Instruction: Maggie Roller

Set ego aside to hit more greens

Want to hit more greens in regulation? Think about your most recent round of golf. How many times did your approach

Maggie Roller shot to the green finish past the flag? Including shots that missed the green? If you’re like most amateurs, the number is close to zero. According to data, amateurs come up short of the pin 95 percent of the time on long approach shots, yes 95 percent! Even with a wedge on shorter shots, it's 80 percent!

Try these three basic principles and see if you don’t hit more greens next time you’re out.

1) Leave your ego at home.

Golfers come up short so often because their ego gets the best of them. They’ll hit a shorter club either to impress their buddies or thinking because they’ve hit a shot that far with that club before it will automatically work for them again. I have observed through the years of teaching that golfers choose the club that will get them to the flag, but not past it, if they strike the ball perfectly- which they rarely do. Heck, most professionals play 18 holes and often only hit 50 percent of their shots pure! A common theme is this, you hit 50 balls with your 9 iron on the range, and one is perfectly flush at 145 but most of the others are around 130-135, with poor centeredness of contact. Yet, on the course you think you’ll hit that perfect 9 iron that you hit ONCE in your practice session- it’s just not reality. So, next time you play a round try hitting one extra club with your approach shots and see what results you get, you might be surprised.

2) Hit to the center of the greens, stop pin seeking!

If you’re serious about breaking 80, 90, or 100, you should honestly never aim at a single pin. Go for the middle of every green and you’ll have a lot of 25-30 footers. Decade golf strategist Scott Fawcett teaches this mindset and it works. He’s been quoted “Tiger and Jack at their best, the whole of their careers, rarely went for pins. They consistently aimed to the center of greens. Don’t be fooled. If they stuck it close to a pin they slightly drew or pushed the golf ball.” Keep this mindset, if the pin is tucked in the front of the green take the proper club to get to the back, aim for the fattest parts of the green. Pin in front? Forget about it and club up, you’ll thank yourself later.

3) Be aware of conditions.

Wind, rain, cold, and heat all affect the golf ball differently. Conditions have a dramatic effect on where your golf ball ends up. If there is wind, throw grass up to check direction, or you could use a compass, wind can change your yardage calculation by as much as 10, 20, 30 yards particularly in Oklahoma. Get a new yardage depending on the wind, a whole new number. Example: If it is blowing into you 20 mph, add 20 more yards onto your number. On the

other hand, for down wind shot with a 10 mph breeze at your back, subtract 10 yards from your number. If it’s raining, use more club as water and thicker air can reduce distance. Cold and heat affect the distance a golf ball travels too. Use more club in the wintere, the ball travels farther in the heat of summer. Your goal in playing golf is to shoot the lowest score possible, right? Whether you hit a 3w then a 5w into a par 4 or your driver and a 6 iron in makes no difference. Last time I checked on a round Scott Fawcett with my daughter we wrote down the score not the club of choice. I encourage you to focus on these three principles, hit more greens, and have more fun playing golf! Maggie Roller is the director of instruction at Cedar Ridge Country Club in Broken Arrow.