How to: Get High-Percentage Golf Shots (Video) - by Pete Styles
How to: Get High-Percentage Golf Shots (Video) - by Pete Styles

Playing the high percentage golf shots is always about maximizing your reward for the risk that you put into it. And I think Bob Rotella sums this up nicely, when he says, play the shot that you know you can play, rather than the shot that you think you should. And I think so often golfers are on the golf course looking at a flag and they think well, I will just play it to there. But oh no, I saw Phil Mickelson play this shot on the TV, the other week and he went up and over the bunker and landed and it spun back into the hole. So they try and play that shot, because they think that’s what's expected of them. That’s not really the result is going to give you the high percentages, so always play the shot that you know that you can pull off with the maximum certainty.

If I have got a little bump and run 7I around the bunker to the back of the green in 2-putt, I know I am going to be to play that shot 90% of the time with decent success rate, knock it on 2-putt and make a five. But if I am thinking Phil Mickelson played this up and over the bunker and landed on the green tarp in for a full, but how many times, do you think, I can play that shot successfully. I might only be 10% and I might still be tempted to try and pull it off just for the 10% success rate. But that’s not playing the high percentages and that’s sort of the golf where you will make birdies, but you will also make double and triple bogeys. So the next time, you go on the golf course, just try and play high percentage golf on every shot. Stand on the tee, look for the widest part of the fairway, play it till there. If not with the driver, play it onto the fairway and then turn to face the green, where is the center of the green, where is the biggest part of the green. Don’t chase the flag, high percentage shot to the middle of the green, if you have got a chip shot, again aim for the middle, the widest part of the green. And again, when you have got a putt, it might be sensible just to roll it up and tap in for a 2-putt, rather than being aggressive on the 12-foot downhill putt that rolls down the slope, goes 10-foot past and you missed the next one. So always play the high percentages, it doesn’t always mean playing defensive golf, it just means playing golf that you feel you have got confidence in your ability to play. So again, remember, play the shot that you know you can play, rather than the shot that you think you should. 2013-09-16

Playing the high percentage golf shots is always about maximizing your reward for the risk that you put into it. And I think Bob Rotella sums this up nicely, when he says, play the shot that you know you can play, rather than the shot that you think you should. And I think so often golfers are on the golf course looking at a flag and they think well, I will just play it to there. But oh no, I saw Phil Mickelson play this shot on the TV, the other week and he went up and over the bunker and landed and it spun back into the hole. So they try and play that shot, because they think that’s what's expected of them. That’s not really the result is going to give you the high percentages, so always play the shot that you know that you can pull off with the maximum certainty.

If I have got a little bump and run 7I around the bunker to the back of the green in 2-putt, I know I am going to be to play that shot 90% of the time with decent success rate, knock it on 2-putt and make a five. But if I am thinking Phil Mickelson played this up and over the bunker and landed on the green tarp in for a full, but how many times, do you think, I can play that shot successfully. I might only be 10% and I might still be tempted to try and pull it off just for the 10% success rate. But that’s not playing the high percentages and that’s sort of the golf where you will make birdies, but you will also make double and triple bogeys. So the next time, you go on the golf course, just try and play high percentage golf on every shot.

Stand on the tee, look for the widest part of the fairway, play it till there. If not with the driver, play it onto the fairway and then turn to face the green, where is the center of the green, where is the biggest part of the green. Don’t chase the flag, high percentage shot to the middle of the green, if you have got a chip shot, again aim for the middle, the widest part of the green. And again, when you have got a putt, it might be sensible just to roll it up and tap in for a 2-putt, rather than being aggressive on the 12-foot downhill putt that rolls down the slope, goes 10-foot past and you missed the next one. So always play the high percentages, it doesn’t always mean playing defensive golf, it just means playing golf that you feel you have got confidence in your ability to play. So again, remember, play the shot that you know you can play, rather than the shot that you think you should.