Golf is all about making decisions. Which clubs to use, laying up, going for it, where to land the ball on approach shots, aiming at the pin, what is the wind doing or should I putt or chip this shot are but a few thoughts that go through our minds continuously during every round of golf. Most of the time, I have a decision making process, but now and again I let how my game is unfolding drive the answers when playing. I do know, however, that what ever decision I make has the protentional to save or drop strokes. Specifically, poor decisions hurt my score card the most. After years of playing, I have determined the one decision above all others that has to be correct if I want to play well and shoot low golf scores. Do you know what that is?

The area of focus for today’s article is on judging the distance on approach shots. Like many golfers, I think that I can hit the ball farther than I can when hitting into a green. Specifically, when judging the distance I need to fly to ensure that I hit the green and then place the ball close enough to the pin for a reasonable one putt. Earlier in my career, I was horrid at selecting the proper club because I thought my 170 iron would always fly 150 yards regardless of the conditions. This thinking was folly, of course, and it forced me to rethink how I selected my clubs on approach shots.

Fortunately, I found a great video that sums up my entire process (now). It saves me many strokes and is something that all golfers should consider before selecting a club on approach shots:

Making the right decision about how far to hit our approach shot is critical. This decision does not always mean we fly the green, but sometimes we have to land short and let our ball release to the pin. Other times, we have to hit past the pin because that is how the shot unfolds. Regardless, proper club selection is critical to keeping our scores low.

I believe in Pareto’s Principle. It can be applied to all areas of my life, especially my golf game. I now take a different approach to improving my golf game, I look at the larger picture to see what area of improvement will benefit the most parts of my game. The Pareto principle, also known as the 80–20 rule, states that, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. In the case of my approach shots, my 20% lies in choosing the proper distance to hit my ball to achieve the most optimum results. This approach rules out always going for the pin!

There is no golden rule as to where to hit the ball on approach shots to save strokes. Each shot has its own set of variables that must be deciphered in order to select the proper club. This puzzle solving is called course management, but that is a discussion for another day. If you are looking for a Pareto solution to approach shots, I would recommend aiming for the middle of the green on virtually all approach shots if you want the best results. If you do this, I hope your putting is up to speed 😉

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!