5 Shots You Must Have in Your Game: Why "Boring Golf" Works So Well

Most golf courses are going to have 3-4 holes that have trouble on both sides of the hole - maybe water left and out of bounds right, for example. Having a shot that you can rely on when the fairway gets tight or when you need to keep the ball in play is vital if you want to see lower scores, and this is exactly where the Fairway Finder comes in.

Whether you shape the ball or have the good fortune of being able to hit it dead straight (hello stinger!), it really does not matter. You must do whatever is most comfortable for YOU. In times of pressure, your tendencies will almost certainly take over, so don’t try and be something you’re not. The game is hard enough, so embrace your tendencies. Whatever shot you can repeat 8 out of 10 times is what you’re aiming for here, even if it means you lose 20+ yards from your “best” drives.

In this video,Brooks Koepka discusses how he built his fairway finder around two things - what feels best to him, and altering his setup to ensure that the outcome is exactly as expected.

We all love a day of golf when the sun is shining and the skies are blue, but sometimes the weather gods aren’t so kind. When conditions are less than ideal, you can benefit greatly from being able to flight the ball down. Playing in the wind, specifically, requires two things - the proper club selection and the proper trajectory of the ball.  

The rule of thumb holds true- “When it’s breezy, swing easy.” This does two things - it allows the ball to come out lower, and it also takes spin off of the golf ball, which in turn helps battle the wind easier. A shot with high spin is much more likely to be sent offline if the wind is up. Having a low shot is as easy as clubbing up and swinging softer - practice this shot and no amount of wind will stop you. Ball position back, swing easy, and finish low with your hands… you just have to practice it..

Yes hitting the “fat” part of the green is boring, but it’s also highly effective. For example- let’s say you have an approach shot to a pin on the left edge of the green behind a bunker. There are two options:

Without a doubt option #1 is the more exciting shot, but big numbers are always around the corner.  Option #2 is the more boring shot, but will almost always result in better scores when averaged over the long-term.

The graphic below illustrates the concepts above - aiming directly at a left pin brings in a left miss, but taking that same dispersion into account and centering it to the right of the hole allows for a wider window of opportunity to hit the green!

When you find yourself in a bunker, priority #1 must be escaping the sand entirely on your first shot. You’re not always going to have the opportunity to knock it within ~8 feet, but you absolutely MUST get it on the green and give yourself some sort of putt, no matter the length.

One of the better go-to shots that emphasizes forgiveness is the splash shot.  During practice, place a ball in the sand and draw a line 3 inches behind the ball. With your go-to sand or lob wedge, your only objective is to hit the line in the sand and accelerate through, which will “splash” the ball out of the bunker every time. 

Golf Distillery helps demonstrate in the video below, emphasizing the importance of low point control for a guaranteed scape every time:

A realistic golfer is a much better set up for success than one who expects greatness across every shot. Let’s face it- even the best golfers are going to have their fair share of 30-40+ foot putts. As a matter of fact, the vast majority for even the Pros are going to be well outside of 20 feet, which means lag putting is super important. Perhaps the most boring feat in golf is two-putting every hole where your first putt is outside ~15 feet, but it’s actually quite an accomplishment. 3-putts are score killers, so don’t try to be aggressive on longer putts. You must focus far more on speed control.

One great drill on the practice green is to draw a 3-4 foot circle around the hole (you can use tees or a chalk marker).  Hit putts from a variety of lengths between 20-40 feet, and aim to have all of them finish inside your circle. Adopt the 10% rule- your goal should be to have your 1st putt finish within 10% of your starting distance (e.g. a 30 foot putt should finish within 3 feet of the hole, and so on).

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