No one plans to hit it in the woods. But the best golfers can turn disasters into manageable bogeys, while everyone else turns into snowmen. What’s the difference? They don’t see master recovery shots as desperate scrambles; they see them as chances to show off their skills. One bad choice in a hurry can cost you three strokes. One smart move saves two.

This is what tour players work on because it’s more important than hitting range balls. Let’s go over some tips for improving the master recovery shot that Tour players use to avoid mistakes. Interestingly, the first mistake happens before you even pick a club.

1. Walk slowly, think openly

When you walk to your ball, keep your club in the bag. If you grab a wedge first, your brain only sees wedge shots. You might need a driver to stay below branches or a hybrid to punch through a hole. Your mind focuses on the club you have and ignores better choices.

You can find out where the club bottoms out by taking practice swings on uneven lies. This tells you exactly where to put the ball. A lie on a hill? The club hits the ground earlier. Going down? It makes contact with the ground later in the swing arc. You have to do these practice swings; they’re your guide for where to put the ball.

When you’re under pressure to move quickly, moving slowly keeps your mind sharp. Players on tour never hurry to their ball when it’s in trouble. They look at the lie, check all the ways they can get out of it, and only then choose their club. In recovery situations, speed kills scores.

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But finding an opening is only half the battle.

2. Scout the danger zones first

You found a way to move the ball forward. Great! But what is on the other side of that opening? Look for bunkers behind the green, water long of where you land, or rough on the other side of the fairway. Most amateurs only think about their next target and don’t think about what will happen if they hit it clean.

Before hitting a shot, LPGA pros always plan out the trouble along their line. If there’s a creek behind the green and you’re thinking, “just get this short,” you should know that. A master recovery shot that comes out hot and rolls into worse trouble costs two strokes instead of saving one.

Don’t just look at the hole; look in all directions. Sometimes the best move is to go sideways or even backwards to the biggest opening. You might want to move the ball forward, but your scorecard says you need to be in the fairway. If you catch it clean or if the shot comes out hotter than you planned, you should know what’s waiting.

Once you know where you’re going, setup determines everything.

3. Set up for control, not distance

The position of the ball has more of an effect on the trajectory than the choice of club. Put the ball inside your back foot and push your hands forward toward your lead leg for low runners under branches. This naturally lowers the club’s loft and ensures it launches low. If you move the ball forward, you’ll add loft, which is the last thing you want under tree branches.

Instead of a wedge, use a 6-iron or 7-iron. The less loft, the less height. A hybrid works great for punch shots if you don’t have long irons. The most important thing is to find a club with the right loft for your needs, not to try to force a wedge to do something it wasn’t meant to do.

Use core rotation, not your arms, to swing to hip-high on both sides. This 50% power move keeps the ball low and gives you more control than full swings can on tight lies. You won’t be able to stop at 50% if you’re only using your arms and shoulders. You’ll keep going and hit the branches. You can control the finish position and keep the ball flight down by rotating your core.

Master recovery shots are what set weekend golfers apart from those who score consistently.

Here’s a bonus tip: think of the master recovery shot as a short game situation. Even if you have a 7-iron in your hands, follow your pitching routine. Choose a specific spot, take your practice swing, and fully commit to the shot you’ve chosen. Being unsure is worse than being committed to a smart plan.