Most amateur players shots are consistently short. Thus, even if on the green they have hopelessly long putts. Then they end up three-putting and you hear them drubbing themselves for being lousy putters. It is lousy, poorly planned approach shots, which are at fault. Often, missing the green, they entangle the bunker that lurks in the right, short position to catch just such careless players.

Ironically, a shot that is even 30 feet past the cup, if not uphill from the hole, is better than 30 feet short. The reason that most approach shots are short so there is more trampling and scuffing of the green before the hole. The area behind the cup is often quite smooth with far fewer spike marks.

If your predominate shot is left to right, (fade) go to the right side of the tee box, aim down the left side and make a positive hit. If it is right to left, (draw) do the opposite. Think about it. This technique doubles the effective fairway width you have to work in. The worst mistake is to make a tentative swing from the wrong side of the tee. All that does is exaggerate the bad effects of your usual shot-shape.

Putting is another place where commitment is critical. How many thousands of timid little tweeky putts have you seen that trickle feebly up to the cup and die? How many little two-footers miss the cup completely because at the last split second the player jerks his grip anxiously and shoves it right? He wasn’t sure, therefore couldn’t commit himself to the line. A few hours spent putting two to three foot putts until you can slam them into the cup can work wonders for your sense of resolution. Golf is a flawed game so when a shot goes askew don’t punish yourself. Reduce your error rate by being dauntless. Once embarked on a stroke, stay it to the conclusion. As the late Harvey Penick said, "Take Dead Aim."

© Scigolf.com Company 2005