How to Hit an Approach Shot in Golf

Hitting a crisp iron shot that soars toward the flagstick and lands softly on the green is one of the most satisfying feelings in golf. We've all seen pros do it, and it feels like they have the ball on a string. The good news is you don't need a tour-level swing to hit great approach shots. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to make that satisfying feeling a common part of your game, covering everything from your pre-shot strategy to the fine art of distance control.

Get Your Mind Right: Think Beyond Just Hitting the Green

The first step to a better approach shot happens before you even pull a club. It’s a mental shift. Most amateur golfers see the flag and have one thought: "hit it at the pin." Elite players, however, are thinking about their miss. They aren't trying to hit a perfect shot every time, they are trying to eliminate the disastrous one.

Here’s the thought process to adopt:

• Where is the trouble? Look at what’s around the green. Is there a deep bunker on the right? Water on the left? A steep slope that will repel a slightly offline shot? Your primary goal is to take the big trouble out of play.
• Play for the Middle of the Green: Ben Hogan famously said, "The most important shot in golf is the next one." If the pin is tucked in a dangerous spot, aiming for the center of the green is almost always the smarter play. A 20-foot putt from the middle is far better than a bunker shot or a drop. Make the "safe" shot your default strategy.
• Earn the Right to Be Aggressive: Does this mean you never attack a pin? Of course not. If you have a wedge in your hand, the pin is in the middle of the green, and you're feeling confident, go for it! But when the risk is high, dial it back. Smart golf is good golf.

The Pre-Shot Routine: Your Blueprint for Consistency

If you watch the pros, you'll see every single one of them has a consistent pre-shot routine. It's not superstition, it's a a process that prepares them physically and mentally to hit a good shot. Your routine doesn't need to be long or complicated, but it does need to be consistent. Here are the building blocks.

1. Gather Your Intel

Before you even think about club selection, you’re a detective gathering clues. You need a few key pieces of information:

• The Exact Yardage: Use a rangefinder or GPS to get the number to the flagstick. But don't stop there. Get the number to the front edge and the back edge of the green. This tells you how much room for error you have. Is the pin far back? You might need more club. Is it a "front sucker pin"? Be careful you fly it far enough.
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• The Lie: How is your ball sitting? In the fairway, it’s a green light. In the rough? You need to consider how the grass will affect the shot - it tends to reduce spin and can "grab" the hosel, pulling the shot left. An uphill lie will add loft (shorter distance, flies higher), while a downhill lie will deloft the club (longer distance, flies lower).
• The Wind and Elevation: Is the wind helping, hurting, or coming from the side? Is the shot uphill or downhill? An old rule of thumb is to add one club for every 10 MPH of hurt wind and one for every 15 feet of elevation gain. This is just a starting point, but it's important to factor it in.

2. Choose Your Weapon Wisely

With all your intel gathered, now you can make an informed decision on your club. Most amateurs make the mistake of choosing a club that requires a *perfect* swing to get to the hole. That’s a recipe for coming up short.

Instead, choose the club that gets there with a smooth, easy swing. An 80% swing with a 7-iron is almost always more accurate and consistent than trying to muscle an 8-iron. More often than not, this means taking one more club than you initially think. Trust me on this one. It's better to be putting from the back of the green than chipping from the front.

3. Pick a Precise Target and Align

Now that you have your club, don't just aim at the "green." Pick a small, specific target. It could be a tree branch behind the green, a particular spot on the fringe, or a single blade of grass a few feet in front of your ball that's on your target line. This focuses your mind.

Go through this simple alignment process:

1. Stand behind the ball and pick your ultra-specific target.
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2. Find an intermediate target a few feet in front of your ball on that same line.
3. Walk up to your ball, setting the clubface down first, aiming it squarely at your intermediate target.
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4. Once the clubface is set, build your stance around it, making your feet, hips, and shoulders parallel to the target line.

This method of aiming the clubface first prevents you from setting your body up aimed at the target and then having to swing unnaturally to get the ball there.

Setting Up for a Pure Iron Strike

Your setup provides the foundation for the swing itself. It puts you in a balanced, athletic position to rotate and make a solid strike. For a standard iron shot.

• Ball Position: For a mid-iron like a 7 or 8-iron, the ball should be in the center of your stance. If you put a club across your chest, it should point right at the ball. For shorter irons, the ball might be a fraction behind center, for longer irons, a fraction forward. But middle is your home base.
• Stance Width: Your feet should be about shoulder-width apart. This gives you a stable base that lets your hips and shoulders rotate freely without making you feel stuck.
• Posture: Stand tall, then bow forward from your hips, not your waist. Your spine should stay relatively straight as you tilt, pushing your rear end back slightly. Let your arms hang down naturally from your shoulders. This is the spot where you should grip the club. There shouldn't be any tension or reaching.
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• Weight Distribution: For a stock shot on flat ground, your weight should be balanced 50/50 between your feet. You should feel centered and ready for action.

The Approach Swing: Controlled Power, Not Brute Force

Here’s where it all comes together. The golf swing can get very complex, but for iron shots, let's keep the thoughts simple and effective.

Focus on Rhythym not on Force

Just like in your club selection, the goal here is not raw power - it’s solid contact and control. Many great approach shots are hit with what feels like a 75-80% swing. When you swing within yourself, your tempo improves, your mechanics stay synched, and you’re far more likely to find the center of the clubface. Let the club do the work!

The Engine: Rotate Your Body

Inconsistent iron shots often come from an "armsy" swing where the player lifts the club and chops down at it. A powerful, consistent swing is powered by the rotation of your large muscles - your core and your hips.

On the backswing, think of turning your chest and shoulders away from the target. Feel like you are coiling a spring. As you start the downswing, your thought should be to un coil that spring. Let your hips and torso lead the way, and your arms will naturally follow, dropping the club into a great position to strike the ball.

Strike It Pure: The Downswing Impact

The secret to that "compressed" iron shot sound is hitting the ball first, then the turf. This is called creating a descending blow. The key to doing this is a small weight shift as you start your downswing. As you unwind your body, let your weight shift slightly toward your lead foot. This moves the “low point” of your swing to be in front of the ball, not behind it. You don't need to try to "hit down" or "dig." A proper turn and weight shift will take care of it for you, pinching the ball between the clubface and the ground.

Hold Your Finish

Your finishing position is a great indicator of how balanced your swing was. After impact, continue to rotate your body all the way through until your chest and belt buckle are facing the target. Your weight should be almost entirely on your lead foot, and your back heel should be off the ground. Try to hold this balanced position until your ball lands. It not only looks good, it proves you made a full, committed swing.

Stop Guessing: How to Master Your Distances

The difference between a 30-foot putt and a 5-foot putt is precise distance control. This is a skill you develop with intentional practice.

The Clock System for Your Wedges

For shots inside 100 yards, you can create a simple system for hitting different yardages with the same few wedges. Imagine your body is a clock face, with your head at 12 and your feet at 6.

• Take your pitching wedge and make swings where your lead arm only goes back to 9 o'clock. Hit 10-15 balls and see how far they go on average. That's your 9 o'clock distance.
• Now do the same, but take your arm back to 10:30. This will be a longer shot. Note that distance.
• Finally, hit some full swings.
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Do this with your sand wedge and gap wedge too. Suddenly, you'll have specific yardages for three different swings with three different clubs - giving you options to dial in any number you face on the course.

Final Thoughts

Improving your iron play boils down to a clear process. It starts with a smart pre-shot strategy, builds on a solid foundation with your setup and alignment, and finishes with a balanced, rotation-driven swing. Focus on smooth rhythm over raw power and practice your distances, and you’ll start seeing your approach shots settling much closer to the pin.

Getting your process right builds confidence, but sometimes you're still stuck between clubs or facing a tricky lie under pressure. We designed our app, Caddie AI, to be your on-course partner for these moments. It provides instant club recommendations and smart strategies on where to aim on the green, and you can even snap a photo of a tough lie for analysis on the best way to play it. Caddie helps take the uncertainty out of those critical decisions, so you can commit to every swing and play with more confidence.