Course Management · Tip
Pick Your Safe Miss and Practice It
Part of our course management programs for picking targets. Build a program with it
Before every approach, decide where a miss should go. Flag tucked behind sand? Go for the center. Flag on one edge? Lean toward the other. Then practice the chips those misses leave you. That way, when you miss, it's a shot you know. Off the tee, try this. Pick three tee shots a round where you hit less than driver. A ball in the fairway beats one in the rough.
Step by step
- Pick a safe miss before each approach.
- Aim at the middle when the pin is tucked.
- Favor the side away from trouble.
- Club down off the tee on three holes.
- Practice the chips your misses leave.
Why it works
Most approach shots do not finish exactly where you aim, so the position of your misses matters as much as your target. Aiming at the center of the green, or away from the trouble, moves your common misses onto the green or into easy recoveries. A less-than-driver club off the tee is usually shorter and easier to control, so the ball finishes in the fairway more often, and a fairway lie gives you cleaner contact on the next shot.
Common mistakes
- You pick your target after you have pulled the club, so the decision is rushed or skipped.Decide the safe miss first, then choose the club and the aim line to match it.
- You aim at a tucked pin because the shot feels easy on the range.Aim at the middle of the green whenever trouble sits next to the flag, and accept a longer putt.
- You only practice full shots and never rehearse the chips your misses leave.Spend part of your five minutes hitting chips from the spots you miss most, such as short of the green or on the side you favor.
How you'll know it's working
- Your misses finish on the green or in spots where you have a simple chip.
- On the three club-down holes, more tee shots finish in the fairway than before.
- You can name your safe miss before you take the club out of the bag.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Practice the chips from a flat lie on short grass near the green before trying slopes or rough.
Harder: Pick the safe miss on every shot in a round, including par 3s, and keep a tally of how many misses landed there.
Common questions
What does a safe miss mean in golf?
It is the side of the target where a poor shot does the least damage. You aim so that your normal miss lands there, such as the wide side of the green instead of next to a bunker.
Should I hit driver on every par 4 and par 5?
Not necessarily. If a shorter club keeps the ball in the fairway more often, it can leave you a better lie and a better angle than a driver that ends up in the rough.
