Jack Nicklaus is the greatest player to have ever graced the professional game, so it goes without saying that his advice regarding how to tackle ‘one of the toughest shots in golf’ should be grasped with both hands by amateur golfers looking to improve.
Nicklaus won everything there is to win in the game, with 73 PGA Tour victories including 18 major championships to his name.
The cornerstone of the Golden Bear’s success was his ability to avoid mistakes by playing precise, yet very simple, golf on the toughest of courses.
Nicklaus retired from playing competitively in 2004, but it’s still worth listening to any advice he may have to offer.
His golf tip regarding the 50-80 yard pitch shot back in the day was as brilliant as it was simple.
Jack Nicklaus’ advice to help amateurs master ‘one of the toughest shots in golf’
Nicklaus had an uncanny knack of making the most difficult shots in golf look easy.
When sharing advice during an old version of Golf Digest, Nicklaus explained how amateur golfers should go about trying to master the ‘in between’ shot so to speak.
The 18-time major winner once provided a very simple tip for when you’re not far enough away to hit a full shot, but aren’t close enough to play a chip shot either.
“Here’s a tip on one of the toughest shots in golf — the pitch of between 50-80 yards, the three-quarter wedge or half 9-iron,“ Nicklaus explained.
“You can choose to hit these shots hard or easy, but you should determine to hit them the same way every time. You’ll never get the proper ‘feel’ on these shots if you continually vary your swing power. I think most average golfers will get the best results from a firm-hitting style, because it lessens the tendency to quit on the shot.“
What Nicklaus is saying here is that amateur golfers need to hit every shot with a consistent speed and then vary the length of their swing, rather than the other way around.
Stats and data for amateur golfers from 100 yards and in
If you are to lower your handicap, you will need to improve upon those tricky shots from inside 100 yards.
Here are the averages for amateur golfers of all different levels from 100 yards and in.
| Handicap | Average proximity to the hole | Average shots to finish |
| 2 | 27ft | 3.1 |
| 8 | 34ft | 3.4 |
| 14 | 40ft | 3.7 |
| 20 | 48ft | 4.2 |
| 26 | 53ft | 4.5 |
Data provided by Shot Scope.
Even two-handicap golfers are not getting the ball up and down regularly.
If you go up to your local driving range and work on implementing Jack Nicklaus’ advice from the 50-100 yard range, there is every chance your handicap will come tumbling down.
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