The 5 Best Shots for Average Golfers to Lower Scores: Data-Driven Practice Priorities and Expert Tips

Many average golfers grind through hours of practice only to find their scores barely budge. The common mistake? Treating every shot equally and missing the chance to focus where it counts most. Prioritizing the right shots based on data can unlock faster scoring improvements.

Thanks to Shot Scope’s stats and insights shared by Howard Boylan in Golf Monthly, we know which five shots deliver the biggest impact on scoring for typical golfers. This article breaks down each, highlighting common errors and precise, step-by-step fixes you can work on at the range today.

Quick Tip: The 5 Best Shots to Lower Your Scores

• Hit more fairways off the tee with a controlled, lower driver setup.
• Improve long approaches (150-200 yards) by shifting weight forward and striking down.
• Sharpen pitching inside 75 yards with stance and ball position adjustments.
• Master lag putting with consistent tempo and face control drills.
• Drain more short putts (3-6 feet) by aligning your putter and ball using marked lines.

1. Fairway-Finder Off the Tee

The Mistake

Many amateurs miss fairways because they swing too hard and lose control, leading to penalty areas or difficult lies. Trying to hit the ball too high off the tee also reduces roll and control.

Why It Happens

Amateurs often tee the ball high, grip the driver at full length, and adopt a wide stance encouraging a long backswing and aggressive swing speed. This setup favors distance over accuracy, which hurts scoring.

The Fix

Adjust your driver setup to gain control and hit more fairways:

1. Tee the ball lower: Position the ball so the top is level with the top of the clubhead or slightly higher. This promotes a lower ball flight with more roll.
2. Narrow your stance: Bring your feet closer together than usual to naturally shorten your backswing and improve balance.
3. Grip down the shaft: Hold the driver a bit lower on the grip to increase control over the clubface.
4. Swing at 75% effort: Focus on a smooth, controlled swing rather than full power to keep the ball in play.

Following these steps creates a repeatable swing that favors accuracy. Tour players like Jordan Spieth often emphasize control over distance when hitting drivers on tighter holes.

The Drill

At the range, practice hitting 10 balls with this lower tee setup and narrowed stance, aiming for a specific target fairway. Note how the ball flight drops and rolls more consistently.

2. The Long Approach Shot (150–200 Yards)

The Mistake

Average golfers often try to lift the ball into the air with long irons, causing weight to stay back and resulting in weak, inconsistent contact.

Why It Happens

This happens because the clubface looks flat at address, tempting players to scoop the ball instead of hitting down. Lack of forward weight transfer limits solid ball-turf contact.

The Fix

Learn to shift your weight properly for crisp strikes and higher greens in regulation:

1. Step back with your lead foot on the backswing: As you take the club away, move your left foot (for right-handers) slightly backward toward your trail foot to exaggerate weight shift.
2. Step forward with feet on the downswing: During the downswing, step your left foot toward the target, followed by your right foot, transferring weight forward.
3. Feel pressure on your back foot at takeaway: You want your weight to move to your back foot as the club moves away, then transfer forward as you swing through the ball.
4. Use hybrids or lofted fairway woods: These clubs are more forgiving and create higher ball flights, helping you reach greens easier while still applying the weight transfer technique.

Justin Thomas often uses this weight-shift method to produce consistent long iron shots that land softly on greens.

The Drill

Try the exaggerated step drill: at the range, step your lead foot backward on the backswing and forward on the downswing for 10 swings without hitting the ball. Then hit balls while maintaining that weight transfer feeling.

3. Pitch Shots Inside 75 Yards

The Mistake

Many golfers miss greens from this range due to poor strike and inconsistent distance control.

Why It Happens

Inconsistent ball position and stance width limit the ability to control trajectory and distance on pitch shots.

The Fix

Use ball and stance positioning to control height and distance:

1. Set ball centrally in your stance: For a standard pitch, place the ball roughly in the middle between your feet.
2. Narrow your stance: Keep your feet close together to promote a compact swing.
3. Hands slightly forward: Position your hands just ahead of the ball to encourage crisp contact.
4. Adjust ball position for trajectory: Move the ball forward in your stance for a higher shot; move it back for a lower ball flight.
5. Widen stance for longer shots: As you move the ball forward for longer pitches, spread your feet slightly wider to maintain balance.

Use a ladder drill to practice: hit shots with the same swing length but increase stance width gradually, hitting the ball farther each time. Repeat with different ball positions for a range of controlled pitches.

The Drill

Perform the ladder drill by hitting a series of pitch shots with gradually wider stances and varying ball positions to calibrate distance and trajectory control.

4. Long Approach Putts

The Mistake

Three-putts add unnecessary strokes. Many amateurs lack consistent speed control and often decelerate or accelerate through the ball.

Why It Happens

Inconsistent clubhead speed and off-center strikes lead to poor distance control on long putts.

The Fix

Develop a smooth, repeatable putting stroke:

1. Maintain constant clubhead speed: Swing with a steady tempo—don’t accelerate or decelerate through the stroke.
2. Use the leapfrog drill: Putt one ball a third of the distance, the next two thirds, and the last to the hole, keeping the same tempo but varying stroke length.
3. Strike the ball with the putter face center: Set up a tee gate slightly wider than your putter head and practice hitting putts through it to ensure centered contact.

Players like Jordan Spieth emphasize smooth tempo and face control to consistently lag putts close.

The Drill

Practice the leapfrog drill at the practice green, then add the tee gate to work on striking the center of the putter face.

5. Holing Out Inside Six Feet

The Mistake

Many golfers miss easy putts inside six feet, losing shots that should be made.

Why It Happens

Poor alignment of the putter face and ball leads to off-line starts and missed opportunities.

The Fix

Use alignment aids on the ball and putter:

1. Mark a line on the ball: Aim the line toward your target to help start the ball on line.
2. Align the putter face to the ball’s line: Position the putter so the face is square to the marked line.
3. Check for square contact: If the line on the ball wobbles after the putt, you likely struck it off-center. Use this feedback to improve your stroke.

This technique, popularized by many pros and even noted during the BMW PGA Championship, helps golfers start putts on the intended line with solid speed.

The Drill

Mark lines on several balls and practice putting them along a straight target line, focusing on aligning the putter face and making solid contact.

Putting It All Together: The Ultimate Practice Drill

To integrate these five shots, create a practice routine where you rotate through each shot type:

1. Start hitting 5 fairway-finders with the controlled driver setup.
2. Move to 10 long approach shots focusing on weight shift.
3. Practice 10 pitch shots inside 75 yards using the ladder drill.
4. Spend 10 minutes on lag putting drills with the leapfrog and tee gate.
5. Finish with 10 short putts inside 6 feet, using alignment aids.

This focused, data-driven practice session targets the shots that will lower your scores fastest.

According to All The Golf, prioritizing these five shots based on Shot Scope’s data helps average golfers practice smarter, not just harder.

Why This Matters: Instead of wasting time on random swings, focusing on these shots produces measurable scoring gains. Understanding and practicing these key shots changes how you approach the range and the course.

What to Watch Next: Track your fairway hit percentage and greens in regulation in upcoming rounds to see improvement. Then, test your lag putting stats in your next rounds and keep refining your short game alignment. Your next handicap update will reveal if these focused changes are paying off. For a broader view, explore our coverage of golf tips and game improvement guides.

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