Not every PGA pro hits every green in regulation. But all are adept at saving par. Otherwise they wouldn’t be professionals. Weekend golfers, on the other hand, struggle to save par—and it costs them. It adds strokes to their scores and boosts their golf handicaps. If this is you, don’t be embarrassed. You’re not alone. Plenty of golfers have the same problem. But you can change that. By learning to hit par saving shots, you can dramatically cut your golf handicap.
One good way to learn to hit a par saving shot is to watch the pros in action. By studying how they do it, you can learn golf tips that can help you get up and down more often. Previously, watching golf tournaments on television was the only way to see the pros in action. But thanks to the Internet, gleaning golf tips from pro golfers is easier than ever. When it comes to saving par, keep an eye on Luke Donald, Ben Crane, Jose Marie Olazabal, and Tiger Woods. They provide great golf instruction sessions.
Make More Sand Saves
Luke Donald is among the best young players on the Tour. He’s also among the best at sand saves—with a save percentage of nearly 80 percent. That’s impressive. Obviously, he has sand saves down to a science. For him, the key to making sand saves is adjusting his technique to his lie. He’s learned to hit all kinds of shots from a bunker, like the “fried egg.” To hit a high soft shot with this lie, he stands square to the target line, places more weight on his front foot, and opens up the clubface. These adjustments create a higher, softer shot that rolls toward the hole when it lands.
Sink More Putts
Ben Crane is always among the Tour’s putting leaders. He averages about 27 putts per 18 holes. His edge lies in his solid fundamentals. A strong point is his ability to keep his putter underneath his eye line during the stroke. This symmetry—eyes over the line and putter under the eyes—is critical to sinking putts. It promotes consistency because your eyes help determine how your muscles move. In other words, you putt where you look. And where you look affects perception. Maintaining the eyes over the target line keeps the club moving along the line and directing the ball along this path.
Chip Like A Pro
Jose Maria Olazabal is among the premier short game players in the world. He’s always among the Tour leaders in Scrambling—saving par after missing a green in regulation—with a 69 percent average. Like Ben Crane whose putting technique is solid, Olazabal features a flawless chipping technique. Normally, he uses a piston like pitching approach. In it, the right elbow straightens as it applies force at impact. This increases accuracy because it produces an accelerated stroke and keeps the clubface on line—two keys to great chipping.
Escaping From The Rough
When we think of Tiger Woods, we often think of his booming drives or his deadly approach shots. But Tiger also has an uncanny ability to escape from the heavy rough. It requires both strength and technique—and Tiger has both. You can learn a lot from watching Tiger play shots in the heavy rough. For him the key to clearing heavy rough is rotating his chest and hips, preventing the grass from grabbing the club’s hosel and closing the face. In addition, he holds the clubface open by preventing his forearms from rotating.
If your golf handicap never seems to drop no matter how much you visit the range, focus on learning to save par. Do whatever it takes. Read golf tips on how to chip and putt. Take golf lessons on putting and tackling the rough. And watch how the pros do it. You’ll be surprised just how much you can reduce your golf handicap just by learning to save par.