Advice - course re-visit

[RGDave]

OK....so on Thursday I get to re-visit a nearby course where I made my club debut back in August.
I (we) lost that day, which was OK (they were WAY under par gross) but I didn't play great. I expected to make plenty of pars and a birdie or two supported by a partner who would come in when I lost my way. I didn't know the course and in the end, struggled to make many pars. It was more-or-less a bogey fest (from me) and now I want to do better.

I still have the course planner and wondered if there is any preparation I could be doing. I CAN remember all the holes and certainly won't fall into the obvious traps this time around.

Should I mark up the planner deciding on tee shot strategy?
Should I practice a few big hooks whilst I'm curing my pull so I can try these on the few holes where r-l is THE way?
Can I clear my mind of the nasty shots, is knowing where not to go too negative?
Does anyone have any top tips for a second visit? or should I just expect that knowing my way around is going to save me a good few shots anyway?

Thoughts, generally?

Cheers.

 

[USER1999]

Just wing it, you will be fine.

 

[AnimalChin]

play your strengths. if you hit your irons better than your woods, tee off with your 5 wood on shorter par fours. try to use the club you have the most confidence with as often as possible.

don't tee off with driver on any par 5, unless your striping your driver. it's easier to make a birdie with a wedge in your hand from 100 yards out than it is from 60 yards, or a greenside bunker.

 

[Deleted member 1740]

Play each shot as it comes dave, i don't think having a strategy will help you massively just try to keep it in play and take your chances.

best of luck though pal

 

[bobmac]

play your strengths. it's easier to make a birdie with a wedge in your hand from 100 yards out than it is from 60 yards, or a greenside bunker.

doesn't that depend on how good your short game is?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

What I use to do was put a post-it note on each hole with details of how I played it last time (club selection, strategy etc) and make a note of the hole including any unseen hazards off the tee/fairway (quick running fairway, wet in front of the green so need to carry it further etc). That way you can decide with a clear picture in your head.

That said I'm more reliant on my SC these days unless its a links type course with few real landmarks to pick (blind drives and hidden pot bunkers) and so go more on the yardages on the screen

 

[Region3]

I think deciding in advance what clubs to tee off with is not the way forward, unless certain holes demand a certain distance off the tee maybe.

None of us know how we'll play on any given day, you might feel great with the driver or you might hate it and decide on an iron.

Just think about it sensibly on the day, depending on how you're feeling and playing.

 

[jammydodger]

I think deciding in advance what clubs to tee off with is not the way forward, unless certain holes demand a certain distance off the tee maybe.

None of us know how we'll play on any given day, you might feel great with the driver or you might hate it and decide on an iron.

Just think about it sensibly on the day, depending on how you're feeling and playing.

What a sensible chap you are , good post.

Dave , you now know the layout in your head so just think about each hole as you walk to each of the tees. You'll have a feeling of how youre hitting each club so go with the one that feels right. My usual shot is a draw but sometimes all I can do is hit a fade so just go with it for the day...relax , the course will open up its secrets for you on the day

 

[Imurg]

Go with the flow - knowing your way around should save you a shot or 3 anyway.
Planning what to use off the tee isn't all bad. If you've put the thought into it and on the day it doesn't feel right you can change, but going in with an idea of what to hit can only help imo

 

[RGDave]

Excellent....all good.

I know what you mean about reading the way things are going on the day. I know exactly where NOT to hit my driver and I'll stick with that for sure.

Luckily, I played the right shot off the tee on quite a few holes last time out. There is a short one (with a ditch at 205) which is just a rescue off the tee. I know that I will run out of fairway on the most wicked r-l hole, so that's going to be 5 wood max and thankfully, I got the length right on all the par 3s other than 1 where I now know a 3 wood is the answer, my 5 wood looked a dead cert, but the ground short of the green doesn't feed the ball on.

I actually think the par 5s are a gift (here), other than 1 nasty one...I ended up in a bomb hole for 2 (at 430-ish) and blobbed, so I'm not going there this time, even if it's a 7 iron second shot this time.

I don't pre-plan much to play at mine....I guess looking down a hole I remember is going to make my decision a whole lot easier this time round.

Maybe I'll look at the planner and consider if I'm likely to get confused on the tee, otherwise make it up as I go along.

 

[AnimalChin]

doesn't that depend on how good your short game is?

true. if you have a good short game, you're not afraid to go after pins that most wouldn't. if you're a good sand player, why be afraid to try and carry that bunker.

that goes back to playing your strengths.

 

[RGDave]

So, just in case anyone notices the return of this thread....

I played and did quite well. Hit the ball much straighter (thanks to 6 buckets since my terrible 90 with pulls and slices) and was very comfortable around the course, which I felt I "knew" 2nd time around.

I kicked off with a push into the lip of a fairway bunker, came out sideways and missed the green for 3...so chalked up a nice double-bogey 6 for starters.
Made par, then birdie to recover to 1 over after 3 holes.
Played steady from there on, when I made GIR pars, they were pretty darn easy (although the pins were set max front and back on 12 holes) and even the bogeys had real 1-putt chances thanks to a tidy short game.

I hit quite a few draws (which was nice) and other than flying the greens with short irons (the ball goes further when straighter!! ) it was a steady game.

Anyhow, had a decent 9 over (gross) for 38 points and exorcised the demons from last time out at this course. If the flags had been central, I think a 77-78 might have been on the cards.

As it was, an 80.

6 shots less than last time and 10 shots less than my last game.

Chuffed all round. I quite like this course now!

PS...all the shots with my W/S 5 wood and rescue were spot-on.....all praise the proforce V2.

 

[Region3]

Nice one Dave. Always good when a plan comes together

 

[RGDave]

Nice one Dave. Always good when a plan comes together

Cheers. The plan was to a) cure my pulls and b) play better round this course. I managed both, so I guess the plan did come together.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Well done Dave. Shame my round today was more reminiscent of your first round than your efforts today. Good to see you've got the pull/hook sorted and it definitely goes longer when hit properly and straight

 

[RGDave]

Thanks Homer. I enjoyed it and am happy at least to see some nice arrow-straight balls. I certainly think I'm 4-5 shots better round somewhere I've played before, and not pulling/slicing certainly improves things.

Let's see on Sunday - it's a biggie.....