dial in for the day

▶ Elevation is a big factor in how far the ball carries, but humidity, temperature and how well you’re swinging on a given day also are important. If your irons are flying five metres less than normal, you need to recognise that ASAP and adjust. My trick was for my first few solid approaches, I always paced my pitch mark to a distance I knew for certain, like the flagstick or front of the green. That let me know if I needed to modify my usual carry distances for the rest of the round.