Not your driver. Not your putter. Your approaches.
PGA Tour data shows approach shots account for 40% of scoring advantage. Yet most golfers spend their practice time on the range blasting drivers into the void.
This guide gives you seven ways to immediately improve your approach shots—and the practice methods that make improvement stick.
Why Approach Shots Matter More Than You Think
Here’s what the data says.
Arccos tracks over 100 million golf shots. From 100-120 yards, the average proximity to the hole by handicap:
- 0-5 handicap: 49 feet
- 6-10 handicap: 55 feet
- 11-15 handicap: 62 feet
- 16-20 handicap: 71 feet
- 20+ handicap: 83 feet
PGA Tour players? Under 20 feet.
The gap between a 20-handicapper and a scratch golfer isn’t the driver. It’s approach shots. Fix this part of your game and your handicap drops.
1. Know Your Real Distances
Most golfers overestimate how far they hit each club.
They remember the 7-iron that flew 165 yards with a tailwind on a hot day. They forget the 20 shots that went 145-150.
Your stock yardage is the distance a club travels with a normal, comfortable swing. Not your best shot. Your average.
If you don’t know these numbers, you’re guessing on every approach.
How to find your real distances:
- Hit 50 balls with one club to a target
- Throw out your 5 best and 5 worst shots
- The middle 40 shots reveal your true average
X-Golf’s simulator technology does this automatically. The system measures carry distance vs. total distance for every shot. Many golfers discover their actual distances are 10-15 yards shorter than they assumed. Learn more about how to track golf stats using X-Golf’s simulator.
That single insight—knowing your real numbers—can drop strokes immediately.
2. Stop Aiming at the Flag
Pin hunting is ego golf. And it’s costing you strokes.
Think about it. Even low-handicap amateurs land the ball nearly 50 feet from their target. Firing at a tucked pin with water short and a bunker right? You’re asking for a big number.
The smarter play: Aim at the center of the green.
Data shows 80-90% of missed greens are short. Most golfers don’t take enough club. They aim at the pin, come up short, and end up chipping.
The back-center strategy:
Use the yardage to the back of the green for club selection. Aim at the center of the green.
A mishit still finds the putting surface. A 40-foot putt beats a 15-foot chip every time.
As Boo Weekley said: “The center of the green never moves.”
3. Adjust for the Lie
A ball sitting down in rough won’t travel as far as one on a perfect fairway lie. Sounds obvious. Yet most golfers hit the same club regardless.
Fairway: Standard club selection. This is your baseline.
First cut rough: Same club, but expect less spin. The ball will release more after landing.
Deep rough: Club up. Thick grass grabs the clubhead and reduces distance. Sometimes the ball “flies” with less spin. Sometimes it comes up well short. Either way, take more club.
Fairway bunker: Expect about 80% of your normal distance. Focus on clean contact first.
Divot: Play the ball slightly back. Accept you might lose some distance.
X-Golf’s lie system trains you for these situations. From rough, expect 80-90% distance. From fairway bunkers, 80%. From greenside bunkers, just 50%—meaning you need to swing like it’s double the yardage.
The display shows your current lie percentage on screen. Practice these adjustments before you face them on a real course. See how X-Golf simulators work for the full breakdown of the technology.
4. Factor in Wind and Elevation
Two adjustments most amateurs skip entirely.
Wind
Even a moderate 10 mph breeze changes club selection by one full club.
Into wind: Club up. Take a 7-iron instead of an 8-iron. Don’t swing harder—that creates more spin and the ball balloons shorter.
Downwind: Club down. The ball flies farther and rolls more after landing.
Crosswind: Aim into the wind. Let it push the ball back toward your target.
Elevation
Uphill green: Add one club for every 30 feet of elevation gain.
Downhill green: Subtract one club for every 30 feet of drop.
A 150-yard shot to an elevated green might play like 165. Miss this adjustment and you’re short—again.
5. Commit to the Shot
Indecision kills approach shots.
When you’re unsure about club selection, you decelerate through impact. You make a tentative swing. The ball goes nowhere near where you wanted.
Here’s the fix: Pick a club. Commit to it. Swing with confidence.
A committed swing with the “wrong” club often produces better results than a tentative swing with the “right” one.
If you’re between clubs, take the longer one and make an easy swing. Smooth swings produce consistent contact. Forced swings produce thin shots that come up short—or worse, chunked irons that dig into the turf.
6. Learn Multiple Shot Types
A versatile approach game means having options. Here are the shots worth practicing:
Standard full swing: Your default. Smooth, controlled, to your stock yardage.
Knockdown: Lower trajectory for wind. Ball back in stance, hands ahead at impact, abbreviated finish. The ball bores through wind and checks up on the green.
High soft shot: Open the clubface slightly. Full swing with high hands. The ball launches higher, lands softer, stops faster. Understanding how to add backspin helps you execute this shot.
Punch: Stay under tree branches. Ball back, three-quarter swing. Low flight, more roll.
Bump-and-run: Less-lofted club (7 or 8-iron), putting-style stroke. Let the ball land short and roll onto the green. High-percentage shot when conditions allow.
The more shots you can hit, the more situations you can handle. For a deeper dive into shot shapes and swing mechanics, see our guide on types of golf swings.
7. Practice With Purpose
Hitting balls on the range isn’t practice. Hitting balls with intention is.
Range Practice Protocol
Don’t just rake balls and fire at nothing. Structure your practice:
- Pick a specific target (a flag, a yardage marker)
- Choose one club
- Hit 10 shots, tracking results
- Move to the next club
Spend 70% of your range time on approach clubs (wedges through 7-iron). Spend 30% on driver and woods.
Most golfers do the opposite. That’s why most golfers don’t improve.
Why Simulator Practice Beats the Range
A driving range has limits. You can’t practice from bunkers. You can’t simulate uphill or downhill lies. You can’t get precise feedback on launch angle and spin.
X-Golf’s simulator technology fills these gaps. Here’s why practicing on indoor golf simulators accelerates improvement.
Overhead sensors track high-trajectory shots from 40, 50, 60+ yards. Your ball doesn’t need to hit the screen—the sensors capture everything. This means you can practice delicate pitch shots.
Touchscreen yardage selection lets you dial in exact distances. Want to practice 87-yard approaches? Done. 143 yards to a back pin? Set it up.
NEXT technology measures every metric that matters:
- Launch angle (controls trajectory)
- Back spin (affects stopping power)
- Side spin (reveals draw/fade tendencies)
- Carry distance (how far the ball flies)
- Ball speed and smash factor (energy transfer efficiency)
Realistic lies let you practice from rough and bunkers—conditions a flat range mat can’t replicate.
And you can play actual holes. When you face a 145-yard approach over water on Bay Hill’s 17th in the simulator, you learn to manage pressure. That translates to your home course.
New to simulator golf? Check out our first-time visitor guide to know what to expect.
The Fastest Path to Lower Scores
Improving your approach shots doesn’t require a swing overhaul.
It requires better decisions:
- Know your real distances
- Aim at the center of the green
- Adjust for lie, wind, and elevation
- Commit to the shot
- Practice with purpose
And it requires realistic practice. The kind where you face actual yardages, actual lies, and get actual feedback.
X-Golf Frisco gives you that environment. Proprietary sensor technology. 52 world-class courses. Instant feedback on every shot.
Stop guessing on your approaches. Start practicing with precision.
Book a bay at X-Golf Frisco and start hitting more greens.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I improve my approach shots?
Know your actual club distances, aim at the center of the green instead of pins, adjust for lie and wind, and practice with specific targets. Most improvement comes from better decisions, not swing changes. If you’re new to golf, our golf tips for beginners covers the fundamentals.
What club should I use for approach shots?
It depends on distance. Wedges for under 100 yards, short irons (9, 8, 7) for 100-160 yards, mid-irons or hybrids for longer approaches. The key is knowing YOUR stock yardage for each club.
Why do I always come up short on approach shots?
Two reasons: overestimating how far you hit each club (you remember best shots, not average), and using yardage to the pin instead of back of green. Using back yardage for club selection fixes this.
How do I practice approach shots effectively?
Structure your range time. Pick specific targets, track results, focus on approach clubs (wedges through 7-iron). Golf simulators add realistic lies and precise feedback you can’t get on a range.
What’s the most important factor in approach shots?
Distance control. Knowing exactly how far each club goes—and adjusting for conditions—matters more than perfect swing mechanics. A proper grip and fundamentals help, but decision-making is king.
Ready to improve your approach game? X-Golf Frisco combines proprietary sensor technology with world-class course graphics for the most realistic practice available. Book your bay today and start hitting more greens.
