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How adjusting your driver loft changes your ball flight

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One of the most confusing things I see after a Demo Day is a shiny new adjustable driver in someone’s bag — set on the standard setting.

Many golfers do indeed fit into a standard setting, but the majority of golfers I teach on a daily basis do not. If you were just fit for a driver at your Demo Day, why would you not adjust it as the fitter recommended? You’re losing distance! The good news is that you can add yards with the turn of a wrench.

Two-time Golf Digest “Top 100 Clubfitter” Scott Felix, who works out of Spring Creek Ranch in Collierville, Tenn., has this to say:

[quote_box_center]“The adjustability of these clubs has made it possible to fit every swing that you make, but not moving your new driver into the correct settings after your fitting wastes 100 percent of your time and money!”[/quote_box_center]

With that said, I would like to show you how your launch monitor numbers can change when you adjust the loft of your driver. Also keep in mind that there are a slew of other adjustments made possible with modern drivers, such as lie angle settings, and “sliding” or moveable weights that can tune center of gravity location. They can make even more of an impact on your launch conditions. 

At 8.5 degrees

  • Swing Speed: 108.5 mph
  • Ball Speed: 155.3 mph
  • Smash: 1.43
  • Spin Rate: 2282 rpm
  • Launch Angle: 11.7 degrees
  • Carry: 250.6 yards
  • Total: 278.5 yards
  • Landing Angle: 34.3 degrees
  • Height: 83.1 feet

At 9.5 degrees

  • Swing Speed: 104.1 mph
  • Ball Speed: 153.9 mph
  • Smash: 1.48
  • Spin Rate: 2509 rpm
  • Launch Angle: 15.5 degrees
  • Carry: 253.6 yards
  • Total: 275.6 yards
  • Landing Angle: 40.4 degrees
  • Height: 108.5 feet

At 11 degrees

  • Swing Speed: 105 mph
  • Ball Speed: 152.5 mph
  • Smash: 1.45
  • Spin Rate: 3415 rpm
  • Launch Angle: 17.3 degrees
  • Carry: 249.3 yards
  • Total: 260.6 yards
  • Landing Angle: 49.5 degrees
  • Height: 147.3.1 feet

In all three swings, the ball speed is roughly 153-155 mph, which shows that regardless of the loft, ball speeds won’t change much when using the same club head. The ball speed may change, however, when a player manipulates his swing due to the “look” of different lofts, which can cause them to hit shots in different areas of the face. 

Generally, as loft goes up, so does the spin rate, as you can see in the data. 

  • My shot with the driver adjusted to 8.5 degrees of loft had 2282 rpm of spin.
  • With the driver adjusted to 9.5 degrees of loft, my shot had 2509 rpm of spin.
  • With the driver adjusted to 11 degrees of loft, my shot had 3415 rpm of spin. 

More loft will not always lead to more spin, due to things such as impact points, spin lofts, face-to-path relationships, and the ball you play — but it is a good general rule of thumb. Many golfers are obsessed with lowering their spin, but remember that low spin is not great for everyone. Golfers must have enough spin to support their ball speed. For this reason, golfers can have issues with both too much or too little spin.

Below is a chart from Trackman that can help golfers maximize their total distance based on their swing speed and angle of attack. If you’re looking to maximize carry distance, you can view those charts here

3 4

With the angle of attack being constant, the more loft you pre-set statically at address, the more loft you will have on the club at impact. More loft is great for golfers who produce slower ball speeds and less spin, as they need more loft to launch the ball higher so it stays in the air longer. More loft is also good for players who have too much “handle drag” into impact, necessitating the added static loft at address to offset this tendency through impact.

For the high-spin player, lowering the loft will reduce your spin. But be careful, as it also makes something called the “D-plane” easier to tilt, causing more aggressive offline shots. The key is to find the happy medium.

Related: Understanding the D-Plane.

In the test above, each ball carries a similar distance, but the behavior of the shots once they land are drastically different, which is due to landing angle. The flatter the landing angle, the more the ball will run out when hitting the ground.

  • The 8.5-degree loft produced a landing angle of 34.3 degrees.
  • The 9.5-degree loft produced a landing angle of 40.4 degrees.
  • The 11-degree loft produced a landing angle of 49.5 degrees.

As you can see, landing angle has a great influence on “roll out.” With all things equal, the slower the club head speed, the flatter the ball will need to land in order to produce max distance.

Personally, my best fitting was with the lower-lofted driver for the ideal compromise between my mechanics and the actions of my club head. I also tend to hit “up” on the ball more than most, so the lower loft flattens my ball flight and helps me to create the correct launch conditions. However, if my mechanics improved through impact and I didn’t hit up as much, then I WOULD need to re-fit the static loft on my club. Thankfully, most players’ mechanics don’t make drastic changes, so having a static-lofted driver that is in the “middle” of your trends will offer you three clubs in one (provided your impact mechanics remain constant).

I love drivers with adjustability because they give players the freedom to choose a driver setting that’s right for their swing and playing conditions. Adjustability is a weapon. Just don’t forget to use it!

Tom F. Stickney II, is a specialist in Biomechanics for Golf, Physiology, and 3d Motion Analysis. He has a degree in Exercise and Fitness and has been a Director of Instruction for almost 30 years at resorts and clubs such as- The Four Seasons Punta Mita, BIGHORN Golf Club, The Club at Cordillera, The Promontory Club, and the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. His past and present instructional awards include the following: Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher, Golf Digest Top 50 International Instructor, Golf Tips Top 25 Instructor, Best in State (Florida, Colorado, and California,) Top 20 Teachers Under 40, Best Young Teachers and many more. Tom is a Trackman University Master/Partner, a distinction held by less than 25 people in the world. Tom is TPI Certified- Level 1, Golf Level 2, Level 2- Power, and Level 2- Fitness and believes that you cannot reach your maximum potential as a player with out some focus on your physiology. You can reach him at tomstickneygolf@gmail.com and he welcomes any questions you may have.

30 Comments

30 Comments

  1. tank

    May 5, 2015 at 10:57 am

    THIS ARTICLE IS JUNK!! your welcome

  2. Speedy

    May 5, 2015 at 1:20 am

    A 10 degree loft with a neutral face gets the job done for most. Adjustable drivers, by and for mad scientists.

  3. Mad-Mex

    May 3, 2015 at 6:45 pm

    Why is Trac-Man data looked at as 100% accurate? I would love to see an article where they show Trac-Man data AND ACTUAL on range measured data,,,,,,,,

    Come on Golfwrx !!! let see it!!! Buck the system and do it!!! take the TOP 3 or 5 drivers, same golf ball, 3 different handicap players and go for it!! measure it with the Trac-Man AND old fashioned tape and display the differences in theory flight and actual flight,,,,,,,,,,,,,

  4. RI_Redneck

    Apr 28, 2015 at 8:36 pm

    Am I the only one that is surprised by the amount of rollout figured into the charts? 50 yds with the 105 SS seems a tad high IMHO.

    BT

    • Double Mocha Man

      Apr 29, 2015 at 12:31 am

      We’re talking the Mojave Desert here during a drought.

    • Regis

      Apr 30, 2015 at 8:03 pm

      No it struck me as odd as well. At least on the courses we play here in the Northeast, those roll out numbers would be unusual unless you hit a knuckleball

  5. CS

    Apr 28, 2015 at 3:55 pm

    That’s great info if you have a launch monitor. I don’t have access to one. How do you suggest analyzing the proper loft for a player who can only go hit balls at the range? With my driver, I can’t determine which drives are further for me within 10 yards. I’ve always been a big believer that the right shaft and settings on my driver will make a big difference, but I’ve never understood how to analyze the results from a driving range.

  6. MarkNado

    Apr 28, 2015 at 1:33 pm

    Speaking about my swing only
    A high ball is a far ball
    ss about 115 mph

  7. Mike

    Apr 28, 2015 at 11:59 am

    Right out of the gates this is a flawed experiment. You’re using similar ball speeds to try and normalize your data but given the fact that the club head speeds have changed, it means that the strikes are much different. Whether the ball is struck off the heel vs. toe vs. center will make a huge difference in spin and launch angle.

    I think you need to have very similar club head speed and ball speed to make this experiment more accurate otherwise you’re comparing apples and oranges.

  8. Dave S

    Apr 28, 2015 at 10:34 am

    I have an R1 which I’ve tinkered with and have used with various settings at different times. However I keep coming back to the same issue – one that I think plagues most mid-high handicaps – the lack of a consistently repeatable swing. One week one setting will be better, then the next week, another. I guess the best way to do it is to get fit when you’re swinging your best and then just leave it alone when your not (i.e. stop tinkering), but there’s no guarantee that you’ll be having a good driving day when you’re fit… in fact, statistics say you probably won’t. First world problems I guess.

  9. Matt

    Apr 28, 2015 at 8:41 am

    I would have isolated smash factors with in 0.01 of each other. At least this way you know the strikes were similar. Clearly the first and last were influenced greatly by not having as good as strike as the middle one.

    0.03 on 108 mph is 3.24 mph ball speed. That is a big chunk of power missing.

    Decent test, needs to try to isolate more variables out.

  10. Russ

    Apr 28, 2015 at 3:07 am

    Not sure I understand why clubhead speed varied with different lofts. Would make more sense if CS remained constant and BS varied. Can anyone explain?

    • Skip

      Apr 28, 2015 at 11:22 am

      I’m interested in this one too. Judging from the numbers, he swung it faster while hitting the 8.5 but not as solid (hence lower smash), resulting in only slightly higher ball-speed. Why would a different loft make you swing faster?

      • DK

        May 23, 2015 at 2:18 pm

        Players swing differently based on perception of loft. Your brain gets in the way if you see something that’s out of your comfort zone and a compensation is made.

        Launch angle, spin rate, smash factor will vary significantly based on where the ball impacts the club face. Thin = lower launch & higher spin. Higher on club face = higher launch & lower spin.

        Loft also affects potential smash factor. It goes down as loft increases.

  11. Joe Golfer

    Apr 28, 2015 at 1:47 am

    Very good article. I’ve seen that same Trackman chart in both this Tom Stickney article and also in a Tom Wishon article. Both do a great job of conveying information.
    One thing I’ve noticed is that Trackman must account for “roll out” using a very smooth surface fairway, such as what the pros play on. I play on public courses, and usually the fairway is something akin to Kentucky Bluegrass, not Bent or Bermuda or whatever the pros play.
    I’ve walked a couple of pro tournaments, and the fairways feel like a soft living room carpet, so it is no wonder that Trackman is showing 50 yards of “roll out”. It doesn’t feel like there are any blades of grass unless one gets off the fairway.
    For many of us, that simply isn’t applicable, as the ball catches up in the public course fairway’s blades of grass and slows down far more quickly than Trackman stats would indicate. In those cases, it may be wise to measure your own actual drives on your home course with a GPS or whatever rather than a Trackman simulator. A slightly higher loft for further carry may be better for some, since the ball isn’t going to roll out 50 yards as far as Trackman states. So besides what Trackman lists, one should also consider what sort of fairway one is playing.

  12. Marty Neighbour

    Apr 27, 2015 at 5:37 pm

    I recall an article by Tom Wishon that stated

    “I believe that it is simply not possible to change the loft through a hosel device which operates on the principle of changing the angle of the shaft into the clubhead. ”

    http://wishongolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/adjustable-hosel-drivers.pdf

    • Kyle

      Apr 27, 2015 at 7:43 pm

      That guy also says a lot of things that are off.

    • Nolanski

      Apr 27, 2015 at 10:01 pm

      The most important point in Tom Wishons article you linked is about squaring the clubface up at address vs. soling the club at address. Visualize that and you should be able to get Tom’s point. He’s one of the most experienced club makers/designers in the world.

    • jf

      Apr 27, 2015 at 10:15 pm

      Agreed

    • Chuck

      Apr 27, 2015 at 11:07 pm

      Marty: Tom Wishon did indeed write that, and he was right. If you read everything Tom wrote, you’d understand it; and you’d also understand that effective loft is indeed changed by modern hosel-adjustment systems, and that in fact Wishon’s valuable design theory is not at odds with Tom Stickney’s valuable (and equally valid) advice in this column. Don’t think that “nothing” is changed via hosel adjustments. Certainly Tom Wishon wouldn’t say that. He was simply pointing out that when a driver head is a solid cast geometric thing, you don’t change loft alone by moving the shaft angle (via the hosel). But Wishon would never say that “nothing” is changed. And by the way, you can skip the entire issue of hosel adjustment entirely, and pretend that Stickney is writing about drivers (of different lofts) that aren’t adjustable at all. It’s not like we haven’t had choices in driver lofts for 20 years+, going back to way before adjustable hosel designs.

      I am going to print these tables for my own equipment library. I might not live or die by them personally (my eye prefers a little lower trajectory, and I’ve been aware for several years of the issue with angle of descent); but they will be a big help when time on a good monitor is so valuable for someone like me.

    • Regis

      Apr 30, 2015 at 8:10 pm

      I’ve read the article several times and it always comes up. But for me , personally, on the courses I play, changing the loft adjustment with certain models (eg: Taylor Made) can produce a dramatic effect. Not saying Tom’s reasoning is wrong, but for me the adjustments work

    • DK

      May 23, 2015 at 2:25 pm

      Always remember that Tom Wishon SELLS golf clubs with fixed hosels. When he calls into question clubs by major manufacturers, he’s promoting his own product. I find it difficult to determine true intentions when there’s a financial motive to be found… That’s not a vote for major OEMs, just that Wishon is also an equipment salesman.

  13. Ian

    Apr 27, 2015 at 4:26 pm

    Looking at total distance vs swingspeed, isn’t the 9.5 the best? The 8.5 was swung 4.4 mph faster with little yardage gain relative to the swingspeed difference.

  14. Steven

    Apr 27, 2015 at 4:22 pm

    Great article. Now I just need some time with a launch monitor.

  15. Seth

    Apr 27, 2015 at 4:16 pm

    Does adjusting lift affect “offset?” When I lower the loft in my SLDR the face appears more closed at setup and I hit lower draws/hooks. When I ‘loft up’ my ball balloons. I have my SLDR AT all standard/neutral setting and it seems to work best for my inside out path. Also, do you know the “higher” and “lower” settings mean in the SLDR hosel?

    • Jake W

      Apr 27, 2015 at 4:27 pm

      Seth, I think you’ve got it backwards. Lowering the loft via the hosel on the SLDR opens the face. Making the loft higher closes the face.

    • Ryan

      Apr 27, 2015 at 5:15 pm

      The SLDR is adjustable 1.5 degrees in either direction. There fore higher means most loft/most closed. The Lower setting is most open/ most fade. Each notch is .5 degrees.

    • SJ

      Apr 28, 2015 at 8:47 am

      might want to double check that you don’t have a LH sleeve on a RH club or vise versa.

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Instruction

How to play your best golf when the temperature drops

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The LPGA Tour is kicking off its 2026 season this week at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, and the pros are dealing with something most Florida golfers rarely face: freezing temperatures.

“It’s colder here than in the UK at the minute, which is a first,” said England’s Charley Hull during Wednesday’s media day at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.

Even Lydia Ko, who lives at Lake Nona, seemed surprised by the cold snap. “We’re pretty much getting to below zero in celsius here, which maybe in other parts of the country they would be thankful, but when you’re in Florida it is a little bit of a surprise,” she said.

If the world’s best players are adjusting their games for cold weather, recreational golfers should, too. Here’s how to play smart when the mercury drops.

Understand What Cold Does to Your Game

Before you change anything, you need to know what you’re fighting against. Cold air is denser than warm air, which means your ball won’t fly as far. Period.

Hull noticed this immediately during practice rounds at Lake Nona. She mentioned hitting a gap wedge into the 18th hole during a previous win but needing a 4-iron during Tuesday’s practice round. That’s a difference of four or five clubs for the same shot.

Action item: Expect to lose 5-10 yards on every club in your bag when temperatures dip below 50 degrees. Plan accordingly and don’t be stubborn about club selection.

Layer Up Without Restricting Your Swing

Hull admitted she wore three pairs of pants during practice. While that might be extreme for most of us, staying warm is critical to playing well in cold conditions.

Your muscles need warmth to function properly. When you’re cold, your body tightens up and your swing gets shorter and faster. Neither of those things help you hit good golf shots.

Action item: Wear multiple thin layers instead of one bulky jacket. Look for golf-specific cold weather gear that stretches with your swing. Keep hand warmers in your pockets between shots. And don’t forget a good hat because you lose significant body heat through your head.

Take More Club Than You Think You Need

This is where ego gets in the way of good scores. When it’s cold, the ball doesn’t compress as well off the clubface. Combined with denser air, you’re looking at serious distance loss.

The pros at Lake Nona are dealing with a course that measures 6,642 yards but plays much longer this week. If they’re adjusting, you should too.

Action item: Take at least one extra club on every approach shot. In temperatures below 40 degrees, consider taking two extra clubs. It’s better to fly the ball to the back of the green than to come up short in a bunker.

Adjust Your Expectations on the Greens

Cold weather affects putting in ways most golfers don’t consider. The ball is harder and doesn’t roll as smoothly. Your hands are cold, making it harder to feel the putter. And if there’s any moisture on the greens, they’ll be slower than normal.

Ko mentioned that she still sometimes reads the greens wrong at Lake Nona despite being a member for years. Cold weather makes that challenge even tougher.

Action item: Hit putts more firmly than usual. The ball needs extra speed to hold its line on cold greens. Take a few extra practice strokes to get a feel for the speed before you putt.

Embrace the Mental Challenge

Hull said something interesting about cold weather golf: “I like the mental toughness of it.”

That’s the right attitude. Everyone on the course is dealing with the same conditions. The player who stays patient and doesn’t get frustrated by the extra difficulty will come out ahead.

Action item: Lower your expectations by a few strokes. If you normally shoot 85, accept that 90 might be a good score in 40-degree weather. Focus on solid contact and smart decisions rather than perfect shots.

Warm Up Longer and Smarter

This might be the most important tip of all. Cold muscles are tight muscles, and tight muscles get injured easily.

World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul revealed she’s been protecting a wrist injury that bothered her late last season. Cold weather makes those kinds of injuries more likely if you don’t prepare properly.

Action item: Spend at least 20 minutes warming up before your round. Start with stretching, then hit easy wedge shots before working up to your driver. Keep moving between shots on the course to maintain body heat and flexibility.

The pros at Lake Nona this week will adapt and compete at the highest level despite the cold. You can do the same at your local course by following these tips and keeping a positive attitude.

 

PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “Playing Through  now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.

Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!

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3 lessons from Brooks Koepka that’ll actually lower your score

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Brooks Koepka is back on the PGA Tour, and whether you love him or hate him, the guy knows how to win when it matters. After his LIV Golf stint, the five-time major champion returns this week at the Farmers Insurance Open.

What makes Koepka fascinating? He doesn’t fit the mold. His swing isn’t textbook. He doesn’t obsess over mechanics. Yet he’s won three PGA Championships and two U.S. Opens, regularly making it look easier than guys with prettier swings.

So, what can average golfers learn from someone who treats the game so differently? Quite a bit.

Stop Overthinking Every Shot

Koepka describes his approach as “reactionary” rather than mechanical. While most tour pros grind over swing thoughts, Brooks sees the target and hits it. No mental checklist.

This might be the most valuable lesson for weekend golfers who’ve watched too many YouTube swing videos.

How to actually do this:

On the range, hit five balls where you stare at the target for three seconds prior to addressing the ball. Don’t think about grip or stance. Just burn that target into your brain. You’ll be shocked at how pure you hit it when your brain focuses on where the ball is going instead of how you’re swinging.

Next time you play, give yourself a rule: Once you pull the club, you’ve got 15 seconds to hit. Koepka is one of the fastest players on tour because he doesn’t give his brain time to sabotage him.

If you feel tension in your hands at address, you’re trying to control too much. Koepka’s grip pressure is famously light. Loosen up until the club almost feels like it might slip, then add just enough pressure to hold on. That’s your swing thought: soft hands, see the target.

This approach works better under pressure. When you’re standing over that shot with water left and OB right, the last thing you need is a mental checklist. See it, feel it, hit it.

Play to Your Strengths (Even If They’re Not Pretty)

Koepka uses a strong grip that wouldn’t pass muster in some teaching circles. But he’s built his game around what works for him, elite driving distance and recovery skills. He doesn’t try to be someone he’s not.

Here’s how to build your game like Brooks:

Look at your last five rounds and figure out where you’re actually gaining strokes. Bombing it off the tee, but can’t hit greens? Lean into it. Play courses where distance matters more than precision. On tight holes, grip down on your 3-wood instead of trying to thread a driver through a keyhole you’ll miss seven times out of ten.

Koepka knows he can scramble, so he’s not afraid to miss greens. If you’re deadly from 50 to 75 yards, start leaving yourself those distances on the par 5’s instead of going for them in two every time.

Know when to take your medicine. Koepka in the trees at the PGA? He’s punching out to 100 yards, not trying to bend a 6-iron around three oaks. You’re in the rough with a flyer lie and water short? Hit your 8-iron to the middle and move on. That’s not playing scared, that’s playing smart.

Save Your Best for When It Counts

Here’s a wild stat: Koepka’s putting average in majors is often more than a full stroke better per round than in regular events. He elevates when pressure is highest.

How does an amateur tap into that gear? It’s not about trying harder, it’s about caring differently.

Here’s what actually works:

Decide which rounds matter to you. Club championship? Member-guest? That annual trip with college buddies? Circle those dates and treat them differently. Koepka doesn’t care much about regular tour events, but majors? That’s when he locks in.

Two weeks before your big round, change your practice. Stop beating balls mindlessly. Play nine holes in which every shot has consequences. Miss the fairway? Hit from the rough on the next hole too. Three-putt? Twenty push-ups. Koepka’s practice intensity ramps up before majors because he’s rehearsing pressure, not just swings.

Develop a between-shot routine that resets your brain. Koepka is famous for his blank expression after bad shots. Try this: After any shot, take three deep breaths while walking, then find something specific to notice, a tree, a cloud, someone’s shirt. That’s your reset button. By the time you reach your ball, the last shot is gone.

The Bottom Line

Brooks Koepka’s return reminds us there’s no single path to success in golf. His “substance over style” approach proves that results matter more than looking good.

You don’t need a perfect swing; you need a reliable one that holds up under pressure. You don’t need to hit every shot in the book; you need the shots you can count on. And you don’t need to play great every time; you need to play great when it matters.

Welcome back, Brooks. Thanks for the reminder that golf is ultimately about getting the ball in the hole, not winning style points.

 

PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “Playing Through  now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.

Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!

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What we can learn from Blades Brown’s impressive American Express performance

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Blades Brown made a big impression last week in the California desert, and not just because he’s only 18. He put up numbers that would catch any weekend golfer’s attention. Most of us won’t hit 317-yard drives or find 86% of our greens in regulation, but there’s a lot to learn from how Brown managed his game at The American Express.

Here are three practical lessons from his performance that you can use on your own course this weekend.

Step 1: Give Priority to Accuracy Over Distance Off The Tee

Brown’s driving stats are impressive. He averaged almost 318 yards off the tee, ranking 12th in the field. More importantly, he hit 76.79% of his fairways, tying for fourth place in the tournament.

Think about that ratio for a second. Brown could have swung harder, chased more distance and tried to overpower the course. Instead, he played smart golf and kept his ball in play.

Your Action Item: Next time you’re on the tee box, ask yourself a simple question before pulling the driver. Do you need maximum distance here, or do you need to be in the fairway? If there’s trouble lurking or the hole doesn’t demand every yard you can muster, take something off your swing. Grip down an inch. Make a three-quarter swing. Do whatever it takes to find the short grass. Brown’s approach illustrates that fairways lead to greens, and greens lead to birdies. He made 22 of them last week, along with an eagle.

The math is simple. When you’re hitting three out of every four fairways like Brown did, you’re giving yourself legitimate looks at the green with your approach shots. That’s when scoring happens.

Step 2: Commit To Hitting More Greens

This is where Brown really separated himself. He hit 62 of 72 greens in regulation, an 86.11% clip that tied for first in the entire field. Read that again. An 18-year-old kid tied for the lead in one of the most important ball-striking statistics in professional golf.

How did he do it? By keeping his ball in the fairway (see Step 1) and giving himself clean looks with mid-irons and wedges.

Your Action Item: Start tracking your greens in regulation. You don’t need a fancy app or a statistics degree. Just mark down whether you hit the green in the regulation number of strokes. Par 3s in one shot. Par 4s in two shots. Par 5s in three shots.

Once you know your baseline, set a goal to improve it by 10%. If you’re currently hitting five greens per round, aim for six. The beauty of this approach is that it forces you to think strategically about club selection and shot shape. Brown’s strokes gained approach number was positive (0.179), meaning he was better than the field average. You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be on the dance floor more often.

When you hit more greens, you eliminate the need for heroic short game shots. Brown only had to scramble 10 times all week, and he got up and down 70% of the time. That’s solid, but the real story is that he rarely put himself in scrambling situations to begin with.

Step 3: Minimize Mistakes And Stay Patient

Here’s the stat that jumps off the page: Brown made only three bogeys all week. Three. In four rounds of professional golf against the best players in the world.

He also made just one double bogey. That kind of clean card doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you play within yourself, avoid the big miss and trust that pars are never bad scores.

Your Action Item: Before your next round, decide that you’re going to play boring golf. No hero shots over water. No driver on tight holes just because you can. No aggressive pins when there’s a safe side of the green.

Brown’s performance shows us that consistency beats flash every single time. He didn’t lead the field in any single strokes gained category, but he was solid across the board. That’s how you post numbers and cash checks.

Give these three steps a try. Your scorecard will thank you.

PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter  now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.

Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!

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