I would like to share a target tip for when you are playing... that my clients have found very helpful over the years.
The tip is:
Aim for the middle of the green on every shot more than a 100 yards away.
Why?
Because aiming for a target that is close to potential trouble... makes it more difficult to get in the correct mental state before you hit the shot.
When you aim for a pin that is near the edge of the green, or near a bunker, or near any trouble that is just off the green... your subconscious knows you need to hit high quality shot to hit your target.
This adds pressure.
I'm guessing you've heard the saying "pick conservative targets and make aggressive swings".
As opposed to "picking aggressive targets and making conservative swings".
The difference between the two is how much margin for error you're giving yourself when you pick a target.
The less margin for error you have... the more pressure you're putting on yourself before you hit the shot.
The more pressure you put on yourself... the more difficult it is to stay relaxed and focused and trust that you can accomplish your goal.
Picking precise targets for every shot is a really good thing.
But picking precise targets that don't give you much margin for error... can add pressure that makes it more difficult to mentally prepare for hitting a good shot.
Over the years my clients have been astonished at how many more greens in regulation they hit and how much better they score for the entire round... by aiming for the middle of the green on every hole.
At least until they get inside a certain distance where the confidence to go at the pin is higher than the pressure of potentially missing the pin.
Depending on your skill level and your confidence level you may want to adjust the distance higher or lower.
Some of my low handicap clients don't feel any pressure aiming for pins that are 125 yards away.
Some of my higher handicap clients aim for the middle of the green all the way until they get 50 yd away from the green.
The key is to find the distance that's right for you and discipline yourself to aim for the middle of the green when you get past that distance.
If you discipline yourself to do that you will definitely start hitting more greens in regulation and shooting lower scores.
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