Hole Breakdowns  ›  Uphill Approach
Hole breakdown #7

Uphill Approach: The Yardage Adjustment Golfers Forget

Uphill shots die short into the same front bunker, round after round. The fix is one club and some honesty.

Hole type · Uphill approach

“The one you always leave short.”

⛰ Green sits well above you
⛱ Front bunker / false front waiting
● Smart target: +1 club, center / back
✕ Common miss: play the flat number, come up short
The mistake

Clubbing for the raw yardage on an uphill approach, then coming up short into the front bunker or false front, again and again.

The math

Uphill plays longer. A rough guide: about one extra club per ~15 feet of elevation gain. Ignore it and you're short-sided all day.

The correct target

Add the elevation, then aim for the center/back of the green. Being pin-high beats being short every time on an uphill shot.

Strokes saved

≈ 0.3-0.4 strokes per hole by taking enough club to actually get there.

“Uphill plays long. Add a club and aim past the flag.”

Strokes-saved figures are approximate, based on expected-value (strokes-gained) course management for a mid-handicap golfer (roughly 8-18). These are real ranges, not guarantees.

More hole breakdowns

Downhill, Downwind Par 3 OB Right? Aim Left and Give Yourself Room The Tucked Pin Reachable Par 5 The Long Par 3 The Tight Par 4
The rest of the picture

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