We might hit every green in the statute, but unfortunately, it simply isn’t possible. Heck, even the best player in the world won’t hit Each Green. In 2025, the average GIR percentage of the PGA Tour is less than 66%, meaning that even the best people find themselves competing for themselves for about a third of their time.
When you think about it this way, it’s obvious why short games are so important. Golf is not a perfect game, so it is crucial to learn how to recover from mistakes.
The lack of green in regulations is one of the most common mistakes golfers can make, but it’s easy to correct it if you have solid short games. If you can get up on a decent cut, the lack of green greens won’t hurt your scorecard much.
In the video below, golf teacher watches Parker McLachlin (aka Short Game Chef), explaining an easy way to improve your short game by fixing bugs in takeout.
Solve this takeaway error
When I had a class with McLachlin at the Top 100 Golf Teachers Summit last winter, a concept he explained continued to stick to me. With the short game footage, there are two distinct technical series. One is pitch and debris movement, similar to putting stroke, the other is flop and bunker movement, involving more wrist movements.
For many of the shots we face around the green, pitching and shattering are all about getting the ball close. To execute the lens correctly, all you need to do is focus on shaking your shoulders back and forth, like a putter.
This can be difficult for many casual players. They are not what they are used to when shooting around the green.
That’s why the video above McLachlin is so helpful. To achieve those “quiet wrists”, all you need to do is focus on your takeaway.
“I want to feel low-key in this takeaway range,” he said. “I don’t want to feel vertical and narrow.”
By putting the club back in a low and wide position, you will force yourself to keep your wrists quiet and lower the attack angle. This way, you are protecting the cutting edges digging to the ground and causing fire.
“But I took this thing away, and that’s almost how I’m sending it into the ball,” McLacklin said.
By mastering this low and wide takeaway, you will quickly improve the short race, further lowering and earning lower scores.
