedge.  Hit about 20 shots with each club.  After you hit the shots with a particular iron, eliminate the 5 longest shots.  Why?  Well on the range you are relaxed and have no pressure on the shots. So I believe that to get a real measure of your average distance for that golf club, you should eliminate the longest 5 shots.   Do this with each club and you get a better feel for your realistic consistent distance.

This first step will help you become more realistic and accurate about your distances. Now for step 2.  When you are in the middle of a round and you have a pressure shot where you really need to get the golf ball on the green, take one longer club than you need and shorten your back swing just a little, say about 10 percent.  My experience is that when you are in this kind of situation, you will tense up and will lose a little distance because you don’t relax and trust your swing.  By taking a little extra club and just shortening your backswing slightly, you increase the odds of getting even a slight mishit on the green.

Two simple steps that I’ve seen work for a lot of golfers.  Give em a try!