You Are Making This Mistake Every Golf Shot
G'day golfers.
Alright, 150 metres right on. That is my 7-iron. Away I go.
That right there is what I see nearly every amateur do when I play with them. They pull the buggy up, look at their watch or laser, see 150 metres, grab a club, and hit it.
The problem? They haven't factored in a single thing to do with the current day's conditions.
I see this all the time, and I will be honest, it annoys the absolute shit out of me as a golf pro. I sit there watching an amateur hit an amazing golf shot with a beautiful swing, only to watch the ball sail all the way over the green and into the rubbish at the back. Why? Because they didn't factor in the 20 metres of breeze behind them. Or they come up 20 metres short into a bunker because they ignored a headwind.
It is incredibly frustrating. The hardest thing to do in golf is to actually hit a good golf shot. The easiest thing to do is to make a better plan about what might happen after you hit it.
ASK A BETTER QUESTION
When you are trying to assess the environment, you need to ask yourself one simple question: What do I think is going to happen after I hit this shot?
This means reading the lie, reading the wind, and reading what the ball will do when it hits the ground. Is it going to run? Is it going to kick left or right?
Let me walk you through exactly how I do this on the course.
RISK ASSESSMENT
On the third hole at my home course, the first thing I do is figure out where I absolutely cannot go. There is water left, bunkers left, and long left is dead.
Because it is an approach shot, I imagine crosshairs over the green, like a Google Maps view from above. I break it into quadrants. I cannot go front-left, back-left, or back-right. The only safe quadrant is front-right.
Happy days, the pin happens to be front-right today. But I am not aiming at the pin. I am aiming at the safe front-right section of the green. Thank the greenkeeper for a kind placement today, because back-left would be a nightmare.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Now that the target area is sorted, I look at the conditions.
Wind: It is helping me by about 5 metres and blowing right to left. So instead of 150 metres, this shot is playing about 140 metres.
Ground: It is very soft out there today. The ball is going to stop fast and probably only roll a couple of metres. It is not going to run left or right.
THE PLAN AND THE ACT
Next is the planning part. What club? Where do I aim? What technique?
Club: 8-iron
Technique: Full swing
Aim: Just right of the flag to allow for the breeze
When I step up to the tee box, I make sure I tee my ball up on the left-hand side. You always want to tee up on the side of the trouble and hit away from it. It is a small thing, but it gives you a much greater percentage of shots that stay out of the water on the left.
THE REVIEW
I went through my routine, lined the club face up, checked my position, looked at the target, and swung.
It was a solid shot. It started just right, the wind brought it back left of the flag, and it landed pin high. I was very happy with it.
More importantly, hitting that shot and reviewing it told me my wind prediction was spot on. That information is pure gold. It helps me for the next hole, and in fact for the rest of the round. Reading the current conditions and seeing how they change as the day goes along is how you actually shoot lower scores.
Stop playing golf like a robot with a laser. Start reading the environment, make a proper plan, and watch your scores drop.
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The Gold Coast offers a range of options including Emerald Lakes, Palm Meadows, Hope Island, Southport, and Coolangatta-Tweed. Paul Williamson provides personalised on-course coaching that goes beyond traditional lessons, covering skills, strategy, and mental game in real playing conditions.
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One-hour lessons provide quick tips but rarely translate under course conditions. Paul’s on-course coaching uses 9-hole assessments to build a tailored plan that actually drops strokes from your scorecard.
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Paul Williamson, a PGA Professional with 30+ years’ experience, provides personalised on-course coaching at courses around Carrara, Hope Island, Robina, Southport, Coolangatta-Tweed, and the broader Gold Coast.
