I played the other day in a semi-serious competition. I was paired with some pretty good golfers and they were eager to do well.
The first hole was a complete eyeopener with respects to the difference between playing an easy shot versus hitting a shot one thinks is the right one.
Here’s what happened:
The first hole was a par 5 and I found myself just short and a little bit right for two. My playing partners were short and long respectively in three hits.
The pin was cut short and right and to be fair, it was a devilish hole location because there wasn’t a lot of room – the hole was on a little shelf and there was a dirty pot bunker very close to the edge of the green.
I was away first and I didn’t even contemplate anything too adventurous. After all, it was the very first hole of the day and I was simply trying to get the ball somewhere near the hole without causing any damage – I wanted to avoid the bunker and having more than one chip shot.
So I selected my all-time favourite shot, a low runner with my 8 iron (I sometimes use a 6 iron too). My mission was to run the ball along the ground, up the embankment and have it finish near the hole.
While the lofted shot was tempting, it didn’t feel right. The lie was tight, and the bunker was a no-go. Hitting the 8 iron meant I pretty much took all the big trouble out of the equation.
The ball goes back in the stance, hands and weight forward. From here, it’s nothing more than a putting type motion. All pretty easy.
The ball came off nicely and did everything I wanted…
… rolled along the ground, up the bank and settled around 8 feet from the cup.
Mission accomplished.
I didn’t think too much of the shot…
… I have been playing this way for years and it’s all second nature to me these days…
… but, when I watched my playing partners hit their shots, I realised how much of an advantage I have.
These guys both hit, in my opinion, the way harder shot.
The lofted shot (with their sand iron or lob wedge)
Player one bladed his first shot and then duffed the next two. He picked up.
Player two went duff, skull, duff and then picked up.
If, they selected the same shot as me, I have no doubt they both would have scored on the hole.
If they putted, instead of hitting their sand irons, they would have scored on the hole too.
But they wasted at least ONE shot, if not two, by trying a much harder shot.
A few holes later the same thing repeated itself.
I hit the low runner 3-feet from the pin and saved par.
Player number one insisted on his sand iron again, went under the ball and didn’t get it on the green.
On the 8th hole I used my putter from down in a swale, putted it up to around 5 feet and got the par save. Player number two, from a similar spot, used his lob wedge, hit it way too hard and found a bunker and then skulled his bunker shot over the green. He then picked up, again.
This is just a waste.
There’s no doubt that the lofted and spinning wedge is a sexy option. The problem is, unless you’re proficient with this type of shot, it’s a recipe for disaster.
The chip in run is easy and almost guarantees success. And oftentimes, putting is every bit as good.
On the 12th hole, player two was around 40 yards from the green and asked, “What shot should I use from here? Can I use a putter?”
Cameron: If it were me I’d putt it everyday of the week. You’re on a slight downslope, the lie is tight and the green’s fast. If you putt this, you’ll definitely get the ball onto the green giving you a chance of par.
And guess what happened?
He putted (despite thinking it was NOT the right shot) and finished about 12 feet from the cup.
He then made his par putt.
No stress. No pressure. Easy (and smart) golf.
Player two: I really thought I had to hit my sand iron from around the green and get the ball to land on the green to be any good.
Cameron: You thought wrong.
Regular golfers ask me every day how they can lower their score and become more consistent. The low hanging fruit here is with the …
Short Game
Learn to hit the easiest shot each time and you’ll save a bunch of shots. And here are two things you might not have considered before.
You can get really good at this chip and run shot. With consistent contact you’ll be able to naturally judge the distance to the hole without too much fussing about.
It will help your lofted shots because you’ll understand ball position, club face and length of swing etc. But you’ve gotta master the easy shot first (I’ll go as far as it will also help your full shots because you’ll feel less pressure on getting them on the green so you’ll swing freer – and this is always a good thing).
In my Automatic Golf Bible I give you a full rundown of my ideas around the short game, including a detailed case study of a guy who inspired me because his short game was so good.
I share my greatest golf learning breakthrough in this book and as far as I know, I am the only golf coach who has made this connection (most are still over-complicating the game of golf).
Good golfing,
Cameron
P.S. In my next email I’m going to share some ideas about the putting game which I think can save you a bunch more shots – keep your eyes peeled for that one.
P.P.S. The approach above works amazingly well over the journey. While a single chip shot (or even an 18 hole round) doesn’t really give you a big enough dataset to make an informed decision…
… I have found that the magic is longterm. When one keeps playing the easy shot over and over and over (and learns to minimise the duffs, shanks and skulled shots) your results compound in a positive way over time.
Less stress >> ball closer to the hole consistently >> more up & ins >> reaching scoring potential more quickly