Your favourite yardage may be costing you shots
Laying up to a comfortable full wedge feels sensible. Shot Scope’s analysis challenges that comfort: golfers generally finish closer to the pin when their approach starts nearer the green. A familiar swing does not automatically outweigh extra distance. Before leaving yourself your favourite number, ask whether you are choosing better results—or simply a shot you prefer.
How to separate a comfortable lay-up from a costly one
An analysis commissioned from Shot Scope found a striking comparison: golfers’ average proximity from 50 yards in the rough matched that from 80 yards in the fairway. A better lie could be offset by the extra distance. These are group averages, but they challenge the assumption that a tidy full shot must produce a better next result.
The decision still begins with the shot needed to get there. If pushing farther brings water, out of bounds or a club you cannot use reliably into play, the extra distance has a price. The sensible comparison is between the likely outcomes of both routes, including their misses—not simply between the two approach shots you hope to leave.
To test your preferred number, compare your ordinary results from shorter approaches with those from your favourite full-wedge distance. Include the shots that finish well away from the flag. If the closer shots usually finish nearer, leaving extra distance for comfort needs a stronger reason. A dangerous route can justify laying back; familiarity with a particular yardage alone may not.