Stop Aiming at the Flag!!! #DeadCenter

[david_wedzik]

Here is a tidbit of information from our upcoming book Lowest Score Wins (math still being tweaked to its, exact, final form but you'll get the point ):

Try this the next thousand times you play golf.

If your handicap is over 20 aim at the dead center of the green any time you are more than 60 yards from the flag. If it is between 11-20, aim at the dead center of the green any time you are further than 80 yards from the hole. If you are reading this and carrying a handicap 10 or lower… but you are not playing a major tour currently… let's aim at center of the green from anywhere 100 yards and further from the hole.

Your score will thank you.

#DeadCenter

#LowestScoreWins — with @iacas

[saevel25]

Here is a tidbit of information from our upcoming book Lowest Score Wins (math still being tweaked to its, exact, final form but you'll get the point ):

Try this the next thousand times you play golf.

If your handicap is over 20 aim at the dead center of the green any time you are more than 60 yards from the flag. If it is between 11-20, aim at the dead center of the green any time you are further than 80 yards from the hole. If you are reading this and carrying a handicap 10 or lower… but you are not playing a major tour currently… let's aim at center of the green from anywhere 100 yards and further from the hole.

Your score will thank you.

#DeadCenter

#LowestScoreWins — with @iacas

Anyway the math changes if you are able to hit a consistent shot pattern? Like lets say you get a 95% fade. Could you take take the math down to were you can error towards shooting at flags if they are towards the right side of the green. So if you hit it straight you are in the center, if you fade it you are close to the pin?

Always wondered what was the average size of a green in golf. I know my course it is +/- about 10-15 yards. So If the person hits the center of the green they are probably looking at 10-30 footers all day long. Not to bad I don't think.

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[Deryck Griffith]

I couldn't agree more!  Great post.

[David in FL]

Here is a tidbit of information from our upcoming book Lowest Score Wins (math still being tweaked to its, exact, final form but you'll get the point ):

Try this the next thousand times you play golf.

If your handicap is over 20 aim at the dead center of the green any time you are more than 60 yards from the flag. If it is between 11-20, aim at the dead center of the green any time you are further than 80 yards from the hole. If you are reading this and carrying a handicap 10 or lower… but you are not playing a major tour currently… let's aim at center of the green from anywhere 100 yards and further from the hole.

Your score will thank you.

#DeadCenter

#LowestScoreWins — with @iacas

Some of the best rounds I've played have been post-season rounds after the pins had been removed for the winter.  No reason to do anything but aim for the center of the green.

It's hard to ignore that pin, especially with a wedge in your hands, but I absolutely agree.......the vast majority of us are better served when we do!

[MPtheKid]

Really good post. I often find myself firing at pins when I have no business doing so.

Score should benefit from keeping this info in mind.

[Ernest Jones]

This is gonna be a great book!

The alternate title should be, "Stop being a dummy"

[iacas]

Anyway the math changes if you are able to hit a consistent shot pattern? Like lets say you get a 95% fade. Could you take take the math down to were you can error towards shooting at flags if they are towards the right side of the green. So if you hit it straight you are in the center, if you fade it you are close to the pin?

In a word: nope.

In a few more words: for you, outside of 100 yards, go at the center of the green.

[saevel25]

In a word: nope.

In a few more words: for you, outside of 100 yards, go at the center of the green.

Just curious if someone could get fancy with it. Though I remember bad things happening when trying to get to fancy with golf shots. Keep it simple MATT!!!

[Golfingdad]

Here is a tidbit of information from our upcoming book Lowest Score Wins (math still being tweaked to its, exact, final form but you'll get the point ):

Try this the next thousand times you play golf.

If your handicap is over 20 aim at the dead center of the green any time you are more than 60 yards from the flag. If it is between 11-20, aim at the dead center of the green any time you are further than 80 yards from the hole. If you are reading this and carrying a handicap 10 or lower… but you are not playing a major tour currently… let's aim at center of the green from anywhere 100 yards and further from the hole.

Your score will thank you.

#DeadCenter

#LowestScoreWins — with @iacas

Fantastic!  This is the kind of stuff that you already "know" but you like to allow yourself to forget because, well, we think we are better than w really are.  Nice to see it written down.  I am playing this afternoon and will follow this to the letter.

Some of the best rounds I've played have been post-season rounds after the pins had been removed for the winter.  No reason to do anything but aim for the center of the green.

It's hard to ignore that pin, especially with a wedge in your hands, but I absolutely agree.......the vast majority of us are better served when we do!

Yeah, even though, as stated above, I ignore the obviously good advice to my own detriment ... I've always thought to myself (and said out loud a few times, I think) that if golf courses removed all flags - just got rid of them completely (well except that we all now rely so much on lasers) - that almost everybodys handicaps would go down.

[SavvySwede]

I think it would be better to have a cutoff club instead of a cutoff yardage because the amount of loft you're using has a significant effect on your ability to stop the ball and control distance. I will go at the pin if I have a pw or less into the green. My pw has 48*loft and goes about 130. The cutoff club has the bonus of accounting for the wind and elevation. If I have to hit a knockdown 8 iron into the wind from 130 I would go for the middle of the green. Conversely I could go for the pin from 145 on a downhill downwind shot which is typically much more forgiving.

[saevel25]

I think it would be better to have a cutoff club instead of a cutoff yardage because the amount of loft you're using has a significant effect on your ability to stop the ball and control distance. I will go at the pin if I have a pw or less into the green. My pw has 48*loft and goes about 130. The cutoff club has the bonus of accounting for the wind and elevation. If I have to hit a knockdown 8 iron into the wind from 130 I would go for the middle of the green. Conversely I could go for the pin from 145 on a downhill downwind shot which is typically much more forgiving.

Maybe maybe not. There is a lot that goes into that. Handicap does go down with increase in distance. You will find most low handicap players are longer hitters, especially with their irons. So in actuality them making cut off yardage works. High handicappers will need that extra loft as well to be more accurate. So, in all I think it is fine as is.

[LuciusWooding]

I think it would be better to have a cutoff club instead of a cutoff yardage because the amount of loft you're using has a significant effect on your ability to stop the ball and control distance. I will go at the pin if I have a pw or less into the green. My pw has 48*loft and goes about 130. The cutoff club has the bonus of accounting for the wind and elevation. If I have to hit a knockdown 8 iron into the wind from 130 I would go for the middle of the green. Conversely I could go for the pin from 145 on a downhill downwind shot which is typically much more forgiving.

No, that's got trouble written all over it. You'll just talk yourself into hitting your PW from farther away, and power wedges are seldom a good idea for flag hunting. Then you'd want to hit an easy 9 into one, pretty soon the 9 is a scoring club too. Then you'll have a good ballstriking day and try to hit your 7 from 180 at the pin. Then if you do it, you think you're Phil Mickelson for life. The point is to shoot at fewer flags, not more.

I'd say in the wind or with a change in elevation, shorten the max yardage rather than adding to it.

[iacas]

I think it would be better to have a cutoff club instead of a cutoff yardage because the amount of loft you're using has a significant effect on your ability to stop the ball and control distance. I will go at the pin if I have a pw or less into the green. My pw has 48*loft and goes about 130. The cutoff club has the bonus of accounting for the wind and elevation. If I have to hit a knockdown 8 iron into the wind from 130 I would go for the middle of the green. Conversely I could go for the pin from 145 on a downhill downwind shot which is typically much more forgiving.

Nah. To be quick about it (got something to do shortly), I don't care what clubs PGA Tour players are using from 125-150 yards, they're still missing the green 3 times out of 10! You're probably 40-60%.

You can aim where we're suggesting you aim… and still hit it close. Put your scatter plot around the pin and one around the middle of the green and you're going to score lower from the many more balls that find the green.

[cuzcapri]

Here is a tidbit of information from our upcoming book Lowest Score Wins (math still being tweaked to its, exact, final form but you'll get the point ):

Try this the next thousand times you play golf.

If your handicap is over 20 aim at the dead center of the green any time you are more than 60 yards from the flag. If it is between 11-20, aim at the dead center of the green any time you are further than 80 yards from the hole. If you are reading this and carrying a handicap 10 or lower… but you are not playing a major tour currently… let's aim at center of the green from anywhere 100 yards and further from the hole.

Your score will thank you.

#DeadCenter

#LowestScoreWins — with @iacas

In a word: nope.

In a few more words: for you, outside of 100 yards, go at the center of the green.

is there a direct ratio between the club, distance, and how close to the pin i can expect to be? as a 14 handicap should i expect to be within 10 ft from the pin if i'm 100 yrds and in?

[LuciusWooding]

is there a direct ratio between the club, distance, and how close to the pin i can expect to be? as a 14 handicap should i expect to be within 10 ft from the pin if i'm 100 yrds and in?

You'd be one of the 4 best players on the PGA tour to average 10ft from inside 100 yards. They still miss the green a fair bit from that distance; 30 feet is fine because you'll still 2 putt 90% or so of the time but most likely will still 2 putt from 10-15 feet. If your putting is competent at all it won't matter how far you are as long as you're able to set up a short putt in 1 shot.

[cuzcapri]

You'd be one of the 4 best players on the PGA tour to average 10ft from inside 100 yards. They still miss the green a fair bit from that distance; 30 feet is fine because you'll still 2 putt 90% or so of the time but most likely will still 2 putt from 10-15 feet. If your putting is competent at all it won't matter how far you are as long as you're able to set up a short putt in 1 shot.

thanks for you insight. i was just wondering cause i tend to  get upset with myself when i don't get as close i think i should be depending on the club in my hand.

3,4,5 iron on the green is good 6,7 i should able to go at it. 8,9,pw i think i should able to really go at it

but based off what your saying i shouldn't beat myself up over it.

[iacas]

thanks for you insight. i was just wondering cause i tend to  get upset with myself when i don't get as close i think i should be depending on the club in my hand.

3,4,5 iron on the green is good 6,7 i should able to go at it. 8,9,pw i think i should able to really go at it

but based off what your saying i shouldn't beat myself up over it.

Look at the PGA Tour stats. The median player on the PGA Tour from 100-125 hits it to about twenty feet, and still misses the green 21% of the time!

You should be happy to hit the green from that yardage, as your proximity will be about 35'+.

[billchao]

You can aim where we're suggesting you aim… and still hit it close. Put your scatter plot around the pin and one around the middle of the green and you're going to score lower from the many more balls that find the green.

This reminds me of the landing circle targeting system they use in golf video games, and when I think about it like that, it makes total sense. If I aim at the flag, I'm putting the pin in the middle of my circle, so I can miss both left and right of the pin. If I aim the circle on the green and catch the pin somewhere inside it, my shot will be on the green, and I might "miss" it by the hole every once in a while. I don't know why I never looked at it like that before, thanks for showing me a different perspective.