Do you have a plan?

Airlie_Andy

Challenge Tour Pro
Joined
Oct 24, 2011
Messages
683
Location
Hull
Visit site
Do you have a plan for how to play your home course? Do you always stick to it? Does having a clear plan for how to play each hole actually focus the mind more so that your not just hitting driver off the tee all the time with no real thought about if that's the correct shot to play? Do you try to avoid certain areas of the green especially if the pin is in a particular position for instance on a 2 tier green?

Being the golf geek I am I'm going to the course tonight with the intention of developing a plan for each hole and marking certain points on each hole using my GPS watch for things like lay up points and carry yardages etc. My hope is that having a very clear idea of what im trying to do on each hole will help focus the mind and reduce the risk of racking up a big score on any one hole. Anyone done anything similar? Or am I taking this far too seriously?
 
D

Deleted member 1147

Guest
I do have a plan, one for each wind direction in fact, but I very rarely keep to it.
I often think to myself "hit 5 wood here, keep it in play...........but a big driver will only leave a wedge in, and they are both more fun than 5 woods & mid irons....smack it!!!"

One of several reasons I haven't made it to a lower handicap :p
 

dufferman

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Jul 30, 2012
Messages
2,523
Location
Sandhurst, Berks
Visit site
I do have a plan, one for each wind direction in fact, but I very rarely keep to it.
I often think to myself "hit 5 wood here, keep it in play...........but a big driver will only leave a wedge in, and they are both more fun than 5 woods & mid irons....smack it!!!"

One of several reasons I haven't made it to a lower handicap :p

Lol, me too. I like to plan the perfect safe route in my head, then usually smash a 3wood / 5wood off the deck for my approach shot rather than lay up and end up losing the ball or having a horrible lie. Then I say "next time, I'll definitely lay up with a 7iron instead.".

I never do.
 

Mastercracker

Assistant Pro
Joined
May 16, 2014
Messages
237
Location
Huddersfield
Visit site
I normally tee off with the same clubs on holes, particularly 4s and 5s, unless there is a gale blowing that would change plans. After the tee shot I just play the shot I'm left, but my normal plan is to play safe to the middle of the green, which given our small greens is usually reasonable close.
 

Airlie_Andy

Challenge Tour Pro
Joined
Oct 24, 2011
Messages
683
Location
Hull
Visit site
Lol, me too. I like to plan the perfect safe route in my head, then usually smash a 3wood / 5wood off the deck for my approach shot rather than lay up and end up losing the ball or having a horrible lie. Then I say "next time, I'll definitely lay up with a 7iron instead.".

I never do.

This is kind of my thinking behind it. If I create my own little yardage book with notes on etc will that actually give me the focus and mindset to play the correct shot rather than just smash it? Yes I now realise im a geek :o
 
D

Deleted member 1147

Guest
This is kind of my thinking behind it. If I create my own little yardage book with notes on etc will that actually give me the focus and mindset to play the correct shot rather than just smash it? Yes I now realise im a geek :o

It is probably easier to keep too if written down. But I've never gotten as far as attempting it, so couldn't be certain.
 

Foxholer

Blackballed
Joined
Nov 16, 2011
Messages
24,160
Visit site
Planning works! But you still have to execute - and you have to adjust where necessary!

A mate worked out that a 4-wood off the tee was the perfect play for one particular hole, but forgot once that we were 15-20 yards forward and with a rare tail wind - so ended up in the ditch he was supposedly avoiding.

I was out with a player last week who calibrated each hole for 'still, wind helping and wind hurting' in his course guide. Seriously into the planning business - knew/noted his distances at different temperatures/altitudes. Standard 6 iron at 73* and 500m was 173 metres!
 

HomerJSimpson

Hall of Famer
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
73,233
Location
Bracknell - Berkshire
Visit site
I don't have a plan upfront and will play each hole on its merits when I get there depending on a number of variants including, weather, the state of the round, how I'm hitting. With NGT it's all about one shot at a time, so have a plan on how I want to play the hole but then focus purely on the tee shot. After that, I'll assess what I can or can't do from there
 

davidy233

Tour Rookie
Joined
Jul 16, 2009
Messages
3,082
Location
The Tayside Riviera
www.davidyoungphoto.co.uk
Don't go as far as to map out where I want to play from on my own courses - but when I started playing regularly I wrote down what I could score on each hole without any heroics and allowing for the odd bad shot on my two home courses if I stuck to a plan - both scores are about four/five below my handicap - After reading this thread I've just printed them out and will go out for a round and stick to the plan to see how it works out.
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

Major Champion
Joined
Jul 24, 2012
Messages
33,726
Visit site
I never have any sort of a plan other than that I will play each hole and indeed each shot as I find it - one hole at a time- one shot at a time. This way I don't set expectations that I might immediately fall short of.
 

londonlewis

Tour Rookie
Joined
Apr 4, 2013
Messages
1,536
Location
Surrey
www.golfdrawer.com
I use course management but I don't keep to a rigid plan.
The problem with a plan is that it can completely change based on how well you are swinging the club or how you are hitting it that day. Sometimes I find that my drives go straight, others they fade. I'm not going to try to smash a draw on a par 5 if I am continually hitting that fade.
 
D

Deleted Member 1156

Guest
I have a Plan A on the tee. Sometimes I have to revert to Plan B after the tee shot and Plan C often gets used after the 2nd shot :confused:
 

AmandaJR

Money List Winner
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
13,815
Location
Cambs
Visit site
This is kind of my thinking behind it. If I create my own little yardage book with notes on etc will that actually give me the focus and mindset to play the correct shot rather than just smash it? Yes I now realise im a geek :o

I had an on course lesson when I joined and the pro brought his own course planner with him. He had "boxes" on most holes which dictated what he took on and didn't/couldn't. Where he had to be on the Par 5's to go for them in 2 etc.

I have a strategy for every hole - actually at least 2 - depending on whether it's winter/summer and/or wet/dry condiions.
 

HomerJSimpson

Hall of Famer
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
73,233
Location
Bracknell - Berkshire
Visit site
I did have a plan at the Forest of Arden not to try and hit any par four over 400 yards. I got a shot on each and so laid up to a wedge distance. Think I played that series of holes in level 2's. It didn't feel right hitting a mid iron into the 75-100 yard area but I could see too much risk on most to outweigh any gain. Not stuck to anything as rigid since
 
D

Deleted member 15344

Guest
Simple plan

Relax , enjoy it , swing nice and easy and have fun.
 

JCW

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Aug 17, 2011
Messages
2,002
Visit site
Yes , I always hit my 2nd shot short on the 3rd , driver on 4 , driver on 8 over the trees , play a fade off the tee on 9 as its OB right , so hit away from the trouble , always land 2nd shot short and chip on , OB on the right of green and its only yards away , 11 i play 5 wood x 2 then a wedge , 14th , if its a front pin , go for middle of green and putt back , 15th , hit tee shot to flat area leaving 4 or 5 iron in , 17th , lay up 2nd shot , leaving a wedge for 3rd shot . Thats the plan , i do try and stick with it , but cant always hit the right shot but you must have a plan and stick by it , easy to write but not so easy to do , medal tomorrow so will try again and advise how i got on ..................EYG
 
Top