A Margin For Success...26
Knowing Your Shot Dispersion
Why do many good players not hit a driver off every par 4 and par 5? Surely they aren't worried about overshooting the green. Why not aim at every pin? Isn't that where we want the ball to end up? Those players know that even their good shots are not always precisely online with their target. Instead, they know their good shots will fall within a given-sized circle. They know their “shot dispersion.”
We need to have a strategy that tells us when the most obvious shot is the wrong shot. We need to know when we can’t hit driver and when we can’t fire at the pin. We need to know our shot dispersion.
Here's a simple way to do this. The next time you are at the practice tee, pick out a target for full swings with a wedge. Hit a dozen golf balls and note how far each of them land from the target (only count good swings).
For a typical golfer (16 handicap and above), they will find that their margin for success is about 8% of the distance to the target. So for a 100-yard shot, their margin is 8 yards (24 feet). Practically speaking, when they hit a wedge to a flag their good swings will land the ball within a 24-foot circle around the cup. For a 150-yard shot, the circle grows to 36 feet. In the above photo, we should accept that a small number of our 100-yard shots will find the water. At 150 yards a large percentage will be wet.
If you are not sure of the percentage of margin your game deserves, start with 8% and adjust after a round or two. Always go for the best target unless trouble lies within your "margin for success".
Bottom Line: So when we are getting ready to pick our target, draw the appropriate circle around it. If that circle encompasses a hazard, trees, or deep rough consider some of your good swings could land the ball there. Its time for a different target or different club.
Each Thursday we’ll bring you a helpful insight.
Swing to the Target,
Ed
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