May 1, 2023 3:30 pm

The wearable technology these days is magnificent. Even a dinosaur like me is getting to love it. In my day, you had to hope that the 100, 150 and 200-yard marker posts at the edge of the fairway hadn’t disappeared to have any idea of the distance to the flag. Nowadays the golf watch is making choosing the club so much easier. But club golfers are still not using it correctly.

When I am on the course with my groups, I know that one of the safest places for me to stand to watch them play is at the back of the green.  Nobody ever goes over the back of the green.  The reason, I believe, is more to do with club selection than the quality of the strike. The amateur always use the club that gets them the distance their golf watch tells them it is to the flag when they hit the shot properly. I don’t wish to be mean, but all of us, Rory McIlroy included, will only hit our best shot 10% of the time. So, 90% of the time the player is short of their target.

The solution is on your golf watch. It normally gives you the distance to the front, middle and back of the green. Irrespective of where the flag is on the green, use the yardage it says to the back of the green as your number. That way if you hit your 10% perfect shot you are on the back of the green. But if, as statistics suggest will happen, you hit the 90% imperfect shot, you should still end up on a part of the green.  Try it next game and I bet you hit more greens.

Categorised in: Tip of the month, World of Golf London