This week's Question:

What is the size of the average green on a golf course in the US or Canada?

Sorry that is INCORRECT. The CORRECT answer is:

ANSWER: C - 5,000 square feet (464.5 square meters)

The average size green is usually bigger than most Golfers think it is. This is extremely important for you to understand when playing your shot to the green. Because the majority of Golfers that struggle to hit more than 3 or 4 Greens in Regulation per round aren’t focused enough on the vast size of the green. They’re often too focused on the small area around the flag.

By focusing solely on the flag and its surroundings – you’re trying to place your shot within an area of less than a 1,000 square feet. And while 1,000 square feet may sound like a big enough area to have your ball land in – you may want to consider that that area is only 1/5 of the size of the entire green – it’s not as big an area as you might initially think.

The other option that most people look at besides the flag is often “I aim to the middle of the green”. Which as options go --- it may seem as a better option than aiming at the flag. Yet, how big is the middle of the green. Yes, it may seem like a safe play – though, as often times happens in golf: what seems as if it would be the best option…isn’t. Though, please don’t read this to say that I’m saying ‘never aim at the center of the green’ – because I’m not saying that.

What many successful Players do is divide the green into two sides: Left side of the Flag and Right side of the Flag. This Player then chooses which side offers more room to land the golf ball. And then aims for that side – not the middle, not the flag. They aim for the side with the most room. If the flag is on the left side of the green; it may mean that there’s only 1,200 feet square to land the ball to the left of the flag – but that would mean there’s an area of 3,800 square feet (more than triple the opportunity) on the right side.

And with Golfers that hit only 3 or 4 or less Greens in Regulation in a round – you should be more focused on just getting your ball on the big half of the green rather than saying – “But Marc, you don’t understand – I need to get the ball close to the hole”. Because the best Players in the world are aiming for the bigger side of the green more often than you may think as opposed to just aiming at the flag. They’re more concerned with getting the golf ball on the green and then making putts – while the struggling Golfer is more concerned with getting their 5 iron close to the flag. Isn’t that odd – you’d almost think it should be the other way around?

Look at the vast size of the green (they average 5,000 square feet) the next time your playing your approach shot – then play to the bigger half and you’ll find yourself on the green in less shots more often!

To see how your answer compared to others who took the Golfer Knowledge Poll - make sure to look for next week's Golf Improvement Weekly

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