Top tips to improve your game on the green

The place where a golfer’s ability to overcome challenges is tested is on the green. Having good skills in this area will not only improve your scores, but will also build your confidence and take the pressure off your long game. To do this, you need to develop touch, feel, and technique. These aspects will allow you to visualise the different possible shots, select the most suitable one for our particular situation and, most importantly, execute it successfully. Here, at Club de Golf Son Servera, we will give you some tips to improve.

Tips to improve your game on the green

Correctly grip the club

In many cases, we tend to grip the club a little shorter than usual. However, shortening the grip is not simply a matter of lowering your hands and that’s it. If we were to do so, we would end up leaning too far into the stance, negatively affecting our stroke.

The correct way to shorten the grip is to bring the club head a little closer to our feet, creating a more vertical shaft angle. This way, we can grip the club shorter without losing structure and the correct angles of our body.

Improve the stroke feel

One of the most common mistakes in the short game is to mimic the procedures of the long game in the greenside area. To get a good feel for the shot, you can’t just take occasional practice swings. Instead, the best thing to do is to take several practice swings in a row while keeping your eyes on the hole.

This way, you will begin to get a feel for the correct swing for each specific shot, which allows you to execute it with greater confidence and assurance. This practice greatly develops hand-eye coordination and also allows our brain to react instinctively to what we are seeing.

Try to hole your chips

Instead of focusing solely on trying to get the ball close to the hole, start thinking about holing all your chips. This change in mindset will improve your concentration and reduce the margin of error on your shots. When you focus on holing, your mind will concentrate on the end goal, which will help you execute a more solid and determined shot.

Thinking only about getting the ball close can lead to indecisive execution. So, the next time you’re in front of a chip, visualise the ball dropping into the hole and don’t be surprised if you start to get better results.

Use the lowest loft club possible

This strategy for chipping was devised by legendary golfer Lee Trevino. Using a low loft club gives more ball roll, considerably reducing the length of the swing and, consequently, the chances of missing the shot. The key is to learn how to use the different clubs in the short game and understand how to take advantage of their characteristics to improve yout performance on the green.

Always bounce on the green

Aunque los collares o antegreens pueden complicar la previsión de cómo reaccionará la bola al botar, siempre podemos tener mayor control sobre su comportamiento cuando aterriza en green. Botar un metro dentro del green y dejar que ruede nos permite reducir la incertidumbre en nuestros golpes. Asimismo, posibilita el cálculo preciso la trayectoria de la bola una vez que toque el suelo. De esta manera, podremos anticipar mejor el comportamiento de la bola y ajustar nuestra estrategia de acuerdo a la situación del green.

Although collars or greens can make it difficult to predict how the ball will react when it bounces, we can always have more control over how it behaves when it lands on the green. Bouncing a metre into the green and letting it roll allows us to reduce the uncertainty of our shots. It also helps us to accurately calculate the trajectory of the ball once it hits the ground. By doing so, we can better anticipate the behaviour of the ball and adjust our strategy according to the situation on the green.

Keep the ball low

Although high shots and lobs can be spectacular at times, when looking to minimise mis-hits and improve results, the safest option will always be a low shot. These are less influenced by the wind and are easier to control in situations where greater accuracy is needed.

Also, by hitting low, we reduce the height of the ball’s flight, which reduces the possibility of deflections in the trajectory. Next time you’re faced with a shot around the green, think about keeping the ball low to improve consistency and increase your chances of success.

Follow our tips to improve your game on the green

So as you can see, your game around the green is a crucial component to success in golf. Developing good skill in this area will allow you to face challenges with confidence and reduce your stroke total each round. Practice regularly, keep a positive attitude and persevere in the pursuit of excellence in your game around the green – don’t give up and continue to enjoy this beautiful sport! And don’t forget, at Club de Golf Son Servera we are waiting for you, book your tee time now!