To hit more greens, get your distance to the middle, then add eight yards

From 125 yards, a 15-handicapper hits the green less than half of the time—in fact, 39.5 percent from 125 to 150 yards, according to game-tracking system Arccos Golf. Most of those misses are short because golfers tend to overestimate how far they hit the ball, so even a decent shot is not just short of the hole, it's short of the green! Here’s a formula that will help you hit more greens with your irons.

Before selecting a club, determine the distance to the center of the green, then add eight yards. Why eight yards? Because 32 yards is a good estimate of average green depth, and we want to get you aiming for the back-third of the green to allow for a mis-hit. If you're playing a course with particularly small or large greens, adjust accordingly, but eight yards is a good rule. On this shot (above), I’ve established that it’s 125 yards to the center, so eight more makes it 133 yards. For most amateurs, that means clubbing up one from a pitching wedge or 9-iron.

This strategy gives you a much bigger margin for error—and a significantly better chance for a birdie putt. Let me explain. If I were to play this shot at 133 yards and slightly mis-hit it, I'd be in the middle of the green. The very back edge is 140 yards, so if I hit it just past my 133 number, I'd still have some green to play with. If I really goose one, I’m just off the back, which is usually much better than short. The distance to the front here is about 110 yards, so for me to come up short in the bunker or the water, I’d have to hit it 25 yards short of my number. That’s unlikely.

Try my advice next time you play. I bet you'll hit the green on shorter approaches more often.