Ways to learn about course management

[HomerJSimpson]

Think it was Hogan that said he only hit 10 shots per round exactly where he wanted it and how he wanted. The others were an exercise in getting it round. The biggest course management fault and one I know I am guilty of (but trying to improve) is under clubbing and thinking just because I'm 150 yards (normally a smooth 6) that is the right club. If I clubbed up more often and hit a smoother 5 I would get to the centre of the green more often and not come up so short (where most of the trouble is)

 

[Oddsocks]

Course manager gets more complex the lower your get, but there are a few simple gems which improve scoring.

Don't hit clubs that can reach the hazards from the tee - ie if bunkers are at 240, and you drive the ball 240, why hit a driver, hit a 3w or hybrid so you don't reach them

always look for the safe bail - you have a dog leg left, trouble down the left protecting the tiger line, what's wrong with the middle of the fairway or right side, no trouble and no shots dropped just one longer club into the green, this works when playing any hole, a par 3 with water on the right side of the green, I'd rather miss left and chip/put to save par than splash out.

laying up - if your gonna lay up then lay up - so many times people look at gps, know the lay up point is short of bunkers at say 150 yards, hit whatever club they hit 140/145 in effort to lay up and flush the shot straight into the hazard or crap, if your laying up take at least one club less than you need and LAY UP!

use the hole stroke rating - a lot of times we have a go at holes that maybe we shouldn't an emailed is our first, a short par 5 at 470 slightly downhill. Everything 10ft off the fairway is in cabbage over a drop, everything right of the fairway will either bounce in off the slope or if it's too high up will catch up in the cabbage, if you hit the narrow fairway, your left with 200 yards downhill lie to a green protected front left and right with bunkers, the entrance is approx 15ft wide, the ledge on the left of the fairway runs all the way to the green, so many people try and hit hybrids as a second shot because they can reach, off a down hill lie the either scuttle it, push it right into crap or hook it over the ledge into the crap, unless their really luck where they plug into either of the soft fluffy bunkers. Now I take driver, 7/8i short then wedge on, I've made more pars and birdies playing it as a 5, than my doubles and bogeys made trying to play it as a par4

Other stuff that your playing partner has suggested is awesome advice, but implementing it into the game is the tricky bit, it's a habit you need to get into,

 

[Doon frae Troon]

I went through the process of the OP [in reverse] with a friend who was a big hitting 26 handicapper who was known to lose half a dozen balls a game.
I selected his clubs and told him where to aim. He fought me all the way as I never once selected his driver. He was naturally talented from 100 yards in so the par 5's were two rescue's and a 8/9 iron.
He could not believe it when he scored 42 for the first 9 holes.

Chess golf.....he called it, he got down to 14 within a year.

 

[Robobum]

Course manager gets more complex the lower your get, but there are a few simple gems which improve scoring.

I'd say it was completely the other way round.

As a high h'cap, you have to change your management shot by shot. The best laid plan from the tee goes to rats following a duffed drive.

The better you get, the easier it gets to have plans that you are reasonably confident of executing.

 

[Oddsocks]

Following on from dft above, if you have a club that causes issues you don't have to use it, a very stead 21 capper won our winter singles match play comp by leaving he's driver and 3w in he's boot, he knew they were destructive to good scoring, hitting noting but a 3h from the tee he turned over a very solid 5 capper and past champion who hits the ball a mile,

The score was something like 7&6 if I remember right, ok it was no frills golf, but who cares when he sits in the bar with a cold one and can see his name on the singles champs majors board

 

[Oddsocks]

I'd say it was completely the other way round.

As a high h'cap, you have to change your management shot by shot. The best laid plan from the tee goes to rats following a duffed drive.

The better you get, the easier it gets to have plans that you are reasonably confident of executing.

When I say more complex I mean instead of missing hazards for safe shots, and laying up from hazards, you begin to pick where you want to play your next shot from, where would give you a better line into a pin that's tucked tight left front behind a bunker etc etc, more variables enter the equation the lower you get.

 

[Sybez]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdCeBiy96G0&list=PL073141F811B421DC

 

[Sybez]

Another thought for you.... Have you ever played an entire round WITHOUT hitting any woods? i.e a 2 iron would be my longest club, but some may have hybrids. This teaches a few things;

a) course management
b) hitting fairways
c) hitting long irons from the tee

I've done this a couple of times last season in my society, I won one with 40 pts and was 2nd with 37pts in another.... played some of the best golf of my year. It seriously made me consider why I need £500+ worth of driver and 3w! Now I'm working on hitting these more consistently to hit fairways more.... Ripping it as hard as poss with driver is fun, but costs way too much in replacement balls.

Ask yourself if you want to actually get better at the game, or just wack balls around the course....?

 

[Oddsocks]

Especially if your playing societies from the yellows. If you have a 500 yards par 5, two hybrids and a wedge/9 iron will still hit par 5's

 

[NorfolkShaun]

Some great tips here guys.

I won my first Stableford last week, I was driving really bad early on and started the round 1,1,2,0 so was not thinking much was on.

Decided to use the 3 wood more off the tee and started to think my way round a little better, don't think I hit my driver from the 4th until the 15th when there is a long carry. I only won this comp by thinking my way round better and not trying the 'Hollywood' shot so often.

As someone once said to me there are not many holes (par 4's) that cannot be got near with a couple of good 5/6 irons doing this should keep you in play and out of trouble, taking this a step further if you can get nearer 200 with a hybrid / wood then you can be in and around the greens for an up and down par then your scoring better. In the last six to eight months I have got to the point where 8/10 shots from 130 for me will be on the green and the closer I am the closer I get, my putting is improving too so now I need to just keep the ball in play and think about leaving the 'Hollywood' shot in the bag.

I have been trying very hard to learn how to score and i'm trying to learn off the better golfers i'm paired with in comps.

Also really appreciate the tips from you guys on here there is some cracking tips put out.

 

[Foxholer]

Playing with better players (normally not Pros, who play a different game!) and seeing how they handle certain situations is a great way to become aware of course management. Knowing when to play safe and when it's worth 'going for it', becomes pretty obvious pretty quickly. And if your short game is decent, it becomes 'pretty easy' to score well with 'boring' golf!

 

[drs1878]

I'm just as likely to duff a 80 yard shot as I am a 200 yarder............ That's when the frustration kicks in and I think, I should have just gone for it!!!!

But hopefully this will all change with my intensive winter practise........

 

[Spear-Chucker]

As mentioned, rightly, by others - playing with better players is the best way. I was lucky enough to play a couple of rounds with an ex-England player as a kid and saw how he managed himself around the course. Was all about getting in the right position and playing within capability. Hit it an ok distance, reasonably accurate, wasn't afraid to punch the ball back into play and was good on the greens - it all added up to a very good score.

Since this i've read loads of books like the ubiquitous Dr Bob series and many others. Personally think it's great that magazines and websites dedicate so much time to course and self management and have gotten away from the macho element (real players don't worry about such things) which was more prevalent when i got started.

One bit of course management advice I've leaned on over the years - have a go-to tee shot when you're not sure what's needed. You're buggered when that fails but who's perfect?!!