Missing greens puts a lot of pressure on your short game. And it’s a quick way to lose momentum and ruin a decent round.

So here are 3 things you can do to help set up par fours and par fives so you can make better use of your flatstick.

1. Evaluate Your Set Makeup

If you end up with a lot of middle irons into par fours, you’re not alone. The trouble is, four and five irons are not always the easiest clubs to hit close enough for a sure two putt.

Why not emulate Champions Tour player Dana Quigley? He’s replacing middle irons with hybrids. They’re forgiving and launch the ball higher for soft landings when you need to get it close.

Or, go to a progressive setup in your irons replacing blades or player’s cavity backs with more forgiving game improvement models.

2. Hit More Fairways to Hit More Greens

When it comes to hitting more fairways, the twin mantras of more driver loft and shorter club length always win out.

If you haven’t re-evaluated your driver’s setup, think about a maximum driver length of 44.5” and an increase in loft. You’ll pick up more yards with better strikes and more accuracy keeping you in the short grass.

Remember, not everyone has the ability to recover like Tiger Woods.

He can afford to focus on distance at the expense of some accuracy. Not only is he confident in his ability to recover, he hits longer drives to start with, so he’s left with short iron approaches to most greens.

3. Play the Percentages on Approach Shots

When was the last time you left an approach shot about one club short on a distance that was in your comfort zone?

If there’s one thing that causes more missed greens than anything else, it has to be under- clubbing approach shots. I would argue it’s the easiest fault to correct and will pay you back in more par and birdie opportunities all without the sweat of a single lesson.


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