A logical way to make more birdies is to simply have more birdie attempts. And the key to more attempts is to hit more greens in regulation.
To do this, aim at the center of the green rather than going for the flag.
Pro golfer Johnny Miller used this method of playing to the center of the greens after watching Jack Nicklaus win so many tournaments.
Do not fall for the thought that you must be 3 feet or less from the hole to score a birdie. Do you remember how many par and bogey putts you have made from 15 to 20 feet from the hole? You will make the same percentage of birdie putts from 15 feet that you made for pars and bogeys.
Rarely, do you have a putt from over 30 feet if your approach shot hits the center of the green.
Accepting the Conditions
Golf course conditions and the weather can play games with our minds.
We can’t control the conditions, but we can control how they affect us.
Gary Player made a point to say how he loves whatever green he was playing on at the time. If it was fast, he loved fast greens. If the greens had bent grass, he proclaimed he was at best on bent grass greens. If the greens were slow, that became his favorite green. He adjusted to the playing conditions instead of letting it get to him.
If you lost your concentration because of a plane flying over or somebody made a noise – you never had any concentration to begin with.
“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails,” William A. Ward said.
Every Chip is Different
No two chip shots are identical. There are too many factors for each shot to remain the same.
The lie of the ball is the No. 1 factor but the distance to the green, the distance to the cup, the size of the green, the slope of the green and the speed of the green all play factors.
With so many variables, the choice of shots and club usage changes with each chip. That’s why you must practice chipping from as many positions as your practice green allows.
