Why Missing on the Right Side Can Save Your Golf Score

Missing on the correct side of the green is one of those overlooked details that can make or break your round. In amateur golf, many bad scores don’t come from bad swings, but from bad decisions. And a classic example of this? Missing the green on the wrong side while chasing the flag.

Let’s dive into a core course management concept: understanding the difference between the short side and the fat side — and why aiming for the larger, safer area of the green is usually the smarter play, even when it feels counterintuitive.

Understanding the Difference Between Short Side and Fat Side

Short side refers to the part of the green closest to the flag — in any direction. Missing here leaves you with:

• Very little green to work with
• Tighter landing areas
• A higher risk of going long or leaving it short
• The need for a high, soft, often risky shot to get close

Unless your short game is tour-level, this leads to more bogeys and double bogeys than you’d like to admit.

On the other hand, the fat side is the opposite — the side of the green furthest from the pin. It might seem conservative, but it’s strategic:

• You have more green to land on
• You get better angles for chips or putts
• Less pressure on your approach shot
• Fewer penalties for slight misses

Targeting this area consistently helps you stay in control, avoid big mistakes, and make more pars (and stress-free bogeys at worst).

Why Aiming for the Fat Side Improves Your Scores

It Significantly Reduces Risk

Playing to the short side demands perfection. Most golfers, even skilled ones, can’t deliver that consistently. By targeting the fat side, you eliminate those high-risk shots around the green that wreck your scorecard:

• Fewer tricky chips
• Less chance of ending up in deep bunkers
• Reduced bogeys from failed recovery shots

It Boosts Your GIR and Approach-Putt Stats

When you aim for the bigger part of the green, your chance of hitting it (Greens in Regulation — GIR) goes up. Even if your ball doesn’t land perfectly, you’re still often on or near the green with:

• Easier up-and-down opportunities
• More consistent putting distances
• Better outcomes overall, hole after hole

Statistically, this mindset improves your approach-putt numbers: fewer strokes wasted around the green.

Top Players Don’t Chase Pins

Case Study: Scottie Scheffler’s Approach

Take world-class player Scottie Scheffler as an example. One reason he dominates on the PGA Tour isn’t just raw power or putting magic. It’s strategic brilliance.

Scheffler rarely short-sides himself. Instead, he deliberately aims for:

• The center of the green
• Wide, safe zones
• Areas that leave uphill putts or easy chips

Yes, this sometimes leaves him with a 10-meter putt — but rarely a chip out of thick rough or a downhill flop shot under pressure. This translates into:

• Fewer scoring disasters
• More steady pars and birdie chances
• The kind of consistency that wins tournaments

Amateurs Can Learn from This

You don’t need Scheffler’s swing to apply this strategy. In fact, especially as an amateur, this tactic is more impactful for you. Remember: your goal isn’t to shoot 65 — it’s to avoid doubles and keep your card clean.

How to Apply This Strategy to Your Game

Choose Your Target Before Looking at the Flag

The key here is decision-making. Train yourself to plan your target before the flag seduces you. Use this checklist:

1. Where is the flag? Close to the edge?
2. Where’s the fat side? Where can I miss safely?
3. What point on the green gives me margin for error?
4. Am I OK with putting from 10 meters if it avoids trouble?

Use a “Par-Saver” Mentality

Think: “Where can I miss and still make par or bogey?” That shift alone will upgrade your game. Ask yourself:

• Where’s the danger?
• What’s the easiest zone to recover from?
• Can I make bogey here without stress?

Smart golf isn’t flashy — it’s intentional.

Real-World Scenarios to Practice

Par 3, bunker right next to the flag

Flag is tucked right near a deep bunker.

Bad play: go directly at the flag, land in bunker, tough up-and-down.

Smart play: aim left (fat side), leave a long putt or easy chip — walk off with a par or safe bogey.

Par 4, narrow green with steep back edge

Flag is back right, with little green behind and deep rough.

Bad play: hit long, go over the green, chip from a downhill lie — bogey likely.

Smart play: club down, aim for center-left. You might leave a longer putt, but you’ll be putting, not scrambling.

Train Yourself to Miss on the Safe Side

This isn’t about changing your swing — it’s about changing your mindset. During your next rounds:

• Note whether you missed on the safe or dangerous side
• Track how often a safe miss saved you
• Build a pre-shot routine focused on smart targets

Like any good habit, this takes repetition — but it pays off fast.

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Missing on the fat side isn’t defensive — it’s smart. It’s a strategy rooted in realism: understanding that most strokes are lost from bad decisions, not bad swings. The goal isn’t to hit every flag, but to make consistent, smart choices that lead to safer, cleaner rounds.

The best golf isn’t always about brilliance — it’s about avoiding disaster.

And once you embrace that, your scores (and your stress levels) will thank you.

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