Is there anything worse than leaving a putt short? Yes—illness, famine, war—there is plenty in this life far worse than a putt left short. But you know what I mean. That sting that follows when the ball halts its rotation before reaching the cup is singular. What could have been? You’ll never know. You didn’t bother to get the ball to the hole.

If you’re in a season of your game where you’re leaving a lot of putts short, try this putting tip from Nancy Lopez. She first shared it in the May 1979 issue of Golf Digest. She was in her second season on the LPGA Tour, having won nine tournaments as a rookie in 1978. Five of those wins were consecutive.

“Being aggressive is the key to good pouting, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s the only way to putt,” Lopez says in the story. “I’d much rather knock it past the cup than leave it short.”

Lopez goes on to say that often, amateurs leave putts short because they’re trying to avoid three-putting. Instead, she says they should putt more aggressively and try to make the first putt. (Within reason, of course. If you’re looking at a 50-footer, best to lag that one and do what you can to keep a three-putt out of the equation.)

“One drill I frequently use is imagining a hole one foot behind the actual hole. I putt to that imaginary hole. It’s an effective way to overcome the tendency to leave the putt short,” Lopez says. “If you don’t make the putt, it’s a lot better to leave it a foot long than a foot short.”

Try Lopez’s aggressive putting strategy, and you’ll get the ball to the hole. A few might even go in.