The big debate on whether the pin should be left in or take out during a golf shot is something that has fallen to personal preference. Most amateurs do not look at the stats of whether the pin is left in has a greater percentage of sinking. They judge their decision by feel. I have friends who are on the opposite side of the fence on this issue. Personally, I will do either, but prefer to have the pin removed. After all of this, putting is not what I am talking about when I suggest pulling the pin. Lets focus on chipping today.
Continue readingAuthor: The Grateful Golfer
Hitting A Ball Close To The Pin
Every time we set up for an approach shot, we all expect the ball to finish close to the pin. Unfortunately, it does not happen as often as we want, but the intent is always there. The challenge most of us have is not hitting to distance, on line or just a miss hit. These challenges are universal for all amateur golfers and yet some seem to mitigate the error percentage better than others. I wish I could wave my magic golf club and make all those challenges disappear. If I could, would I wonder if I would still want to play this magical game. Would you?
Continue readingDistance or Accuracy Off The Tee
One of golf’s long standing debates is whether distance or accuracy is important off the tee. Depending on the level of a player’s golf skill the answer will vary. I have always been an accuracy advocate because being in play off the tee more often than not has led to many low golf scores. On the days I am shooting around par, I hit the ball straight and relatively long. I was in play with all my shots especially off the tee. Having said this, being able to hit the ball long is important on some courses and having that skill in my bag is very important. Which do you think fits your game the most?
Continue readingRelief From Penalty Areas In Golf
There are many penalty areas in golf that may affect your play. Each comes with its own challenges including what type of relief we are allowed. Relief from a penalty area is one of the most misunderstood rule in golf. Many players do not know the difference between red and yellow stakes when it comes to relief. After playing many tournaments over the years, I watched many players make the wrong call with respect to relief because they did not know all the options available to them. Well, today lets clarify the different relief options in order to minimize the number of extra strokes we have to add to our final score.
Continue readingAdding A Stroke For No Reason In Golf
Every golfer I know and play a round with will add a stroke or two for no reason. Whether it is a loss of concentration (usual reason), a poor decision or a swing hitch extra strokes are added to our final score just because. These errors are always prevalent in a amateurs game, however it is the avoidable mistakes that really frustrate me after the fact. The challenge is I know the I am making a mistake, but continue down that course of action anyway. A par becomes a bogey, a bogey becomes a double just because I was refused to change my thinking and proceeded down the path of extra strokes. This is so frustrating don’t you think?
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The Grateful Golfer 