Should your club suit your game?

[ShankyBoy]

I'm a member of club X, it's 30 seconds in the car from my door. It's a good club and the folks are friendly and the price is right. But I don't feel like I play my best at the club..or it plays to my strengths should I say.There is another club, say 15 mins from me, plays about 700 yards further and costs a few hundred more also, but I always score lower, as it's not so defined by narrow fairways, abundance of trees, and very hard greens unlike mine, SSS is also 1 shot higher at the other course, so it's not easier per se.I enjoy playing there as I can get away with a slightly errant drive without reaching for another ball, which is the case on probably 15/18 holes on mine. So should I switch and play the course that suits me more or persevere with mine, play more sensible golf, and get a straighter driver/better putter?

 

[Hobbit]

Where ever you play your handicap will, ultimately, level out for that course. If you move, you'll end up in the same position in a couple of years time. You'll think you're not scoring well but in reality your handicap fits your game on that course.... If that makes sense.

 

[Duckster]

There's only one person who can answer this and that's you.

Personally I'd say play at which ever club you are most comfortable at. A club is so much more than just the course.

 

[patricks148]

I'm a member of club X, it's 30 seconds in the car from my door. It's a good club and the folks are friendly and the price is right. But I don't feel like I play my best at the club..or it plays to my strengths should I say.There is another club, say 15 mins from me, plays about 700 yards further and costs a few hundred more also, but I always score lower, as it's not so defined by narrow fairways, abundance of trees, and very hard greens unlike mine, SSS is also 1 shot higher at the other course, so it's not easier per se.I enjoy playing there as I can get away with a slightly errant drive without reaching for another ball, which is the case on probably 15/18 holes on mine. So should I switch and play the course that suits me more or persevere with mine, play more sensible golf, and get a straighter driver/better putter?

surely if its easier that would be reflected in the CSS. personally i prefer to play at places with a higher CSS then par

 

[garyinderry]

If you play at a wider course you end up blasting drives and not caring about accuracy as much. You can then get found out when you go to another course that demands straight hitting.

 

[User 105]

depends what you want.

If you want to get better then play at places that challenge you.

If you want to enjoy your golf, and shooting lower scores is enjoyable, then play at the other place.

I swapped from a wide open course to a really tight one. 1st one you could pretty much hit your teeshot anyway and I'd still have a shot into the green. My current course will destroy you if you're off target from the tee.

It was very frustrating to start with but the result is I'm now a much better player and I feel i could shoot a decent score anywhere.

 

[Cheifi0]

If the only golf you play is at your home course and your "score" is all that matters go for it. Personally i would rather play at the more difficult course ( which in my view generally means a better course). It means you have to play better which will make you a better golfer in the long term. With any sport playing against someone better than you helps your skill level increase much quicker.

 

[ShankyBoy]

Maybe my course is too hard for my level (18h) to improve. I was thinking that by playing more golf in play, shooting lower and reducing my handicap, will in turn increase confidence and help me be a better player. I know I enjoy swinging free there and not be so constrained by thoughts of "must not go left/right" etc.

 

[patricks148]

how long have you been a member at your current club?

I was a member at a local parkland course when i first started and came down from 24 to 12 almost straight away. i joined a links course and moved my handicap there, but for the first couple of years i struggled playing at the harder course, but it made me a better golfer in the long run.

 

[ShankyBoy]

Since last June, so not long.

Do you think you would have gone from 24 to 12 in the same time frame had you gone to your current course? What did you hc increase to when you moved it over?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

The posts so far have pretty much summed it up. The question is what do you play for, pure enjoyment, to become better or a mixture of both? Personally, I like a parkland course, I like them to be scenic and ideally I like a bit of room off the tee. My current course does okay on those fronts. You could lift up Carnoustie, Lytham or frankly any other Open links course and stick it next to my current place and I would not swap. It is enough of a challenge and the rest ticks the boxes. You have to ask those questions and in a Yoda like fashion the answer will appear.

 

[Smiffy]

I know full well that if I played James (JustOne) around East Sussex National, the chances are he would beat me.
It's relatively wide open, long (off the back tees) and has good greens.
He can afford to be a bit wayward off the tee (which he is a lot of the time) and can make up for it with his iron play
At his old track, (Copthorne), which is more tree lined and tighter, it wouldn't be so cut and dried.

 

[ShankyBoy]

I know full well that if I played James (JustOne) around East Sussex National, the chances are he would beat me.
It's relatively wide open, long (off the back tees) and has good greens.
He can afford to be a bit wayward off the tee (which he is a lot of the time) and can make up for it with his iron play
At his old track, (Copthorne), which is more tree lined and tighter, it wouldn't be so cut and dried.

Yep, this kinda sums it up. I always thought if I could play well at mine, I would play well anywhere, so maybe I'm just being impatient, will see how the next few months go.

 

[patricks148]

Since last June, so not long.

Do you think you would have gone from 24 to 12 in the same time frame had you gone to your current course? What did you hc increase to when you moved it over?

its didn't increase as such just stayed static as i played a fair few opens and still medals at the parkland course. I would get cuts away and they would take care on the increases at the links. all of a sudden though its clicked and started to get cut at Tain. when i moved on to Nairn again the handicap struggled as that was harder than Tain due to the large fast greens. then when i had gotten used to it came down to 5 and below.

 

[garyinderry]

I was always of the thinking that your course tends to mould your style of play to a certain extent.

Links players tend to have low ball flights. Wide open courses tend to have boys to spray it about a bit. Up turned greens means people get better at chipping. Hard baked courses in summer see people improve at bump and run shots. So on and so forth.

When I moved courses and countries for that matter I hand to reel in my wild drives as my new course was 600 yards shorter but tighter. I also had to get used to baked fairways and greens which you rarely find Ireland.

I like to think playing different courses in different conditions has played it's part in my improving as a player. I don't think I'd move course solely for the purpose of fitting my current strengths, I'd to think I could improve on my weaknesses so I can play whatever a course designer throws at me.

Saying that I do hate when a course is predominantly fade or draw orientated. Grinds my gears. Lol

 

[Bigfoot]

I found that moving to a tighter course tightened up my driving so ultimately helped my game everywhere. I enjoy playing at both courses as they are completely different so I want to be a member at both. I can't see me leaving the original now.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

The problem with playing one course regularly is that familiarity breeds a degree of contempt and you tend to get blase about the dangers. If I was the OP I'd play the course I felt was going to give me the biggest long term challenge