Course management.

[Deleted member 15344]

Course management = play the course to your strengths , being sensible and understanding your abilities of what you can do 90% of the time and playing the shot that allows you to stay in the hole , ensure if you do have a “miss” it’s one that doesn’t kill the round and play the appropriate shot that’s needed for the hole ahead

 

[Sports_Fanatic]

I struggle massively on this. I’m 13 handicapper and only play occasionally.

I know the theory well and can do it for a few holes but fall into bad habits. I’d say obstacles are:

You need to enjoy the score and process of managing the course, rather than the joy of pulling off difficult shots or occasionally birdies.

Faith in the shots you play so maybe try to nail some go to shots. Quite often it feels why play safe to 100 yds as I could still miss green when instead I can go after the 2nd shot into a par 5 and may make in two with a worldie. If you know putting it to 100 yds will consistently (in context of handicap) result in a birdie put then you’d be more inclined to do it.

Know your yardages properly, what you hit average and then dispersion short and long. That’s more likely to give you honest course management.

Establish a preshot routine you use always so you have a vision and thought about it. Run of pars and I’m suddenly back on Tiger lines going after the course and getting bitten because I don’t do this properly.

 

[pokerjoke]

Obviously there are times when you have to play TOWARDS trouble but you are being pedantic. Water at 200 yards? Hit a club that goes 170 max. Water in front of the green but no trouble long....take a club that a duff will clear the water and a well struck shot will reach the centre/back or even go just over the green.

So one minute you say play away from trouble,now your saying sometimes play towards troubles in big capitals.

Make your mind up

 

[Sports_Fanatic]

This video plus the par 4 and par 5 ones are reasonable. May be worth watching and then trying to map out a strategy for your home course. Keep preparing different strategies each round (with some fluidity for wind,poor shots etc) so it becomes fun and then go back and assess what worked best with lowest risk.

 

[Sports_Fanatic]

End of the day, it feels fun to go after it and feel like a pro for one hole even if you’re not even close

 

[BubbaP]

You can accept a poor result if select the right option - P.Hurst

Tashy take note.
As someone who does "play the percentage" a lot, I still find picking the "safe" shot to then mess it up is one of the most frustrating things!
Gun ho can be fun!

 

[Tashyboy]

I'm loving the fact that you have a 'safe word' for golf 😁

Couple of months ago, Lucy who is one of the chefs in the clubhouse gave me the secret recipe passéd down through the generations of a old lady's family in Southwell. They serve it in the clubhouse. ave made it twice and Lordy flippin Lordy. Any way me and Tricky Trev were sayin we need a secret saying when were playing an obvious stupid shot. Trev suggested Lucy's carrot cake. It's stuck. 👍😁

 

[Tashyboy]

Tashy take note.
As someone who does "play the percentage" a lot, I still find picking the "safe" shot to then mess it up is one of the most frustrating things!
Gun ho can be fun!

Gotta say reading this has brought back a lot of things I have been taught, read, relate to over the years. Things I have forgotten. Pre shot routines, Bob Rotella. Also reading this lot is like having a lesson, when you have done your head is spinning.

 

[Wolf]

Best golf lesson I ever had was about course management and I didn't have that intentionally. I was 15years old and had a round with an old boy at the club he was a scratch player in the late 1960s through to the 1980s, when we played in 1996 he was still a decent player. Every shot he was talking to himself as he approached the ball and all way through lining up putts. But he was basically playing the roles of player and Caddy in one go telling himself the wind, lie, places to aim etc then he would tell himself the club and hit a lovely shot.

After 9 holes he then started telling me its not about hitting the ball well everyone but about hitting the right choice of shot and even if it didn't work out it didn't matter because start talking yourself through the next shot from about 10 yards before you get to it, that way you stop thinking about the crap shot before and shift all focus to the shot in hand and don't be afraid to choose the option of playing for Bogey because sometimes it's better to play for that and move on than trying the impossible and one mistake ruining a card, and stops you thinking about swing techniques.

That really stuck with me as a kid and he told me everyone he saw me he'd ask if I was doing it.. I did do it a lot and had a good year. Now I just need to start doing it again.

 

[Birdie2]

Good post, something not a lot of us think about enough.

I like to give myself odds of how comfortable I am playing the shot. Eg a 3 wood off the deck over water with a 200 yard carry would be a 2/10. Give me 10 balls and I'll reckon I'll hit it over the water twice. Not a go to shot so I'll lay up.

On the flip side, I know my strength is from 150 yards and in so I'll always backself to take that shot on maybe a 7 or an 8/10. On these shots I ignore the flag. One of the best pieces of advice for course management I ever received was 'the middle of the green never moves'. If you push or pull one onto a flag then it's a bonus.

Play well!!

 

[chimpo1]

Club selection is about hitting knowing your average distance with that shot and playing that. A lot of handicap golfers think they hit their 7 iron 160 yards because they hit it that far once. In reality they probably hit it around 150 on average. Message: play the percentages when choosing your club, I would guess that most of us leave our approach shots short of the pin rather than long.

 

[6535]

Whether you can class it as course management or not but at the present moment playing off yellows I'll hit a club that will leave me similar distances that I face during summer. It also helps as I'm hitting more irons off the tee and I need to concentrate more then usual as a duff iron won't go anywhere. If I don't quite hit it properly then I have more pressure on the next longer shot. Its about lowering your expectations in what you 'think' you can do, to heightening your sensors in 'what' you can do, ie like you did on your 18th hole. Doing things like that can reduce your scoring significantly .

 

[Slab]

Tashy I tee off at Anahita in three hours, you know how long a course it is
I'll be paying with a couple lads that can get decent distance
If my swing is working then it's still driver & then 3w on several holes but driver is not getting out to play today but I won't do 3w then 3w either because alternating hitting the same club from a tee and then fairway lie has its risks so it'll be 3w hybrid which will leave me well short but it'll be in play allowing me to use my shots getting to the green
You could call it Conservative or course management but it's really managing the game I'm most capable of on the day
It's the same strategy I use in team comps (you know when you don't want to let the others down) to make sure I contribute
Used it two days ago for a charity team comp and turned in 38 points just playing the percentage shots /clubs

Sometimes less is more

 

[Dannyc]

Best bit of advice I had from a very good golfer at my club who don’t hit it far really but won the club cup last year off 5 beating a 3 handicap who hits it very long was why are u smashing that driver every hole it must be costing u 4/5 bogeys a round
His words were plot your way round
I straight away thought that’s boring though
After trying it I actually enjoyed playing that way keeping it in play is everything and my scores do improve

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I have to be honest when I'm playing the Saturday roll up, course management tends to go out the window. For me it's a time to take on the Seve shot and try different things with nothing bar a couple of quid on the line. I should perhaps flip this and use it to construct a more useful course strategy around the course

 

[Curls]

I have to be honest when I'm playing the Saturday roll up, course management tends to go out the window. For me it's a time to take on the Seve shot and try different things with nothing bar a couple of quid on the line. I should perhaps flip this and use it to construct a more useful course strategy around the course

Someone once said play your practice rounds like the Open, play your comp rounds like they’re practice. Along the lines of practice green putts to win the Masters and putts in a comp like you’re just practicing.

I asked the question last week “what do you do to prepare for a big game” and the answer of choice by the lower h/cs here was “nothing”. I get it but it’s going to be difficult to put into practice. I am going to try though. I played with no expectations Saturday after no practice (too busy at work not intentional). Played really well in a gale. And when I went practicing last time I was really switched on, played one ball and scored myself as if I’m a comp.

For you Homer if you spend your social rounds playing hero golf then you won’t score well, and you might build a mental barrier that way. Conversely if you start scoring well in practice you might start perceiving a good score you have going in a comp as the norm rather than something exceeding your usual comfort zone.

So that’s the idea. Not sure about you but I’ll have to fight my instincts!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Someone once said play your practice rounds like the Open, play your comp rounds like they’re practice. Along the lines of practice green putts to win the Masters and putts in a comp like you’re just practicing.

I asked the question last week “what do you do to prepare for a big game” and the answer of choice by the lower h/cs here was “nothing”. I get it but it’s going to be difficult to put into practice. I am going to try though. I played with no expectations Saturday after no practice (too busy at work not intentional). Played really well in a gale. And when I went practicing last time I was really switched on, played one ball and scored myself as if I’m a comp.

For you Homer if you spend your social rounds playing hero golf then you won’t score well, and you might build a mental barrier that way. Conversely if you start scoring well in practice you might start perceiving a good score you have going in a comp as the norm rather than something exceeding your usual comfort zone.

So that’s the idea. Not sure about you but I’ll have to fight my instincts!

Get what you're saying. Our Saturday roll up is very relaxed and so there is always an element of everyone having fun and taking on the glory shot. In fact were we to get someone come in and treat it like the club championship it goes against the grain a little. Our Sunday roll up is far more serious and therefore does attract the better players (and idiots like me) and in that one, everyone is trying to play their best golf. With cash for the best team score as well as the best individual there is more onus on trying to eek as many points "for the team"

I have no issues with accepting the Saturday roll up for what it is. For a few, its their only game of the week, they aren't bothered about lowering handicaps and simply want to play, have a laugh and a beer and go home. That's why it works so well. Everyone treats it as fun. I can quite easily play a solo round or the Sunday roll up and have my golfing brain switched on. I've been working on my mental stuff a bit and have some ideas about course management and scoring better for 2019 and think you can differentiate between a glorified knockabout with mates and a more serious game

 

[Curls]

you can differentiate between a glorified knockabout with mates and a more serious game

Good stuff and certainly enjoy a game with mates played purely for fun. Perhaps if that’s your routine then it might be bad to change it. I guess what I’m trying to achieve this year really is to put less pressure to perform on myself in my comp rounds and by applying it to practice instead see if I can flip those around because traditionally performance in practice is usually better! That’s what I took from the replies last week. I feel like I’ve improved in so many ways over the past two years but realistically my handicap hasn’t come down a lot, in fact I was probably 9 this time two years ago. But a much worse 9 imo. I feel like I need to change what I was doing in order to make the most of that. I’ll give it a go but won’t be easy. If you’ve figured out a strategy that helps you - go for it! I’m excited to get the season started

 

[Dannyc]

Thing is though with our roll up fivers in the prizes are bigger than the club comps 🙈😂

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Tony, you know exactly what I mean. If there is trouble in front of a green then obviously you have to go over it at some point.