13. The Lies Have It

Greenside pitches are shots that recreational golfer tend to struggle with largely because they deal with them all the same way instead adapting to the specific conditions of each shot. On the other hand, Tour players are experienced enough to know that the lie dictates the type of shot they can play, as well as with what club they can plat it.

When the ball is in a tight lie, allow your hands to be slightly ahead of the club and choose a wedge with less bounce. Don’t open the clubface too much, and concentrate on letting the leading edge of the club contact the ground. When faced with a fluffy lie, keep your hands back a bit further and open the clubface. Also, use a wedge with more bounce, as you’ll need it to repel the long grass. Note: Don’t always automatically choose you lob wedge for these shots- sometimes a less-lofted club is actually easier to control.

14. Smart Leaves

One of the most common, and costly, mistakes recreational golfers tend to make is leaving themselves in bad positions on the green. If you’ve ever hit a chip or lag putt in the basic direction of the hole, only to find you’re facing a tricky downhill or sidehill putt, you know what I’m talking about.

Instead of doing this to yourself, follow the pros’ lead and take the time to figure out where on the green will provide a relatively flat or uphill putt and concentrate on getting the ball to that spot. Remember that the faster and more severe the green, the more important it is to plan ahead.

(c) 2007 Sharon Benaiah All Rights Reserved

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