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Are you a strategic planner?

Brianbigoats said:
I try to be a planner but some times the bomber in me wins out
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Me too. The last time I played a new course I looked at it ahead of time and had a pretty good plan for how I was going to play it but half way through it I decided just to play driver the tee to make it more interesting.

Though to answer the original question I know for sure strategic planning helps me when I stick to it. I have a very solid plan for my home course where even though it is a harder course I shoot better there because I follow my plan and rarely take stupid risks.
 
I tend to do a little of both. Trying to be smarter about how I play, but sometimes i just kinda go at it.
 
I like to plan but there have been rounds where I was feeling very good with my swing and would hit driver when I normally never would. At the same time I can get frustrated and pull driver when I shouldn't and try to hit a bomb. Marc you saw the frustrated me pull out driver in Florida and I actually had a very good result. Sometime I play better golf when I'm upset with how things are going.
 
I don't know if this makes sense, but I think I need to plan my short game shots better. For most of my golfing life I've tried to get the ball close to the hole, but lately I've missed so many slippery 3 footers. I'm starting to think that I need to plan my chips, pitches, and sand shots to leave myself with straighter putts or up hill putts. It's really frustrating to hit a good chip or pitch and then stand over a 3 foot putt, where I feel like I'm putting defensively.
 
I always have a plan unless it's the first time I'm playing a course. My game doesn't always follow along with the plan, though. Really good topic.
 
I am a planner and starting to think it hurts me. I have a tendency to over think situations and analyze them to death. Some of my best rounds have been when I get up and just hit.

Hmmmmmm.. I might need to rethink my approach.
 
I would hope I am a planner.

My swing is shall we say... finicky this year, yet I am at the lowest GHIN I have ever been. I try to understand the swing I have that day, play it and put myself in the best position to make a score.

I never ask what the other guy is hitting, because honestly I don't care, I get my yardage and go.

Now I need to get my swing dialed and and put these improved mental skills (HAHAHA) to the real test!
 
Smithfaced said:
I like to plan but there have been rounds where I was feeling very good with my swing and would hit driver when I normally never would. At the same time I can get frustrated and pull driver when I shouldn't and try to hit a bomb. Marc you saw the frustrated me pull out driver in Florida and I actually had a very good result. Sometime I play better golf when I'm upset with how things are going.
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I think you have a ton of game buddy and once that frustration turns into confidence a whole bunch of us THP'rs are gonna be in a world of hurt lol.


Tadashi70 said:
I'm no strategist but I hit it where I'll have the best access to the flag. I'm long enough to hit irons off the tee to set the table and gain position. That is really my only plan, good position off the tee.

Sometimes just bombing it works because it leaves scoring clubs in my hands.

What would you consider me trout?
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I think your a bomber with strategic thinking lol, your long game is pretty spectacular until you start with the push, then there's an opportunity to catch you but it's only for a couple holes.
 
Plan Strategically so you can swing aggressively within that plan.
 
I'm not a Bomber, but I think I'm less of a strategy orientated type, for now. I just tend to like hitting hard shots, like green on 2 on par 5s regardless of whether its a good idea or not. And a lot of the time it ends up like Tin Cup, however I'm feeling more complete with with my ball striking than I ever have. So golfing smart is my next goal.
 
I try to, but my strategy is still pretty hampered by inconsistent play off the tee. I can say which side I'd like to end up on to provide me the best angle into the green...but then I actually swing at the ball and all that can go to heck.

Still, it's an extra layer of gratification when I make a hole happen according to plan.
 
"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." - Mike Tyson

The reason I post that quote is that everyone has a plan of what they want to do on the course, it's just that some people can get taken out of that plan when things don't go well. On a general level, I'd say that I generally have a plan for each shot, but it's much easier to have a plan when you can reliably control where the ball is going to go; I'm good with that inside of 150 yards, but outside of that I'm not that accurate. I think that the better players have a plan for an entire hole, like hitting to the left side of the fairway on a drive if the pin is on the right side of the green.
 
For me, it depends on the situation. If it's a hole with relatively few hazards, I whale away. If it's a hole that presents some issues for my game, such as a lot of hazards on the right side, I need to think about what clubs I'm using to avoid them.
 
Trout Bum said:
Do you plan your way around the course or do you just get up and whale away and hope for the best?

Does it help you or hurt you?

I was thinking about some recent comments on tv where guys are saying they want the shortest distance period into the greens at Pinehurst and was wondering if this is how you guys do it when you play?

I'm much more of a planner and always think par is best but reflecting back I've never been beat in a competition by a planner only the bombers, there may be something to it, it may be hurting me.
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Good question and one I find difficulty in answering. I guess I would have to say I have an even mix. Usually depends on the hole. I dont quite have the precision to make sure I hit into the green to leave myself the perfrct uphill putt but I do stratigize enough not to put myself in trouble every hole.
 
I don't know how much of a planner I am, but I'm much more likely to take an iron or FW off the tee now that I used to. I've realized that I'm just not accurate enough off the tee with my driver to hit it in every situation and often try to hit to a certain distance.
 
To achieve what I want on a course I go in with a plan. If I am playing a new course I will look at the scorecard and yardage map online and formulate my plan. Course mangement is key to lower scores.
 
At the courses I regularly play I have a plan for each tee shot that I rarely waver from. After the tee shot (since you never know in advance where it ends up), I'll take it shot by shot. The approach plan can change depending on the situation so I try not to lock myself into a specific hole plan.
 
I'm definitely more of a planner than a lot of the people I play with. Shows most when we play a shorter course - I'm taking irons/hybrids/fairways off the tee on the majority of holes, while a lot of my friends will try to hit driver, even if it's a tight 300 yard hole. On courses I'm familiar with, I usually have my "idealized" set of shots planned out in my head when I get to the tee. Of course, there's no guarantee that any of them go where I want them to.
 
I'm a mix of both at the moment I try to play the hole out before I tee off and pick my tee club accordingly, but if I can get away with driver I'm pulling it as I like to leave myself as close to the green as possible
 
I'm not a planner in the sense that I won't usually make a plan for each hole the night before (although I have done that for a new course in tournament play). But what I do have are some 'course rules' that I try to adhere to:

> On the tee I'll check the pin placement to see if there is a preferred side of the fairway I want to hit to

> the 400 Yd Rule - if a par 4 is 400 yards or less I'll generally take a 3-wood or hybrid, depending on where bunkers and hazards are located. But if it's a totally wide open green light drive with little or no trouble then I'll go with driver.

> Middle of the Green - if my approach is over 120 yards I will go for the middle of the green (adjusting 5-10 yds up or back for depth) or on a larger green 5-10 yds right or left of the pin. 2 putt pars are great for pins set on the left and right sides of the greens and better birdie chances come when they're in the middle.

> Any time I'm in one of those do I go for it or not? situations I ask myself "What would a smart golfer do?" Sometimes I don't always follow that recommendation, but I'm getting better at listening to the smart golfer.
 
I plan out how I'm going to play my first few holes. After that I adapt my strategy to how I'm hitting the ball.
 
Planning leads to better rounds for me. It only takes a few minutes to set up a strategy to avoid trouble and leads to more fun for me. Hitting the ball well is why I practice and visit my coach, and when the fundamentals are good you have something to lean on and you are more consistent so you can make a plan.
 
I am not necessarily a strategic planner, I have a way of being aggressive of the tee an then two plans based on what I end up facing on the next shot, a safe plan and an aggressive plan. I have gotten much better at determining when to use each one over the years, to the point that I feel course management is a strength of mine.
 
Aggressive is more fun and in some instances can actually be a strategy...

For instance, at my home course the handicap holes are the par 5s. So I always either get or give strokes here.

By always going for the green in 2 strokes on par 5 you get to work on perfecting that technique. By always changing what shot or what club you use, you miss out on the perfection that redundancy brings.
 
Strategic player. I hit to a certain number, don't like the risk/reward holes as I don't do risk often. Helped my game tremendously. Now if I only...

Had a decent repeatable swing.
Would be a bit better on the greens, especially in the reading the greens part of the game.
And many other things ;)
 
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