Short-Sided VS Long-Sided Off The Green

Don’t give yourself the short end of the (flag)stick, literally… by being short-sided off the green. As a general rule of thumb it’s best for most amateur golfers to aim for the middle of the green on their approach shot. But golf being the infinitely difficult but deceptively simple sport that it is, means the ball doesn’t always go where we would like it to. 

If there is a "short side" on the green (if the pin is near or in the middle, there is no short side), it means the hole is placed closer to one edge of the green. If the pin is closer to the left edge, the left side of the green and area left of the green is the ‘short side’. If the hole is closer to the right edge, the right side of the green and area right of the green is the short side.

If someone says a shot is short-sided, it has missed the green to that side. 

A short-sided approach shot is usually considered a negative result, because it means you don't have much room on the green before your ball will roll past the flagstick. Making it harder to land and stop your ball to leave yourself with a short putt. A short-sided approach shot often leads to the follow-up shot rolling well past the hole, and a lengthy putt or two or three after that.

Lou Stagner discusses the details of how this position is affecting you during your rounds. Spoiler alert: attempting to shave off strokes by pin-seeking tight pins isn’t likely to help you improve your scores…

Lou discusses how the elements like wind, slop and elevation add up to lost strokes during your round. Additionally, terrain and club choice makes a big difference for most players. Watch the video for more data insights from Golf Today: Manage Your Expectations. 

If you aren’t already tracking your on-course performance with Arccos, get started today with our Arccos Starter Bundle. It’s the most seamless way to dive into your own performance data to pinpoint exactly what you should be working on to make the most impact on your scores.