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Aim for the Pin or the Center of the Green?

fupresti

fupresti

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I was thinking about my round yesterday, and there was a par 3 playing about 170. Uphill and the pin was tucked in the front right of the green. I hit a great shot and ended up with a short birdie putt, butt I realize now if I had hung it out right it would have rolled down the side of the green into a lake. Short, it would have been in a bunker. Long, I would have had a long downhill chip. I didn't play it smart. It was a large green and the safe play was center of the green and at worst, 2 putt for par.

So I started thinking, how do you decide when to play it safe and when to go at it? Is is distance based? Do you make your decision based on the green an pin placement? Do you just go at it every time?
 
I just aim for the green in general, if it's past an 8 iron I'm too inconsistent and am happy with anything on the green....obviously hope for as close as possible though.
 
It really depends on three things for me: ball striking for that particular round, where the pin placement is, and yardage. If I'm in a comfortable yardage and I'm confident in my wedge/short iron play, I'll most likely try to put it close unless it's a really penal pin placement. If I'm a bit shaky, I'll try to aim to the center of the green and look to two-putt.
 
Im a pin placement location guy. Sometimes id rather go for for 20 to 30 footer for birdie and end with a par. Rather than miss a shot and be scrambling for par and end with a bogey or worse
 
I tend to be aggressive and let it hang on my short game. If I know I can get up and down with a miss a good percentage of the time then I am going for it. I do know that not all flags are worth going for and I can turn off the aggressiveness when I need to but if I think there is a good chance then let's go!!


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If the pin sets up for my shot shape (draw) or if it is not around any danger, I'll go at the pin. Otherwise, I try to get on the green period.
 
I changed my mentality when it comes to this about a year ago. I started aiming center green, as it allows me a slight miss either left or right, and still land the green. If a pin is tucked on the back left, and I aim at the left pin, and miss 10 yards left, I am left off the green and need to get up and down for par. If I am center green, and miss 10 yards left, more than likely I will still be holding the green.
 
I play a fade, so if the flag is on the left side of the green, I will take a shot at it so that my fade will take it towards the center of the green if I over cut it. If it is on the right, I will aim for the center of the green so that a fade will take it closer to the hole, I just don't want to short side myself. If it is in the middle of the green, I will aim a bit left of the flag and try and cut it in towards the flag.
 
I play a cut shot as my stock shape so anything on the right side of the green is a go after shot, anything else I just try to hit the green near the center.
 
I need to trust my putter and just aim for the middle of the green.
 
I think it's distance for me. Outside of 100 yards I'm usually pretty happy to hit the green or get close and leave a short chip.
Inside of that I like to think I'm going for the pin the closer I get.
 
I aim for the center of the green. As a higher handicapper I'm happy just to be on the green with anything longer than a 8 iron.
 
If I have a good angle at a pin where a safe landing zone is in the area of my normal miss, I go for it. Typically, center of the green (or even on it) and I'm happy.
 
Definitely a center of the green guy here. Based on the pin placement as it relates to depth, I will try to adjust for distance though. If it's too far in the back or too close to the front I'm still playing center though. First goal for me is to be putting on the second shot.

JM
 
I'm not good enough to aim for the center of the green let alone a pin. I'm more of a aim for left or right half. Front or back half. Sometimes the pin is in the half I aim for sometimes not. I will aim away from trouble more worried about water than sand though.
 
My best rounds are when I aim for the middle if green. I should do it more.
 
One thing I've learned from watching the pros play is that you rarely see them pin hunting in risky, dicey, situations like this, unless of course they're in wedge distance. Most of them will take the safer line, and maybe a 20-25 footer for birdie and wait for a better opportunity to attack the pin. I'm just trying to hit the green in this case, and perhaps the right level if it is a multi-tiered green.
 
Play to the centre if I'm over about 130 yards away, otherwise I'm going for the pin in most cases.
 
Middle of the green. Allows for slight misses left or right and still be on the green. The only time I aim for a pin is if it's to the left hand side and I know I get get it to draw in.
 
I'm generally a center of the green guy unless I am inside wedge range. My typical shot shape is a draw, so a back left pin placement is go time for me (even if I aim center of the green).
 
A couple of things I would consider

1. If you are going to hit a bad shot, what is the your typical miss.....left or right - if the pin is in the 'wrong' place for your typical miss then aim centre
2. What is the penalty of a miss - will it just leave you with a little bit of green to work with, or is it (probably more often than not) going to be in a hazard

9 times out of 10 I would aim for the centre of the green unless you aren't going to be penalised too much for a miss, and then I would take my game for the day into account and make the decision based on how well (or badly) I am playing
 
I think this is a great question but one that has so many different answers. For me it depends on why I'm playing and how much risk I want to take. If I'm playing in a tournamnet with the pin tucked and works with my shot shape I'm going for it. If it's something where a miss could easily lead to a bogey I'm going center of the green with two putts and move on. There are SO many different answers for so many different situations, good questions but hard to answer.
 
Anywhere that is green for me.
 
General rule is center of green for me but there are a few exceptions.

Example: pin is front and green slopes back to front. I would rather miss short than be long as some greens around here right now you simply can't stop a downhill putt. Likely to end up short of green anyways after that downhill putt if it misses.

If water is short, I would rather aim at back of green in case I get it a little heavy so I could get the front/middle of green instead of water.
 
Hit and hope.

Usually aim more towards the right side bc of my ball flight and normal miss.

I aim at the flag with partial swing wedges.
 
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