Accuracy into greens - how to get better

[njrose51]

Any tips on how to get better with my accuracy into greens using 5,6 or 7 irons? I'm not expecting to be pin high/putting for birdie etc all the time but any useful suggestions to help when practising would be great and much appreciated.

(I originally posted this in the Ask the Experts forum pages but thought I'd open it up to the wider forum community!)

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Any tips on how to get better with my accuracy into greens using 5,6 or 7 irons? I'm not expecting to be pin high/putting for birdie etc all the time but any useful suggestions to help when practising would be great and much appreciated.

(I originally posted this in the Ask the Experts forum pages but thought I'd open it up to the wider forum community!)

Get better at golf?!

Personally, I think that's a very difficult question to answer.

What causes you to miss the green? Short, long, left, right? If it's distance, make sure you are choosing enough club to get you to the green, leaving it short is the most common thing I see.

When at the range, aim at a particular target rather than just hitting balls. Also, hit the ball different distances with the same club, don't just hit full shots all the time.

Other than that, just lots of practice.

 

[patricks148]

Get better at golf?!

Personally, I think that's a very difficult question to answer.


Other than that, just lots of practice.

this.

when i was a higher handicaper, i struggled with the mid irons, now i;m Cat1 i'm pretty confident with them.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

There is a saying in golf:

If you miss long or short, it's the caddy's fault, if you miss left or right it's the coach's fault.

Applying this to amateurs, the long or short bit comes down to lack of knowledge on the distance you hit the ball, easily rectified on the practice ground by working out your yardages.
The other bit is technique which is a bit harder to fix but at least you can work on sorting out half the problem.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Personally I ditched my 3,4,5 irons. And rarely use a 6 iron, I carry it but if I hit it once a round I would be surprised on average. I just cant hit them properly and when I do hit it/them I don't get anymore carry from the 6 iron than I can with a hard hit 7 iron.

I use a 7 wood and 9 wood, so much easier to hit and get the results I was after.

Maybe a thought to consider if you have not.

 

[pokerjoke]

I would say it depends on your handicap a little and your ability to be more accurate.
A high handicapper could just be aiming for the middle of the green,whilst a lower single figure handicapper will flag hunt a little more and will be more accurate because he generally will need a couple of birdies.

I would also be looking at the slope of the green and which side a bad miss will be trying not to short side myself.

As has been said if you know your yardages you are likely to be hole high and if you do miss you might be able to get up and down easier.

 

[Tiger]

Aim at the middle. Take one more club than you think you need. Swing smooth like you are playing a PW.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Take one club more than you think. Most of the trouble is designed to be at the front of greens as that's where most golfers come up. They might hit their 6 iron 150 yards (for argument) but on the course they might make the contact to hit it that far much less often on the course given the variable of the lie and weather

 

[WWG]

Simple, use what ever iron, or irons that get you closest to the pin, as it is different for everyone. My friend is great around the green, and uses a 5 wood for everything, HONESTLT

 

[SugarPenguin]

Dont fanny around trying to get to clever on shots. Find the Yardage and then pick the club for that yardage and make a FULL SOLID SWING. Thats the main thing. Trying to step on an iron or hitting a steady one usually means something in the swing is out of sync and this leads to shot leaking left and right.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I wouldn't say going full shots would be a great idea as going full pelt gives there plenty of time and things to go wrong

IMO go down a club but just hit it nice and smoothly - don't try and smack the spots of it and just look to play maybe 3/4 shots but hitting it sweeter gets better results

 

[delc]

Any tips on how to get better with my accuracy into greens using 5,6 or 7 irons? I'm not expecting to be pin high/putting for birdie etc all the time but any useful suggestions to help when practising would be great and much appreciated.

(I originally posted this in the Ask the Experts forum pages but thought I'd open it up to the wider forum community!)

Good and careful set up! GASP - Grip, Aim or Alignment, Stance and Posture. When practising always aim at something and use alignment sticks.

 

[Tashyboy]

Five and six iron playing off 21, I would be happy to be within 15 yd of the green. Seven iron I am looking to hit the green. But I know my yardages ish.
8 iron up I would be looking to hit the green.
But and it is a massive but, hitting the green at our place is half the solution or problem.
Why? For arguments sake, playing Ruffords greens are easy no matter where you land, playing Norwoods is a mare, if the greens are at the front and you hit the back, you will be happy to three putt, and visa versa.
know your yardages.👍

 

[Liverbirdie]

Club up, generally.

How may times are you short of a green in a year - hundreds of times.

How many times through the back in a year - less than 10 times.

Unless there is a lake, OOB, field, pretty castle through the back.:thup:

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Club up, generally.

How may times are you short of a green in a year - hundreds of times.

How many times through the back in a year - less than 10 times.

Unless there is a lake, OOB, field, pretty castle through the back.:thup:

Totally agree and how often does the average golfer make a perfect strike anyway. Club up, swing smoother and from the middle of most greens you'll never be too far from any pin position

 

[the_coach]

Any tips on how to get better with my accuracy into greens using 5,6 or 7 irons? I'm not expecting to be pin high/putting for birdie etc all the time but any useful suggestions to help when practising would be great and much appreciated.

(I originally posted this in the Ask the Experts forum pages but thought I'd open it up to the wider forum community!)

These are great tips, thanks. I tend to be either short and on line or pin high but left or right of the green, so a mixture really.

I think alignment method and not full power will be a real help.

good place to start would be to really dig into exactly what leads to missing short, left or right

- often times is it? down to course management having not assessed the shot in hand accurately or is it down to a tendency to catch what may be the correct club choice with a fat contact

- is the tendency to miss left or right due to issues with set-up, in alignment? in unmissed ball position irregularity? or issues with swing technique (had lessons? if so in those any identification of too much lateral movement, vertical movement, changes in posture, excessive or lack wrist/hand involvement)

- is the tendency to miss left or right down to issues with tempo, rhythm, balance issues, attempting to put too much 'hit' into the motion

for the technique side of the swing motion - can you score or draw a line in the grass and make swings with a 5,6,7,8 to put low point in the swings arc a couple of inches target side of the line so divot always start that couple inches over the line

do you know as a given the 'real' average carry distance on a flat day (say taken over an average of 20 shots) of the 5,6,7,8 (to that know the real average carry through the whole bag)

work through and find the true answers can then start to change the issues towards some game improvements

 

[Lazkir]

Five and six iron playing off 21, I would be happy to be within 15 yd of the green. Seven iron I am looking to hit the green. But I know my yardages ish.
8 iron up I would be looking to hit the green.
But and it is a massive but, hitting the green at our place is half the solution or problem.
Why? For arguments sake, playing Ruffords greens are easy no matter where you land, playing Norwoods is a mare, if the greens are at the front and you hit the back, you will be happy to three putt, and visa versa.
know your yardages.

Rufford's alright apart from that bloody par three.. looks so easy all the way down there.
Norwood I find relatively easy tbh. I play off 15 but scored 80 last time I played there. I always seem to play it well, but after Mapperley any flat course is easy.

 

[seochris]

Aim at the middle. Take one more club than you think you need. Swing smooth like you are playing a PW.

Good advice....

 

[MadAdey]

Can't argue with what's already been said. Take enough and aim for the middle, increase your room for error.

If you take a 12x12 yard green and take enough club to hit the middle, then to have 6 yard in all directions for error. If you shoot at a oflag that is 3 yards form the edge then margine for

 

[need_my_wedge]

I'm in the club up, swing easier camp (although I don't always remember to follow my own advice).

Practice thoughts - my son was doing county training last weekend, the whole afternoon was spent on short game from 100 yds and in. Every yardage they moved to they were expected to get within 10% i.e. 100 yds out, within 10yds of the pin, 70 yds out - 7 yds and so on. He was a bit miffed as they only got a point for achieving it, unless it was within 1% when they got 2 points.