Rule 24 of 25 · Chapter IV — Numbers, Lies, and Greens
Aim at the middle of the green whenever the pin sits within a few paces of trouble.
Why this rule exists
Your iron shots scatter around your aim point, and the pattern is wider than most golfers admit. Aiming at a tucked pin puts half of that pattern in a bunker, in water, or over the edge — where the cost is a stroke or two, not a longer putt. Aiming at the centre keeps almost every shot on the surface, and a thirty-foot putt is a cheaper outcome than a bunker shot from a bad lie.
In practice
Before you pick a club, look at what surrounds the hole and pick the safest point on the green that still has room on all sides — usually the middle, sometimes the fat side away from the trouble. Take your yardage to that point rather than to the flag, and set your alignment to it. Accept that you're playing for a two-putt and stop treating a centre hit as a missed opportunity.
When it doesn't apply
Late in a match or a tournament round where you need to make birdies, the maths changes and going at the pin is the right gamble. With a short iron or wedge in hand and a good lie, your pattern is tight enough to attack a pin that has a few paces of green on the safe side.