The greens at Pebble Beach Golf Links are the smallest that players will face on the PGA Tour this year, averaging less than 3,500 square feet in area. That’s nearly half the PGA Tour average of 6,000 sq. ft. per green. Hitting such tiny targets will put a premium on the iron game at this week’s U.S. Open and as Titleist staff member Skip Guss tells us in this video, the key to strong iron play is controlling trajectory.
Being able to flight the ball high or low is critical for playing in the wind, which can gust upwards of 30-40 mph at Pebble Beach. But trajectory control is important even in calm conditions, as this skill is a key to hitting your irons precise distances. Even if you push or pull an approach shot slightly, if you’re hitting your irons predictable distances, you’re going to hit a lot of greens. And you’re going to have a lot of good looks at birdie.
The next time you play, try to alter the height of your iron shots using Skip’s three keys – Setup, Arms and Eyes. Let us know if this helps you to attack a few more pins!