Stroke Play/Real golf!

kid2

kid2

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Evening all iv just put my name down for this sundays comp.....Its a singles stroke play....
As i want to try and play as many competitions as i can this year(I couldnt last year over the leg injury) Im really only playing regular golf the past 8 months or so....I started with a handicap of 21 but am now down to 19 and i know that i could play well below my handicap with the right attitude......
How should i approach a stroke play comp....My dad says that this is real golf
I am aware that if i dont play well then its only an increase of .1 at worst but every week i play i go with the attitude that i want to do well....doesnt always pan out that way but hey....Thats life :D :D
Is there any proper way to approach a stroke play comp with the exception of making it round in the least shots ;)
Iv narrowed down my weakness on my course which sees me scratch regular holes usually from the tee...It cost me the weekend also....
If i play these holes a little more clever and not so aggressive is there a chance that i might start to see things happening.....

My stableford scores usually come in around the 28-34 mark usually hovering around the 30 but what really stops me from breaking CSS are errant tee shots...(lost balls) and as everyone knows hit 3 off the tee your up against it straight from the off..I have great self belief and know that if i can nip the problem of the tee shots in the bud then i should start posting some decent scores and then the handicap should follow.
Im a fairly confident person but lately these few holes are wrecking my cards......
Sorry for the drawn out post :(
 
Pretty much what you say really. I always identify which holes I usually make a mess of and why. Such as the 11th shortish Par 5 but ob both left and right so keep the Driver and the 3 wood in the bag go with a 5 Wood 200 yards or thereabouts then Hybrid up to the green leaving just a wedge on to the dancefloor. Play safe on the danger holes usually works for me
 
Ditto the above posts, plus take your medicine when you need to.

In a stableford, if you go for a miracle recovery shot the worst that can happen is 0 points and move on to the next hole.
Do that in strokeplay and you could end up with a 9 or 10 when playing sensibly could've limited the damage to 6 or 7.
 
Take the 3 or 4 iron and the 3 wood to the range the morning before you play and see which one is the most reliable and stick with it for the day.
 
You can only play one shot at a time and can't influence what might happen on the next or change what has gone before. Personally I wouldn't focus on any so called bogey holes unless you're course management for these is way off the mark. Off your handicap play for level fives on every hole and what you make on the 3's and shorter 4's you cna afford to give back on the odd bad hole. It takes the pressure off having to try and make par all the time
 
Strokeplay IS real golf. It's where every shot counts no matter which hole you are on.... no blobs allowed! :)

You have exactly the right idea about it though - the worst that can happen is you go up by 0.1
 
Don't build the competition up a anything special, just treat it as a normal round where you can relax and enjoy it. If you are unsure about whether you can hit the shot, then dont, play the shot you know you can hit the most often. If you find you dont get the results you want at any time, for any reason, ie miss hit, or bad bounce, forget it and concentrate on the next shot. no point thinking about the past.
Most of all, have fun.
good luck mate.
 
First Stroke Play Mug for me beginning of the May, been shooting well before that, Back was giving me hassle for the front 9, shot 53 :)

Just try to enjoy your day and golf, all should be OK, but more difficult then it sounds....Good Luck :cool:
 
My tip would be to leave your driver at home and try and play for a bogey on every hole. You'll be surprised how many pars you make that way.
e.g. long par 4...3 wood, lay up 5 iron, pitch and one or two putts :)
Try it for one round and see how you get on. :)
 
Come on mate get a grip. Get the driver out every hole and leather it. That's why we play. If it all goes a bit haywire off the tee, go for that recovery shot. It's only a game. If it's your day it's your day and there will be nothing anyone can do about it.
 
Reading your OP it would appear that your Dad is a bit of a golfer and if this is the case, use him on the course!!

What club would my Dad hand me here? Where would my Dad recommend I hit this shot?

Get Dad's thinking to ease you round the course and he maybe help to stop the stupid shot that results in a very high score at a hole.

If you are 'teenagerish' and Dad is public enemy number one - use the thinking of someone else that knows your game.
 
kid2, in the last 12months i've always struggled playing medal comps but the last few i've resorted to thinking a lot more about my shots and also treating every hole as a 'bogey'.

I've posted a 90&92 recently and probabaly should've done better though i now feel a lot more confident when i play in medal conditions.

Goodluck but most importantly enjoy it!
 
I'm a similar handicap to yourself and I'm trying to do the following on my rounds this season.

Have a plan for each hole based on shots you know you can play. Playing for a bogey, or 5's, is definitely a good way of taking the pressure off.

If you're playing with a lower handicapper, don't try to play like them. More than likely they will be hitting it further and straighter than you, so remember to play your own game.

If you get into trouble make sure your next shot gets you back into play, better to lose 1 shot than any more. Don't worry about going for the green and risking getting into more trouble.

Have a clear picture of your next shot in your mind and try not to rush your shots. I was reading the thread about slow play and found it interesting that last year I would have been annoyed with slow play and then played badly, whereas this season the slower the round the more I can concentrate on my shots.

Always try and enjoy it, if you have a bad hole, don't give up on the rest of your round. Your handicap means that you have some room on your card for a bad hole (or two).

The last point is what I've struggled with, but I'm slowly getting better at putting the bad out of my mind.

Good luck,

Mightymoose

ps: Hello to the forum
 
I've been very much in the same boat as you. I've not been playing great but read something, just a phrase, which really helped.

Score better than you play.

I've been doing this for a couple of weeks now. Not striking the ball particularly well, just cutting out the mistakes. Things like:

  • Missing greens on the correct side - make sure you're leaving yourself a decent chip back if you miss

    Taking OOB and other hazards out of play

    Not attempting anything miraculous

    Not trying to "hole" any putts - just hitting them to die in the hole

    Accepting mentally that hitting the green in one more than
    I should is not a disaster - I could always hole the putt for par or a solid two putt for a bogey

    Scoring no worse than a double bogey by not doing anything stupid

    Shoot for the middle of the green every time

My scoring has improved no end since doing these things. It's just about really good course management. Good luck!
 
My tip would be to leave your driver at home and try and play for a bogey on every hole. You'll be surprised how many pars you make that way.
e.g. long par 4...3 wood, lay up 5 iron, pitch and one or two putts :)
Try it for one round and see how you get on. :)
Click to expand...



Thanks for all the replies people.....
Bob this very phrase was given to me when i first picked up a club...Play for bogies.....And do i do it....Nooooooooo. I get adventurous(Thinking im TW or someone......)
But come sunday im making a promise to myself to play with my brain rather than my Brawn....... :D :D

Oh and dropping the Driver wont be a problem as im not using one lately.....My 3 wood is being too consistent for me....The driver was costing me shots (too many)
 
I'm a similar handicap to yourself and I'm trying to do the following on my rounds this season.

Have a plan for each hole based on shots you know you can play. Playing for a bogey, or 5's, is definitely a good way of taking the pressure off.

If you're playing with a lower handicapper, don't try to play like them. More than likely they will be hitting it further and straighter than you, so remember to play your own game.

If you get into trouble make sure your next shot gets you back into play, better to lose 1 shot than any more. Don't worry about going for the green and risking getting into more trouble.

Have a clear picture of your next shot in your mind and try not to rush your shots. I was reading the thread about slow play and found it interesting that last year I would have been annoyed with slow play and then played badly, whereas this season the slower the round the more I can concentrate on my shots.

Always try and enjoy it, if you have a bad hole, don't give up on the rest of your round. Your handicap means that you have some room on your card for a bad hole (or two).

The last point is what I've struggled with, but I'm slowly getting better at putting the bad out of my mind.

Good luck,

Mightymoose

ps: Hello to the forum
Click to expand...



Nice 1st post Mightymoose......Welcome to the mad house..... ;)
 
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