Symptom: You aim at the pin, even the sucker pin, no matter where it is on the green. You aren’t thinking about the pin placement, just about knocking it close like the guys on TV.
But, alas, often a well-struck shot ends up in the rough or the bunker, short-sided, challenging your short game and costing you strokes. “But I hit a good shot,” you mutter as you go see if the ball held up on the bank or rolled into the water.
Overview: Do not fire at the golf pin, especially a sucker pin. Aim for the middle of the green instead. Do this always. No, really.
Why it works: The essence of this tip is to manage your mistakes. If you take an aggressive line, and hit something other than a perfect shot (which happens a lot to Occasional Golfers), you put yourself in a very tough position around the green.
News Flash: Almost Every Pin Placement is Actually a Sucker Pin
Aim away from the sucker pin in the back left of this green.
What are the odds of you sticking that ball within a few feet for a tap-in birdie like the highlight shows on TV? Don’t you realize that the pros usually aim for the middle of the green too, and that a shot right next to the pin is often a mis-hit? Sure, they aim at the middle and try and work the ball left or right as needed. That is great, for them.
Rebuke the Seductive Sucker Pin
Why not aim for the middle of the green, or the fat part of the green, or whatever line gives you the best chance making sure your next shot is a putt and not a bunker shot or chip shot?
Often, I see Occasional Golfers who don’t give the matter much thought. They see the flag, they aim at the flag, they fire at the flag. Indeed, that is what you do on the driving range, right? You aim at the flag. But that is the driving range, not the golf course.
On the golf course you need to aim at a point that allows a less-than-perfect shot to avoid a major disaster. Pick a tree in back of the green, or a chimney of a roof, or something else to aim at. One benefit of using something high above the flagstick as your aiming point is that you are less likely to unwittingly let your eyes wander to the (sucker) pin.
To hit the green with high probability, then, you will often need to play left or right of the flag. Be sure to pick something to aim at, and align your clubface to a spot on your target line. Then don’t look at the flag again, look only at your aiming point on the ground on your target line, and your distant (high) aiming point.
Remember, Your Next Shot Should be with the Flat Stick
No matter how good you are at chipping and bunker shots, you are better off on the green! So stop firing at sucker pins! You’ll be on the green more often, and you’ll avoid those big, ugly numbers on your scorecard!
Remember — almost every pin is actually a sucker pin. Aim at the middle of the green instead.
Of course, some greens are quite deep, and you need to pick the right club to get to the pin, depending on your actual yardage. The point here is to pick your line correctly. And that line is seldom actually right at the pin.
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