Geens in Regulation

Pro golfers love statistics. One stat they pay particular attention to is abbreviated G.I.R., which stands for greens in regulation. Pros know the game is much, much easier when you land your ball on the green in regulation or one shot on a par three, two shots on a par four and three shots on a par five.

If most weekend golfers kept track of this statistic, it would be woefully low.

While missing greens and scrambling to get up and down is certainly part of the game, hitting more quality approach shots onto the green will help lower your golf scores considerably.
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A common mistake the casual golfer makes when he's sizing up his approach shot is not picking a specific enough target. He simply glances at the green and fires away. When considering where to aim on this type of shot, pick the smallest target possible, be it a tree trunk in back of the green or a distant building. I've always found that choosing a target higher off the ground and aiming for it is better than focusing on something at ground level.

When choosing a target, take into account where the fattest or safest part of the green is located. It is also important to factor in the path of your natural ball flight.

For instance, let's say you are facing an approach shot to a green with a large trap guarding the right edge of the green with the flagstick placed on the right side of the putting surface, next to the trap. A creek runs in front of the green waiting to gobble up any shots that come up short. If you naturally have a left-to-right ball flight (as most golfers do), you'll want to choose a target on the far left side of the green.

If you hit a good shot, it will start out toward the left side of the green and drift back toward the center of the green near the pin. If you aim for the center of the green or, foolishly, right at the pin, your ball could end up in the bunker.

Another contributing factor to low G.I.R. for casual golfers is under-clubbing themselves. In other words, they simply overestimate how far they can hit a club and end up short of the green. Golfers have to be realistic and recognize they are not going to hit their five iron perfectly every time and may need to take one more club. In addition, if a pin is set in the back part of the green or you have an uphill shot to the green, you may need to take one more club.

Many pros will say that if they were to give one piece of advice to their pro-am playing partners, it would be to take one more club on approach shots.

Take these tips into account next time you are practicing your iron shots or are faced with approach shots during the round. Keep track of how many greens you hit in regulation from round to round and work to improve your stats. As your G.I.R. increases, it's a sure bet your scores will decrease.

Joe Rahnis is general manager of The Woodlands and Diamond Ridge golf courses, two of the Baltimore County Revenue Authority's six courses along with Greystone, Rocky Point, Gunpowder Falls and Longview. For tee times or more information on these outstanding public golf facilities, call (410) 887-GOLF or check out the Web site www.baltimoregolfing.com.