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Are You A Course Planner?

Not even close. Visualize each shot as I’m there. Don’t over think. Some say I don’t think at all
 
Going into this year I set a goal to start managing the course better. It helps me not take unnecessary chances where the risk far outweighs the reward.
 
JB said:
Do you think about where your upcoming rounds are? Map them out? Visualize?
Or are you more of a "keep it in play and lets go"
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Keep it in play and let's go ! On every golf courses in the world the centers of the fairways and greens are a good thing.
 
I always plot out how I want to attack a course. It never goes according to plan but I keep playing cartography golf.
 
Keep it in play and let’s go. If I knew exactly where the tees were going to be and weather conditions ahead of time, I might spend time planning.
 
I'll look at the fly by or hole description. Never looks the same in person so yes and no. Get to my shot and plan from there.
 
These days I’m a fly by the seat of the pants guy. Just go with my gut.
 
On a new course will try to find a scorecard online to have an idea which tees to play, really don’t like having to use driver off the tee on par 3’s but occasionally do.
 
I used to, until I realized I'm just going to pull driver anyways.
 
If I am playing a new course I will look at flyovers just to get an idea but will play it as I see it once I get there. Similarly for familiar courses I just play away.
 
I will look at the course briefly on the SwingU app, but that is it

It is nice to have an idea, but unless you can hit the exact shot you want every time, I don't see the point overall
 
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I play almost all my golf on my home course and could pretty much tell you before the round what club I will hit not only off the tee, but on my approaches as well, so I really don't do any planning.
 
I don't think about a hole until I step on the tee. Sometimes there's more praying than planning lol
 
I look ahead to have a rough idea of layout and such, then that’s about it. Weather and/or the swing that day will control the rest.
 
In a typical year I'll play over 90% of my rounds at my home course. But for the other dozen or so rounds, pretty much the same as at home. Totally "keep it in play and let's go".

All I really want to know is where the water hazards are on each hole so I can give them a wide berth. Any other information I get from (if needed) using my laser rangefinder before the shot.

Years ago, I was somewhat of a "planner" but I noticed that whatever benefits I might get from all that planning and visualization weren't nearly as important as just staying relaxed and in the moment and letting things happen as they happen.

There are probably a few fully self-actualized individuals out there who can plan, prepare, visualize, etc. and still stay in the moment when it's time to actually play. I am not one of them!
 
I usually watch overhead views and check out yardages. I don't really make a plan but like to be at least a bit familiar with what I'm about to play. That minimal prep is part of the fun for me.
 
Expanding on the "keep it in play and lets go" thought...

I'm trying pinpoint the exact moment in time when I stopped looking forward to seeing courses I'd never played before, lost interest in golf travel, quit looking at Google satellite views of courses and started only caring about being on the ground, hitting the ball and watching it fly, finding it and hitting it again. It was some time in the last several years but I it kind of happened without me realizing it.

I think it might have been in the Spring of 2020 when all my upcoming golf plans were canceled and my golf priorities came down to, "Is the course open?". That only lasted a few months but afterwards, the switch had been flipped for me. I'd become obsessed with simply playing as much golf as possible as often as possible and nothing else mattered any more.
 
Our travel group plays about 7 or 8 courses two or three times each per year, so even though you get to "know" the courses, you don't know them like your home course that you've played hundreds of times. So, I go to Google Maps, look up the course, switch to "satellite" setting, zoom in to enlarge it, so I can see an actual photo of the holes and study them. I'm looking for the best places to try to hit (or miss!) my shots, etc. IDK if it does any good, but I think it just allows me to be a little more familiar with the golf course.....
 
I'll occasionally take a satellite peek looking for a few design items but not much beyond that. Nice technology.
 
That's what practice rounds are for. To learn a course so you can play the course better. Use the slope function on your rangefinder or GPS. It can take a few rounds to learn a course. ShotScope can help too. You can see if your plan worked or not.
 
Daluteh said:
I do a small amount of prep work if I'm going to be in a competition against someone, if it's just me and my family going to a new course it is all up in the air.

If it's a THP event - I go over it time and time again and plan my shots that perfect world I can execute and then get there and just hope to keep the ball in front of me while not disappointing @ScoFoBG too much as my cartner. (I'm kidding, Scott is a blessing to this community)
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You could never disappoint me.
 
When I play a course that I have never played before. I will do a few things to build a gameplan:
  1. Look at the scorecard
    1. Then decide the tee box to play
  2. Got my arccos app and start game planning the round with the preview mode
  3. Look for a yardage book of the course
    1. Then fine the tune the game plan

I do this so if I am playing with friends I do not embarrass myself and to have the best scoring round possible.
 
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