Short-siding occurs when your approach shot ends up on the side of the green closest to the pin, leaving very little green to work with for your next shot. This is a bad situation because it limits your options, increases difficulty, and often results in higher scores. Here’s a detailed but simple explanation of why short-siding yourself is problematic:
5 Minute Read
Why Short-Siding Yourself in Golf is a Really Really Bad Thing
1. Limited Green to Work With
What Happens: When the pin is close to the edge of the green and your ball lands near that same edge, you don’t have much room to stop the ball near the hole.
Why It’s Bad: Short shots (like chips or pitches) require space to land and roll. With limited green, it’s much harder to control the ball's distance, leading to more missed opportunities.
2. Higher Chance of Leaving it Short or Overhitting
What Happens: To avoid hitting the ball too far, you may decelerate your swing and leave the ball short. Alternatively, trying to compensate can lead to overhitting the ball past the hole or even off the green.
Why It’s Bad: This creates pressure, and mistakes multiply quickly. You’re more likely to walk away with a bogey or worse.
3. Increased Difficulty of Up-and-Downs
What Happens: Short-sided lies often require precise, high-lofted shots (like flop shots) to land the ball softly near the hole.
Why It’s Bad: These shots are high-risk, especially from challenging lies like thick rough, bunkers, or tight lies. Even professional golfers struggle with these scenarios, making it even harder for amateurs to save par.
Mark Broadie, a leading golf statistician, introduced the "Short-Sided Index" (SSI) to quantify the difficulty of short-sided shots. The SSI ranges from 0 (manageable) to 1 (extremely challenging). On the PGA Tour, the average SSI is 0.48. When the SSI reaches 0.9, professionals require an average of 3.06 strokes to hole out from around the green. In contrast, with an SSI of 0.5, they need approximately 2.72 strokes. This data underscores the added difficulty and potential for higher scores when short-sided.
Short-sided scenarios often necessitate high-lofted, precise shots to stop the ball quickly on the green. Even for PGA Tour players, the success rate of getting up-and-down diminishes significantly in these situations. The limited green to work with increases the complexity of the shot, leading to more frequent bogeys or worse.
4. Limits Your Margin for Error
What Happens: Short-siding gives you no room for minor mistakes. A slightly mishit chip or pitch will often result in the ball finishing far from the hole.
Why It’s Bad: Golf is a game of minimizing mistakes. Short-siding yourself takes away your ability to recover easily and puts unnecessary pressure on your short game
5. Increases Stress and Frustration
What Happens: Repeatedly short-siding yourself can make you feel like you’re constantly scrambling to save par.
Why It’s Bad: This affects your confidence and leads to mental fatigue, which can hurt the rest of your game.
Example Scenario
Imagine you’re playing a par 4 where the pin is tucked on the right edge of the green. If you miss your approach shot to the right, you’re short-sided with little green between you and the hole.
You now need to hit a precise chip or pitch shot over a bunker, land it softly, and stop it near the hole. This is far more difficult than if you had aimed for the center of the green, leaving yourself a longer but more manageable putt.
Golf strategy experts, such as Scott Fawcett of the DECADE system, emphasize the importance of avoiding short-sided misses. By aiming for the "fat side" of the green, golfers can mitigate the risks associated with short-siding. This approach leverages statistical analysis to inform decision-making, reducing the likelihood of difficult recovery shots and improving overall scoring consistency.
How to Avoid Short-Siding Yourself
Aim for the Safe Side: Target the middle of the green or a larger area with more room, even if it means leaving a longer putt.
Understand Pin Positions: Pay attention to where the flag is located and adjust your strategy to avoid missing on the short side.
Focus on Distance Control: Ensure your approach shots don’t go past the green entirely or leave you in awkward short-sided positions.
Final Thoughts
Short-siding yourself is one of the quickest ways to add strokes to your score. By playing smart and aiming for safer areas of the green, you give yourself more manageable shots and reduce the chances of big numbers.
The statistical evidence highlights the challenges and potential scoring penalties associated with short-siding oneself in golf. By understanding these implications and adopting strategic approaches to avoid short-sided situations, golfers can enhance their performance and lower their scores.
Remember, in golf, strategy and minimizing mistakes are just as important as hitting great shot