A good miss!

To play good golf we firstly have to master the basic technique and then develop some good course management skills. Key decisions made at certain times during the round can save many shots.

Next time you are faced with an approach shot into the green, pay close attention to where the flag is located - in the middle of the green, on the left side or the right side? Before firing straight at the flag consider the difficulty of the next shot if you were to miss left or right, as quite often we don’t always hit straight!

For example, if the flag was situated on the right side of the green and I went to shoot direct, but missed to the right I would be faced with a tough short shot with little or no green to work with. This would make it much harder to get down in two shots. Alternatively I could aim slightly left of the flag and end up with three possible results

* I could hit it straight and leave myself in the middle of the green with a comfortable 15-20 foot putt.
* I could pull the ball left leaving myself a chip shot, but with lots of green to work with on my next shot.
* I could push the ball to the right which in fact should be close to the hole!

If you would like to know more about improving your golf game, book a lesson with a Royal Golf Club PGA teaching professional by calling 17750777.