Do you play within your abilities?

I do play within my ability typically, but the problem is in execution. When you layup and then mishit the 3rd shot, it's tough to still make bogey or better.
 
That's problem alot. Its hard to lay up when a miss around the green with a wood in 2 maybe as close as my third shot after a lay up.

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I think this is more of a mid-handicapper problem than a high one. I don't think course management helps those of that are truly high handicappers very much. When I watch the older guys, they are usually consistent ball strikers. If they are within striking distance of the green, they get it on. If I'm within striking distance of the green, I have a whole list of possible outcomes no matter what type of shot I try. A chip is just as risky for me as a flop shot. Either one could go on the green, over the green or 10 feet in front of me.

So if I take a chance and try to cut the corner by going over the trees, I have the same odds of making that shot as I do trying to lay one up at the end of the dogleg.
 
I was talking to a local course pro about this very thing a couple weeks ago and he said that he believes good course management and "playing within yourself" is quite often the difference between being a 16 cap or a 10 cap all other abilities being equal. Seems like a large jump but it's not too hard to imagine if you start out with absolutely terrible course management.
 
I'm learning and it has helped my game a ton. Skill wise I'm no where near where I was in my late teens and early twenties. The 3 wood is the longest club I pull on regular occasion but more often the 3 hybrid and 4 iron get the most use from the tee box now and the Driver is reserved for receptive fairways and long par 5s. D
 
I do my utmost to play within my ability at all times. Obviously it doesn't always work out otherwise I wouldn't be tapping this away to you during my lunch break at work I would be out playing for a living.

With golf at any level to score well, and consistently well it is a case of minimising the bad shots. Judge your game by the bad shots. Obviously how bad they are is all relative to one's ability. What I would term a bad shot is something that a high handicapper might sell his grandmother for.

Everyone no matter how they play will at times hit a shot that even Seve would have been proud of. Generally the higher one's handicap the fewer of these shots are around in a game.

Only you can judge how things will go on any given day, but if you can be aware of where the best spot to be with a miss is, then that will minimise the chances of having two misses in a row.

Don't go 'pin chasing' as this will cause you more grief than anything. Yes there are times that you can have a roll at one with nothing in front of you etc etc, but if for example the pin is cut 4yds over a trap and 4 yrs from the back of the green remember that the average golfer is not accurate enough distance wise to be within 10yds of a target. These pins are there to either force you into the bunker or over the green. So don't play the greenkeeper's game, and stay away from them.
 
I'm getting better at Course management, but at times can get too conservative. I like the Johnny Miller system described above, which I'm going to try, because there are times when I am writing off shots, by refusing to take on some shots.
 
I always play within myself. Although I like pushing my limits, I try to use intelligence with my abilities to play. I can tell when I try to go outside of myself, I usually fail.
 
I try to play with in my abilities and use good course management to get around with a respectable score. I only hit driver a couple times around, use 3wd or hybo off the tee a lot! If I don't have a shot I lay up to a number some times that works out other times not.

I try not to risk it too often when a miss would give me a penalty stroke or put me in a really bad spot.

Execution of the straight forward shots is what kills me most often.

Examples-
178 to the green on a par 5 after a perfect tee shot, only trouble was water left of the huge green. I grab 7i, aim at the middle of the green and I hit a draw that started at the middle of the green and drew right into the water missing the green by a couple yards. I asked sparks for another ball and hit the same 7i to 3yards short of the green dead at the pin. Execution on the first 7i killed the hole for me.

Par 5 260 to an elevated green yeah I could have possibly gotten 3wd there or close problem was carrying the water between me and the green. So I grab 9i and hit the ball directly into the water, drop ball hit 9i to a safe spot Execution of a simple shot killed the hole again.

For me it's not playing to my ability it's executing to my ability.
 
i have been trying to play to my strengths lately, example, par 5, instead of hitting 3 wood to 60-80 yard range i hit rescue to 100-120 range, more comfortable hitting wedge from that distance. play to where i can score my best, only 4 holes out of 8 i hit driver on front 9 of home course. seems to work better for me
 
I play within my ability by reminding myself what my average distances for each of my clubs are, and not falling into the trap of choosing clubs based on maximum results or the most recent result. This makes club selection trickier, because I have to consider the prospect of hitting further than average and think about what kind of trouble awaits that outcome, but I'm finding more shots are ending up where I expect them (distance wise) now that I have established this approach to playing. If only I could get the whole left/right dispersion nailed down to something more predictable....
 
I am a culprit of falling into this trap. I play with 3 fairly long hitters. I'm consistently 5-15 yards back of them and that plays on my "man-hood". One of the partners is long and extremely accurate (He's just a very good all around golfer) and I seem to play terrible when he's a part of the group. When I swing smooth and controlled I'll hit fairways with baby draws without issue. When I play with him, I slice the ball off the planet. This weekend I shot an 87 and hit ZERO fairways. Thats really bad because I dont have small misses. I either split the fairway or hit it OB there is NO in between with my driver. I believe that its because I get to the top of my BS and am in such a rush to hit the ball I start the DS with my upper body. When I swing smooth, everything goes in the order its supposed to.

I've never beaten this guy and once I was playing out of my mind and was up 2 thru 16. He finished par-par, I finished double-double :( I seriously need to learn to play MY game when he's around.
 
I'm just happy I have a great playing partner who keeps me in check, he always asks what I'm hitting and most of the time will suggest what I should be hitting if I don't have the right club in hand and 95% of the time he is correct, not sure if it me not reading the wind correctly or my lie or I think I'm Hercules, but boy has he been great for my improvement this year and course management. I told him early this season that I have no problem with him telling what he thinks I should be hitting and encourage the input.
 
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