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Course and game management.

Rageshadow

Rageshadow

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I played 18 today at a course I haven't been to in a while. I just came off my 3rd lesson plus 9 holes after on thursday. During my yard pratice with some almostgolf balls some things just started to really click with my swing and the feeling of my body turn. Anyway back to those 18 holes.

I had an amazing day today not that my score showed that I shot a 106 which is one more than my pb. I say amazing is because my ball striking was for the most part crisp with a smoothe fairly controlled swing, don't get my wrong there was still a few topped balls but that was through lack of concentration.

What I found today is that just because you can get the ball close to the green doesn't mean I should. Let me explain that one. There was a couple of holes where I was able to get a good drive then a good approach which would leave me with a nasty in between club shot. I don't have the game yet for those shots, so next time out I am going to play smarter into my game. Make my approaches on the longer holes shorter so that I can use a full swing to the green.

Next, I kid you not that if I counted the shots I left out there today I would have been close to an 80 something. Now I didn't have much luck with GIR's today, however my misses should have been managable today but... Instead of playing the smart shots I tried to get cute sometimes and what should have gotten me on the green putting for birdie or par ended up putting for bogie or double or more. Other shots were just plain bad, which means more short game pratice. Next time out the 60* is staying at home lol so no more temptations to try that Phil like flop shot.

My putting was pretty good, I only had a total of 3, 3 putts, I was able to 1 or 2 putt everything else

Needless to say I gained a TON of confidence in my game today, even with all the stuff I did wrong my game was so much better today than ever before if that makes sense. I think if I learn to play smarter and leave those hero shots in the bag I will see much lower scores.

I guess to sum up all my ramblings is this. Just because you can almost reach the green that it is not always the smart thing to do, don't try those fancy shots that will only work less than half the time for me. Play smart, a bogie is always better than a double or tripple.

Sorry for the rambling here but I wanted to put this down so maybe I could hear from folks who play better than I do and see if my new found thinking is on the right track.
 
All 100% true. I can't guarantee I'm much better than you, but I regularly beat guys who are better ball strikers than me. Time and time again I see guys 'going for it' on a par 5. Having a hit a great drive, they decide to hope for a second great shot in succession. More often than not, they end up in trouble or best case left with a tricky 50 yarder. Meanwhile, this Fatboy takes a short iron for the second, leaving a wedge/short iron from the right part of the fairway. Barring a disaster (which can still happen!:banghead:) I am going to be middle of the green in 3, while matey boy is looking for his ball or trying to work out his chip.

Plan the hole from the green backwards. Most golfers are more likely to be putting after a 9 iron than they are after a hybrid! A great practice routine is to leave fairway woods and hybrids at home, so that you have to play seconds onwards with irons only. Remember, a par 4 can almost always be reached in three with nothing bigger than a 7 iron. Putt for a par, 2 putts for bogey...:blob:
 
Playing to ones strengths is key in keeping your score down. I see more shots wasted around the area of the greens than any other places. If you are good from 140 then layup to 140.
 
Rageshadow said:
What I found today is that just because you can get the ball close to the green doesn't mean I should. Let me explain that one. There was a couple of holes where I was able to get a good drive then a good approach which would leave me with a nasty in between club shot. I don't have the game yet for those shots, so next time out I am going to play smarter into my game. Make my approaches on the longer holes shorter so that I can use a full swing to the green.
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True & wise! I should play more often like this! But I always find my self trying to get there with 2...or three....and there's always that short shot left.. :banghead:
 
Tadashi70 said:
Playing to ones strengths is key in keeping your score down. I see more shots wasted around the area of the greens than any other places. If you are good from 140 then layup to 140.
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I totaly agree, my problem was I didn't know what those were. I had always just tried to rip it as close on every shot as I could. Actually learning how to hit my clubs has tought my more things about my game than just how to swing my clubs properly
 
I used to be pretty good from around 150yds but lack of playing has meant that has gone to a degree so my time is being spent working on this again so that once I am hitting from that distance to the green I will feel confident of being on the green. Hopefully that will lead to a good GIR ratio and make for some decent scores this year and get me to my handicap goal in that thread

Historically, if I have been striking the ball well I will consider shots I wouldn't normally but otherwise I will usually try to play the percentage game which has often meant I will beat others who are always trying to be the hero
 
I'm a believer in having two different games, practice and scoring. If you're simply trying to get the best score possible for a round, then course management and playing to your strengths is the way to go. But for a practice round (if you don't do much range work), I think it's a good thing to mix it up so you have a chance to try different shots that you need to improve on.

I usually decide what I'm going to do at the beginning of each round. That way if I decide on a simple practice round, there's no pressure to shoot a low score and there isn't any frustration when I hit bad shots.

For example, I have trouble hitting my 3 wood off the deck. So on a scoring round I'll hit my 4, 5 or 6 iron for my second shot on par 5's. But on a practice round I'll make myself hit my 3 wood even though half the time I'll end up topping it or putting it in the woods.
 
You also have to take into account what the course is giving you according to your skill level. I give up so many shots because of my failure to do this (though I'm getting better).

For example, the other day, I was playing 18 on a very wet day. It was cart-path only and the fairways were fairly soaked. On the first par-5 hole, I was about 60 yards from the green. Naturally, I pulled out my sand wedge to play the normal wedge shot. However, it was so wet, the chances that I was going to chunk it were extremely high, which is exactly what I did. And then I tried again and thinned it over the back. What I should have done was realized the situation, and perhaps hit a 8-iron chip, which would have been a bump and run. Now, it wouldn't have run far given the conditions, but if I had hit it to just the front on even on, it was going to stop on the green. In other words, a MUCH easier shot than trying to perfectly pick that wedge.

During another round, I hit a nice tee shot to a par 3. The green is small and very elevated and I missed it slightly to the right. No big deal. However, the pin was tucked up close to me on the right side. I was going to have to hit a flop that went almost straight up some 8 feet, in order to get it close to that pin. Do I have that shot? Sure. But do I have the confidence to execute it in that situation? Not so much. I thinned the ball over the other side of the green. Now I'm frustrated and have a little more green in front of me, but knowing I've just screwed up, I want to be sure not to chunk the next one and make sure I get it to the hole. So what do I do? Swing way too hard and run it across and off AGAIN. The ball came to rest in nearly the exact the same spot it was in the first place.

Now really fuming, I start to practice the same flop shot I just butchered. Finally, I step back and say "what the @#$#@$@# are you doing?" I walk up to the green and survey the situation. This time, the answer is perfectly clear. If I turn 45-degress AWAY from the pin, I've got a nice long green to pitch onto. I can do so with a mostly-square face without difficulty. I do, and then two putt without difficulty for my triple. I should have realized the first time that the shot was beyond my ability. A shot you can pull off one in ten times is not a shot you "have." I should have realized the course was only giving me the shot away from the pin, taken it, and walked off quite happy with my bogey.

So take time to think about more than just the yardage. Admit your weaknesses, and when the situation takes something away from you, don't try to fight it. Play the smart play, take your bogey and walk away happy that you likely saved yourself a stroke or two.
 
wadesworld said:
You also have to take into account what the course is giving you according to your skill level. I give up so many shots because of my failure to do this (though I'm getting better).

For example, the other day, I was playing 18 on a very wet day. It was cart-path only and the fairways were fairly soaked. On the first par-5 hole, I was about 60 yards from the green. Naturally, I pulled out my sand wedge to play the normal wedge shot. However, it was so wet, the chances that I was going to chunk it were extremely high, which is exactly what I did. And then I tried again and thinned it over the back. What I should have done was realized the situation, and perhaps hit a 8-iron chip, which would have been a bump and run. Now, it wouldn't have run far given the conditions, but if I had hit it to just the front on even on, it was going to stop on the green. In other words, a MUCH easier shot than trying to perfectly pick that wedge.

During another round, I hit a nice tee shot to a par 3. The green is small and very elevated and I missed it slightly to the right. No big deal. However, the pin was tucked up close to me on the right side. I was going to have to hit a flop that went almost straight up some 8 feet, in order to get it close to that pin. Do I have that shot? Sure. But do I have the confidence to execute it in that situation? Not so much. I thinned the ball over the other side of the green. Now I'm frustrated and have a little more green in front of me, but knowing I've just screwed up, I want to be sure not to chunk the next one and make sure I get it to the hole. So what do I do? Swing way too hard and run it across and off AGAIN. The ball came to rest in nearly the exact the same spot it was in the first place.

Now really fuming, I start to practice the same flop shot I just butchered. Finally, I step back and say "what the @#$#@$@# are you doing?" I walk up to the green and survey the situation. This time, the answer is perfectly clear. If I turn 45-degress AWAY from the pin, I've got a nice long green to pitch onto. I can do so with a mostly-square face without difficulty. I do, and then two putt without difficulty for my triple. I should have realized the first time that the shot was beyond my ability. A shot you can pull off one in ten times is not a shot you "have." I should have realized the course was only giving me the shot away from the pin, taken it, and walked off quite happy with my bogey.

So take time to think about more than just the yardage. Admit your weaknesses, and when the situation takes something away from you, don't try to fight it. Play the smart play, take your bogey and walk away happy that you likely saved yourself a stroke or two.
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That is exactly where I droped the most shots the other day. Trying to do almost the exact same thing. After I left the course I thought about just how many strokes I had left on the course that day which made my mind up to leave my 60* at home the next time out. I want very much to break 100 so the next time out I plan to play my game in such a way as to make smart shots not hero shots.
 
This another great thread about playing smart. Every time I see this topic pop up it makes me smile as this was my great struggle that I feel has turned into a strength.

The way I choose to play is to play for par. You will be surprised how many birdie chances will come this way and you rarely put yourself in a truly bad position. Obviously miss hits occur but when you regularly play away from trouble, a miss hit has little negative effect.

My buddy and I were talking about playing smart this weekend. We were on a short 480 yard par 5. My buddy was contemplating how to play it and I told him I thought about hitting three 8 irons (my 8 goes right at 160). It's just proof that if you play to your strengths and distances you are confident with, the non-traditional route can be very effective. I ended going Hybo, 9i, PW, missed my birdie putt, tapped in for par. Eighteen holes like gives me a very respectable score.
 
wadesworld said:
A shot you can pull off one in ten times is not a shot you "have." I should have realized the course was only giving me the shot away from the pin, taken it, and walked off quite happy with my bogey.
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Right there, you've nailed a BIG cause of blowup holes among the mid-high handicaps of the world. We've all made heroic shots, but there's a reason we call them heroic. They're RARE.
Unless the situation calls for it (Shooting for PB, maybe...or for me, score's ALREADY blown out of the water), the majority of us would be better served by going with the shot we can execute 8/10 times instead of 2/10.

Mine is the super flop. Open way up, and hit it 40y up and 30y across. Clear the trees, stick the green, and look like a hero.
I've done it, several times. Feels great. And the 4/5 times I smash it into the trees blocking me and play pachinko en route to quad seem to escape my mind when I'm deciding what to hit.
 
Rageshadow said:
I played 18 today at a course I haven't been to in a while. I just came off my 3rd lesson plus 9 holes after on thursday. During my yard pratice with some almostgolf balls some things just started to really click with my swing and the feeling of my body turn. Anyway back to those 18 holes.

I had an amazing day today not that my score showed that I shot a 106 which is one more than my pb. I say amazing is because my ball striking was for the most part crisp with a smoothe fairly controlled swing, don't get my wrong there was still a few topped balls but that was through lack of concentration.

What I found today is that just because you can get the ball close to the green doesn't mean I should. Let me explain that one. There was a couple of holes where I was able to get a good drive then a good approach which would leave me with a nasty in between club shot. I don't have the game yet for those shots, so next time out I am going to play smarter into my game. Make my approaches on the longer holes shorter so that I can use a full swing to the green.

Next, I kid you not that if I counted the shots I left out there today I would have been close to an 80 something. Now I didn't have much luck with GIR's today, however my misses should have been managable today but... Instead of playing the smart shots I tried to get cute sometimes and what should have gotten me on the green putting for birdie or par ended up putting for bogie or double or more. Other shots were just plain bad, which means more short game pratice. Next time out the 60* is staying at home lol so no more temptations to try that Phil like flop shot.

My putting was pretty good, I only had a total of 3, 3 putts, I was able to 1 or 2 putt everything else

Needless to say I gained a TON of confidence in my game today, even with all the stuff I did wrong my game was so much better today than ever before if that makes sense. I think if I learn to play smarter and leave those hero shots in the bag I will see much lower scores.

I guess to sum up all my ramblings is this. Just because you can almost reach the green that it is not always the smart thing to do, don't try those fancy shots that will only work less than half the time for me. Play smart, a bogie is always better than a double or tripple.

Sorry for the rambling here but I wanted to put this down so maybe I could hear from folks who play better than I do and see if my new found thinking is on the right track.
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I'm glad you're feeling more confident Rage. I just started my lessons and just broke 100 in my last round. But I am right there with you. I had three 3 putts but putted well overall (for me). Where I killed myself was approach shots. At least 5 holes I was within 50-80 yards and struggled getting on the green, let alone close to the pin. My chipping let me down bad, I need a lot more practice.

And you're preaching to the choir about leaving strokes out there, I could've been in the 80s so easy as well! Couple topped shots, one OB off the tee, and a triple on a par 3 when it took my three tries to get out of a bunker :(
 
The way I choose to play is to play for par. You will be surprised how many birdie chances will come this way and you rarely put yourself in a truly bad position. Obviously miss hits occur but when you regularly play away from trouble, a miss hit has little negative effect.
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Exactly.

I will say though, play smart but also realize when you have a green light.

If I'm 190 out to a green with trouble all around, that's a yellow-light situation and I'm likely laying up, trying for up and down, but walking away happy with bogey if not. However, if conditions are favorable, I'm striking the ball well that day, and I'm 190 to a green with no significant trouble, then that's a green-light situation and I'm likely going to go ahead and go for the green. So play smart, but don't let yourself become so timid you miss the chance to give yourself an advantage when there's no significant chance of hurting yourself.
 
wadesworld said:


Exactly.

I will say though, play smart but also realize when you have a green light.

If I'm 190 out to a green with trouble all around, that's a yellow-light situation and I'm likely laying up, trying for up and down, but walking away happy with bogey if not. However, if conditions are favorable, I'm striking the ball well that day, and I'm 190 to a green with no significant trouble, then that's a green-light situation and I'm likely going to go ahead and go for the green. So play smart, but don't let yourself become so timid you miss the chance to give yourself an advantage when there's no significant chance of hurting yourself.
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And to follow up on your point, it's important to learn when your typical miss-hit will or won't get you into trouble. If you are slicing all day, that lake to the left of the green might not be a big deal, but a green cut close to the woods on the right should be a red flag. Understanding where the ball is likely to end up when you do screw something up helps high-cappers decide when they really do have a green light to go for it and take their course management to the next level.
 
Good thread. I have a very limited golf game and need improvement in every aspect of my game, but I feel I have always "tried" to play within my capabilities or managed my game on the course. Maybe it is just me or my personality but I have been told since I started playing golf that I am playing too safely. I take that as a compliment. Don't get me wrong I still make at least 3-5 mental mistakes per round, but that is one area I always keep track of when analyzing a round of golf. One other are I think many golfers don't take into consideration when analyzing a round is how many times you are committed to a shot 100% before you hit it. If you are not committed I would advise trying a shot that you have more confidence in. I think when I learned to play golf it wasn't on TV as much and golfers just concentrated more on their own games and how to manage it as opposed to grip it and rip it type game. Hitting the ball better from tee to green doesn't necessarily produce lower scores but you should definitely have more opportunities top do so, but I've seen so many golfers scrape it around the course from tee to green and score very well because of a good short game. At least that has been my observations over my golf life.
 
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Tadashi70 said:
Playing to ones strengths is key in keeping your score down. I see more shots wasted around the area of the greens than any other places. If you are good from 140 then layup to 140.
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Listen to this man right here......he is wise beyond his years !
 
Thanks for all the great info, it has all backed up my ideas of how I am going to play from here on out. Now don't get me wrong if my game is on I still might break out my 3h and go for that 200 yard shot to the green, just not as often as I tried it before. I have set myself the goal of breaking 100 in the next month, from what I saw on Saturday I do believe this is possible if I just play smart.
 
I've seen people try way too many times just to kill the ball instead of playing a smart shot. I rarely try to go within 85-100 yards on my approach shot as my wedge game is my strong suit. after I realized that distance isn't everything, I've easily knocked 10+ strokes off each round. keep up the good work and you'll be consistently shooting in the 90s and lower!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The best advice I ever got when talking about course management was to play the hole backwards. What I mean is think about where you want to be on the green first, now what are my best options for getting it in that position. Like many of you have said it may not mean bombing a driver down there or even going for the green in two in some cases on a really long par four. Next think about how you can get to that position that gives you the best opportunity to hit the shot you want to into the green. In many cases you eliminate bad shots just because now you are more comfortable with the club you are hitting and confident in the choice you have made.
 
kapsularian said:
The best advice I ever got when talking about course management was to play the hole backwards. What I mean is think about where you want to be on the green first, now what are my best options for getting it in that position. Like many of you have said it may not mean bombing a driver down there or even going for the green in two in some cases on a really long par four. Next think about how you can get to that position that gives you the best opportunity to hit the shot you want to into the green. In many cases you eliminate bad shots just because now you are more comfortable with the club you are hitting and confident in the choice you have made.
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Good tip. I'm going to try to remember that.
 
Great video below of Gary Player talking about the short game and bump and runs. Should check it out if you have a couple mins. I like his philosophy as well. Avoid penalties (OB, Water etc..), keep all chips, pitch's, bump and runs, flops etc.. to one shot no matter where it ends up on the green just as long as it gets on the dancing floor and avoid 3 putts.

http://www.golfchannel.com/media/golf-channel-academy-gary-player-031213-bump-and-run/
 
God this game can be frustrating lol. Went out for a quick 9 today, felt like 99 holes. About the 3rd hole I totaly lost the feel of my swing. I struggled the rest of the way. Every swing felt like I was fighting myself. I had my slice back my dead push right and a headache lol.

So after finishing up with a 57 I went home and went straight into the back yard, about 3 swings later I had the feel back. All that headache on the course was from something so simple as bendiing my knees about two inches to deeply. All it took was just a small adjustment and bam dead straight with slight fade.

One thing I will say is that I am starting to understand what people are saying about the topline of their irons. I decided to swap out my 4h and 5h for my 4 and 5 irons because with my new swing and setup the hybrids just didn't look right at setup. The irons were much better but I have to say the look of the huge topline and super thick sole was somewhat unsightly. I am thinking next year after I truly get my swing there might be some type of forged club in my bag.
 
You're right, especially for where you are right now. Your game will evolve, probably faster than you expect. Continuing with your lessons is the best advice I could give you. When you're practicing on your own, work on some of those in-between shots that you find yourself facing. More than your 9i, but less than an 8i? Try shortening your back swing with the 8 and remaining fluid and loose with the swing. Don't slow the swing down, just shorten it up. You should work your PW, SW, etc. with full swings, 1/2 swings, 1/4 swings, etc. to figure out how far you hit them based on different swing lengths and what the trajectories of those shots are, then you will start seeing the right situations for them on the course. Those shots will go from daunting to, "I know how to do this!" Good luck, buddy and keep us posted.
 
Before I got any type of wedge setup, I was horrible from about 120 out (a full PW) to roughly 30 out (a good chip). Always, and still do, have trouble on a half PW shot, so I will no longer try to bomb my driver on a 350 yard Par 4. I'd rather hit a 3w or 3h and be left with a full 8 or 9 than a half wedge.
 
A lot of people blow up their score getting out of trouble. Like what was said hero shots rarely work for amateurs. If you watch most of the pros they get out of trouble in one shot. Whether they take an unplayable lie, play a trouble shot, even hit it out backwards, they figure out their best chance for a successful shot and play the high percentage shot.
Higher handicap players would do better to use something like an 8 iron for chipping. Keep the ball down and get it on the grass and running as soon as possible. I did just that when I was first trying to break 100 and kept doing it until I was in the mid 80's. If you work with it enough you will gain confidence and consistency to get the ball close regularly from around the green - maybe even chip a few in.
 
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