WHAT WOULD YOU SHOOT IF...

In talking with golfers, I often ask questions about what is the best part of their game, and what is the worst. The answers I get are all over the place, as you might imagine. How would you answer the questions? And how confident are you that your answers are really correct?

So, while driving last evening, I got to thinking about this notion of how much would you improve if you "fixed" the worst part of your game? What kind of scores would you shoot if you could effectively address that part of the game that you think troubles you the most.

So, here's an idea of you can find out just what the impact would be on your game if you did just that. Here are a few common answers to my question about the weakest part of “your” game, and how I would suggest you determine the real impact of that on your scoring:

1. "I don’t hit it far enough."

   If that is your issue, the next time you go play a fun round, when you get to each drive, just pick up the ball and move it 12 yards further down the target line. Not toward the green, mind you, but along the line it was taking when it came to rest. Then play in from there and see how your scoring was impacted by that suddenly added distance. If it was meaningful, there are ways to extract 10-12 more yards for almost anyone.



2. "I don’t hit enough fairways."

   For this one, on every hole where you miss the fairway, take the ball and walk it straight out to the middle, then back 12 yards. That will show you the impact of giving up a little distance in exchange for accuracy. If it has the effect on your score that you think it will, there are many ways to trade a little distance for a lot of accuracy.



3. "My short game isn’t good enough."

   This one is easy. Keep a second row of scores going. On every hole where you miss the green, in that second row, just add 2.5 shots. At the end of the round, see how the second score total compares to your real score.



4. "I’m not a good putter."

   Again, keep a second score running, and never take more than a two-putt and give yourself half of the putts under 10 feet. See what that total comes out to, in comparison to your real score.



5. "I don’t hit enough greens."

   For this final "scientific test", play your round and for each hole where you miss the green with a 5-iron or less, put out a second ball on the safe side of the flag, a distance from the hole as follows:




• 5- and 6-iron approach, 40 feet


• 7- and 8-iron approach, 30 feet


• 9-iron and PW approach, 25 feet


• Gap and SW approach, 18 feet

You can reduce these distances a little if you think that is more reflective of your skill level. See how this second score improves over your real score and that will tell you something about hitting greens, playing to the safe side, and learning to throttle back your power until you can make those irons go where you want them to, within these allowable distance tolerances.

It's fun to dream about how our scoring would be impacted "If only..." and this is a great way to find out just what that impact would be. Then that provides you with the proof of where you should be spending your investments in lessons, practice and equipment.

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Terry Koehler is "The Wedge Guy" and President of SCOR Golf- The Short Game Company.

Click here to learn more about Terry.