4
Approach play
Hitting it closer obviously helps your birdie chances [Cantlay ranked 6th on approaches from 150-175 yards last year, and 2nd from 175-200 yards]. If you’re hitting it even only a foot or two feet closer than other players from that sort of range with, say, a 6-iron, that may not sound much, but over the course of a season, statistically it’s been shown to make a difference.
Practice drills
I like to do a drill where I hit my own balls with two shag bags set out down the range ten yards apart, working on moving the ball from one to the other but never outside the other bag. For example, when hitting to the right bag, I am hitting cuts that I aim to never land right of the bag. I do this at various ranges and move the bags further away as my practice progresses.
If it’s a back-right pin, I would be looking to move the ball in from left to right – if you don’t move it much, you’re still on the green and if it fades, you’re close. You don’t want to be moving it the other way to such a pin as that brings danger into play. Similarly, for a back-left pin I would want to shape it in the other way.