Playing safe

[cliveb]

We've all heard that you shouldn't attack the course.
In yesterday's stableford I made a conscious decision to stick to that.
Never attempted to go for an ambitious shot.
It all started so well with nine straight 2 pointers.
But all it took was a couple of clumsy 3 putts and one wild shot into the bushes on the back 9 and the round was gone, with no 3 pointers in the bank to compensate.
Ended up with 33 points.
So I'm going to attack the course in future.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

We've all heard that you shouldn't attack the course.
In yesterday's stableford I made a conscious decision to stick to that.
Never attempted to go for an ambitious shot.
It all started so well with nine straight 2 pointers.
But all it took was a couple of clumsy 3 putts and one wild shot into the bushes on the back 9 and the round was gone, with no 3 pointers in the bank to compensate.
Ended up with 33 points.
So I'm going to attack the course in future.

But surely the 3 putts aren't a reflection of your long game strategy. That's just you being a muppet on the green

 

[Slab]

I’m definitely a ‘play it safe’ kinda guy. Still make swing errors that put paid to that plan plus the occasional shot selection that’s not quite the banker I thought it was

i.e If I’m in range of green with my 3w then 19 times out of 20 I’ll hit 4iron (& the 20th time it'll probably be 5iron)

 

[cliveb]

But surely the 3 putts aren't a reflection of your long game strategy. That's just you being a muppet on the green

Yes of course. But as a fully paid up member of the Honourable Order of Putting Muppets, I am bound to 3 putt now and again. I need some 3 pointers to make up for it.

 

[Orikoru]

My personal view is you should go for any shot that you think you have a reasonable chance of making, and the most likely miss isn't too punishing. I hate the old school mentality of 'using your shots' and laying up when you don't really need to. All that means is you cannot then make a mistake. I want to hit as many greens in regulation as I can, and the shot I get on the hole is simply to cover the mistake I'm likely to make, i.e. missing the green and having to chip, or three-putting, or hitting a bad drive in the first place.

I never really start a hole with the intention of 'playing it safe' or whatever either, I just play what I think is the best tee shot and then weigh up each subsequent shot as it comes. I don't really see it as 'attacking the course' as you put it, but more than I want to get as close to the green as I can without cocking it up.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Yes of course. But as a fully paid up member of the Honourable Order of Putting Muppets, I am bound to 3 putt now and again. I need some 3 pointers to make up for it.

I know I've bored everyone on here before but a valid point nonetheless but when I played the GM Centenary final at Forest of Arden I couldn't reach a lot of the par 4's in two off the whites so laid up to around 80-100 yards even if that meant a 9 iron for the second. Didn't make too many mistakes and only lost on countback because of 3 putt (yes I am a fully paid up member as well). On a course I'd never played it served me well and I think on our own courses where familiarity breeds contempt at times there is a lot for plotting rather than a more attacking strategy where a bad shot or big miss brings double or worse into the mix

 

[Skytot]

I don’t think there’s any right or wrong way to play it . Personally I’m a safe type , my coach says if you can hit the desired shot 8/10 go for it if not play safe . I’m getting close to 60 and not that long of the tee so I end up relying on my short game because I’m a chicken

 

[Wabinez]

It's about aggressive swings to conservative targets, not avoiding all risk at all.

And ultimately, as handicap golfers, you are gonna balls it up more often than not. 33 points is a solid return.

 

[Backache]

I reckon the art of golf is figuring out when you should play safe and when you should go for it, a single philosophy is unlikely to be optimum.
Generally my strategy is to send the ball as far as possible but not into areas where there is obvious trouble for a small mistake.

 

[Skytot]

Anyone who watches Golfmates on YouTube, Old Man Pat who’s still a great golfer at 82 uses a traffic light system.

 

[Springveldt]

We've all heard that you shouldn't attack the course.
In yesterday's stableford I made a conscious decision to stick to that.
Never attempted to go for an ambitious shot.
It all started so well with nine straight 2 pointers.
But all it took was a couple of clumsy 3 putts and one wild shot into the bushes on the back 9 and the round was gone, with no 3 pointers in the bank to compensate.
Ended up with 33 points.
So I'm going to attack the course in future.

I've never really understood the term to "attack the course". I usually just play the most aggressive shot that I think will leave me in a decent place even if I hit it not exactly how I want to.

You read the mantra of "don't aim at pins, aim at the middle of the green" but at my old club when the green is only 16 yards wide you are aiming at the middle most of the time unless you are less than 90 yards in. I'd quite often be aiming off the green even with a 7 iron in my hand if I was pulling/fading it that day or there was wind etc but still felt I was playing aggressive.

 

[Slab]

Anyone who watches Golfmates on YouTube, Old Man Pat who’s still a great golfer at 82 uses a traffic light system.

I watched (liam i think it is) in his club June stableford this morning, he had a shocker , it was fun to see

 

[RichA]

I usually score best when I play boring attritional golf and plot my way around - laying up for a chip when I probably can't reach.
But I normally get bored after 4 or 5 holes and go for the worldy cut under the tree, around the corner and over a hazard onto the postage stamp green. It rarely works, but my best ever 2 rounds came from throwing caution to the wind. Neither were very recent. But I don't rely on golf for my income.

 

[BiMGuy]

I don’t think there’s any right or wrong way to play it . Personally I’m a safe type , my coach says if you can hit the desired shot 8/10 go for it if not play safe . I’m getting close to 60 and not that long of the tee so I end up relying on my short game because I’m a chicken

8 out of 10 times is a very high % for handicap golfers.

In these discussions someone will often suggest laying up to your favorite yardage then use your short game to make par/bogey. Which is all well and good until you miss the green/duff the shot and now you are looking at double or worse.

From 100 yards most double digit players will be lucky to hit the green 50% of the time. The rest of the time anywhere on the green is a good result. And there will be many times at a distance where a 3 putt is a likely outcome.

All this using your shots is great if you are happy shooting high scores. If you have ambitions of shooting lower scores, you need to be on of near the green in regulation almost every time.

A good short game is an insurance policy that pays out 50% of the time for the best in the world. The rest of us have a sketchy 3rd party policy that pays out if we are lucky. It’s not a viable strategy to shooting low scores.

 

[Skytot]

Yea I watched it last night . I can definitely relate to how he played

 

[Burnsey]

Play the gap to the green, or play the chip out of the woods.

I miss the gap or duff the chip.

Either way makes no difference

 

[Imurg]

It depends on the shot, the club, whether it's in competition, the format of the competition etc etc...
Play the shot that...
A. You can play
B. Makes the next shot as easy as possible.

 

[cliveb]

I've never really understood the term to "attack the course". I usually just play the most aggressive shot that I think will leave me in a decent place even if I hit it not exactly how I want to.

Perhaps "attack the course" is the wrong term.

Example: Playing a par4 that I can often par, faced with a 160 yard approach to the green.
I could hit 5 iron which should get me there. But the greens are running fast, and beyond that green is a horrible drop off. If I flush the shot, it's a probable double, maybe a triple. So instead I hit 7 iron which 9/10 times isn't going to reach - unless I flush it. Of course it came up short and I had to content myself with a chip and 2-putt for bogey and 2 points. Is that "not attacking" or "chickening out"?

I still came away feeling that by playing safe I had eliminated the chance of having some 3 pointers in the bank to cover the inevitable cock-ups that come at some point in the round.

Another way of putting it is that if you play safe, you can't afford any cock-ups. I'm not good enough to rely on that.

 

[Orikoru]

Perhaps "attack the course" is the wrong term.

Example: Playing a par4 that I can often par, faced with a 160 yard approach to the green.
I could hit 5 iron which should get me there. But the greens are running fast, and beyond that green is a horrible drop off. If I flush the shot, it's a probable double, maybe a triple. So instead I hit 7 iron which 9/10 times isn't going to reach - unless I flush it. Of course it came up short and I had to content myself with a chip and 2-putt for bogey and 2 points. Is that "not attacking" or "chickening out"?

I still came away feeling that by playing safe I had eliminated the chance of having some 3 pointers in the bank to cover the inevitable cock-ups that come at some point in the round.

Another way of putting it is that if you play safe, you can't afford any cock-ups. I'm not good enough to rely on that.

I'm seeing another option if you read between the lines here..

 

[Backache]

Perhaps "attack the course" is the wrong term.

Example: Playing a par4 that I can often par, faced with a 160 yard approach to the green.
I could hit 5 iron which should get me there. But the greens are running fast, and beyond that green is a horrible drop off. If I flush the shot, it's a probable double, maybe a triple. So instead I hit 7 iron which 9/10 times isn't going to reach - unless I flush it. Of course it came up short and I had to content myself with a chip and 2-putt for bogey and 2 points. Is that "not attacking" or "chickening out"?

Maybe a six iron or is that too simple?