Connect with us

Instruction

The most overlooked, yet crucial factor in shot selection

Published

on

If you’re not analyzing how your golf ball lies in the grass before every shot, you’re costing yourself strokes.

All too often I see amateurs walk up to a shot, get the yardage, pick a club and whack away with little to no regard for how the golf ball is sitting. Good players understand that the lie will influence factors such as shot height, carry distance, spin, landing angle, etc., and it’s something they shouldn’t overlook, even when the ball is in the fairway.

Every golf shot is like solving a problem, and you need to gather all of the information possible to make sure you understand all the variables involved. Analyzing your lie helps you do this. Below, I go through common lies you’ll likely experience in a given round, and how they will effect the golf ball’s flight.

Ball Sitting Up in Fairway

StickneyFairwayLie

Here’s an example of a great lie in the fairway; it’s one that has the ball sitting “up,” and will allow you to hit nearly any shot you choose. As you can see from the photo, there’s no interference to keep you from striking the shot cleanly, and is most certainly a “go-lie” for a shot with a 3 wood if you carry one.

Related: Why ditching your 3 wood could save you strokes

Watch out for things like grain or imperfections in the turf that could affect lies in the fairway. If the ball is not sitting up, or laying into the grain, don’t try to force a shot that requires a long carry since there’s little room for error. Also, look for things like mud on the ball or divots beneath the ball that may negatively affect the shot.

Ball in First Cut of Rough

StickneyFirstCutLie

When the ball is resting in the first cut of rough just off the fairway, you must check to see how it settled in the grass. When the ball is sitting down — as you can see here — you must consider the direction in which you are hitting the ball and audit where the deep grass is located.

Let’s pretend you’re hitting this ball toward the top part of the picture. In that case, there is very little grass behind the ball, allowing you to make better contact. You’ll likely be able to hit the club necessary for the shot you plan to hit, but I would not suggest “going for it” on a par-5, or hitting a long approach with danger near the green.

If you were hitting the ball toward the bottom of the photo, on the other hand, you would probably want to change to a higher-lofted club than you would normally hit to help you advance the ball toward the green or down the fairway. It’s one of those times when you simply hit the ball in the incorrect place and you must take your medicine.

If you’re only left with a short shot into the green, I’d suggest aiming to the fat part of the green; it’s not the time to get cute.

Semi or Full-Flyer Lie

StickneyFlyerLie

With today’s grooves, the effects of a stereotypical “flyer lie” have been reduced. That being said, however, the ball can still “jump” on you if you don’t pay attention to your lie.

Here you are hitting the ball toward the top portion of the photograph, and you’ll notice a tuft of grass just behind the ball. This clump of grass — especially when it’s wet — will get between the clubface and the ball at impact, and cause the ball to fly with less spin. That’s what causes the ball to “squirt” and land on the green with no chance to stop, or even fly over the green.

It’s this type of lie that people often overlook, but it’s one that the professionals give their utmost attention when there’s trouble over the green.

Hardpan or Tight Lie

StickneyHardPan

For good players, having no grass around the ball is not a big deal; they’re used to hitting down on the ball. This lie often gives the average player fits, though. Most of the time, the ball comes out low and right for them from this lie. That’s because amateurs often try to help the ball into the air from hardpan or a tight lie, leading to a thin shot that’s hit with an open clubface.

The key to this shot is to make sure you hit down on the ball, allowing the low point of the club to be on the target side. If you make sure this happens, you’ll be able to produce the same shot you can from a perfect lie on the fairway. Remember, commit to the shot, and don’t be scared to take a divot.

The Ultra-Perched Lie

StickneyPerchedUpLie

I bet you didn’t think you could have a lie that’s too good. Well, you certainly can.

In the photo above, you can see the ball is perched up in the rough, seemingly just waiting to be hit. The problem is that if you hit down on the ball too much, you can impact the ball too high on the clubface and it will come out “dead.” You’ll lose ball speed on the shot, which will cost you distance.

The key to these types of lies is to SWEEP the ball off the ground — don’t chop down! If you sweep the ball, you will impact the shot on the correct portion of the clubface and the ball will be hit cleanly.

Final thoughts

Lie analysis should become a vital portion of your pre-shot routine on every single shot. It’s up to you as the player to experiment with the different lies and clubs so you’ll be prepared to identify and react to each type of lie you can get. Do your homework.

Next time you hit the range or have some time alone on the golf course, play around from all sorts of lies, grass directions, etc. You’ll become more comfortable at “reading” the lie, dealing with it, and ultimately you’ll cut strokes off your scores.

Here’s to happy experimenting!

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.

24 Comments

24 Comments

  1. Scott

    Oct 24, 2016 at 11:15 am

    Really good stuff. Thanks Tom.

  2. Dave r

    Oct 21, 2016 at 8:39 pm

    Right on Ron you said it best and a good sense of humour got me laughing . You can picture it now all the boys following this would take longer than seconds believe me . How long does it take tour players to get around 18 holes a lot longer than a few seconds a shot.
    Still laughing “..”…..????????????????????????????????????

  3. rockflightxl1000

    Oct 21, 2016 at 11:59 am

    Does this article exist for bunker conditions?

  4. Fred

    Oct 21, 2016 at 11:52 am

    Whats the top portion of the photo and the bottom of the photo? Thats just confusing.

  5. Pingback: The most overlooked, yet crucial factor in shot selection | Swing Update

  6. Azman Long Hamid

    Oct 20, 2016 at 10:13 pm

    I think guessing whose legs are those in the picture, is much more interesting. Mu guess is Paula Creamer ?

  7. Seeemples

    Oct 20, 2016 at 8:29 pm

    I had no idea that so many you idiots overlooked this simple piece of what makes golf so fun. Now I understand why you all been sucking at it

  8. rymail00

    Oct 20, 2016 at 8:08 pm

    Another great article Tom.

    If you get a chance maybe a follow up article on short game shots and analyzing the lie?

  9. Kevin

    Oct 20, 2016 at 5:08 pm

    Great post. I have been looking for a read like this for a while.

  10. Ron

    Oct 20, 2016 at 4:52 pm

    Hey, I don’t want to be Johnny Raincloud here, but if I did all the analysis I’m told is necessary on every shot I hit, I’d be playing a 7 hour round and the foursome behind me would tie me to their car bumper on the way home.
    It’s all good and correct, but we’re not playing for millions. Hit your ball, get out of the way.

    • andy c

      Oct 20, 2016 at 6:01 pm

      I think people duffing bad shot after bad shot out of the rough make play much more slow. 3 bad shots take longer than 1 good one.

      • Ron

        Oct 21, 2016 at 11:35 am

        You’d think that, but no. Let me walk up to my ball and inspect the lie. Now let me take a good read on the yardage. I’ll back up my GPS with my laser rangefinder, just to be sure. Wait, there must be a sprinkler head around here too. I should also check the temperature and the humidity to figure out how far my ball will fly in these conditions. And wind… Oh, wind. Which direction? How hard is it coming in? Helping or hurting? Will it accentuate my natural ball flight or help straighten it out?

        Now, to strategy. Where is my best miss? What do I want to leave myself? If the pin in a sucker location?

        Ok, I have all my information. Which club should I use? Wait. I’ve forgotten how to swing a golf club because I’ve contracted dementia while I’ve been looking at this ball.
        Just hit your golf ball and get out of the way. There are other people trying to play.

        • Rational

          Oct 21, 2016 at 11:57 am

          A gross exaggeration is the #1 sign you have no point.
          It takes a few seconds to look at the lie, a few seconds to find the yardage, and you’re two senses of sight and touch will instantly let you know the wind and where you should be aiming. Don’t blame everyone else because you’re too dense to simply look at a green and figure out that bunkers and pin on the left = don’t miss it left.
          But by all means… keep on being the guy who airmails a back to front sloping green with a back pin, blades his pitch completely off the front, and then 4 putts for a snowman. As long as you didn’t take a long time to hit your 8 shots, you’re good!

        • The Daily GolfWRX Fail

          Oct 21, 2016 at 1:12 pm

          Ron you forgot the 20 practice swings I have to do before I step up to the ball and the 50 waggles I have to get out of my system before I can actually hit the ball

  11. GregC

    Oct 20, 2016 at 2:00 pm

    Thanks Tom. I asked for something like this article a couple of weeks back and you came through for me. I thought it was very helpful and brought forth some things I didn’t understand before. I appreciate the visuals!

  12. tickle me puswoo

    Oct 20, 2016 at 1:57 pm

    It’s as if this guy writes his articles directed only at dummies….. ? realise Golfwrx has turned into TMZ but can we at least get some good content…. at least TMZ has fit women to go along with the boring BS…… Come on golfwrx where are the women then?????

    • Tom Stickney

      Oct 20, 2016 at 10:08 pm

      You obviously have not read my more in-depth articles using Trackman. Not for the beginners.

  13. tom stickney

    Oct 20, 2016 at 1:23 pm

    Thanks for the comments…it’s the most forgotten fundamental of “playing” the game in my opinion

  14. Justin

    Oct 20, 2016 at 12:23 pm

    I’m not sure how many courses actually have deep rough areas these days, but I wish you would have discussed how to hit a ball that is sunken down partially or fully into deep rough. As you stated, the goal of the average player on every second shot is to hit the green, regardless of where there ball ends up because we see the pros do it so often. I think the major key in deep rough is to pick a safe spot on the fairway where you can advance the ball with the smallest chance of ending up in a similar or worse lie again. For example, you shouldn’t aim over a fairway bunker when you have this lie because you can’t assume you’ll make good enough contact to carry the ball over it. Even if your shot has to be hit diagonally or mostly sideways, it’s worth it in the long run to avoid trouble.

    Also, I don’t think most average golfers think about what the club face will do through impact on a shot out of deep rough. Setting up with a slightly open stance AND club face will help tremendously in advancing the ball forward on a mostly straight line. The more powerful your swing, the less the grass is going to close the club face, so that needs to be a factor as well.

    Again, I’m not sure how often the average golfer faces a deep rough situation, but knowing the best route and setup to get back to safety can keep them from that one blow up hole that ruins a round.

    • LeeRob

      Oct 21, 2016 at 12:56 pm

      Best reminder I’ve heard to make the point in your first paragraph is “don’t follow a bad shot with a stupid shot”. I tell myself that whenever I end up in a really challenging lie.

  15. Philip

    Oct 20, 2016 at 11:27 am

    Cool … I’ll be sure to review these shots and the suggestions. Never did know what a flyer lie was and the perched lie definitely has sucker-punched me many times, especially near the green where I have started chipping with the toe down this season with really good success. The only lie tricky lie that gives me no issues is the hardpan/tight lie – mainly due to always playing it as it lies and for me the ball often lies on little grass or in divots. Really appreciate the lesson, thanks!

  16. Tom

    Oct 20, 2016 at 10:59 am

    The ol perched or hangin chad lie is my nemesis.

  17. James

    Oct 20, 2016 at 10:41 am

    This was everything I was hoping it would be when I saw the headline. Great article

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Instruction

How to play your best golf when the temperature drops

Published

on

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!

Continue Reading

Instruction

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

Published

on

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!

Continue Reading

Instruction

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

Published

on

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!

Continue Reading

Announcement

Our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use have been updated as of January 29th, 2026. Please review the updated policies here Privacy Policy | Terms of Use. By continuing to use our site after January 29th, 2026, you agree to the changes.

WITB

Facebook

Trending