It’s Pebble Beach week on the PGA Tour, which is fun because we get to see the world’s best players hit golf shots up and down the cliffs of the Monterey Peninsula.
Shots like this…
…and this…
…and this, from Pebble Beach’s neighboring Spyglass Hill.
The thing is, these shots are cool, but they’re also tricky. It’s hard to hit your golf ball the exact distance you want on a perfectly flat surface, let alone when you’re navigating huge uphill or downhill slopes.
Luckily there’s a general rule which makes the task of navigating elevation changes easier. And it’s one we covered in our latest episode of Golf Digest’s The Game Plan, which you can watch right here (or below).
The 1-to-1 Rule
The one-to-one rule is actually pretty simple, and it comes from some research from TrackMan: The one-to-one rule basically means that you add or subtract one yard for every one yard your ball is above or below you.
So, let’s say on a flat surface you carry your 7-iron 160 yards…
- If the green is 10 yards above you, you subtract 10 yards from your standard, so your 7-iron will now carry 150 yards.
- If the green is 10 yards below you, you add 10 yards to your standard, so your 7-iron will now carry 170 yards.
The simple reason is that the more the green is below you, the more the ball will hang in the air and therefore, the farther it’ll go. Vice versa when the green is above you—the ball has less time to fly through the air.
Again, pretty simple. Eyeball the elevation change, then add or subtract that from your stock yardage. Maybe it’ll help get your ball a little closer.
And once again, you can learn more about this stuff in our recent episode of Golf Digest’s Game Plan:
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com