Good Miss
Also known as: miss it here, acceptable miss
A good miss is the preferred side to miss on a given shot — the direction or location where an error results in the easiest recovery or least damage.
Every golf hole has a "wrong miss" (water, deep rough, tree, bunker with no shot) and a "good miss" (open fairway, collection area, bail-out zone). Knowing and intentionally playing toward the good-miss side is what distinguishes experience from technique. A player might aim at the right edge of a green knowing their miss pattern is left, so a pulled shot still finds the green. The concept works at every level: where can I miss that still gives me a chance? That is where you should aim.
Example
A player with a bunker right and open fairway left aims at the left side of the green knowing their tendency is to push — the "push" here is the good miss, staying short of the bunker.
Related terms
- Course ManagementCourse management is the decision-making strategy for where to aim, which club to use, and how to play each hole to minimize risk and score effectively relative to your skills.
- DispersionDispersion is how spread out your shots are, plotted as a pattern. A tight dispersion means repeatable contact; a wide one signals inconsistency in face, path, or strike.
- Club SelectionClub selection is choosing the right club for each shot based on real carry distance, lie, wind, elevation, and hazard placement — one of the highest-impact decisions in scoring.
Related guides & benchmarks
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