WATCH GOLF. LEARN YOUR OWN DISTANCES.
Go for the green or lay up? A practice guide for The ANNIKA 2026
When a player faces a long approach, watch the decision as well as the shot. Then ask the useful question for your own game: what do my ordinary shots reach, and what happens when I miss?
This is an independent viewing and practice guide. The worked numbers below are invented teaching examples, not Pelican Golf Club measurements or player data.
The ANNIKA 2026: which dates count?
The LPGA tournament overview lists The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican for 12–15 November 2026 at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida. Those are the four competition days.
The event website’s schedule covers 11–15 November because it also includes the Wednesday pro-am on 11 November. Its first round is listed for Thursday 12 November.
For changes, tee times and viewing details, use the official LPGA event page and How to Watch page. This guide is a dated practice companion, not a live leaderboard, broadcast schedule or results service.
Watch the choice before the swing
The LPGA overview identifies the par-5 14th as its risk-reward hole. That makes a useful starting point for watching a long approach. The questions below are Golf Discovery’s learning exercise, not a report of how any player has played the hole.
- What must the ball carry? Look for the distance to clear trouble, not only the distance to the flag. A broadcast distance may describe a different point; do not assume it is a required carry.
- Where can an ordinary miss finish? Notice the available space short, long and to either side. A club that reaches the target with one perfect strike may not suit that landing area.
- What does a lay-up leave? A lay-up is a deliberate shot short of the green. Compare the space available for it and the next shot it creates, rather than treating every shorter shot as automatically safe.
- What is missing from the picture? Lie, wind, elevation and the player’s normal shot pattern affect the choice. If the broadcast does not establish them, leave them unknown.
Copy the questions, not a professional’s club choice. Without your own distances and shot pattern, another player’s decision cannot tell you which club to hit.
A worked example: 230 yards left, with a 200-yard carry to clear trouble
Illustration only: imagine a flat, straight hole, 230 yards from the ball to the target. Trouble on the direct route ends at 200 yards. These distances are not from The ANNIKA, and the drawing is not a course map.
- Ball
- 0 yd
- Lay-up stopping point
- 150 yd
- Carry needed to clear trouble
- 200 yd
- Target
- 230 yd
- Left after the illustrated lay-up
- 80 yd
Option A: try to reach the green
Suppose five comparable fairway-wood shots carried 185, 194, 198, 201, 205 yards. Their middle value is 198 yards. Three of these five would not clear the 200-yard line.
The 205-yard best shot does not establish a dependable 200-yard carry. This tiny, invented sample is not a probability forecast. In a real trial, also record the shots left and right of your target and whether the lie matches the shot you face.
Option B: leave a measured wedge shot
If you want 80 yards left, the straight-line arithmetic is 230 − 80 = 150 yards to the ball’s resting place.
That is a total-distance target. An illustrative shot carrying 142 yards and rolling 8 yards has a 150-yard total. A club carrying 150 yards may finish too far. Check the landing area, rollout and misses before choosing it.
These numbers help frame a decision; they do not prove the lay-up will save strokes. A different lie, landing area or shot pattern can change the better choice. On a dogleg or sloping hole, simply subtracting two straight-line distances may not locate the intended lay-up spot.
Build the answer from your own shots
- Measure the long-shot option. Use the same club, ball type and comparable conditions. Record ordinary carries, including disappointing ones. If you exclude a mishit from a typical-distance estimate, keep a note of it when judging risk.
- Separate carry from total. Carry ends at first landing; total ends where the ball stops. The personal yardage card keeps them separate. Unknown values can stay blank.
- Measure the next wedge shot. Record your own repeatable swing cues in the wedge matrix. An example card might show 65, 80 and 100 yards for three swings. Those are separate observations, not a rule that a half swing carries half as far.
- Try the sequence, not just its arithmetic. At an appropriate practice area, compare the long-shot option with a lay-up followed by a wedge. Note the lie you leave, carry, lateral misses and your next-shot difficulty. Repeat before drawing a conclusion.
Four questions to take to practice
My required carry: ______ My ordinary carry range: ______
Where my miss goes: ______________________________
My lay-up stopping distance: ______ Wedge distance left: ______
What I still need to measure: ________________________
The tools summarize the distances you enter. They do not measure hazards, diagnose a swing or calculate the expected score for either choice. Use the free printable distance and wedge worksheets if you prefer to collect notes on paper.
Sources and scope
- LPGA event overview: competition dates, venue and identification of the par-5 14th. Checked 11 November 2026.
- The ANNIKA official event schedule: the Wednesday pro-am and four competition rounds. Checked 11 November 2026.
- The worked numbers, diagram and practice prompts are Golf Discovery editorial examples. They are not official event analysis, a measured player study or evidence that one strategy always scores better.
Golf Discovery is not affiliated with the LPGA, The ANNIKA or Pelican Golf Club. Read our methods and corrections policy, or report an error.