Aiming for the Back of the Green Makes No Sense

[Opoponax]

8 hours ago, StuM said:

Not sure where you are located, but I'd consider a 15+ minute drive to a different range if that is possible.

There's two reasons I don't go to a better range:

1. No shade/cover. It's consistently 100F+ where I live. My "home range" has horrible range balls and it's ugly to look at, but you're in the shade. 

2. Chairs: the range I go to has chairs you can sit (in the shade) when you need to take a break. 

Around October or November, the above won't matter so much, but right now it's essential. 

[ChetlovesMer]

On 8/28/2022 at 2:41 PM, StuM said:

I have been tempted to try this but have not.  Per SS 45% of my approach shots are short so maybe targeting the back would work. But then I look at the various shot shots and many are simply bad shots. For example, a 9i that only goes 115 while my performance avg is 142 and overall average is 136 with the 9i. It is not bad club selection, it is bad execution.

I think you are probably right about this, especially when using Shot Scope. Until you reach a certain level of skill I would think you'd always have just a few more shots come up short than come up long. As others have pointed out. If you get your shot zone over the center of the green, in most cases you are giving yourself the best chance of getting even a poor shot on the green. But to your point, when you hit a real stinker. ... Yeah, it's going to be short. So, that will go into your stats as a shot you left short.

Then there's also likely to be situations. (For me this is pretty common on par 5's, but can happen on long par-4's as well.) Where you are trying to hit the green, but it's literally going to take your best effort to get there. If I'm standing 235 out, I CAN get there with my 3-wood, but a large percentage will be short. A very small percentage (maybe zero) will be long. So, shot scope counts that as shots left short. ... As it should. 

What's cool about Shot Scope is that you can dive deeper into your numbers. When I look at mine I see I'm leaving about 30% of my shots short and hitting about 15% of them long. 26% hit the green, the rest are a pretty equal split between left and right. If I take out the shots over 175 yards. My numbers go to 25% short, 20% long. Which to me seems about right. 

Lastly, what I think is really interesting is if I just look at the 2 rounds I played really well this year. (Yeah, there are two 🤪) During those two rounds I have 21% short and 21% long. 👍 

Shot Scope = lots of data. 

[DeadMan]

I think, for better players, you can take this advice but toned down. Aiming for the back edge of the green doesn't make sense, but even better players are more likely to come up short than go long. If I'm between clubs, I'll generally take the longer club. Speaking very generally, clubbing up isn't a bad decision. You can club up, but choke down, or hit a knockdown shot, and that's probably better than trying to muscle a shorter club an extra 5 yards.

[billchao]

4 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

My numbers go to 25% short, 20% long. Which to me seems about right.

I’m 23% short and 9% long, but on a lot of holes I play, long is dead. There’s just more room to miss short.