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Yet another reason to use a launch monitor: Trackman’s Shot Optimizer

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In the golf world, there are always new technologies and software updates that make the jobs of instructors or club fitters easier, faster or both. One of the best I have seen to date is Trackman’s new Shot Optimizer, which helps me to understand just where my students are losing efficiency and what I need to do in order to optimize their ball flight.

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Let’s take a sample swing I made and see what we need to do in order to help me hit the ball more effectively.

Club Head Speed: 101 mph. Not bad for the first swing of the day.
Ball Speed: 150.4 mph. That’s slightly low, as I hit the ball below the center of the face.
Angle of Attack: -0.2 degrees. That’s basically level with the ground.
Spin Rate: 2,828 rpm. That’s a touch high due to my low vertical impact point.
Dynamic Loft: 11.4 degrees (9.6-degree launch angle). Those launches are low due to a low impact point.
Carry: 245 yards. That’s about 15 yards shorter than my normal oiled-up swing.
Height: 69 feet. That’s low once again, due to the low impact point.
Landing angle: 31 degrees. That’s very flat due to the low launch.
Total yardage: 273 yards. I hope it’s dry so it will chase out more!

Screen Shot 2014-05-13 at 7.55.02 PM

As we examine what Trackman is telling me, you will notice the following things:

  • Spin loft, 11.8 degrees, was on the low end of the spectrum.
  • Ball speed, 150.4 mph, was on the upper end of the range.
  • Launch angle, 9.6 degrees, was out of the range completely.
  • Spin rate, 2,828 rpm, was just above average.
  • Height, 69 feet, was out of the spectrum as well.

The final optimization would be the following:

Carry yardage: 245 current shot versus 250 possible.
Total yardage: 273 current shot versus 277 possible.

So what does this sample shot tell me as the teacher?

The club head speed and ball speed are about normal for my swing without a warm up, so this is not an issue. My spin loft and launch angle are too low, however, which I attributed to the reduced dynamic loft at impact.

This could be attributed to factors such as:

  • The static loft of my current driver could be set too low.
  • Vertical gear effect, as I hit the ball a touch low on the face.
  • Improper shaft fitting, causing the club to have too little loft at impact.

My spin rate was a touch high at 2,828 rpm. I would say this could be the ball I was hitting, which was a more “spinny” than the ball I usually play, and could also be a product of vertical gear effect from my low impact point.

My Overall height was about 10-to-12 feet too low. That could be a dynamic loft issue or vertical impact issue.

Now armed with all the data, here is what changes I would suggest in order to optimize this shot.

  1. Chart impact point on the club face with Dr. Scholls to see if the low dynamic loft, low launch and high spin is a gear effect issue.
  2. If so, fix the low impact point.
  3. If gear effect is not the issue, then we must raise the dynamic loft at impact by increasing the static loft of the club.
  4. If this doesn’t change things, then I would suggest altering the shaft so that the club doesn’t lag so much through impact and reduce dynamic loft.
  5. If we still don’t get the results we’d like, then we know it’s a combination of loft, the shaft and a swing issue causing a lower dynamic loft at impact.

Improving the impact point and dynamic loft will increase the spin loft, launch and height, as well as reduce spin. This will give me more overall carry while still maintaining a low descent angle so the ball runs out when landing.

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.

32 Comments

32 Comments

  1. Bill Schmedes III

    May 16, 2014 at 7:11 pm

    Nice article Tom. Amazed with some of the responses. The tool is there to help a player improve faster without all the guessing. If your a golfer not sure why would you would want to see anyone without a tool like this to help the process. Keep up the great work!

    • Tom Stickney

      May 17, 2014 at 1:21 am

      Thx sir…people often criticize what they don’t fully understand.

  2. Cameron Prine

    May 16, 2014 at 12:49 pm

    I will be the first person to attest to Trackman on this forum, because it sounds like a lot of people do not believe in using it. For a bit of background on me, I am a +2.7 handicap when playing well, and I’m at about a scratch right now since I live in Ohio and have not had the chance to play or practice much this year. Over the past 4 months while using Trackman at an indoors facility, I have gained 22 yards carry on my driver and about 10 on all of my irons, by learning to manage my attack angle, and how to use that to change the shape of my shots. I went from attacking down 4 degrees with the driver, to only down half a a degree and my carry went from 274 to 296, and instead of 283 total I am averaging 311. If you are serious about getting better, invest some time and money into using one of these devices.

    • Tom Stickney

      May 16, 2014 at 1:02 pm

      They are remarkable tools for all levels of players whom are interested in getting better results from their instruction/practice time. I taught on both sides and couldn’t agree more with your experiences. It’s not just applicable to the better players…

  3. Peter mill5

    May 15, 2014 at 4:55 pm

    Can’t help agreeing with @leftright. I don’t think the average hobby golfer has the time, inclination, money or patience to work on 400rpm here or 1.5º there. We’re getting into the “baffle them with facts” area for most golfers – no disrespect meant – just the experience from coaching “normal” golfers for more than 30 years.

    • Tom Stickney

      May 15, 2014 at 6:17 pm

      I’m here to help anyone who what’s to get better; not saying the beginning golfer has no other options but trackman. However it’s my duty to help people stay in the game not leave due to frustration due to poor performance.

  4. Mike

    May 15, 2014 at 9:54 am

    I can’t believe how negative the responses to this teaching method have been. This is the future of teaching and although you can go about fixing a swing in many ways, video and launch data are the easiest way to quickly diagnosis problems.

    Great write up, Tom! Keep it coming!

  5. Gary Mackintosh

    May 15, 2014 at 8:06 am

    Tom, the one thing you didn’t do is adjust the AOA. I’m a fitter and I find that if I get my customers to get their path in to out and get a positive AOA(4 to 6*), they greatly increase their swing speed and vertical launch. I myself picked up 2 to 4 mph and 20 yards of distance. I know that sounds crazy and I’d never believe it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes(and Flightscope). I’ve always been a high spin player(steep AOA). With the help of my Launch monitor, I’ve dropped my spin to the mid to upper 2000’s. Of course, to be fair, most of the spin reduction came from lowering the static loft of the club which increasing the AOA allowed me to do.

  6. Neil

    May 15, 2014 at 1:59 am

    Tough crowd.

    • Tom Stickney

      May 15, 2014 at 10:17 am

      I’m just glad people are reading and commenting…I like hearing everyone’s thoughts positive or negative.

  7. leftright

    May 14, 2014 at 8:29 pm

    Tom, I am sorry but I can’t buy into all the crap. My cynicism knows no bounds. I’ve been playing for 45 years and participated in all major amateur events and played in a few regional/local pro events over my lifetime. I know how well I have played and got the best out of my limited talents. If someone cannot recognize their limitations then no amount of teaching or money is going to change it. I know, it is all about expanding the game but I see a lot of misery out there. I see a lot of hope and I just shake my head because what are we to do, just let them fail or try to save them form their own mediocrity. I hope golf grows by leaps and bounds to levels unheard of but marketing fraud is against my principles and plays on someone’s mentality and could damage their psyche. To tell someone they can do this when you konw they will never be that good is teacher malpractice. When people start suing, maybe it will stop.

    • Tom Stickney

      May 15, 2014 at 12:24 am

      I can only help you to reach YOUR goals but I’m brutally honest when your reality doesn’t match your talents or dedication. I’m not a miracle worker nor do I claim to have the magic dust. Not everyone can be a good player and I understand this fact, but I can help EVERYONE enjoy the game more.

    • Ben Mutz

      May 15, 2014 at 9:49 am

      http://www.CantPutt.com
      Lowering your putting stroke average by learning to
      Master your Distance Control
      Take the words Feel and Touch and flush them down the toilet

      • Tom Stickney

        May 15, 2014 at 10:20 am

        Ben…I’d appreciate it if you’d respect this forum and comment on the story that I wrote.

    • golferjack

      May 16, 2014 at 8:07 am

      I wonder if leftright is a lawyer? I have to agree with a couple of Points he makes but as a Pro teacher I can say that a launch Monitor is of help to a wide range of Players if for nothing more than to help them understand how far they really hit the ball in comparison to how far they think they hit it. Also matching a set of Clubs based on fact and not just feel is useful and can in many cases save Money by giving someone a set with less rather than more that they don’t need.Jack and co didn’t have forged Composite heads and graphite shafts either. They also didn’t have to compete with Bubba and co. who would bomb it past them on their best day. This is not to disrespect the guys, they were all great Players and I’m sure that they would be great Players in any era. The world doesn’t stand still, but there is also still a difference between Clubs as there is a difference between cars. I guess leftright isn’t driving a 70’s car. Like your articles Tom, they are often thought provoking.

  8. leftright

    May 14, 2014 at 8:22 pm

    Pureing, $45 a shaft, Trackman $50 and hour. It is all about the money. I think scratch golfers can be helped but not the masses and the yardage gain is negligible as best. Technology takes the “ideal” into consideration, not the non-talented average golfer. I am scratch but pureing did absolutely nothing for my iron game and 7 of the 9 shafts required no adjustment. The trackman was a waste of time. I had a Driver pured once and it was actually made worse, I had him put it back like it was and I regained my driver, go figure. Marketing is trying to make everyone a low handicap golfer and sorry folks, that niche is reserved for about 2% of us and no amount of practice, trackman’s, pureing or lessons is going to change it. If you don’t have it just enjoy the game. This is no different than a 3 who want to play to 0, he might not have the capacity, though usually I find it a mental obstacle rather than ball striking.

    • Tom Stickney

      May 15, 2014 at 12:27 am

      I never spoke about puring shafts. Just maximizing your talents. At the scratch level improvements take a ton of time and most players never get much better than this. When you’re an average golfer your improvements come in leaps and bounds through technology. Sorry but you’re 100% wrong on this one.

      • paul

        May 15, 2014 at 9:26 pm

        I agree Tom. What a load of &*$#. I have been average at all sports in life ( not an athlete) But with a bit of dedication and a launch monitor it is easy to improve quickly. My friends were disgusted when I improved 10 strokes over the winter with a few small technique changes that helped me get good numbers on a flight scope. I am hitting laser guided balls with my irons right now. All my clubs are hitting balls within a yard or two of what I expect, thank you trackman. If only I could putt I would have broke 80 on Tuesday.

  9. leftright

    May 14, 2014 at 8:14 pm

    Ben didn’t have one, neither did Byron or Sam. Walter and Bobby never heard of a launch monitor and Arnold was in his 70’s before he even knew one existed. Jack was in his 60’s and Tom in his 50’s. Too much confidence in technology has ruined more golf games than it has helped and marketing is the primary influence…period. Get good clubs, make sure they are lofted and lied correctly and swing away. All the clubs are good these days, golfers today would play a $15 a dozen golf ball if it miraculously appeared in 1990 because it would be better than the best Titleist of the time..of course this is balata era. You still have to swing the club and a launch monitor is useless for anyone more than a 5 handicap. Some guys can’t even hit the ball unless they produce 3500 rpms of spin. Spin is what keeps the ball in the air. I have seen these mythological launch angles and spin rates put more balls in the lake people “used” to carry. It ain’t all about roll out folks. Some courses dont’ set up for the ball to roll out, especially some Dye courses. If the fairways are hard and fast there is negligible difference between 2500 and 4000 rpms on the drive and how it finishes. You play a set course with low rpms and optimal launch angle and you will be behind the high spin guy all day.

    • leftright

      May 14, 2014 at 8:16 pm

      I meant “wet” course.

    • Tom Stickney

      May 15, 2014 at 12:34 am

      Fitting is all based on the player and their course conditions. Sometimes higher spin is better while other times lower spin is the answer. There is no right answer for everyone. As stated before lower handicaps get some advantages from fittings but also can adapt to poorly fit clubs while higher handicaps cannot thus why fitting is important

      • Tom Stickney

        May 15, 2014 at 12:36 am

        If technology was useless then why does every good player on tour use it?

  10. Jamie

    May 14, 2014 at 1:28 pm

    Tom, with all due respect, I am not a golf pro or teacher, but I disagree with your approach to the info. I recently purchased a Foresight HMT and GC2 as my choice and couldn’t be more thrilled with all the data at my disposal. Different numbers will impact different peoples approach to their practice and training. Having all the numbers to see incremental improvement is key to enjoying the game more and each golfers approach to practice. I’d be upset if I knew you were not giving me all the data for me to make the choice on what I do and don’t want to assimilate after you educate me on what each readout means and how it relates to my swing and game. Just food for thought. All GPS/radar tracking devices are great learning tools.

    • Tom Stickney

      May 14, 2014 at 3:17 pm

      Some people can handle information productively while others cannot…

  11. GMR

    May 14, 2014 at 11:06 am

    While I don’t doubt the usefulness of this tool, this particular example strikes me as a bit of paralysis by analysis. How bout instead looking at the numbers, realizing you lost only 5 yards of carry and 4 yards of overall distance from the “ideal” strike, and smiling to yourself that your results were as good as they were on an off-center hit?

    • Tom Stickney

      May 14, 2014 at 11:33 am

      Because as a teacher I’m paid to make sure you (the student) is as efficient as possible. Secondly the student never sees this information so they can’t become overly informed on my watch.

      • GMR

        May 14, 2014 at 11:57 am

        Fair enough, but if you know that the student is hitting it low on the face, what incremental information are you getting in this example that is going to improve your instruction. Sorry to play Devil’s advocate…as I mentioned I think there are scenarios this could be quite useful. Just am failing to get my head around why it might be in this specific example.

  12. Rob Rashell

    May 13, 2014 at 9:27 pm

    Tom,

    Been amazed how useful Trackman is with teaching, I notice players I work with trying hard to take in everything Trackman has to offer, do you notice players doing the same with you? Do you slowly introduce parameters, optimizer, etc.? Thanks for the thoughts.

    Rob

    • Tom Stickney

      May 14, 2014 at 12:27 am

      I don’t allow my students to see the tm output…I control what they see as I don’t want them to get in too deep. Helping them focus only on what I want keeps me in control of their lesson. Thx for the note sir.

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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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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.

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