Play to your capabilities!

Surely this is obvious and I don't know how it's gone back and forth!

In a comp I will try and play sensible golf the whole way round. The key is finding the way to go tee-fairway-green 18 times. This won't happen and when you miss you find the best way to get back. This is so obvious but still I don't do it and I am trying to learn that I should just take the dropped shot.

Miracle shots are fun and great when they work however there is a time and a place. More importantly, if it is a shot you have never tried before stay away from it.

I tend to look at what I have, where I can go (normally 2/3 options) and take the one that puts me in the best position that I would make 7/10 times. If I have to go backwards I do.

Remember all the pros practices these miracle shots before hand. They know what will happen when they .......... You haven't so calculate the risk. Easier said than done though!
 
If the worst that can happen is you short-side yourself then I'd probably have a go. At worst you'd expect to put your third on the green and 2 putt for bogey, although a bad lie in the OP meant double, but I don't think you can legislate for that.

If the worst that can happen is you hit a tree and the ball could go anywhere then in a comp that meant anything I'd probably play it a little safer.

Even when you have no shot at the green, sometimes it's very easy to put it somewhere within 20yds of the green in which case you have to back yourself to get up and down.

Think of it this way; If you've hit your best ever drive 50yds past where you find yourself in trouble, you'd fancy your chances of a birdie. Get your recovery shot to that point and you have to fancy your chances of saving par. :)
 
Context plays a huge part, but for me I'll almost always take the sensible tried and tested route that I'm confident I can play.

I take more pleasure from a good score than a couple of miracle shots pulled off. Conversely little annoys me more that taking on a stupid shot and blowing shots unnecessarily.
 
Region3 said:
If the worst that can happen is you short-side yourself then I'd probably have a go. At worst you'd expect to put your third on the green and 2 putt for bogey, although a bad lie in the OP meant double, but I don't think you can legislate for that.
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I think I'm probably applying a bit of hindsight based on the lie I got which made the third shot all but impossible. You're right in that I knew missing as I did would make the up and down for par harder but it didn't cross my mind that I was bringing double bogey into the equation.


BTW.... waiting for the results to come through CDH but am expecting a wee 0.2 handicap cut..... :cool:
 
The quote from Mr Nicklaus is in my signature, unfortunately, although I try to adhere to it, it sometimes gets mixed up with a bit of John Daly and things get messy :D
 
HawkeyeMS said:
The quote from Mr Nicklaus is in my signature, unfortunately, although I try to adhere to it, it sometimes gets mixed up with a bit of John Daly and things get messy :D
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That's exactly it! Thanks!

Jack Nicklaus said:
Golf is a game where you have to understand yourself. You have to understand what your abilities are and you have to play within your own abilities. And if you get outside of that, that's when you get beat.
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Personally like to try one seve-esque shot a round, all part of the fun, the worry lately is im driving the ball to spots where I get to play 3 or 4 a round!!! Have to admit I tend to go for more than I should in comps, but thats a choice I make and I can live with hitting the tree and it ricocheting off lol
 
I'm having a real problem playing conservatively at the moment. Good example this past Sunday where I was on a long par4, SI1, and stood on the tee thinking to myself that a driver, mid iron, half a wedge to the green and a safe 2 putts for an easy 5 is the sensible thing to do.

Off I go with a lovely drive, then 7iron for an easy layup put me exactly where I thought I should be for the safe play. Proceeded to knife my wedge into gorse and walked off the green with a 7.

Just one part of an abysmal round but I can't help thinking I would have been better off if I just played the hole without thinking about it.
 
I would suggest it's not your course management that's the problem there, it's poor technique with your wedges. You had a gameplan, and pulled off the first 2 steps as you wanted to, you just didn't complete the 3rd. That doesn't mean your management was poor, and it wasn't your course management that resulted in the bad score, you just played a bad shot and got punished, it happens.
 
Jimaroid said:
I'm having a real problem playing conservatively at the moment. Good example this past Sunday where I was on a long par4, SI1, and stood on the tee thinking to myself that a driver, mid iron, half a wedge to the green and a safe 2 putts for an easy 5 is the sensible thing to do.

Off I go with a lovely drive, then 7iron for an easy layup put me exactly where I thought I should be for the safe play. Proceeded to knife my wedge into gorse and walked off the green with a 7.

Just one part of an abysmal round but I can't help thinking I would have been better off if I just played the hole without thinking about it.
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I can identify with this having done similarly (by laying up in front of a burn, then skulling it in). I think the mindset to adopt is that with the smart play out of 10 attempts you might get one 7, one 6, six 5's and 2 par4's while with the gung-ho approach it might be two 7's, three sixes, three 5s and two par 4s. So one way averages 5.1 and the other 5.5. Might not seem much difference, but that 0.4 difference when multiplied by 14 (par 4 & 5s) is almost 6 shots .
 
I think this is sound advice.
Sadly I'm guilty of taking on too many high risk shots that I don't pull off enough.
 
I'm with you on this Karen although agree in hindsight the shot wasn't crazy risky and you got a bad break with the resultant lie. Last couple of shots I recall taking on that had huge risk:-Pairs match when my partner was safe and I had to hit a hook around the trees...pulled it off to my amazement and a bit of a lightbulb moment as I thought nothing about the technique rather than visualised the shot and performed it. Other was today when I was out of position on a Par 5 so 2nd shot was a chip down to a place where I could go for the green in 3 BUT needed a 4 wood and a longish carry over a ditch in front of the green. Also pulled that one off...

Would I have done either in a medal? Not a chance!
 
I'd have said that going for the impossible is the preserve of a bounce 4bbb where usually you're out of it if you don't have a go. In a comp, then I'm trying to play the safer alternative and make the dropped shot up later. I'm not always good at sticking to this new plan!
 
I have had a hard time reducing the number of what I call "TV shots" or as others call them cards wreckers in my rounds. I am now trying to plot my way around the course better in medals so I am eliminating these 1in20??? shots.

It is a hard skill to master and still can't play backwards no matter how bad the situation/lie is. :whoo:
 
I tend to save my Hollywood shots for knockabout rounds. At times, in comps, I think I can be too conservative.
 
I realised a long time ago that for me the game was difficult and to play impossible shots was only going to make it more difficult. I prefer certainty so I go for shots I can make. I will hit an iron on a long par three that I cannot reach with a driver. Seems sensible to me.
 
bobmac said:
Obviously but you've (hopefully) learned that lesson now.
That's what bounce games are for or when you're 2 down with 3 to play.
Never try and play a shot in medal that you cant hit twice in a row
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A 4ft straight putt?
 
This is something i need to work on. A few bad choices and my round is gone. Nothing beats the feeling of pulling off a miracle. Sometimes that one shot is the only thing that keeps you coming back for more.
 
Handicap on the line with card and pencil in hand why would I take on a shot I've rarely played. definitely not practiced and if I don't pull it off will put me in trouble and compromise my score on the hole? Thats just a stupid decision and something I've worked hard to eradicate. At my level bogey is still my friend and sometimes you have to take your medicine and move on.

In a roll up though with maybe a princely £3 on the line then of course I'd consider it especially if I wasn't going too well and wanted to have some fun. For me its' about knowing when to take a risky shot, not even the full blown Hollywood shot, and when to swallow pride and play the percentages
 
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