Course Management – What’s it to you?

[Slab]

I’m not asking; what is the definition of ‘course management’ or what does google or a YT golf creator say course management is

It’s a key aspect of the game, not limited to the Pros/Tours & a phrase we’ve all heard and a great many club golfers use it to one extent or another, so in its practical and real application, what does it actually mean to you when you employ course management? How does it manifest itself in your actions, behaviour & decisions on the course?

For sure it isn’t just ‘take your medicine’ ‘play safe’ ‘don’t follow a bad shot with a bad shot’ ‘don’t take on hero shots’ & other similar soundbites.
It isn’t correctly working out the club & shot selection based on conditions (that’s just playing a golf shot) & it isn’t about keeping a positive attitude through adversity or possessing a sound technical game etc

So, course management, what’s it to you?

 

[Neilds]

To me it is exactly what you have said. I have tried to play smarter this year and my handicap has come down 4 shots so has certainly helped (along with new clubs ). If I hit a bad shot, I try and make sure the next shot is in the best position it can be, might not be massively up the fairway, but will certainly be in the fairway.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

For me it's playing the correct shot for my game, not necessarily what would be standard. In practice it's accepting when I can't reach a green in regulation and making sure my layup is a good one. Leave myself a nice chip or pitch rather than duff a hero shot.

I see many pp over reach themselves and fail. My shorter length means I've come to accept I need to plot my way around a little more. That acceptance has made a big difference to my consistency.

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

That’s actually a great question

What is it to me? I’d say for me it’s in parts; Planning & Strategy done before the round starts and in the tee box, Dynamic Risk assessment based on the outcomes of what the situation is when over the ball, Playing to your strengths not taking on shots you can’t make or trying things for the first time in order to gain a small advantage to ultimately Maximise my own performance.

 

[irip]

When I was playing a lot it was a case of not leaving myself shots I struggled the most with. I have never been comfortable with 40-60 yard pitches so if possible I would try to avoid that yardage.
Also if I found one day I was slicing the driver I would just try and play with it rather than adjust it on the course.

 

[Orikoru]

I think my course management is pretty good. It's kind of annoying when I see an article or video on 'how to reach single figures' or something, and course management is always one of them, like they see that as a the low-hanging fruit that mid-handicappers don't do - except I am already doing it.

There is a balance of course. I do take the 'strokes gained' mentality which is hit driver wherever possible and practical, but there are three short par 4s at my course where a slightly offline driver will see you run out of room and be in trouble, so I hit fairway wood on these three as it's much more likely to stay in play, and still with only a short iron or wedge into the green. In summer there were two more holes where I went down to 3 wood, because the extra roll was causing my drives to run off the fairway and into a less-than-desirable position. But now the course is a bit softer I'm back to driver on those two.

Generally it's just about weighing up how likely I am to pull off the optimal shot, and what is the penalty for getting it wrong? Sometimes it's worth trying the 3 wood out of the rough to the green, as a slightly duffed shot will run out to the same distance as a punched iron anyway, for example - if there's no bunker or other hazard between you and the green. But if it's 180 yard carry over water and I'm in the rough, I'm probably not taking that on, I'll lay up. Someone with poor course management maybe just thinks of everything as the best case scenario, playing their maximum yardage with each club as if they're going to stripe it every time, but they don't. Thinking "if I pure this, then this club will be fine" rather than thinking about what happens if they don't pure it.

 

[timd77]

Often it’s learning from past mistakes. The left hand green side bunker on our 8th is the worst on the course, it’s cost me a good score on many occasion (partly due to my inability to put it behind me, but that’s another thread). So I always aim to the right hand side of the green to avoid it.

Our 13th is a short par 4, not quite driveable for me. I always just took out my driver, finished 10-20 yards short. The green slopes back to front and has a hazard 5 yards off the back. So I’d get nervous over those little chip shots, either duffing or not giving it enough with the ball just rolling back off the green, or trying to get it up there with some spin, hitting it hard but instead twitching and blading it over the back. Easiest hole on the course my bum! So anyway, now I hit a 150-160 yard shot off the tee giving me a full ish wedge in. Find that I’m holding the green a bit better and taking out the hazard.

Of course, these tactics don’t always work!

 

[Slab]

It's kind of annoying when I see an article or video on 'how to reach single figures' or something, and course management is always one of them, like they see that as a the low-hanging fruit that mid-handicappers don't do - except I am already doing it.

Its this type of thing that prompted my post

I was mulling over recent rounds and thinking about my course management got me wondering if I actually understood what ‘it’ actually is, not what it means, what it is?

For example, In every round I can think about times where I lay up on a hole, but is that really course management?

Assuming the target is in range. The main reason for my lay ups is typically because I know I don’t have the ability to reach the desired landing spot with a necessary degree of accuracy/success. Is that course management. Isn’t that just common sense? (even just playing the odds!) I actually didn’t have the practical option to ‘go for it’ anyway, so there’s nothing in that shot selection scenario for me to ‘manage’

In the above scenario am I even 'laying up' at all? That term doesn’t actually seem to describe my shot choice i.e you can only really lay-up if going for it was somewhat viable in the first place

In another scenario; We have a short par 4 with split fairway (the green is on left FW) before deciding to go left or right & like most of us I’ll consider tee placement, pin placement, wind, recent weather, actual weather, how I’m playing that day, what type of round am I playing (social/comp etc) and several other aspects, then choose what to do and most of the time I’ll go right with mid iron

In the above I’d say I was simply choosing club & shot based on various factors, which is no different to any other shot. But am I applying the dare I say 'mythical' course management or again just playing the odds?

 

[Orikoru]

Often it’s learning from past mistakes. The left hand green side bunker on our 8th is the worst on the course, it’s cost me a good score on many occasion (partly due to my inability to put it behind me, but that’s another thread). So I always aim to the right hand side of the green to avoid it.

Our 13th is a short par 4, not quite driveable for me. I always just took out my driver, finished 10-20 yards short. The green slopes back to front and has a hazard 5 yards off the back. So I’d get nervous over those little chip shots, either duffing or not giving it enough with the ball just rolling back off the green, or trying to get it up there with some spin, hitting it hard but instead twitching and blading it over the back. Easiest hole on the course my bum! So anyway, now I hit a 150-160 yard shot off the tee giving me a full ish wedge in. Find that I’m holding the green a bit better and taking out the hazard.

Of course, these tactics don’t always work!

This sort of situation is interesting to me. Strokes gained / DECADE etc always say that laying up to a full wedge shot is a myth and that you always get closer from nearer the green. But I'm inclined to agree with you on that one, sometimes a full shot from 100-ish yards does feel easier to hold a tricky green than a 60 yard pitch, say. Our 18th is a pain for this, I never know the best way to play it and hardly ever make par as a result (not getting a shot either so not making par is annoying). I don't hit driver anyway because there are trees all down the right and the hole is only 275 anyway. The green is elevated but runs away to the back of it, so I don't like having a 70-yard ish shot either, as that to me is a pitch shot with PW, which means it's running all the way to the back every time. So I've fluctuated between hitting 7W and hybrid to try and leave 100-ish. But then if I don't hit that tee shot great I might leave myself a full PW and then you can still miss the green completely from that sort of range. Does my head in to be honest. I think I need to learn how to hit a full swing 60° and see if that does the job from 70 yards instead of the pitch shot!

 

[bobmac]

Depends on the situation.
Match play, 2 down on the 17th v 2 up on the 17th.
Stroke play, 3 under h/cap on the 17th v 3 over h/cap on the 17th.
Different situations can force you into how you play the hole.

One HUGE mistake I used to make and many others do is 'playing to the stroke index'
''I'm going to lay up because I've got a shot here'' is the fastest way to never improve.
''You hit the green in regulation and 3 putt "Never mind, it was a net par"
Trying to play to your h/cap or defending a good score will never stretch your abilities.

Play every hole the best you can. If it's a drivable par 4 with trouble everywhere, go for it. You're not likely playing for big money and who knows, you might hit the green.......which is fun.
Obviously, this has to be sprinkled with a modicum of common sense.

 

[Slab]

For me it's playing the correct shot for my game, not necessarily what would be standard. In practice it's accepting when I can't reach a green in regulation and making sure my layup is a good one. Leave myself a nice chip or pitch rather than duff a hero shot.

I see many pp over reach themselves and fail. My shorter length means I've come to accept I need to plot my way around a little more. That acceptance has made a big difference to my consistency.

This is kinda what I mean in post#8
Pretty sure I was/am thinking along the same lines as you about my game. And its this kind of thing that's now making me question if I even know what course management is

But... where & what is the 'course management' in that scenario? If you/me cant get there anyway, its not and never was an option (hope you see what I'm getting at )

Is the course management aspect deciding on precisely what shot we want to have next?

 

[Orikoru]

Its this type of thing that prompted my post

I was mulling over recent rounds and thinking about my course management got me wondering if I actually understood what ‘it’ actually is, not what it means, what it is?

For example, In every round I can think about times where I lay up on a hole, but is that really course management?

Assuming the target is in range. The main reason for my lay ups is typically because I know I don’t have the ability to reach the desired landing spot with a necessary degree of accuracy/success. Is that course management. Isn’t that just common sense? (even just playing the odds!) I actually didn’t have the practical option to ‘go for it’ anyway, so there’s nothing in that shot selection scenario for me to ‘manage’

In the above scenario am I even 'laying up' at all? That term doesn’t actually seem to describe my shot choice i.e you can only really lay-up if going for it was somewhat viable in the first place

In another scenario; We have a short par 4 with split fairway (the green is on left FW) before deciding to go left or right & like most of us I’ll consider tee placement, pin placement, wind, recent weather, actual weather, how I’m playing that day, what type of round am I playing (social/comp etc) and several other aspects, then choose what to do and most of the time I’ll go right with mid iron

In the above I’d say I was simply choosing club & shot based on various factors, which is no different to any other shot. But am I applying the dare I say 'mythical' course management or again just playing the odds?

It will feel like common sense if you have common sense, but not everyone does. Some will see a 200 carry over water and think "I can hit 3 wood that far" when in fact they've only hit 3 wood that far once in a blue moon - catch it slightly heavy and splash. For those of us with common sense it barely even feels like a decision to be made - 3 wood is 99% likely to end up in the drink, so let's hit a shot that's 0% likely to end up in the drink, and lay-up before it. Granted, if it's 250 to carry and you know you don't have any shot in the locker for that then laying up probably ceases to be course management - although you still have to calculate the correct club to hit a yardage that is short enough not to go in.

'Playing the odds' as you put it. They are trying to hit the shot with 1% success rate, we are hitting the shot with 99% success rate. Course management certainly can be shot selection - some will just hit the same club on that hole every time and not pay attention to changing conditions.

 

[Wilson]

To me it's about playing the course in the best manner for your game, to shoot the lowest score possible - so that might be getting as close to a green as possible if you are a good pitcher of the ball, or it might laying further back if you prefer a full shot.

 

[Burnsey]

If I take my time, I play better.

Think about the shot etc.

That said, it's tough not to take on the money shot!

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Pretty much what it says on the tin

How I manage my way around a course depending on the competition

How each shot is played looking ahead to the next shot - where I want to leave the ball on a green , if I want to take some bunkers on , when I go offline if I can take a risky shot or chip out etc

 

[Imurg]

To me it's ensuring that the next shot is as easy as possible subject to your ability, being able to see when a certain shot is too risky and being positive about the shot you're trying to play.
Knowing what shots you can and can't hit is also very important
I'm convinced that major reason my handicap has dropped in the last couple of years is the solo rounds I play...I hit 2 or 3 balls on some shots, trying different clubs, so I know, when the time comes, that shot A is less likely to produce a good result than shot B...for me.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

This is kinda what I mean in post#8
Pretty sure I was/am thinking along the same lines as you about my game. And its this kind of thing that's now making me question if I even know what course management is

But... where & what is the 'course management' in that scenario? If you/me cant get there anyway, its not and never was an option (hope you see what I'm getting at )

Is the course management aspect deciding on precisely what shot we want to have next?

I think @Orikoru has summed it up well in the post after yours. Yes, it is often play the percentage. It is also, be realistic.

Forget GIR, so many don't, and look to make par with a good chip and a putt. The hero approach might work or it might put me in a bunker, in rough etc. Hit a solid approach, trust your short game. Keep your ball on the short stuff.

Bomb and gouge has challenged this approach but heck, most of us can not gouge like these guys so let's not pretend that we can.

 

[Depreston]

Tbh I’ve played with golfers that take it too far and in a stroke play comp will chip sideways when there is still a decent opportunity to get it forward yes there’s a risk but sometimes it’s worth it

Also see underclubs to front pins often and firing at tooked pins and short siding themselves (I only had a wedge in is yhe normal excuse)

 

[timd77]

This sort of situation is interesting to me. Strokes gained / DECADE etc always say that laying up to a full wedge shot is a myth and that you always get closer from nearer the green. But I'm inclined to agree with you on that one, sometimes a full shot from 100-ish yards does feel easier to hold a tricky green than a 60 yard pitch, say. Our 18th is a pain for this, I never know the best way to play it and hardly ever make par as a result (not getting a shot either so not making par is annoying). I don't hit driver anyway because there are trees all down the right and the hole is only 275 anyway. The green is elevated but runs away to the back of it, so I don't like having a 70-yard ish shot either, as that to me is a pitch shot with PW, which means it's running all the way to the back every time. So I've fluctuated between hitting 7W and hybrid to try and leave 100-ish. But then if I don't hit that tee shot great I might leave myself a full PW and then you can still miss the green completely from that sort of range. Does my head in to be honest. I think I need to learn how to hit a full swing 60° and see if that does the job from 70 yards instead of the pitch shot!

Yep, the stats always say get as close to the green as you can, but the stats don’t account for the noises screaming in my head! Give me a full shot or a pitch where I’m even half swinging it and I’m fine, but a finicky little chip or a 1/4 swing pitch, my mind takes over. Used to be a real strength but nowadays it strikes fear into me and I try to avoid them if I can. Unfortunately I’m not good enough to avoid them all of the time.

 

[JonnyGutteridge]

At amateur level, I think it is playing to your own strengths and so I don’t think there is one-size-fits-all approach.

I struggle with high, soft landed chips, so I tend to avoid risking being short sided.

I am not brilliant at pitches/half wedge shots (<80 yards), so if I’ve missed a fairway, there’s no point me trying too hard to progress the ball, I’m better taking an easier option and leaving myself a full yardage.

I can hit the occasional worm burner with my 3 wood, so if there’s a 150 yard carry over thick heather to reach the fairway, I’ll opt for a different club.

I find my own thought processes quite interesting compared to others. My course management is closely linked to fear. I try to avoid the shots that I fear.