How many times have you hit an approach shot at the pin thinking
it would end up right next to it only to see it disapear in the
front bunker or fly all the way over the green.
How many times have you hit an approach shot at the pin thinking it would end up right next to it only to see it disapear in the front bunker or fly all the way over the green.
It’s often difficult to swallow because you don’t hit shots like that very often so when you do you want the results to be good. This is often the case of just not knowing your distances. Most players know how far away they are but don’t know how long the shot will actually play once they factor in several variables.If you don’t take the time necessary to figure out just how far away you are your results will suffer. There are many factors involved in this process.
Your yardage markers are your best indicator for distance but use them only as a starting point. Factors that you must consider are where the pin is located in the green and how far off the center of the fairway you are.
Most yardages are measured to the center of the green. Therefore, a front or back pin location can subtract or add several yards or at least one more club to your selection. There are some golf courses where the greens are so large there could be a 3 club difference from front to back.
A very common mistake is when you are several yards off the center of the fairway and just assume that you are the same distance from the pin as if you were dead center. A general rule of thub is that for every 10 yards you are off center you have increased your distance by a yard. Hence, if you have missed the fairway and are now hitting a shot from the right rough directly opposite the 150 marker you are probably closer to 155 yards away.
Wind and elevation are the other large factors. Too often a player won’t make the adjustments necessary to add more club going into the wind or use less club going downwind. It doesn’t take much wind to effect the ball by 5 to 10 yards especially when you are using a higher lofted club. Elevation is much the same. A change in elevation by 30 to 40 feet will make a one club difference. The two par threes at Gilroy GC (#5 and #9) are close to the same yardage but #9 will play at lest one club longer because the green is elevated severely from the tee.
Remember when all else fails, take a lesson, You’ll be surprised how much we can help.
To schedule a lesson with PGA-certified instructor Don DeLorenzo, call Gilroy Golf Course at 848-0490.
