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Course Management Strategies

gr8dryv

gr8dryv

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I've gotten better off the tee (not always using the driver on holes 300 yards and up) and in general on the course by laying up to my comfort distances for approach shots. I'm still a sucker for sucker pins, so I'll work on that...maybe. What strategies are you working on or have proven to work for you?
 
Keep the ball in front of you.
Play to strengths.
Play to the 150 marker on each tee shot (par 4)
Play to middle of the green
Do not be the hero, that leads to the zero. Meaning dont go for something too tough & take your medicine.
Try to see nothing higher than a 5 on the scorecard ever.
Play shots around the green to minimize blowup rather than maximize scoring.
 
Center of the green. Not going pin hunting has helped my game out a lot. Putt when you can, too.
 
JB said:
Keep the ball in front of you.
Play to strengths.
Play to the 150 marker on each tee shot (par 4)
Play to middle of the green
^ YES
Do not be the hero, that leads to the zero. Meaning dont go for something too tough & take your medicine.
^YES, although the "hero" shots in my youth sharpened my recovery skills. Seve was my hero.
Try to see nothing higher than a 5 on the scorecard ever.
Play shots around the green to minimize blowup rather than maximize scoring.
Click to expand...

Great tips!
 
Miller Time said:
Center of the green. Not going pin hunting has helped my game out a lot. Putt when you can, too.
Click to expand...

Yes, I'm a fan of the "Texas Wedge" when I can use it.
 
Always shoot to the middle of the green and getting in the rough is bad enough, don't make the next shot worst.
 
Play away from trouble.
Make every hole a par 3.
Middle of the green.
Take your medicine.
 
Keep the ball in front of me.
The low percentage 2nd shots are not worth it...play it safe and play the percentages
Middle of greens at all times.
Stay out of sand...lol
 
What JB said plus...

Focus on the shot in front of you, but play that shot with the next in mind, ie, if the left side of the fairway has an open look at the green, aim there. Sometimes being in the rough with an open look at the green is better than in the fairway and have to carry some trouble.

And small target, small miss. Aim for the middle of the green as others said, but pick an exact spot and shoot for it.
 
Quit trying to hit shots I know I can't hit successfully. I'm not Bubba Watson...just punch it in the fair way and quit trying to curve it around a tree

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Leave the sucker pins for the suckers to shoot at. If a slight miss on a tough pin location leaves you with an improbable up and down, best to aim for middle of the green and two putt for your par.
 
Play to what you see in front of you and go for the center of the green, if you are usually short, always grab an extra club.
 
JB said:
Keep the ball in front of you.
Play to strengths.
Play to the 150 marker on each tee shot (par 4)
Play to middle of the green
Do not be the hero, that leads to the zero. Meaning dont go for something too tough & take your medicine.
Try to see nothing higher than a 5 on the scorecard ever.
Play shots around the green to minimize blowup rather than maximize scoring.
Click to expand...
I like this a lot. Three years ago, I played to 5 every hole. Nine 5s is 45; two 45s is 90 which was a good score for me back then. Now my ball striking, game management, and short game are all better, but I'm still shooting 90. It's a matter of focus and concentration, and implementing the bold above is a shift in my thinking I needed two months ago.
 
Learn your shot and play it. If you hit right aim left and if you hit left aim right.
 
All that JB said, plus KEEP THE BALL OUT OF THE TRAPS! I don't mind missing straight, but at the course I play, any shot that goes left or right lands you in a trap (with rocky gritty sand) or in the woods. I also don't want to be over the green - nothing but trouble behind every green.
 
For second shots on par 4's and third shots on par 5's: Position is more important than proximity to the green.
 
My MC captain reminds me frequently - Aim small, miss small.

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Conservative Lines, Aggressive swings. Play the hole backwards in your mind


Proud Member of #TeamParadise
 
My course management really comes down to what I feel like I'm hitting well. If I feel iffy off the tee, I play the club off the tee that gets me to 150 yards on a par 4, and get within 2 shots on a par 5.

Here's the biggest course management tip I've received: Your ego is meaningless. Starting from the moment you step up to a hole, look at the yardage, the pin location, and ask yourself, "How can I score the best on this hole?" Choose your club off the tee according to your game. No one else's. And play it with confidence.
 
One of the most basic course management skills that I rarely see is hitting a 3 wood or hybrid off the tee on unreachable or tight par 5's. I made eagle on a tight 510 yard par 5 a couple days ago hitting 3 wood, 3 wood. People always look at me crazy when I'm pulling 3 wood on a par 5 but it's often the best way to lower your par 5 scoring.
 
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