Pre Round Planning.

[kid2]

Evening Gents,
Just a quick one to ponder over.
Lately iv been getting more educated about course management and planning your round before you go out......

Does anybody else do this or is there a point.....
Im talking playing for position off the par 4's and 5's and maybe hitting 3 clubs into the par 5's rather than going for them in 2......

I know that weather would play an important part in decisions made but im wondering if a little homework was done before a round how well would we play.....

Just some food for thought......Are you an aggressive bash it and find it player or a safe steve that plots there way around

 

[Swinger]

Just some food for thought......Are you an aggressive bash it and find it player or a safe steve that plots there way around

This Steve ain't safe!!
If I can get there then there are two hopes of talking me out of it. Bob and none.

I have played just hitting irons of tees and taking safe options but as I'm not practising atm and am putting v. little effort in I just like to get up and smash the nuts off it because I'm only there for fun.

If I do start putting the time and effort in then I would only look at safe scoring options and not giving myself any chance to make costly mistakes.

I'd get bored just nudging it around atm as I'd only give the shots away somewhere else.

If your putting a good amount of time and effort into your golf then I'd say you should give yourself the best opportunity to put good scores in. Take the big risk shots out of the game, the risk is never usually worth the reward.

 

[Imurg]

Pre-round planning?
Making sure I've got enough drinks,balls and the Skycaddie's charged.

 

[Smiffy]

I visited Old Thorns sometime ago for a week-end with some mates. We had played the course before and knew it reasonably well but one of my mates went and bought a strokesaver and sat down having a drink with the starter going through every hole with him and marking with little x's where the best place to hit his drive, second shot etc would be. He was out to win it.
He came in with about 20 points.

 

[pablo123]

The only thing you should be thinking about is the first tee shot and that alone. No point in thinking what youll be doing halfway round the back 9. If it's you're own course then you should have a rough idea what you're targets are anyway. I have specific holes that I play safe but depending on my score I could smash the driver in a bid to close to the green. There's nothing wrong with planning you're round out but I think if I done that I'd ony be thinking about the holes ahead instead of the one I'm playing

 

[Smiffy]

The only thing you should be thinking about is the first tee shot and that alone. No point in thinking what youll be doing halfway round the back 9. If it's you're own course then you should have a rough idea what you're targets are anyway. I have specific holes that I play safe but depending on my score I could smash the driver in a bid to close to the green. There's nothing wrong with planning you're round out but I think if I done that I'd ony be thinking about the holes ahead instead of the one I'm playing

Is the correct answer


Play with what you have on the day.

 

[Matt_B]

Pre round planning for me = Just hit the feckin ball down the fairway on the first!

 

[bobmac]

I tend not to plan the round but just the next shot.
If you can see the flag is tucked behind a right hand bunker, hit your drive down the left...that sort of planning.
And if your course set up allows, look at flag positions for holes coming up later.

 

[19th]

I have a definate strategy - it just does not always work!!

Due to current growth, the rough must be avoided so it is three wood off the tee, with the driver only being used three times on the outward 9 but on the way in, it is driver all the way, now relaxed and swinging OK.

Just need strategy for irons and I will be scoring!

 

[Tiger]

I've tried planning a whole round when I first started. It didn't work because I didn't hit the ball consistently enough to execute the plan. Then I started playing each shot as it came. That worked for some holes but there are a few holes where I am leaking shots.

New approach is a conservative tee shot plan for the six holes where I am consistently hitting trouble and the rest is dependent on elements on the day. I think when I am a more consistent ball striker I'll have a more comprehensive approach to playing my track.

 

[Kellfire]

I try to plan each shot rather than each round, something that's nearly impossible for a high handicap.

My main aim is to forget the last shot if it was poor and approach the next shot with a positive mindset, telling myself it WILL go where I am aiming to get it.

 

[Fyldewhite]

One shot at a time for me. Whether I play safe etc depends on how I'm swinging and how I'm scoring and is never part of a pre-planned strategy.

 

[chrisd]

Hi Kid

I actually think that pre planning has a certain amount of sense. If you sit at home and consider each hole in turn and think of playing it from the tee that you most use, you should have an idea where your best and worse tee shots go. Lets say that the driver puts you in trouble on a particular hole then you should consider a game plan around leaving it in the bag and using something that will get you in a better position. It might be on your next round that the wind blows and you have to rethink "the plan" but that is "on the day" and everything has to be subject to change. There will be holes where the front of the hole is filled with trouble as well some that going through the back will be trouble - so your game plan will be to either take extra or less club to cope with these variations.It may be that a certain hole is one that you just can't par for love nor money so you may decide to devise a method on that hole where you are virtually certain to do no worse than a bogey and, who knows, maybe par it with a good chip or putt.

I think that pre planning is something that the phsycologists talk about but it really has to be as a guide to playing a course rather than a "bible"

 

[RGDave]

At my home course, I have my round planned before I tee off....more or less.

Only 14 shots of it though.

Before I play a new course, I often have a look at the website or look over the stroke saver before the game starts.
Most of my decisions are made on the tee of the hole I'm playing. I'll check distances to bunkers etc. and consider the complete length of the hole and so on.

 

[Imurg]

At my home course, I have my round planned before I tee off....more or less.

Only 14 shots of it though.

So that takes care of the first 2 holes then Dave....

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I find that pre-planning especially on your home course can be dangerous especially if the conditions the next day are vastly different (windier, rain etc). It throws the plan into disaaray and could lead to doubt. Personally I'll plan each hole as I play it given the way I'm swinging, the state fo the game/round and the conditions.

If I'm playing a new course I'll take a look a the website and see if there are any real no go areas and try and buy a strokesaver when I get there. Although SC does the job in terms o yardage I do like to sometimes see the layout too. Again I'll never go with any pre-conceived ideas abotu what to hit or where to play each shot and take it one blow at a time

 

[RGDave]

At my home course, I have my round planned before I tee off....more or less.

Only 14 shots of it though.

So that takes care of the first 2 holes then Dave....

Cheeky boy. I normally get to at least the green on the 3rd before I've blown 14 shots.

Ideally, I'd be on the 5th tee (nos. 1-4 are par 14 together).

I was trying to refer to the 14 non-par 3 holes.

 

[NickSwan]

I think pre-round planning, especially at your home course is very important. It is what the pro's are doing on their practice days - always thinking about the best shot into a green to get the best putt etc. OK you may have to change it depending on weather conditions and how good your tee shot is - but having any kind of plan is better than no plan at all.

If you pre-plan your round you can then go to bed and think about each shot in turn going exactly where you want it to while dozing off to sleep! (maybe taking things a step too far!

Nick

 

[Smiffy]

If you pre-plan your round you can then go to bed and think about each shot in turn going exactly where you want it to
Nick

The number of times I've shot 3 over gross doing that.
Then reality kicks in the next day.

I'd rather think of Cheryl Cole whilst nodding off now.
At least it stops me rolling out of bed

 

[Region3]

I'd rather think of Cheryl Cole whilst nodding off now.
At least it stops me rolling out of bed