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Post by Paul Thu 16 Jun 2016, 7:27 pm

I HAVE NOT SEEN THIS ONE BEFORE . AND I'M DAMN GLAD I DIDN'T 




GOLF TIPS TO USE TO IMPROVE YOUR ENTIRE GAME (scroll down farther for putting tips)
10-5-15
There are a lot of factors in "working" the ball to do what you want it to do, or getting close even when you mishit.
DRIVING AND IRONS (STEPS)
1. First, figure out how FAR the hole is from the ball or where on the fairway you want to put your drive. Easy enough.
2. Add HALF the ELEVATION when you want to hit the ball right on the button close to the intended target on the fairway or green. Subtracting half the elevation only seems to work on SOME shots on some courses, but you CAN'T go wrong with ADDING half the "up" elevation when you figure a shot. If I have a shot of 113 yards, and the elevation is 5 ft, I add half of that 5 yards, which is 2.5 yards. This now makes a base shot of 115.5 yards.
3. INHERIT THE WIND. Figuring wind was somewhat accurate before, but I have found simple calculations for wind. Most of my shots to the green with irons and my hybrid work with this formula, and many times with my 3-wood.    BUT...you can hit accurate shots figuring the wind after you figure elevation by adding or subtracting an exact amount of yardage on most courses. I used to guess, but I went to a site called "The Physics of Golf" and studied the formulas for wind vectors. It's complicated as all get-out, so I decided to simplify it. It involves trigonometry, and the hardest part of trigonometry is spelling it. You won't have to do it for wind, because I am now going to provide you with a simple chart of 6 angles and their wind calculation factors to multiply by before you add full spin on a shot.
The multiples are for the angles of the wind, from dead straight in your face or dead straight behind you, and then the 5 angles in between. It involves sine angles and the physics of wind, but don't be scared. I'm doing the math for you right here and now. When the wind is in your face and straight at you, use a full spin shot and add half the average of the wind. Straight in your face is what I am going to call here a 90-degree angle for the purpose of simplifying the trig multiples. Straight from the side will be referred to as an angle of 0, and in your face (wind against you..parallel to the shot line) is90.
Here is the table:
Wind at 90....multiple is 1.00
Wind at 75....multiple is  .965
Wind at 60....multiple is.866
Wind at 45....multiple is  .707
Wind at 30....multiple is   .50
Wind at 15....multiple is    .25
Wind at  0....no effect. Wind directly from the side with a perpendicular angle (a right angle) to the ball flight is non-existent with a full-spin shot.
Now comes the easy part...the entire formula for perfect distance control providing you ding the meter. Slight mishits from under 150 won't penalize you much, and you will stick the ball left or right of the hole and still be pin high. Sounds nuts, doesn't it? Well, the vector forces on projectiles hurled into the air involving windage are as accurate as anything, and artillery shells wouldn't hit their mark if it didn't. LOL
(Distance plus half the elevation) + (half the average of the wind x the angle factor shown above) + 5% of that total.
This formula works every time on just about every course for every distance and wind with every club. Even at St. Andy's but mainly from 150 yards in at that course.
So, if you have a shot to the green of say, 150 yards that you have figured after adding half the elevation, then simply add the two wind numbers on the meter, divide by 2, and then multiply the wind calculation by the angle you figure the wind is coming from. A 30-degree angle has a sine of.5, a 45-degree angle has a sine of.707, etc.
If the wind is at a 45-degree angle and you have already figured your distance and elevation, then multiply half the wind by .707   So, if the wind average is 18, then divide it by 2....getting 9...and then multiply that answer (9) by.707, which nets you 6.363 yards to add to your shot.
Now the yardage is 150 + 6.363 giving you a base shot of 156.363 yards and then you have to add 5% to that total to compensate for a full-backspin shot.So, 156.363 + 5% of that is 164.181.Don't worry about the partial decimals, just round up or down in the yard in between to get a whole number, which in this case is 164. Then simply divide by your swing meter and take the shot. Of course, consider your ball rating, to figure the total of your club (starter balls have no distance rating so your club won't throw the ball any farther than what is indicated on the club selection chart, but a Nike will throw the ball 5% farther, so you have to consider that when dividing by your swing meter.) Don't forget that part...lol
Hit the ball 164 and ding the meter and watch it stick near the hole or go in. This works. Trust the math. Full-spin, ding the meter.
 
Some courses have trees on either side that are very tall, and they act as a wind buffer, such as at Pinehurst. Wind from the side at Pinehurst is different than wind from the side at open courses like St. Andrew's or Royal St. George's. Courses by the ocean will have a generally greater wind effect than those that are protected from the wind. Wind HELPING can be as much as TWICE the average indicated, and I've gotten wind help of as much as 50 yards from a trailing wind of 27-30 at St. Andy's or St. George's. Be ready to understand that the physics of wind resistance and wind aid to a ball in flight will mainly be determined by the lay of the land at the course you are playing. St. Andrew's doesn't have as many hazards as St. George's or Kiawah, and as you play them, you have to be careful how much spin you put on a ball at those places, since the more spin you put on a ball, the greater the wind effect.
Wind behind you works the same way, and all you do is figure the angle in those nice little 15-degree increments (you'll have a hard time figuring any angles closer than that with the naked eye on the wind direction indicator) and then subtract that amount that you figured using the chart above. The reverse angles of the wind HELPING are no different.
4. Once you have figured out distance, elevation, and wind, you will come up with a number. From THAT point, you will divide that number by the maximum of the swing meter on a certain club and decide to either put full spin on it or not in order to create a "full" shot (as close to 100% as you can) with whatever club you have chosen.
HOWEVER, many times you are caught "between" clubs, and you have to choose which is more beneficial for a "miss." You won't "ding" the meter every time, and you need to think, "Do I want to come up short or long on a miss?" The other consideration is trying to make it so you hit anywhere between 95-100% on a full shot,ESPECIALLY with longer irons from the 8-iron to the 3-wood. Shots with shorter irons and wedges can take "partial" shots down to around 75% and still be accurate on a mishit. Shots that are around the 75% number to 90% on longer irons will PENALIZE you radically on a mishit, so the prudent thing to do is figure out how close to a "full" shot (95-100%) you can make with those clubs. Picking the right club is not the one that is always suggested by the "caddie" and I've fired many of them over the months, but I've realized many times when in rough or with goofy wind, the "caddie" errs on the side of caution. However, the calculations I gave you for the sine of the angles is solid, and the programmers HAD to use them to design the game to work properly and mirror real golf. Now, with the same math they used in the program, the distance is no longer a mystery...it's an exact number, and you will wow your friends and enemies with it. LOL
The "go for it" golf that people try to play on here costs them more strokes than they can imagine, and until you get a feel for wind, elevation, rough, and distance, "working" the ball is futile. Having said all that, just know that ultimately YOU are your own caddie, and making the decision to go with spin or no spin will affect the distance and "bite" of the ball. When you don't put spin on a long iron, it will fly a bit lower, be affected by the wind less, bounce less steeply, and roll farther. Sometimes, that's exactly what you want, but other times, you have to clear a bunker or rough near the green, and you have to fly the ball a bit farther to make it to the flag or just short of it. This will require either full spin or partial spin to counteract all the forces working on the ball and still hit a "full" shot to make the ball control much better. All shots are different, but you'll get a feel from practice. Use starter balls in practice so you don't "burn out" a good store-bought ball with "-2" (twice the wear for mulligans) on each practice shot. The only way to get good at controlling the ball with all the factors involved is to get really good at using starter balls, and THEN you will see how well the good ones respond. Plus, you should always note from course to course just how far your ball flies before it lands for each club on each shot. Eventually, you will get a feel for how far your ball is flying, and the numbers for each club will become almost automatic, ESPECIALLY ON THE LONG IRONS, WOODS, AND DRIVER. Knowing THOSE numbers will keep you out of a lot of trouble, and you will golf mostly from the fairways and hit your greens with greater accuracy. Your misses won't hurt as much..
Using different balls will affect your play. Personally, I use Callaway Hex Chrome 33's which have a distance factor of 3 and a spin factor of 3.5. . I have a few sleeves of Nikes that people gifted to me but I save them, since the distance, meter speeds, and spin rates are all much higher, and I have to actually WAIT for the meter to get to that certain point on my swing meter, and it throws my mental timing off when I hit a shot. PLUS, they are hideously expensive, and at 500-800 credits per sleeve, you lose more than $2 each time you lose one. That's not in my budget. A lot of the "big hitters" and "sharpies" use the Nikes, and because I understand how to work the ball. I KNOW most of the time on the first hole whether or not my opponent knows how to USE his clubs and balls properly by the type of shot he or she hits. THEN I determine how "safe" I have to play to beat them. Sure, I run up against some "razors" that have all the equipment and the talent and knowledge to work the ball, so I play "go for it" golf against them and let the chips fall where they may.
5. Putting full spin on a ball will need 5% more impetus on your Shot Pal than figured. The spin actually throws the ball a bit higher and SHORTER, so you have to compensate for that. My 8-iron is rated at 140 yards, and my Callaway Hex Chrome 33's have a distance rating of 3, and this adds 3% to every shot I take with it, even down to the 60% range. So, I have to figure a full shot with the 140 club (8-iron) will go 144.2 yards, and I have to take that into account when I am shooting. If the shot calls for 139 yards, I may add the 5% of 139, thus making the shot 145.95 yards, and a full-spin shot may come up 2-4 yards short. Every ONE yard of misfigure usually translates to TWO yards difference when it lands on the green. this is something to seriously consider when shooting. However, if I am between yardages like that, sometimes putting half-spin on a shot will get it to go the correct distance, and a slight mishit either way just lands the ball a yard or two left or right. If you saw some of the "darts" I've been throwing, you would know how well I have learned to work the ball with the math I have provided. I used to load replays of shots each day but it is tedious now since I stick so many close to the hole, but if you have nothing better to do, look at what the math does for me.
Rule of thumb for spin and no-spin shots is ADD 5% to your final calculation when using full spin, and allow for about 5% bounce and roll with no spin. Those numbers should get you hitting balls close to the pin and making more birdies. Also, when hitting shots with store-bought balls, you have to consider the distance rating and SUBTRACT that many percent from your final shot. I know that my 4-iron of 200 yards will go 206 with my Hex Chrome 33's because their distance rating is 3% more, so when I want to hit a shot of 195 yards, I have to divide 195 by 200, which is 97.5%, and then subtract 3% on the meter down to 94.5%, and it usually produces a perfect shot. I don't like to go below 95% most of the time on a shot, but sometimes the conditions dictate that I do. On shots like that, I either put a small bit of spin and hope I've made my calculations as accurately as possible. I made it easy for myself by making a macro and micro-putting chart, and on that chart on the side, I have the full distances of EACH of my clubs paired with my Hex Chromes written in the margin and it's quite easy to divide by THOSE new numbers instead of guessing. For the most part, the more you guess, the worse the result if you mishit. Don't do that to yourself now that you are armed with accurate math.
6. Once you have figured all the distance, spin, wind, and bounce and roll, you'll be able to create different types of shots for different situations and the only thing left is aiming and dinging the meter. Most of the time, one of the "looks" from the green approach or behind the green will have a blue line that you will line up with a little white dot between your figure and the ball. If you look closely, you will see it on all drives and fairway shots from the reverse angle. The blue line will be accurate for a safe shot most of the time and many times be the EXACT compensation you need to make the perfect shot. I've discovered that they give you all the tools to figure out each shot perfectly, and once in a while, it's half or double the amount of aim or on the wrong side of the hole figuring wind push, but for the most part, it's quite accurate for the "safe" shot to the right part of the green or fairway. The same is true on putting when you aim. ALWAYS look at the aimer from both angles, and you'll find that it's usually the average of the two looks. Sometimes it's the addition of both, so you have to judge for yourself when the camera angle isn't right.
7. Do your best to ding the meter, and see if the math isn't right on the money most of the time. When you don't figure a shot right, it's usually the wind calculation and aiming that are the culprits. Of course, if you mishit, that will do things to your ball you may not want. An "early" hit will produce a lower shot that rolls a bit farther than you want, and a "late" shot will go a bit higher, softer, and shorter. Sometimes a purposeful slight mishit is more desirable than a perfect "ding." The nice part about the math is that it will have some "forgiveness" built in, and you won't be on edge when you wind up the meter to hit. Your good timing will take over and you will be more confident of a given shot even though you have mishit it slightly. You'll get lucky most of the time using those tips and that math. When I switched to the Hex Chromes from starter balls, I had a week of total confusion until I realized the spin, distance and meter speed factors were at play. Once you get a feel for that, you'll be throwing some serious "darts" and you'll be amazed. It took time to work it out, but I'm used to different distances and spins of balls, and when I go to pick out a sleeve to play with, I make sure I know what type of shots I want to hit at different courses.  I've beaten every  course regularly on 9 and 18-hole formats, and no green speed, wind, or distance scares me anymore.  LOL. Try this information on your clubs and balls and see if I'm all wet or not.
 PUTTING (8 STEPS TO BETTER PUTTING)
 
Step 1. Add or subtract the height (elevation or drop) in inches to the distance of the putt in feet. (everyone ...even the hacks figure that out]
Step 2. Multiply by the green speed factor. (charts will be included) Green speeds will remain constant throughout the course, so once you understand how to multiply by the green speed factor, then you can move on to step #3
Step 3. Multiply by the touch factor. This is a product of the overall impetus or "oomph" you are putting on the ball from different distances. It is NOT LINEAR, so there is no "set" formula for figuring it out. I've made charts for you up to 100 feet. (Scroll down and you will see that charts are included)
Step 4. Divide by the swing meter distance.If you have a calculated putt of 10 feet by this step, and you have a swing meter of 15 feet, then divide 10 by 15 and you know that your base impetus is now .667 or 66.7%. Easy enough. Now comes the tricky part.
Step 5. Add or subtract the RATIO of elevation or drop in percentage For instance, on that putt of 10 feet that you just figured out to be 66.7% of your swing meter, you now have to factor in the ratio of elevation or drop. This will be a small percentage that you add or subtract to the total putt. So, if the drop was 2 inches, and the distance was originally 12 feet, then you would take .167 off or 1.67% off the total putt you have figured so far. Now comes thereally tricky part. LOL
6. Use the vertical "grain" flow of the little dots to determine how many percent to add or subtract for your final calculation. (all of this is explained a bit  later in this blog)
7. Aim using your aimer. (all of this is explained a bit  later in this blog)
8. Ding the meter.
Here's a formula for putting. I hope it simplifies it for some, although I had a terrible time with math back in school until I realized everything boils down to the four basic operations. If you can use a small hand-held calculator, you can get this formula down to 25 seconds. I do it all the time.
(Putt distance plus or minus elevation)  X  (Green speed factor)  X  (Touch factor) divided by (swing meter distance chosen) plus or minus (elevation divided by distance times 10) plus or minus (grain factor) plus (break factor)
This is how it looks in math language for you math geeks like me. [([Dp  +/ -  E)  x (Gsf) x (Tf)]  /  [(Smd)]  +/- (E/Dp) x 10] + /- Gf  +/- Bf
Dp = Putt distance
Gsf = Green speed factor
E = elevation or drop
Tf = Touch factor (amount of "oomph")
Smd = Swing meter distance chosen
Gf = Grain factor
Bf = Break factor
Real simple, huh? LOL.  If you follow the formula, it works every time, and all you have to figure out is how you aim, and I have that covered if you read on.
GREEN SPEED FACTORS (STEP 2 in the process)
All green speed factors are at a baseline of the "FAST" green number "9" and the division INTO 9, is the key.
FAST (9) ...9 divided by 9, which is simply one to one, or 100%
VERY FAST (10)...9 divided by 10, which is 90% or multiply by .90 (that's point nine-oh...lol)
TOURNAMENT (11.)...9 divided by 11, which is 81.8% or multiply by .818 (that's point eight one eight...you get the idea)
TOURNAMENT (12)...9 divided by 12, which is 75% or multiply by .75
TOURNAMENT (13)...9 divided by 13 which is 69.23% or multiply by .6923
SLOW (7.4)...9 divided by 7.4 which is 121.6% or multiply by 1.216
STANDARD (7.9)...9 divided by 7.9, which is 113.9% or multiply by 1.139 (or 1.14...close enough for government work)
This will always work. The math of the green speed factors is always true. YES, I know some greens like Kiawah or Olympic are a bit fluffy and you have to add a bit at the end, but these baseline numbers are programmed into the game. You'll see that some greens run a bit slow or fast on a consistent basis from course to course.
IMPETUS OR "TOUCH" FACTORS (STEP 3 in the process)
1 FT...(don't bother...just ram it)
2 ft.... 107%
3 ft.... 106%
4 ft.... 105%
5 ft.... 104%
6 ft.... 103%
7 ft.... 102%
8 ft.... 101%
9 ft.... 100%
9.5 ft.. 99%
10 ft... 98%
11 ft.... 97%
12 ft.... 96%
13 ft.... 95.66%
14 ft.... 95.33%
15 ft.... 95%
16 ft..... 94.83%
17 ft..... 94.66%
18 ft.... 94.5%
19 ft.... 94.33%
20 ft... 94.16%
21 ft... 94%
22 ft... 93.8%
23 ft.... 93.7%
24 ft.... 93.6%
25 ft.... 93.5%
26 ft..... 93.4%
27 ft.... 93.3%
28 ft..... 93.2%
29 ft..... 93.1%
30 ft..... 93%
31 ft..... 92.8%
32 ft..... 92.6%
33 ft..... 92.4%
34 ft.... 92.2%
35 ft..... 92%
36 ft.... 91.8%
37 ft.... 91.6%
38 ft.... 91.4%
39 ft.... 91.2%
40 ft.... 91%
41 ft..... 90.9%
42 ft..... 90.8%
43 ft..... 90.7%
44 ft..... 90.6%
45 ft..... 90.5%
46 ft..... 90.4%
47 ft..... 90.3%
48 ft..... 90.2%
49 ft..... 90.1%
50 ft...... 90%
55 ft...... 89.5% (linear from here on)
60 ft...... 89%
65 ft...... 88.5%
70 ft..... 88%
75 ft..... 87.5%
80 ft.... 87%
85 ft.... 86.5%
90 ft.... 86%
95 ft..... 85.5%
100 ft.... 85%
 
Upwards of 100 feet, you have to be HYPER-accurate on the exact amount of percentage you pull your swing meter back to and I've found that using the "touch factor" doesn't work as well. Use the green speed factor after you figure out the elevation to drop addition or subtraction, but you have to ding the meter, since usually after 40 feet, any slight mishit will produce a radical change in distance (short) in your putt.
More on putting...when you look at the grid for the left-right break (horizontal), don' t forget to use the up-down grain (vertical) when you get ready to putt. Some putts have the grain runningINTO your putt when the up-down arrow shows DOWN, or AWAY from you. (WGT gets tricky on occasion..lol) You have to add 2-10% on your swing meter on some putts to get it up the little hill that is not normally shown on short putts. On long putts, (20 feet or more) look at the run of the grain and understand that your putting will be dependent from that point on the rise and fall or "grain" of the green AND the break  This will help get those nasty long putts to either go in, or settle nicely by the hole on a slight mishit or a mis-aim. Then you can turn a possible difficult 3-putt on a green into an easy 2-putt and save your hole and thus your scores. T Even on short putts that would normally be a bit scary, you can figure out whether to "ram" a putt or feather it in with the break and a nice touch. It's lowered my scores considerably when I finally discovered that the vertical "grain" is just as important as the break. I consider any putt under 40 feet a make-able putt now.
READING THE GREEN USING THE DOTS (FIGURING BREAK AND GRAIN) (STEP 6)
When I am lining up a  putt and want to figure break, I look at BOTH VIEWS, forward and reverse. Many times the putt will show it straight in the hole with one look and possibly a full grid the other way. Therein lies decision time, and I look at the dots flowing left or right both ways.and ADD the break calculation. I'll cover break calculation in a few paragraphs, so don't worry yet.. This will get you in the hole, provided you check the SPEED of the impending putt for VERTICAL GRAIN.
Vertical grain, or the flow of the dots in the OTHER look when you click on the horizontal/vertical button (the little arrows in the lower right-hand corner) and see the "flow" of the dots, there is a formula for adding or subtracting THAT MANY PERCENT from your final calculation. If I have a putt that works out to 50% on the meter, I COUNT THE SECONDS on the flow from the first grid 0-2 feet from the hole and the second grid  2-4 feet from the hole. A 5-second count will produce a 5% addition or subtraction from the impetus needed on the putt. Rule of thumb: 5 seconds -- 5% added,   4 seconds -- 6% added  3 seconds -- 7 % and more than 5 seconds, it goes 6 seconds -- 4% added  7 seconds --- 3% added and so on down. Now you don't have to RAM a putt and ruin the hole with a mishit. Many MORE mishits will go in with this formula, and the lip-outs won't be as severe, nor will the comeback putts be any more than 4-inch tap-ins.should you miss your longer putt. I consider the final read the MOST VALUABLE final tool to use when putting. More of those tricky 4-8 foot putts will go in, and the maddening 3.5-foot breakers will drop in for you. I know, I've seen it happen in my  putting stats. (Yes, I keep track in a notebook of that every few days to see my progress...lol)
Once you have figured vertical grain, you have to consider the dot-flow left and right to figure the addition of the break factor in percentage. This will be a small amount, but you have to overcome the break, since it is gravity or the resistance of the sideways grain that is fighting against you.
Break is a bit tricky, but not impossible. I use what I call the "Rule of Half" and the "The Rule of 10's." My swing meter distances at 40 feet and under are perfectly matched to the Rule of Tens, so I know that a putt for a swing meter of 10 feet (like on my MAX Meter Control putter) will calculate perfectly with the Rule of Half with no compensation for distance. At 20 feet on my swing meter on my putter, the calculation for break becomes a bit trickier, but I've devised a way of figuring that perfectly. If I want to putt a ball with my 20-foot swing meter, ADDING 1% will give it more impetus (twice...how about that?...lol) than it would be for the 10-foot swing meter and the break involved. So if the flow of the vertical grain is into you at 20 feet, and you figure that the grain flow into you is 4%, then only take 2% addition to the vertical grain, and then figure the dot flow sideways in seconds across the grids from the ball to the hole.
A flow of 5 seconds across the path at10 feet will normally follow the Rule of Half. This means that you would ADD only 2.5% to the putt to make up for the impetus you have to put on the putt to overcome the sidehill or the grain of the green running sideways.Subsequently, at 20 feet, the calculation  for a 5-second flow is further divided by 2 because of the greater impetus or OOMPH you will get from a 20-foot swing meter. For a 30-foot putting meter, you divide the calculation by 3, and for a 40-foot calculation you divide by 4, and so on up the swing meter distances on your putter. So a 5-second flow at 20 feet, you only have to add 1.25% to the putt to overcome the sideways break. A 5-second break at 30 feet, you add only.833% and so on up the distances. Whatever the break flow in seconds, first divide by 2, and then divide again by the factor of the greater distances in increments corresponding to the first number on your swing meter. 1 at 10, 2 at 20, 3 at 30, 4 at 40, 5 at 50 etc.....see how that works? 
A 6-second flow (pretty slow...not much break) at 20 feet would first end up 4%, and then be divided down to 2% (because of the 20-foot swing meter). A 2-second flow (really fast, like the Johnstown Flood) would have an 8% addition, divided by 2 initially down to 4%  (for the 20-foot meter) A 4-second flow of break (slightly fast) on a 30-foot meter comes to 6%  and then divided by 3 (for a 30-foot swing meter) and becomes an addition of 2% to the other calculations in the putt. A 7-second flow at 30 feet is initially a 3% addition then divide by 3 down to 1%. Got it? If not, you are still going to be very close figuring the putt anyway, but you WILL miss the shot if you don't consider sideways break. Adding too much impetus for break on higher swing meters will produce radical changes in the putting distance and everything goes out the window and you end up not only missing after you aim, it sails by and waves at the hole and ends up being a horribly long comeback putt if you miss. Try this and see if you can use the Rule of Half and the Rule of Tens to make that little white thing (or whatever color you chose for your ball) go in the hole from long distances and hit dead center. I call them "Tenderloin Shots" and I'm making them now on a regular basis. Center cut. The programmers did a wonderful job of designing this game, but again, they HAD to use some form of math and a formula that was simple to calculate to make the whole thing happen. You will find, though, that there is "forgiveness" built into the more expensive putters, and any calculation that is HYPER-ACCURATE like what I have explained will end up dying in the hole. Try it and see. Of course DINGING THE METER is more crucial on longer putts, or being super-close either way, so be careful how far you pull the meter back on your Putter Pal (and I'll SWEAR by how accurate it is) to within 1%, and you will significantly lower your scores and subsequently your putting averages.
 
On those "crazy" breaking short putts (like the one at Cabo at the end of the round) hit into the hill. I call it "Hill Kill" and that will keep you out of a lot of trouble like on the 5th and 6th at Merion. What I mean by that, is when you figure a 4-foot putt that you just KNOW you will miss and roll way down the hill below the hole if you "ram" it,(making a comeback putt very long and difficult)  then do the following instead:.See that the height and elevation change is different way above the hole where you have settled on aiming and add that amount together and figure out what the percentage on your swing meter or putting pal says, for the second calculation and split the difference (average the two) and try the putt. You will find that the putt gets "killed" by the side-hill, and if it misses, it will not roll way down the hill. Then you have a simple tap-in or a gimme, and end up saving the hole. Of course, ramming a putt of less than 3 feet can take all the break out, but the faster the sideways dot-flow, the more you have to ram, and if you aim wrong...."Adios, Charlie." A rule of thumb I use for short putts of .5 feet or more up to about 3 feet, is I add 100% more to the distance figured on the meter for putts under 1 foot, and 50% more than figured up to 3 feet. What this means is that a .7-foot putt (8 inches) would figure to be 7% on my 10-foot swing meter, and I double that to 14% so as to remove the break, but not pop it out of the hole, and even a radical mishit still goes in. I call it "ramming" the putt but not getting too crazy. For putts on up to 3-4 feet, the flow will dictate that you add only 50% of figured distance on average flow and sometimes as much as 75-100% more on heavy (fast) flow.Touchy, but not recommended.  A 3-foot putt with heavy flow figuring at 30% on a regular green would have to be "rammed" at around 45% to take the break out of it. I ram sometimes, but for the most part, I try to finesse it in and look at where the ball goes in the hole and mentally figure my "touch" when I ram. Also, you can move the aimer left or right a bit INSIDE the hole (called 'not giving the hole away' by real golfers) and ram with decent results. However, missing those 3-4 foot "breakers" by ramming will kill a round faster than losing a ball in brush or water,so be careful if you get lazy and don't want to do the math.Good luck with that. LOL Don't get lazy...do the math.
THE ART OF THE FLOP SHOT 
Okay, so you didn't hit the green with your approach shot. Disaster, right? Not really. Sure, you can chip or pitch and that's not really that hard, but there are many times I find (in fact, most of the time) that the flop shot, if done correctly, can be a real weapon in lowering scores. You can flop from 40-50% rough all the way down to fringe, and be very accurate without ever having to chip, pitch, or putt. Saving par when you are off the green is a matter of choice between chipping, pitching, and flopping, and the flop shot can really help you out when you need to get up and down in two strokes. Getting the ball near the hole for a one-putt can save par or even make birdie when you go for that green and come up short, long, left, or right. 
First, let's cover flopping on a flat green from fringe. I don't like putting from fringe, although it's a matter of adding 5% for each grid (two feet) of fringe, but the contour of the green and the run of the grain can make a putt from fringe quite inaccurate when not done right, so I choose the flop most of the time. 
Most lob wedges have a distance rating of 16 yards, and I've found that a FULL SPIN flop (complete underspin...that's moving the dot on the little white ball in the lower right-hand part of your screen to the bottom of the ball) will go exactly 15.4 yards at 100% on the Shot Pal. This is with my Callaway Hex Chrome 33+ balls, and it will go slightly farther with starter balls. At 75%, the ball goes 10.3 yards, and at 50%, it goes 5.2 yards. For every 5% on the Shot Pal meter, the ball will go one yard more or less, depending on what you pull the meter out to when shooting. This is on a dead flat green like the 9th at St. Andrew's, and all you have to do is aim properly, and the ball will settle very close to the hole for a tap-in par or birdie, and many times go in the hole...(yippee). 
When you aim, make sure you move the aimer 1.5 grids left (that's three feet) of the hole on a 15-yard shot, 1 grid (that's two feet) left on a 10-yard shot, and half a grid (that's one foot) left for a 5-yard shot, and adjust a bit for every distance in between. The ball will settle close enough to the hole for a short putt, and you will walk away from the hole without making bogey, and once in a while, the ball will go in, and you are happy with birdie. 
However, when you have a rise or fall of the putting surface, you have to adjust your distance accordingly to ensure the flop makes it to the hole or doesn't go past the hole. This is where the trick comes in for good flopping. I usually start with adding 1/2 of the rise-to-distance ratio or subtracting 1/2 of the drop-to-distance ratio when flopping. This gets me in the ballpark. 
Then, I move the aimer back 4-5 yards (and sometimes more) and look at what the height in inches is compared to the height in inches at the hole figure out a ratio of the rise or fall and add or subtract half that ratio to the shot. For instance, if you have a 10-yard flop that has a rise of 5 inches in 5 feet from the 5-yard point, the ratio is 1-1 and therefore you would add .5yards to your shot to make it settle close to the hole. The example goes like this: 10 yards distance and a 10-inch rise, and at 5 yards,it shows a 5-inch rise. The ball will bite and end up short if you hit the ball only 10 yards, and you have that tricky putt to deal with, so that extra .5 yards makes all the difference. Of course, you are taking off .2 - .3 yards to begin with on a ten-yard shot, making it a 9.7 - 9.8yard shot, and then you have to add that .5 yards to the shot, so now you have a 10.3 to 10.4-yard shot to get it nice and close. For a green that falls away from you, the opposite is true, AND you will have to take a 10-yard shot, subtract the .2-.3 yards first, and then subtract another .5 yards, thus giving you a shot of 9.3 - 9.4 yards to adjust for the roll. Try it and see if I am not correct. I've done it time after time, and it has lowered my scores significantly even when I haven't hit the green. There are times when I see a ball rolling back off of a green from 30 feet and PRAYED it ended up on the fringe so I could flop. Sure, it won't help your G.I.R. stats, but your score will go down, and that's the whole point. 
Here are some distances to subtract from a shot on a full-spin flop that seem to work really well. I've holed a lot of flops lately and danced around the hole a lot closer from clean fringe or fairway lies.  Subtract .2 at a 5-yard calculation, .3 at a 10-yard calculation,.4 from a 15-yard calculation, .5 from a 20-yard calculation, and .6 from a 25-yard calculation. These are solid numbers with my Callaway Hex Chrome 33+ Soft balls, and those numbers may vary slightly with starter balls or high-spin Nikes due to the spin rate differential.
For flopping from rough, I add 5% below the minimum indicated on the rough factor meter, and then subtract 8% from that final calculation for a flier (more on "fliers" later from rough)for the initial calculated distance of the shot from the rough. THEN I look at the rise and fall and adjust my flop shot accordingly. Know that rough will also affect how the ball flies in the air, and you usually have to aim twice the distance left of the hole than originally figured. For a shot that normally goes at 1.5 grids left in 30-40% rough, I'll move the aimer 3 grids left to adjust for how the rough treats the shot. Also, when I look at the contour of the green and I see a radical swing on the contour, I'll do further adjustment left or right depending on the flow of the green. You'll see what I mean when you try it. 
I've found that going digging on a 20-25% lie actually throws the ball a bit shorter than I want, and the opposite is true for a 40-50% lie. Plus, you have to add 5% to the shot when you go digging with full spin, so know that the ball will  get to the hole on that 40-50% lie unless you add that 5%, and it will go short of  the hole quite a bit on the 20-25% shot. Experiment with this and see if this works. It certainly works for me, and I've gone from scores of 36 or 35 down to 32 or 31 on a nine-hole course by using the flop shot as my main weapon. 
For a sand wedge (mine is rated at a full distance of 26 yards), the ball normally goes 29-30 yards on a no-spin flop, and 25 yards on a full-spin flop. The increments go down to 3% for every yard for a full-spin flop with a sand wedge, and that means that at 90% it goes 22.4 yards on a full-spin shot, 19.3 yards at 80%, and 16.2 yards at 70%. Anything below 16 yards, and you have to switch clubs to the lob wedge. 
The rest is up to you and your experimentation. Good luck, and you'll most likely abandon the chip and the pitch (like I have), although there are methods mentioned further on in this blog that will help you chip and pitch with relatively good accuracy, but the flop shot takes most of the contour out of play, along with the green speed factors, which take more time and calculation than you would normally want to do.
PLAYING FROM ROUGH
For any shot from rough up to 50%, use 5% LESS THAN the minimum percentage to ADD to your shot. For instance, 30-40% rough will be 5% less than 30%, which is 25%, and 40-50% rough will be 5% less than 40%, which is 35% that you would add to your calculated distance. (side note...when you have a long-distance shot and lots of fairway to work with, use a punch 3-wood. You can get up to 250 yards on a punch 3-wood (like at the 4th at Merion) when the shot goes downhill, and you can also use backspin for loft to clear a trap in the distance up to 140 yards with a 3-wood or hybrid punch shot. Try it in practice. I have seen Legend tier players give up on doing this and rob themselves of decent yardage and make bogey on a hole they have a decent chance to still make birdie because they sacrificed distance on their second shot. DUH.
Also, when you are in rough all the way up to 60%, there is a "FLIER" factor of8% of total yardage calculated that youSUBTRACT from all your shots. . Of course, dinging the meter is important. A slightly late hit won't affect the distance much and will actually give you some spin and loft. A slightly early hit will knock the shot down and rob you of distance. All of this is based on that 8% subtraction AFTER you add the percentage of rough calculation initially done when you need to calculate a flier.
I have also found that rough of 15-20% or even 20-25% will NOT produce a flier, so don't subtract the 8% rough calculation UNLESS you go digging down to put spin on the ball. Just do a calculation for 5% less than the minimum and add that to the shot. It's called "picking" the ball from the rough A normal shot from rough that light will not "air mail" the ball the way 30-40% (most common) rough will. Heavier rough like 60-70% will knock the shot down and the "flier" factor goes out the window. You have to really have touch and pick a lot of club to make that ball fly from rough like that. A punch shot is more effective to at least get you out of trouble in deep rough like that, and make sure you have fairway under you after a short distance, or you will haveanother rough shot to contend with....not fun. Experiment when you practice. Just hitting shot after shot trying to beat a course while practicing is useless. Take PLENTY of mulligans and use your notes to compare what you see with what I have posted and send me feedback so all of us get better at this monumental game.
 
PLAYING FROM SAND
Most sand is a lie of 30-40 % and forstarter clubs, which don't have a high spin rate, you would ADD 5% more than the maximum lie, which is 45% for 30-40% sand. If you are playing better clubs than starter clubs, you would NOT add 5% more than the maximum, you would just take the maximum percentage UP TO A POINT. The longer the shot (up to around 25 yards of calculation...that is..when you add the total distance and elevation) the less the sand affects the shot. 
1. Add the distance to the hole and theFULL elevation together.
2. Add the maximum percentage indicated for the lie factor.with purchased  balls, and 5% more than the maximum with starter balls IF your shot is under 25 yards, and if  the initial shot calculation comes to more than 25 yards, add theminimum indicated on the percentage of lie indicator.
3. For higher-spin rated clubs,subtract 2% - 3% of the final calculation.
4. At higher lies (60-70%) you add 10% more to the maximum indication of lie, since the ball is buried like an egg over easy. So, you would add 80% for a sand lie of 60-70%.
When you are around the greens and have one of those short shots that figures at less than 40% of your "full" shot setting, know that you can actually use a pitch shot. The pitch shot seems to follow a pattern of 77% (for now) of what is indicated. Take a lob wedge or a sand wedge, and see if you can take the height and distance, add both together as figured, and then multiply by 77% and use whatever club you need as a "pitch" shot to get it close to the hole. Elevation counts for a lot, and don't think you can use the pitch shot all the time when the height out of the sand to the green is more than 33%, since a pitch shot travels much lower than a normal full shot, so be careful you don't get caught on the rough past the lip before it lands on the green. You can actually put backspin on a pitch shot from sand and make it do nice things like at Bethpage, or just about any other course you want to do it.
Try this and send me feedback.
EVEN MORE ON SAND...LOL
I've found that sand shots at around 25 yards on my 50-foot lob wedge go a bit longer sometimes, and I subtract 2% from a shot to let it settle near the hole instead of rolling past. Most of my calculations are for shots LESS than 25 yards, and for that, I use the HIGHER percentage to add, and for shots more than 25 yards, I use the LOWER percentage to add. So a shot of 22 yards with an 8-foot elevation would come out to a 30-yard shot PLUS only 30% for a 30-40% lie, and a shot of 20yards with only a 2 foot elevation would come out to 22 yards and I would add 40% to that shot. Once that final figuring is done, I subtract 2% from the shot, and it settles near the hole. 
On 10-15% or 15-20% lie in sand, I do the same type of calculations, but ADD5%  BELOW the minimum to add to the shot. This will get you close enough for an easy putt. You can also flop from these lies without serious fear of disaster occurring. I'm working on that part now to get the accuracy down pat. EVERY type of shot you hit, know that it's there and ready for you IF the math is correct.
MULCH
For mulch, use a punch shot and move the little dot on the ball down to the exact point on the ball where it touches the mulch and ADD 5% to themaximum percentage indicated on the "percentage of lie" indicator. For instance, 20-25% mulch would be an addition of 5% to the maximum, which is 30%. Then take the distance indicated on the "punch" selection of club and you will find it hits whatever division you make for the punch shot on your swing meter. A punch shot from that 20-25% lie will need 30% more of the calculated distance and what is indicated. You can actually hit 200-yard shots from mulch with a rescue club (hybrid) if you knowexactly where to move the dot and do your calculations correctly. Practice at Kiawah on the first par 5, which is the second hole. (or on Best of Par 5's...the first hole presented) It has mulch if you hit it left off the tee trying to clear the sand.
FESCUE
Put total topspin on the shot (move the little dot on the ball to the top of the ball indicator, thus giving it overspin), select a punch, and treat it like you would figure a normal rough shot calculation. The ball will go the exact distance you plan. One thing to remember though, is that a punch shot goes much lower than a full shot, so make sure you have somefairway(usually about half the distance figured) underneath you when you aim.
BRUSH
I'm working on brush. LOL
For brush at 50-60%, I do a 55% addition to the shot and calculate apunch shot. The ball needs no "rough" calculation for a "flier."You're going to get lucky if the brush is less than 50-60%, and I don't like spending a lot of time in the brush practicing with purchased balls, so my brush play is weaker than it should be. At 70% or higher, the only real club that will hit it more than a few yards is the pitching wedge. You will have to aim SIDEWAYS to get the ball back on the fairway or any manageable rough. Good luck. 
Most brush shots at 30-40% can be treated like a normal rough shot without using pitch mode, and 40-50% brush seems to be in the "twilight zone"  between a punch and a full shot. Let me have some feedback if  you decide to practice in brush. Frankly, it tickles my legs and I try to stay out of it..
WIND FACTOR (ANOTHER METHOD FOR CALCULATING WIND)
When you are on the tee on any given hole, it's nice to know from the tee to the green what the wind is going to do to you.
1. Take your aiming arrow and place it at the exact distance your driver says. That is to say, whatever your distance would be for your club rating off the teeWITH your extra percentage for your ball rating.
2. Look at the elevation or drop at that point. (You will see that whatever the elevation or drop is, THAT MUCH will be added OR subtracted on a shot with no wind....for instance, a 10-foot drop at 280 will produce a 285-yard shot...half the distance of drop added to the shot...280 plus 5) Now you expect to hit the ball 285 yards off the tee.
3. Aim at 285 with your pointer, and don't put any backspin for loft. (this will change the distance...more on that later)
4. Wind the meter up and ding it.
5. See how far your shot traveled. See what the wind at that angle did to your shot right when the shot settles, OR go to the "Replay shot" section to look at the landing point and the total distance of the shot. This now gives you the wind "push" or wind "knockdown" for your drive.
6. On your next shot...say 150, take the number you found for wind push or knockdown from your drive, and multiply that by the 150 distance you want on the next shot, and then divideby your original 280 or however far your driver goes.. This will give the wind knockdown or push for that distance. The shorter the shot, the less air time, and the less the wind will affect the shot, and vice-versa.
7. It's a ratio problem that has an answer every time.
 
Here's an example. The wind is in your face at 10 mph, and you've figured your shot to go 285 yards. The wind knockdown lands your shot at 273, which is 12 yards less than you figured. Now you have a 180 shot to the green and you would multiply 12 times 180, (comes out to 2160) and then divide by 280, which comes out to 7.714. So, you would add 7.7 yards to the calculation of 180, and come up with 187 yards. Then just divide by your swing meter for maybe a 190 club and come out with 187 divided by 190, which is 98.421% (don't worry about the .421 part, we're not putting here) SO....you wind it up at 98% and you end up a few feet from the hole and amaze your friends.
Get that calculator out to do these calculations. They work every time.
PITCHING AND CHIPPING
Pitching and chipping from rough is an art for some, but I find it's a simple calculation of the same type as rough and fairway shots combined.
1. Figure out the distance of the shot in yards to the hole and add or subtract half the height in inches. This will be exact if you divide the height change in inches by 12 (12 inches in a foot) For instance, a pitch of 20 yards and an elevation of 12 inches adds 1/2 yard to the shot, which would be 20.5 yards
2. Multiply by 5% less than the minimum of the rough indicator and add that to the shot.
3. Subtract the "flier" factor...(yes, even for a short chip or pitch, there will be a flier factor)
4. Then divide by the distance of the club selected.
5. Then multiply by the green speed factor.
a. FAST...87%
b. VERY FAST...84%
c. TOURNAMENT 11...80.5%
d. TOURNAMENT 12...77%
e. STANDARD …. 90%
f. SLOW.... 93%
6. Then factor in the ratio of elevation to drop by seeing what the height is at the hole and the height at 4 yards or so from your ball and do a ratio calculation to figure how much to add or subtract in percentage to the shot. For instance, a 20-yard shot with a 30-40% lie to a fast green with a drop of 12 inches from 4 to 20 yards would calculate as follows: 20 minus 6 inches (19.5 feet) plus 25% (5% less than 30% for rough) now you have 24.375 yards times 87% (green speed factor) ...now you have 21.2062...then divide by your club selection distance (mine would be 22 yards) which gives 96.3%...then the ratio of 12 inches to 16 yards (the distance to height ratio) which is 75% or a 7.5% reduction, so take off 7.5 percentage points from the 96.3% and you get 88.8% for the final shot calculation with your 22-yard club, and the ball goes in or next to the hole depending on your aim. Trust me, it works every time. There is a rough factor of 1 yard for every 12.5 yards you would subtract from the shot BEFORE you do the final touch factor, but sometimes the angle you hit the ball at to pop it out of the rough and over the fringe which will come into play, but on longer shots, I don't pay much attention to it unless I really need to get super-close to the hole. It's your choice, and every situation is different, since you may be pitching uphill or downhill and where you are on the course next to the green. Always see how far your ball flies before it hits the green on a chip, pitch, or flop so you can use that information very quickly later for reference.
7. Ding the meter.
Make sure that when you practice, take a lot of mulligans and figure out if your math was wrong. A mishit will happen, and practice your math by doing the same problem until you ding the dinger and see the exact result. Only then will you see that the math is perfect and then subsequently begin to trust it.
Trusting that math is the key to repetitive exact solutions that are not affected much by a slight mishit. You'll find that there is some "forgiveness" in shots and you will end up close enough to the hole for a birdie or eagle chance, or right near the hole on a shot just off the green that will save par with a short one-putt.
As you make more birdies and pars versus pars and bogeys, you'll become used to doing the math very quickly, and will even be able to do the six putting calculations in around 27 seconds without pressing very hard once you know your calculator buttons and use certain short cuts to figure percentages. I do a quick one that saves two calculator strokes such as dividing by .2 (two tenths) for a 20-foot swing meter calculation instead of dividing by 20 and multiplying by 100. Obviously, if you divide 20 by 100, the result is .2, and I have calculations like that down to a quick science when I am in Alternate Shot, when you only have 90 seconds to figure out the entire putt. Fairway shots take a lot less, and those are only 4 calculations each, however, I have gone out to 5 and 6 calculations when I am in between clubs or the type of shot I want to hit.
When you ARE between clubs, you may have to choose the type of shot you need to get as close to the hole as safely as possible. Your club will not defy the math, no matter what. Attempting to hit that "impossible" shot every time will get you in more trouble and cost you more strokes than you really want or should take on a hole. Knowing how to get out of any trouble will make you more confident, and you will see that the game designers did a great job of figuring out the math for the solution of a shot out to the third and fourth decimal places, but I recommend you only do your math to the second decimal place since the swing meters are so small (they are REALLY small on my laptop screen that I use) and even getting to the point of 1% on the tiny swing meter when you wind it up is hard enough, let alone PARTS of that 1%, although HALF of a percent is not out of the question. Not dragging the meter out to the EXACT point on the swing meter can radically alter your shot and your math solution goes out the window if you just GUESS at a point on the swing meter when you drag it back to make contact. The closer you get it, the more you will get used to it, and it will be frustrating at first, because you won't be trusting the math.
That math is the result of TENS OF THOUSANDS of mulligans that have been carefully worked out with systematic statistical analysis, geometry, trigonometry, and advanced algebra. Most of the math can be boiled down to the same ballistic calculations they use for projectiles that are hurled through space, whether they be rocks, balls, bullets, or artillery shells. Launch angle of the ball using the button can be changed, and you will find that PARTIAL spin, halfway down, will produce a 45-degree angle of launch, thus creating a trigonometric solution for maximum distance. You can also use partial spin on a shot where you are in between clubs and can't really pick the type of shot for a full swing at 98-100%. Being in between clubs can be solved by partial spin and moving the button on the ball PART WAY DOWN instead of all the way down if you are using balls that have more spin than starter balls. The more the spin rating on the ball, the higher it will go, even when hit without moving the red dot on the ball. Nike balls with a spin rating of 4.5 to 5.5 will travel MUCH higher and land MUCH softer than starter balls, and have a "bite" factor even without spin. In fact, my Callaway Hex Chromes (level 33+ and only 250 credits per sleeve) will bite all by themselves with no spin put on them as far as 155 yards away without any "dot" movement. They will roll just a bit farther than when I put spin on them, and if I put full spin on a ball, I can make a 225 to 230-yard shot bite and not go more than a yard or two after hitting. When you get to that point with the math and understanding YOUR clubs, and YOUR balls, combined with the math that works, you will have arrived and won't fear anyone on the opposite team when playing Alternate Shot, and you will enter tournaments and start placing in the top 100, and ultimately in the top 10, and even win a few credits once in a while.
It took a lot of practice and a lot of mulligans, but I've worked out the math for your benefit. Even if you are using starter balls, you can make Tour Master eventually. I used to think I would never make Master, and that Tour Master was out of the question, but as I learned the putting grid from both the horizontal and vertical, my putting has improved, as well as not being worried about a miss when I aim at the pin or very near it from the fairway. Figure out on each fairway shot, drive, pitch, chip, sand shot, mulch shot, punch shot, and putt just what your "best miss" is, and you will learn the art of safe golf and capitalizing on scoring opportunities. Most of this game is designed to teach good course management, NOT to play "go for it" golf the way Tiger Woods or Bubba Watson play. Sure, they are great champions and have exceptional ability and equipment, but look and see what happens when their swings or timing break down. It's awful. LOL.
Take the "safe" mentality at first until you trust the math, and you'll eventually get that confidence to shoot for the pin, because you will know how to get out of trouble. This way you can see how the math works with your clubs and your balls.
Another thing that should be included is a dissertation on ball rating. I have to subtract 3% on my meter for distance on my final calculation, because the distance rating on my ball is 3, so remember that if you use a ball that has a higher rating than a starter ball. A starter ball will go exactly 200 yards on a flat fairway with no wind if you hit it with a club that is rated at 200 yards. It will go 206 yards with a ball that is rated at 3 (3% more than a starter ball) and it will go 210 with a Nike ball rated at 5. (5% farther) Remember, EVERY physical factor is involved in making a shot. Distance, elevation, lie, wind, green speed, grain, club rating, ball rating, contour, and timing of the swing. You will find that the ball even goes a bit higher and catches the wind a bit more when you hit late, and the ball goes a bit lower and farther and is not affected by the wind as much when you hit late. This mimics REAL golf, and the pros on television have it down to the millimeter when they shoot good scores, and they talk about the "zone" that they get in when they are putting or shooting.
I've been there, since I've shot 20-under on Best of Par 5's. Sure, the green speeds were dialed down to "fast" by the tournament creator, and wind, tees, the pin placements were all at their easiest, but YOU try to make 13 birdies and 3 eagles in 18 holes sometime. LOL. I was MAD when I made those two pars. LOL. I also finished in 4th place, since the Legends in our club beat me, but I was the best Tour Master at the time, and I only made Tour Master in February, so I was pretty proud of that and knew the math worked perfectly when I used it and paid attention. The hardest part is concentrating on my swing timing for 18 holes on every shot, but on most par 5 holes, there is at least one shot of "forgiveness" that you can get in trouble on and still make birdie or par. You'll get to that point, and you will see what I mean when you practice.
PERFECT practice makes PERFECT,not just going out and trying to beat hole after hole. Practice TYPES of shots, not just one certain shot. Having as many TYPES of shots, and what I mean by that is learning to "work" the ball left and right, short and long for your advantage and the safest shot you can make if you end up short or long, left or right, will end up making you a better "mental" golfer once you get the physical part down of timing and the math. Many times, I'll end up very close to the hole on a mishit and get complimented by other players in Alternate Shot, and I'll know damn well that if I had dinged the meter, the ball would have gone in from great distance or danced around the hole while everyone said, "WOW." I hit shots like that in tournaments ALL the time, and it's almost blase after a while. (not really...I replay those shots, but don't record them anymore...I'm waiting for that elusive double-eagle in a scored round...LOL)
Enjoy the advice, and make your practices PRODUCTIVE. LEARN, LEARN, LEARN. You'll see JUST how good that math is after a while. Tour Masters and Legends swear BY it and not AT it. LOL. Good luck. Work on it.


Paul



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