What goes into shot selection?

Have you ever wondered what the professional golfers you see on TV are thinking about before a shot?

There are many factors that you should be taking into consideration to properly execute a shot in a given circumstance. Take a look at some of these points below.

1. Lie of the ball- The condition around the ball can effect the distance and direction the ball will travel. A ball in the rough may come out hot and go further or come out soft and fall well short of your target. It will also have a tendency to curve less. If there is mud on the ball, it will tend to move in a direction away from the mud. Hardpan has a tendency to come out a little lower but also have more backspin. These are just a few of the factors.

2. Wind- Downwind or into the wind will also effect both distance and direction. Downwind shots will typically go further and fly straighter, however if you are playing a an off-speed shot, the ball may fall out of the air quicker and not be affected as much. When you are playing into the wind, spin is exacerbated and the ball will curve far more in the direction of the spin.

3. Shot pattern tendencies- You will see players who are well aware of their tendencies play for these in certain situations. For instance, if there is trouble on the right side off the tee and the player struggles with a right miss, they may play a shot that they know will miss left even if that means it will not be in the fairway. You have to be honest with yourself and how you are feeling in the moment to know what kind of shot you can pull off under pressure.

4. Percentage plays into the green- You won't see the pros going after every pin when they are over 150 yards from the green. This is by design to give themselves the best chance for par if they mis-hit the shot. If the pin is in the back left portion of the green, the smart play will be to hit less club and try to hit a shot that will miss short and right if anything. This makes an up and down chance a lot easier and they can save their aggressive shots for the par 5s and short par 4s.

5. Local green knowledge- You won't see many par saves when the ball is short-sided and chipping onto a downslope. The pros avoid these areas at all costs when a birdie is not necessary. An uphill chip will improve your chances to get it close by a wide margin. Staying below the pin is more important on some courses compared to others but be certain there will be some pins on any course where you have to avoid a short sided chip.

We hope these points will give you a little inside look at what you could start to think about the next time you get out on the course. Practice these decision making skills in a casual round before you start to use them in a tournament.

TPP Professionals