Does stroke index dictate way you play hole

[ManinBlack]

Following on from another thread someone said that if they had a stroke on a difficult hole they would play it more conservatively. This had never occurred to me. If a hole is difficult & there is a lot of risk I might play for a bogey, hoping for a one putt par but I would never change my tactics depending on whether I had a shot or not.

Thinking about it, the reason for this is that, in my head, I'm never going to score more than bogey. Admittedly, it doesn't always work out like that & I kick myself if I have a round with one or more blobs.

So, do you change tactics on a hole where you have a shot? Do you do it in Stroke & Stableford competitions?

 

[GeeJay]

I think it depends on the challenges that are making the hole have a high stroke index. If it's just long, then there's not much to do but play it. If it has risk/reward hazards, then airing on the side of caution can save a good card. YMMV of course.

 

[Deleted member 3432]

No, I'm trying to shoot the lowest score I possibly can.

I play what I consider harder holes regardless of stroke index more conservatively ( fairway and green hopefully) and play easier holes more aggressively (attacking the flag).

If I am out of position off the tee on any hole then I will take a par and run regardless of SI.

To me a lot of golfers forget the bigger picture of the final 18 hole score and throw shots away focussing on ' I get a shot on this hole and need to make it count' .

In matchplay if giving a shot away on certain holes the tactic will change to put pressure on the opponent.

 

[bobmac]

I take it you're talking about stroke play?

 

[ScienceBoy]

No, I have my game plan for the shot in front of me.

They layout of the hole from the green backwards has an effect on where I want to play my next shot from only.

Play the shot, not the hole.

 

[Marshy77]

Subconsciously yes maybe. Before joining a club when we used to play where and where ever I suppose it does come into play to try look and see which holes you can potentially score hopefully 2+ points on, although as we know the lower the SI the harder (supposidly) the hole is.

Thinking about it I guess I relax a little on my 2 shot holes but don't play them any different by taking a 3 wood of the tee rather than a driver or iron instead of wood.

 

[Farmergeddon]

Same for every (long) hole, hit it as far as I can, hit it as close as I can, hit it as close as I can, hit it as close as I can, hit it as close as I can, try not to three putt..

 

[patricks148]

Only after my tee shot, if i hit a bad one on SI1. i lay up and take the 5, same with 3 and 2

 

[Tongo]

Not deliberately. However, I quite often score better on the longer holes than the shorter ones. I get on the tee of a long par 4, for instance, and mentally tell myself that 5 is a good score and pretty much play the hole as a de facto par 5. Its surprising how often that leads to a 4. On the other hand, I stand on the tee of a short hole and mentally tell myself I should be parring this hole and then proceed to mess it up!

 

[Capella]

Not off the tee, no. I might take it into consideration later. I usually play Stableford, so I might get into a situation where a risky move might still secure me a point, while when I fail, it's not important how badly I fail. And in those situations the fact that I have one more shot on a hole can influence my decision on what to do, like do I dare to take on the 120 yard carry over water (because it is my last realistic chance for a point) or do I lay up one more time.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Depends on the course,
My own course, no, not anymore, I'm fully aware of all the holes, have par'd every hole, so go out and try to play one hole at a time.

An away course, not dictate, but certainly influence and imo, everybody regardless of ability should be aware of it before they tee off, it's another factor that can help, same as what you see with your eyes, what playing partners do or do not tell you, previous knowledge. If done properly by the club and reviewed it will have a particular SI for certain reasons, one being, how it scores for members. Even if it looks short in yardage but has a low SI, surely at the very least it should make you think why is does it have a low SI? Is there something I've missed. If after assessing all the information available you dismiss it, fine, at least it's been considered.

 

[louise_a]

Not really, I know I am going to get some pars, and some bogeys or worse, it all balances itself out in the end.

 

[bladeplayer]

Nope , play every holes as strokes ,

Par 4's & 5's, first step get it out there playable & close to green , 2nd step get it on or close ,step 3 then get it down as few shots possible

Par 3 is on or close then repeat step 3 above

 

[Spear-Chucker]

Nope. If you're thinking about that you're getting ahead of yourself and thinking about the end result. What happens if you then make a double and 'squander' the shot? Just how hacked off are you then?!

Play the shot as best as possible with the club you're confident in, move on.

Strokes can be very distracting in match play, but you've still got to play the best shot you can at the time and see what happens.

 

[Val]

Only in matchplay and even then it would be more a matter of how my partner plays the hole in relation to strokes given or received.

I don't see what the stroke index has to do with how you play it in stroke play. Stroke index is for handicapping purposes, I can double bogey SI18 as easily as I can SI1

 

[ManinBlack]

I take it you're talking about stroke play?

As per the OP "Do you do it in Stroke & Stableford competitions?

 

[BoadieBroadus]

looking at this question in reverse, i am more likely to take on a slightly trickier shot if i don't have shot on a hole. we have a hole on our course where i feel the shot in to the green has a great deal more risk than it's stroke index suggests.

i might not totally fancy it, but i'll go for the green because i know i don't get a shot.

 

[Robobum]

I don't even know what the SIs are around my place. My (lack of) ability dictates how I play each hole 😂

 

[The Autumn Wind]

No, I never think about stroke index of a hole when playing strokeplay or stableford. I'm just trying to plan and play every hole in as few strokes as possible.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Play the hole for the lowest score you can.
How you are playing, the prevailing conditions and your risk/reward profile are what should determine your approach, not the SI.
Otherwise I don't see how you can improve your scores (unless you 1 putt a lot of the time) - won't you just plateau?