Here’s the bottom line. To improve your scores, you have to hit more greens in regulation. Data shows that hitting greens in regulation (GIR) correlates more positively to a lower score than fairways regulation (FIR). When you’re looking to break a scoring barrier – be it 100, 90, or 80 – you must be able to hit more greens in regulation in order to do so. Try these strategies the next time you head to the course and see if you walk away with a few more GIRs, and most importantly, a few less bogeys on the scorecard.
Aim Smart
If you’re struggling to break 100 or even 90, look back to your previous round and see how many GIRs you had. Chances are, that number is pretty low. When we increase GIR, we increase the likelihood of leaving the green with no worse than bogey. Aiming smart comes down to one simple thought: your target is always the middle, or largest part, of the green. By aiming for the middle of the green, you take a club that doesn’t risk leaving you short on a front pin or flying it long to a back pin.
Sure, hunting for the flag is fun, but it is also living dangerously. Mid to high handicap golfers are not going to hit the perfect shot more often than not, and that can get you into trouble when shooting at pins. By playing to the middle of the green, you’re much more likely to hit more greens in regulation.
Take More Club
I’d be willing to bet that when you miss a green, it’s most likely short. And this isn’t a cheap shot at your swing speed or ball striking ability, because when I miss it is often short. For amateur golfers, this is the common miss and it comes down to a variety of factors, including:
- Overestimating carry distance
- Swinging harder instead of smarter
- Not taking enough club
It’s easy to remember when we hit a club on the screws and know how far we can hit it, but it’s more important to remember the average distance we hit a club. If your average carry on a 7 iron is 150 yards, half the time you’re a bit shorter and half the time your’e a bit longer. Don’t be afraid to grab that 6 iron when the middle of the green is playing to 150 yards. That way, you’re covered if you happen to not flush the shot. This is another critical aspect in the game to hit more greens in regulation.
Play Smart off the Tee
It isn’t always about hitting the ball as far as you can off the tee. Distance control takes priority over maximum distance when you want to hit more greens in regulation. When pushing for maximum distance off the tee, we bring in larger miss variables. We may end up in a fairway bunker. We may end up in the trees, completely blocked off from the green.
By playing a tee shot that gives you a predicable distance and result, it increases the odds that our approach shot is unobstructed to the green. 120 yards from the fairway is a much better shot than 100 yards from the trees. Smart tee shots leave us with better approach shots. And that helps us hit more greens in regulation.
Par 5 Strategy
Yes, the thought crosses my mind every time I hit a towering tee shot on a par 5 and have a realistic opportunity to reach the green in two shots. However, the reality is that if our goal is to take strokes off our score, the smart play is to treat all par 5’s as a “green in three” hole. The success rate of an amateur golfer hitting a great shot with a fairway wood into the green is not high, but laying up with the longest club they are comfortable with will most likely lead to a great third shot into the green.
Taking strokes off your score isn’t about chasing birdies, it is about double bogey or worse avoidance. While this may not be the “sexy” or “exciting” strategy to par 5’s, it is the most effective when you want to hit more greens in regulation.
Hit More Greens in Regulation
If you want to hit more greens in regulation, you don’t need to become an elite ball striker overnight. You need to make smarter decisions throughout your round. By aiming for the largest part of the green, taking enough club on approach shots, choosing tee shots that lead to good approaches and play smart on par 5s, you increase your margin for error. This is what turns that double into a bogey and bogey into a par. Implement these strategies, stay patient in the process, and watch as your scores drop this season.