High handicap game plan - too conservative?

[Wolfman]

Two things that have helped me a lot
1. know your distance per club and take in to account weather conditions ec
2. GPS with ability to know distance to hazards, layups etc

Then I go out and think where do I want the ball to go and remove the how do I hit the ball thoughts as best I can

The results have been far better so far and I am enjoying the game far more

 

[HawkeyeMS]

No problems with planning and adjusting accordingly when required...100% agree a plan of some sort is a good this rather than just hacking it about with no real thought to what you are doing.

Just because you don't have a plan for every hole doesn't mean you go out with no thought. It just means you assess every shot on it's merits.

Take our 5th and 15th holes for example, both par 5s. In current conditions I can reach both in two: as long as I hit a good drive. I'm not gonna set my stall out to reach in 2, I'm gonna hit my tee shot and play the next shot based on the result. I'm not gonna tell myself before the round that I am gonna lay up and then do exactly that when I can reach the green or get very close to it with a hybrid in 2.

All you have to do is play within your ability, you don't need a plan.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

tomorrow's match is away, and meet for breakfast - my only plan is to have a pint of guiness with breakfast.......

I take it back, everyone should have a plan like that :thup:

 

[RGDave]

I have a game plan for each hole tomorrow's club championship and the way I want to play each hole. Having played off the plates last weekend I have a good idea of yardages and clubs. However I also have contingency to be able to deal with whatever I throw into the mix. As an example I played the back 9 on Wednesday night but didn't hit it great and just focused on making no worse than bogey if I got into trouble. Made a couple of pars and only had one double when I lost position. The direction may have been challenged but I found I was still calm and able to see the bigger picture

I have a plan for the weekend to. It involves lots of 4 irons.

...as they have mowed the fairways to about 15 yards tops at 230-250.

and yet, at 275 they're plenty wide enough.

I can see the top guys making some great scores and the rest of us struggling.

Good luck Homer.

 

[Farneyman]

No problems with planning and adjusting accordingly when required...100% agree a plan of some sort is a good thing rather than just hacking it about with no real thought to what you are doing.

Just because you don't have a plan for every hole doesn't mean you go out with no thought. It just means you assess every shot on it's merits.

Take our 5th and 15th holes for example, both par 5s. In current conditions I can reach both in two: as long as I hit a good drive. I'm not gonna set my stall out to reach in 2, I'm gonna hit my tee shot and play the next shot based on the result. I'm not gonna tell myself before the round that I am gonna lay up and then do exactly that when I can reach the green or get very close to it with a hybrid in 2.

All you have to do is play within your ability, you don't need a plan.

So you are planning and adjusting accordingly, why quote my reply to disagree and then go on to tell us how you plan to play your par 5's.

Do agree a game plan is a good idea or not? Irrespective of how many holes you used it for.

 

[Ian_S]

All you have to do is play within your ability, you don't need a plan.

Our 5th is a Par 5 like that too. If I hit a really good driver I can reach in two, if I hit it ok I'm on in three, but if I hit it badly I'm playing out sideways or landing in some water - either way, I'm on in 4 at best.

Is it really worth the risk when I can hit irons well away from hazards and hit a fairly boring par more often than not? At this stage in my golfing career, probably not.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

So you are planning and adjusting accordingly, why quote my reply to disagree and then go on to tell us how you plan to play your par 5's.

Do agree a game plan is a good idea or not? Irrespective of how many holes you used it for.

I think I made it pretty clear that I don't agree you can plan an entire round before you've hit a ball. You play every shot on it's merits, if you want to call that a plan then so be it. The two holes I quoted were examples of what might happen but until I get there tomorrow and play I don't know. If I'm hitting it rubbish then I'm not taking the 5th on in two regardless how my drive goes. As I said, every shot on it's merits, to be decided when it's time to hit that shot.

 

[Farneyman]

I think I made it pretty clear that I don't agree you can plan an entire round before you've hit a ball. You play every shot on it's merits, if you want to call that a plan then so be it. The two holes I quoted were examples of what might happen but until I get there tomorrow and play I don't know. If I'm hitting it rubbish then I'm not taking the 5th on in two regardless how my drive goes. As I said, every shot on it's merits, to be decided when it's time to hit that shot.

So another plan for you is now if you aren't hitting it well at the par5's you wont go for then in 2. OK

Personally I think we both do a similar thing or pretty close. I still plan each hole and adjust that after each shot, so like you I will go for the next shot or lay up depending on result.

I'm just happy to call it planning/course management

 

[HawkeyeMS]

So another plan for you is now if you aren't hitting it well at the par5's you wont go for then in 2. OK

Personally I think we both do a similar thing or pretty close. I still plan each hole and adjust that after each shot, so like you I will go for the next shot or lay up depending on result.

I'm just happy to call it planning/course management

The difference is the OP has already planned every hole and the score he wants to get on them, he's not playing until tomorrow. That's what I'm saying you can't do

 

[Farneyman]

Aye, OK then.

 

[RGDave]

The difference is the OP has already planned every hole and the score he wants to get on them, he's not playing until tomorrow. That's what I'm saying you can't do

I agree. Most of my planning happens on the course. I know how to negotiate almost every square meter of my home course.
If I hit a good drive on the 4th, then that opens up a lot more driver worship as the round goes on.
Tomorrow, it'll be a 4 iron. As I've not hit a driver, the driver will then be away until the 9th.
It's easy to do all this though when the ball travels so far on the fairways. Two 4 irons gets me close enough to any hole to be assured of a simple pitch + 2 putts (hopefully).
It's been working all week.

 

[Ian_S]

The difference is the OP has already planned every hole and the score he wants to get on them, he's not playing until tomorrow. That's what I'm saying you can't do

I take your point and I'll have to see how this approach goes. I think part of it is it's easy to find myself trying to play against par rather than what I actually need to shoot to score well. When my best is 89, I'm biting off way more than I can chew if I stand on every tee and try to work out how to make par. If anything my planning is resetting par to something far more achievable and a safe, sensible way to making that new 'par'.

 

[BrizoH71]

My plan right now is to play the course as 2 separate nines, with the objective of shooting 45 (or level 5s) on each nine. If I can do that, I'll go round in nett 70, but I'll look to pick up a couple of shots against the level-5s on the par 3s and short par 4s.

In the end, I don't care how its done, so long as the numbers add up to 45 or better on each nine. As I improve, I'll start to cut each nines' target by a stoke or 2.

 

[RGDave]

I take your point and I'll have to see how this approach goes. I think part of it is it's easy to find myself trying to play against par rather than what I actually need to shoot to score well. When my best is 89, I'm biting off way more than I can chew if I stand on every tee and try to work out how to make par. If anything my planning is resetting par to something far more achievable and a safe, sensible way to making that new 'par'.

My course has just 2 par 5s. I play the course "as" 5 par 5s and one par 4, which is a par 3. If I didn't do this, sure as night and day, I'd play off 18. It's about keeping the big numbers off the card.
Not all courses are the same; so at the other course in my town, I only need to turn two of the par 4s into a par 5. It's pretty easy to make a 5 when you have to, but (somewhat regrettably) it does mean leaving the driver in the bag. ... it's also dull, dull, dull zzzzzzz

each to their own. if you decide to play that way, and it works....then it's an insurance policy you can bank on.

Our toughest hole is a long par 4. I play 4i, hybrid and pitch on. I make a 5 90% of the time. Interestingly, there are days when masterscoreboard says there were NO par 4s in the whole field. Makes more sense when you look at it that way.

 

[garyinderry]

identify the tough holes. play conservative on those. have a pop at the easier holes. don't be a hero. don't try and hit the green from 180 if there is danger. lay up. chip on and putt out.


I have at least 3 holes at my old club where if I don't get a good drive away I am forced to lay up. im usually happy enough to move on with the bogey. depending on what way the wind was blowing, I would take the bogey standing on the tee. some times you can even make the putt and it feels like you have nicked one :thup:

 

[garyinderry]

this kind of strategy has been talked about in GM mag often. red light, green light holes. its a nice concept to bring to the course. it focuses you.

Always remember, a green light hole can turn to red when you get out of position. when this happens. apply the safety layup and minimise the damage to one shot.

 

[Neddy]

I'm pretty loose with this kind of stuff, just apply some pretty basic principles

If i think i can make the shot, and the penalty for missing isn't a lost ball, i'll go for it

If i am in deep trouble, just get out of it, don't try to be a hero

As for scoring i am still trying to consistently play "bogey golf"

 

[Fader]

Course management strategies are imo a good idea as whenever I've used one I've scored pretty well. This year I tried being more flexible and making decisions on how to play once I got on course but haven't hit a decent comp round as I've been to full of indecision.

So medal tomorrow I'm going back to the plan route to see how it goes but all plans should have flexibility in that if the tee shot doesn't go to plan then the resulting 2nd shot should then be played to the safest spot to prevent a big number.

 

[ScienceBoy]

Playing off 11 I break the course into sets of 3, a par and two bogeys is usually good enough, once that set of 3 has gone its onto the new set of 3 holes.

I play to my own game plan, I don't plan the score or if I am going to attack in advance, I play it based on three goals.

[predictable]http://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk/showthread.php?51871-Trying-to-break-100-The-3-Goals-Method[/[predictable]

 

[duncan mackie]

I take it back, everyone should have a plan like that :thup:

it worked - the rest of the plan rather fell apart when I realised on arrival that we would be playing from the v back tees and that they were quite a bit back from the yellows played there last week.......yep I'd also planned to use a 3 wood and added another wedge!

then, teeing off last match, my 20 hcap (coincidence?) partner spent some time discussing a plan about who should go first when, and how he'd use his shots....then, on the 3rd tee, his back went into spasm and he eventually left the course to see if he could do something about it! I went first - and last....

he came back at 10, and won the 2 long par 5 stroke holes with 5's

but the only thing that went to plan was the guiness! (well you could count the 3 wood, but not quite as I'd planned that!)