[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":20},["ShallowReactive",2],{"article-approach-shots-drills-to-improve-approach-shots":3},{"slug":4,"title":5,"subtitle":6,"image":7,"imageAlt":8,"category":9,"html":12,"wordCount":13,"prev":14,"next":17},"drills-to-improve-approach-shots","Drills to Improve Approach Shots","Use focused range games to sharpen carry control, start line, trajectory, and pressure skills instead of just beating balls toward one flag.","\u002Fimg\u002Fapproach-shots\u002Fdrills-to-improve-approach-shots_drills-improve-approach.png","Drills to Improve Approach Shots illustration",{"slug":10,"title":11},"approach-shots","Approach shots","\u003Ch3>Why drills beat random practice\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Approach shots improve when practice looks like golf. Hitting thirty 7-irons to the same flag teaches very little after the first few swings. Better practice changes clubs, targets, lies, and consequences so your brain has to solve the same problems it sees on the course.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The skill is not only making solid contact. It is choosing the right target, matching the club to the lie, knowing your carry number, and accepting the safe miss when the flag is tucked. A good drill makes those decisions visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Three useful drills\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Col>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>The ladder:\u003C\u002Fstrong> Pick 80, 100, and 120 yards. Hit one ball to each distance in order, then reverse it. Change clubs if needed, but do not hit the same stock wedge six times in a row.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Nine-window irons:\u003C\u002Fstrong> With a mid-iron, try low, medium, and high flights to left, center, and right targets. You do not need perfection; you need awareness of which window you can trust.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Green-light\u002Fred-light:\u003C\u002Fstrong> Choose one pin you may attack and one you must ignore. Practice the discipline of aiming away, especially from uneven lies or longer yardages.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\n\u003Ch3>Add consequence to the range\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>A drill becomes useful when a miss costs something. Draw a green in your mind with a bunker short right and long grass over the back. Then score the shot honestly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ctable>\n\u003Cthead>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Cth>Result\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003Cth>Score it as\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003Cth>What it teaches\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Fthead>\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Inside 20 feet\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Great shot\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Good plan and execution\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>On the green\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Useful shot\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Stress-free two-putt chance\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Safe fringe or simple chip\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Acceptable miss\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Target choice worked\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd>Short-sided, water, or trees\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Decision to review\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd>Aim or club may be wrong\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp>For ten balls, write only the score category. Patterns matter more than one flushed 8-iron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>A 30-minute approach session\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Use this when you do not have time for a full practice plan:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Col>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Five minutes:\u003C\u002Fstrong> warm up with half wedges and note contact.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Ten minutes:\u003C\u002Fstrong> ladder drill from three carry numbers.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Ten minutes:\u003C\u002Fstrong> alternate clubs on every ball, such as pitching wedge, 8-iron, 6-iron, then back down.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Five minutes:\u003C\u002Fstrong> finish with five “course shots” where you go through a full routine and accept the result.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Range reminder:\u003C\u002Fstrong> If every ball has the same target and the same club, you are rehearsing comfort more than approach golf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Ch3>Putting it in focus\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>For approach work, FocusGolf is most useful when you compare club patterns rather than single swings. The smartwatch app can detect swings automatically on Garmin, Wear OS, or Apple Watch, track shot distances without club sensors, and keep session history by club. Add video with motion data, and you can see whether the 9-iron that finished pin-high also shared a calmer tempo and cleaner transition. Over several sessions, those notes help you separate a reliable carry number from a lucky strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Measure the right things\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Track proximity in zones rather than obsessing over one perfect shot:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Inside 20 feet: excellent.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>On the green: useful.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Safe miss: acceptable.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Short-sided or penalty: decision to review.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>Also mark whether the miss was long, short, left, or right. If eight of twelve approaches finish short, your swing may not be the main issue; your club selection or carry assumptions may be too optimistic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Final thoughts\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>The best approach-shot drill has a target, a consequence, and a note afterward. Make practice specific and the course starts to feel less random. You are training the full shot, from decision to contact to acceptance, and that is where lower scores begin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n",589,{"slug":15,"title":16},"common-approach-shots-mistakes-and-simple-fixes","Common Approach Shots Mistakes and Simple Fixes",{"slug":18,"title":19},"how-approach-shots-affects-ball-flight-and-scoring","How Approach Shots Affects Ball Flight and Scoring",1782987913930]