One of Golf Digest’s Best Teachers in Texas and GOLFTEC Houston Regional Manager, Doug Strawbridge, shares an easy approach you can take with you on the course to better attack any golf shot

By Sabrina Naccarato

A lot of golfers spend a good chunk of time dialing in their game on the driving range before they hit the course just to stand over their shot and almost forget everything they know about swinging a golf club. Whether it’s the pressures of the golf course or other unknown factors, approaching a shot without a game plan can lead to some disastrous outcomes. That’s exactly why GOLFTEC’s Doug Strawbridge believes the P.A.R. approach is the best way to attack any golf shot.

P.A.R. stands for preparation, action, and response and we’re going to dive into how each of these terms can help you execute a better golf shot during your round.

Preperation

Preparation always begins with understanding the distance you want to hit. In most cases, Strawbridge recommends using a range finder to gauge your distance to your target. The next step in this stage is to analyze the conditions- what type of lie is your ball in, is there wind, are you hitting off of an upslope, etc. Taking all of these things into consideration will help you determine the final step- selecting your target. It’s always a good reminder to keep in mind what type of trouble might be around your target and aim for an end target that will result in the best possible outcome.

Action

At this point, all of your decisions have been made and you’re ready to make your swing. However, at this stage, you can take a practice swing, re-check your target, and really commit to the shot you decided to in the previous step.

Response

Now you’ve reached the final stage in the P.A.R. approach, the response. You’ve hit your shot and now you get to evaluate the shot. The first thing to look at is if you’ve made good contact with the ball. Then you can look at how the ball took off, if your starting direction was as you intended, and if there was any curve to the ball. By taking all of this into consideration, you don’t need to make any adjustments in your next shot, but you’re just aware of if any patterns are present in your shots.

If you take the P.A.R. approach with you the next time you hit the golf course, there’s a good chance you’ll start to feel more comfortable over the ball and there’s even a possibility by using the P.A.R. approach, you’ll start to see more pars on your scorecard as well.


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