Stomping around in search of a sprinkler head that has “162” stamped on it is a complete waste of time. Before they invented the 150-yard marker, we used a formula that worked better than numbers. Determine what club you’d need to use — with $1,000 riding on it — to fly the ball over the green. You have to be honest with yourself: There’s $1,000 at stake, so you better not underclub. If that club is a 6-iron, simply take one club less — the 7-iron — and hit it firmly or softly depending on whether the hole is front, middle or back. The formula never fails. It also teaches you feel, touch and a sense for wind and elevation. One more thing: It’ll cut half an hour off your round.
-Jackie Burke
I commented (a little bitterly I admit) “I do not think it makes you better…just slower!”