Course Management

[Parmo]

I read Bob Rotella's Putting out of your mind and it has really helped me, then I started the Golf is not a game of perfection and thought it pretty much the same as the first so gave up half way through.

I have noticed though by being only target focused my game and ball striking has improved.

 

[Tiger]

Dont know if that makes much sense but it did when i was typing it

LOL! yeah I understand what you mean. Really appreciative of all the comments to this thread. So far my understanding is:

1. Understand my strengths and weaknesses and play to my strengths
2. Know how far I hit each club
3. Use course maps and web tools to gain a better understanding of course layout
4. Plot my route to the hole in reverse from preferred shot onto the green back to the tee
5. Where possible play with really understanding better players to learn how they play each hole
6. Don't get suckered by pin positions
7. The best club from the tee won't necessarily be the longest club in your bag
8. Dave Pelz Short Game book would be a good read
9. My course management will improve the more I play and it's more of a learnt skill than a taught one
10. Practice, practice and practice my short game till my hands bleed

Love the GM Forum as there is so much for me to get my head round with this game and you guys are always ready, willing and able to help with my queries. So thanks again.

T

 

[Fyldewhite]

All the above is good advice. I find course management is all about knowing your own game and is very closely linked to confidence. I always try to be 100% confident that I am playing the "right" shot before attempting anything. If you find yourself with doubt in your head as to the choice of shot then it is usually the wrong choice and the lack of confidence just increases the chances of messing it up.

I'm not a "club chucker" by nature and never really get wound up about "bad" shots, but let me play a "wrong" shot at an important point in a round ......

 

[RGDave]

I find the whole course management thing quite interesting.
I've played with a few folk that think my course management is kind of crazy. If I'm facing an almost impossible shot (like, would only hit it 1/100) I often think more about where I don't want to go, not where I want to go. Apparently, this is negative thinking. I disagree, if I don't want to go in the front left bunker, I elect to avoid that at all costs, which is the same as saying "I want to hit the ball right and (if necessary) long"....

Without wanting to dishearten the O.P. and an obvious desire to try and "do things right" if possible, it seems to me that the first element of course management is to know what you can do and what you can't do, and play to your strengths whenever you can. To do this, I honestly believe you need to get a good amount of experience under your belt (out on the course). You could probably learn a good deal from making notes after a game and seeing where/when you ended up making a horrible score for no apparent reason.

Then again, I'm not a great believer in any books (golf or not) about the mental side of anything. I'm far more interested in books that tell you "how" to do something, rather than "how to think" about doing something.

The folk that fail in my professional arena are those that waste time thinking about thinking rather than practising and putting in the hours. Sorry, but it's true.

 

[GasMan]

Major key point is not only knowing how far you hit each club with a full swing but also 3/4 and 1/2 swings!

I play a tight hazard laden course where at least 70% of the time you'd say windy to very windy.

Learning how far say a gentle half swing 5 iron goes - roughly a full wedge distance but with a totally different trajectory for me.

If you can learn the 4 simplest shots with each club ie 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and full shots and their associated distances you'll manage the course far easier. It doesn't involve learning how to knock down, punch, etc and gives you far more options.

Other key point is being deadly accurate from 150y inwards is great if you're hitting from somewhere you can put spin on the ball. Yes it's mega-important to be but I'd rather be coming in from 170y from the short stuff than 140y from the second cut or worse.

 

[CrapHacker]

Then again, I'm not a great believer in any books (golf or not) about the mental side of anything. I'm far more interested in books that tell you "how" to do something, rather than "how to think" about doing something.

The folk that fail in my professional arena are those that waste time thinking about thinking rather than practising and putting in the hours. Sorry, but it's true.

Hmmmmm. Very interesting.

I'm pretty much of the opposite opinion.

Anyone who asks 'how' to do something will be able to do that 'one' thing in that 'one' situation.

But anyone who knows how to think about the best way to solve a problem will be able to find a solution in any situation that arises.

Obviously I don't know your professional arena, but over the years I've worked best with guys that think before they start knocking holes in stuff.

So,imo, thinking about planning and what you're trying to achieve is time well spent.

Having said all that, when it comes to the mechanics of golf I have a pretty good idea of the theoretical positions/movements I want to make. But the reality of what I achieve is so far removed from that idea, that I need someone to show me the 'how' as simply as possible.

Course management is a practice of the indefinable. What is the right shot for one guy is the wrong shot for someone else.

Because of that, there can never be a good book on the 'how' when it comes to course management. But once you know 'how to think' about planning how to play a hole, you can play any course in the world.

PS anyone here read any good poker books recently

 

[Screwback]

I would say its not knowing how far you hit a club to an exact yardage but knowing by sight how far you hit a club and having maybe a rough yardage because as amatuers it would be extremely difficult to know the exact 4 different swing settings ie 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and full it would imo only make the game more difficult.

I think the knock down and punch shots are possibly two of the most important shots you can learn in the game especially in this country when the wind is there more times as not.

As i said in earlier i think course management is an very very important part of the game and as other forumers have said knowing how far you hit a iron is important. but instead of trying to use the exact yardage i always try and feel the shot rather than go totally by numbers.

 

[CrapHacker]

As i said in earlier i think course management is an very very important part of the game and as other forumers have said knowing how far you hit a iron is important. but instead of trying to use the exact yardage i always try and feel the shot rather than go totally by numbers.

Spoken by a 1 handicapper. I agree. I think a noob is going to struggle with any kind of consistant distances just yet.

For me, I'd suggest that CM at this level is more a case of avoiding the high risk shots. Don't try and reach the long, well bunkered, par 4s in two, coz if you manage it once in 10, the other 9 you'll be needing the miracle recovery.

Play a shorter iron to leave a 9I or PW.

Ok, so it's not brain surgery, but it makes the game more enjoyable to see that short iron sailing high over the bunkers, rather than tightening up on the longer shot, and end up thinning it stright into the face of the trap.

 

[matthewsgolf]

Scoresaver 2 discount code - LETS1
£5 off

thought id share my find.