Do you have a Plan B?

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Played in the Club Championship yesterday with two lads both in their mid-20s and all three of us off about the same handicap (2@10,1@11). They hit the ball miles and unbelievably (for me) high. But yesterday they were all over the place. In truth the 36 holes they both had yesterday were pretty shambolic - and they admitted it themselves - with both hitting mid-90s both rounds.

They had great looking swings etc but where was Plan B when things were obviously not going great with Plan A? It was as if they only knew one way to play the game - and that is probably the way they had been taught. I was rather bemused. My two you FCs yesterday just didn't seem to have a Plan B that would enable them to get round and post an acceptable score

I'm not playing that well myself at the moment and I was pretty poor in the morning with an 87. But I changed things a little for the afternoon and did an 83. And that when just about everyone else in the field afternoon scores were going up by at least 5 shots compared with their morning round (wind came up, tiredness crept in etc and with rough still very tough...). I just managed my game. And with CSS prob being +2 I'll get cut

So I came off - still a bit in awe of their ball striking etc - but absolutely not with their ability to put a round together when things ain't going to plan.

Surely we all have to have a Plan B.

 

[richart]

I'm on Plan W and that doesn't work either.

 

[garyinderry]

if I am driving well I will score will.


when this goes I drop down to either a wood or hybrid off the tee. try to keep myself in play and scramble like hell when I miss greens. I very rarely have complete shockers. links sometimes does it too me as I am pretty rubbish with the driver.

 

[bladeplayer]

I want a plan A ha

 

[Fyldewhite]

Not sure I have a plan A tbh! Seriously though, if things are going bad I usually just try to put together a decent back 9 (the round has normally gone after 6 or 7 holes if I've been finding trouble). Don't change the style of play like taking irons off tees etc but just try to relax, swing easy, make some pars and see what happens. Usually manage to turn things round and don't have many complete car wreck rounds as a result.

 

[gdc]

I could play 36 holes with a different swing on every shot I have that many plans and swing thoughts to try when things aren't working out. I wouldn't expect to score that well if I used them all though

 

[Stuey01]

These lads sound just like me.
Trouble is when it goes bad it usually goes very bad. I could do with a plan b too, but there is nothing more frustrating than playing safe then having that go wrong anyway.

 

[patricks148]

but what good is a plan B if your swing is way off??

 

[FairwayDodger]

I'm going to use the pound.....

 

[CMAC]

bet they had 4 wedges each and only one way shot in their arsenal

 

[Stuey01]

but what good is a plan B if your swing is way off??

Exactly... Take a 3iron off the tee for safety, but then hit it in the rubbish anyway. Might as well hit driver... At least if you do out a good swing on it you set up a scoring chance.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Not sure if I have a plan A, B or anything. I can usually tell from the first couple of shots whether the swing is there or whether the timing and technique have stayed under the duvet. From there I just try and find a way of limiting damage as best I can, adjust my expectations on a hole by hole basis, and figure out a plan of attack based on the tee shot.

I'm learning to play ugly and not too hung up if I don't hit it great as long as the score is decent. Of course if I get those days when hitting a barn door with a banjo is equally difficult then there's precious little you can do.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Exactly... Take a 3iron off the tee for safety, but then hit it in the rubbish anyway. Might as well hit driver... At least if you do out a good swing on it you set up a scoring chance.

Well - the thing is I got the feeling that both lads had a little too much attachment to their long irons. Basically they used their 2i or 3i most of the time off the tee - even on par 5s - one lad especially continually reminding us how he hits it 260yds so why take a driver (my thinking as a 10th tee shot of his disappeared out of bounds was 'why not - you couldn't do worse'). And hey - the distance they could hit/welly a 4i off the turf - well yes - but where did it go...?

So I think their problems were largely of a bit too much macho around how well and how far they can hit the ball - they just didn't want to 'step back' and play a bit more conservatively.

 

[Bratty]

Well - the thing is I got the feeling that both lads had a little too much attachment to their long irons. Basically they used their 2i or 3i most of the time off the tee - even on par 5s - one lad especially continually reminding us how he hits it 260yds so why take a driver (my thinking as a 10th tee shot of his disappeared out of bounds was 'why not - you couldn't do worse'). And hey - the distance they could hit/welly a 4i off the turf - well yes - but where did it go...?

So I think their problems were largely of a bit too much macho around how well and how far they can hit the ball - they just didn't want to 'step back' and play a bit more conservatively.

To my mind, that's not so much a plan B then. THta's bravado, which is very different.

I'm with the others who've suggested if the swing's off, what use is a plan B. I just try and hit the best shot I can, walk to my ball, hit the best shot I can, repeat til it's in the hole. I will substitute clubs if one or more are misbehaving, but it's not like I'm Phil Mick and use different drivers for different courses, or hit stingers off the tee, etc.

 

[patricks148]

To my mind, that's not so much a plan B then. THta's bravado, which is very different.

I'm with the others who've suggested if the swing's off, what use is a plan B. I just try and hit the best shot I can, walk to my ball, hit the best shot I can, repeat til it's in the hole. I will substitute clubs if one or more are misbehaving, but it's not like I'm Phil Mick and use different drivers for different courses, or hit stingers off the tee, etc.

the only time i would us a "plan B" would be if for instance i was not hitting driver well, i would us my 3 wood or 18 deg hybrid off the tee instead. or like the time i had the really bad shanks when i chipped in the middle of an open comp, i putted everything. managed to cobble a good score in the end and won.

 

[tsped83]

A plan? What is this you speak of?

 

[Hobbit]

My plan B is to use a 3/4 3 wood off the tee. And what might be a 7 iron, 150yd shot might become a nudge with a 6 or 5 iron. I might not post a stunning score by playing conservatively but there's more chance of not posting a horror score.

 

[CMAC]

my plan B is to swing like Trevino. Amazingly I can replicate his swing quite well and the results are quite exceptional.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

To my mind, that's not so much a plan B then. THta's bravado, which is very different.

I'm with the others who've suggested if the swing's off, what use is a plan B. I just try and hit the best shot I can, walk to my ball, hit the best shot I can, repeat til it's in the hole. I will substitute clubs if one or more are misbehaving, but it's not like I'm Phil Mick and use different drivers for different courses, or hit stingers off the tee, etc.

That's what I was saying. They didn't seem to have a PLan B because they didn't want to have to 'admit defeat' and fall back on it.

No matter how many times they crashed the ball out of bounds or way onto another fairway there was no reeling it in - they seemed to want to keep blasting away - rather stupidly IMO.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

My plan B is to use a 3/4 3 wood off the tee. And what might be a 7 iron, 150yd shot might become a nudge with a 6 or 5 iron. I might not post a stunning score by playing conservatively but there's more chance of not posting a horror score.

That's my thinking - but I couldn't see any of that happening - or at least there was very little. I'm not sure they had anything other than a 100% swing for every club.