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Why Distance Control Matters More Than Direction on Approach Shots

Photo by Lo Sarno on Unsplash Statistical analysis of amateur golf performance consistently reveals a counterintuitive finding: distance control errors on approach shots cost recreational golfers more strokes than directional errors, even though most golfers practice and worry about direction far more. The Statistical Pattern Shot-tracking data from systems used across recreational and competitive golf shows that amateur golfers are typically far more likely to miss an approach shot short or long of their intended distance than they are to miss significantly left or right of their intended line. A shot that's 15 yards short or long frequently finds trouble — a bunker, water, or simply a much longer subsequent putt — in a way that a shot 10 yards left or right of the pin, but still on the green, does not. Why This Happens Directional misses are usually caused by face-to-path errors, covered in our ball flight laws article , which tend to be relatively consistent for an individual g...
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Bryson DeChambeau at the 2026 US Open: Two-Time Champion Targets Shinnecock Hills

2 person walking on green grass field during daytime
Photo by Willdwind / William Martret on Unsplash

Bryson DeChambeau has won the US Open twice — at Winged Foot in 2020 and Pinehurst in 2024 — establishing himself as one of the most accomplished active players at this specific major championship. He arrives at Shinnecock Hills as a two-time champion with a game that has evolved significantly since his Winged Foot performance and with the motivation of a player who knows exactly what it takes to win the hardest major.

His Two US Open Victories

DeChambeau's 2020 US Open win at Winged Foot was built on power — he drove the ball past the rough on a course designed to make that impossible, effectively making Winged Foot play like a different course than the one everyone else was playing. His 2024 Pinehurst victory was a more nuanced performance, demonstrating that his game had matured beyond pure power into a more complete championship package. The evolution from Winged Foot to Pinehurst makes him a genuinely different and more complete player heading into Shinnecock.

Why Shinnecock Is Different

Shinnecock Hills presents a specific challenge for power hitters. The links-style layout, with its firm fairways and exposure to wind, does not reward driving the ball long to the same extent that parkland courses do. Balls that run out on firm Shinnecock fairways can run through into rough or into difficult lies. The emphasis on trajectory control — keeping the ball below the wind, landing approaches with the right angle to hold firm greens — is as important as distance. DeChambeau's game has the range to handle these demands, but Shinnecock is not a course where his power advantage is as decisive as it was at Winged Foot.

The Motivation

A third US Open title would put DeChambeau alone in second place on the all-time US Open wins list — behind only Willie Anderson, Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, and Jack Nicklaus with four. That context is not lost on a player who has consistently expressed his desire to be remembered among the game's greatest champions. Shinnecock Hills in 2026 is an opportunity to take a significant step toward that legacy.

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