Best Course Management Hacks

[aljaklaw]

Downhill putts typically break more.

downhill breaks early, uphill breaks late

 

[rollin]

My motto is to play the longest shots within my ability of success to do so given the layout and considering all factors.

Now,.....one has to read that carefully. This is not at all bomb and gouge. This means according to the hole layout, obstacles , hole length, stance and lie all vs my ability within the scenario Im faced with. This means taking my medicine when needed. It means sometimes teeing off with less than driver. It means avoiding risky low percentage shots. It means playing to strengths instead of weaknesses. It means choosing the clubs and shots I can make and not the ones I know are too difficult. The better (or worse) I am striking balls that day will then move that needle for the choices I make one way or the other.

That all said we do have to play the game for what it is. Shots have to made and we cant take this logic too far where as we are not moving through a hole at good respectable clip with each shot we take. I mean we cant over manage to a detriment. The game has to be played for what it is. We struggle with consistency so be it what can ya do? but practice and hope to get more consistent.

 

[Smiter]

My problem is, I always f-up the iron and figure if I'd have f-d up the fairway wood, I'd be in trouble, but a little closer to the hole.

Yup. Nothing will make me more upset then playing it safe and jacking that up. Some holes you have to play safe but to play it safe just to play it safe seems like it always backfires. I had a good round going last year, I get to 18 a very short par 4. Once in a while I’ll block one OOB right so what do I do? I think “self, you can 9i/pw this and make par and post a great round”

what actually happened was I laid sod over the 9i shot and then hit 3w OOB right. So much for that great score, and on a hole that 90% of the time I’m right around the dang green with my drive.

 

[Brassie]

Like many have said in this thread, I learned to put the Driver away when it wasn't necessary. I could hit my 3W further than the average guy could hit his Driver and I was more consistent with it than my Driver. Think about this... three well struck 5 irons will put you on the green of most long Par 5's. That is the high percentage play. I also use to carry a 2i and I used it a lot on the short Par 4's off the tee. It almost always was right down the middle and set me up perfect for a little wedge to the pin. A lot of people I played with were surprised by this.... I remember one particular time, I hit a 2 iron and the other 3 guys all hit Driver and all of them were in trouble and I was sitting pretty, 120 yds from the pin. I hit it stiff to the pin and birdied the hole and they were all bogey or worse. Sometimes when I was really hitting my Driver well on that particular day, I would use it to my advantage but that was not always available. Knowing when to do something with a higher percentage result is the key.

 

[uitar99]

For me:
-learned how to bump and run
-aim for largest part of the green
-My ball will not go through trees
-sucker shots are just that, they never work for me
-never follow a bad shot with a stupid shot

 

[Molten]

Get out of the bunker, rough, etc. in other words, don’t have two hard shots when you only need one.

 

[Smiter]

-never follow a bad shot with a stupid shot

I see you’ve seen me play before.....

 

[leftshot]

Eliminate hero shot that generally don't work out. Punch out, take your lump and walk away with a bogey.

One of mine is a cousin to this one. Practice trouble shots. When you get into jail, it's important to have options you are confident in executing so you reduce the number of wasted strokes.

 

[leftshot]

Don't shoot at the pin, any pin. Shoot at the fat of the green. Just get it on the green and your scores will go down (Higher GIR = Lower Score).

A perfect example of what the OP said about course management coming in layers. This is excellent advice for mid to high handicap players. But it's terrible advice for the low handicap player. The LH player needs to maximize their reasonable birdie opportunities. Get their approach shots close to the pin more often.

 

[Gyro25]

What works for me was said, play to your best approach distance.. if you are $ with your 9i say 145-155, hit your tee shot to that position


Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[DataDude]

One really good one is: If you're going to lay up, then lay up. If that water hazard or bunker is 190 away, dont hit you're 185, hit your 165-175 club.

Always look at the entirety of the green complex. Most courses have a clear play into a green. If the left back has a backstop and the right front drops off into a deep bunker, club up and aim left. If there is a drop off behind the green into the woods and trouble to the sides, but the green is slanted towards you then don't club up. Short is the miss.

Don't cut corners unless you're ample long. This is one I have learned as I've admitted my limitations. With a max drive of 235 or so I just can't cut corners anywhere. I have to play down the middle.

 

[5150]

-never follow a bad shot with a stupid shot

That’s the truth right there. A bad shot followed by a smart one can mean saving par or maybe at worst a bogey. Bad shot/stupid shot usually = big number.

I was up 1 stroke going into the final hole yesterday. I hit a terrible drive that didn’t find the fairway and had 185y left. Long is OB. My opponent was in the fairway.

Two choices:

Smart shot - lay up with a 7i, trust the short game (which has been on lately).

Dumb shot - hit my 5i, hope it holds the green and doesn’t skip off the back into the parking lot.

I actually said, out loud, “never follow a bad shot with a dumb shot,” laid up with the 7i, got up/down for par and won the match.

 

[DNice26]

If you are going to play shot shape (Hook or Slice), never aim over a hazard in case the ball goes straight.

I manage my game this way too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DNice26]

shape the ball away from trouble

they’re called sucker pins for a reason

‘tis better to lay up with an iron that f- up a fw


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Am I wrong that shaping the ball “away from trouble” implies that you are starting the ball essentially at or very near the trouble?
I personally start the ball away from the trouble and try to work the ball back towards my target.

Here’s an example to consider:
Par 3, 195yrs, pin is tucked left and there is water left side of the green. Right side is just rough.
Am I correct that your recommendation is to aim at the water left of the green and work the ball back toward the pin or perhaps aim at the pin and work the ball to the right of the pin?
I would aim at the center of the green and try to draw the ball to the pin a little.

I’m curious here, as I feel as though I’ve read pros perhaps mention shaping the ball away from trouble, but it seems counter intuitive to me. Seems like one would want the ball starting as far from the trouble as possible (in case of the dreaded double cross or straight shot) then shape the ball towards the true target line (read shape to the trouble perhaps).




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DNice26]

When you are going to lay up, lay up! How many times have you seen or hit a shot pured right into what you were trying to avoid?

This is a good one. I have a habit of getting too aggressive when I lay back.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rollin]

Like many have said in this thread, I learned to put the Driver away when it wasn't necessary. I could hit my 3W further than the average guy could hit his Driver and I was more consistent with it than my Driver. Think about this... three well struck 5 irons will put you on the green of most long Par 5's. That is the high percentage play. I also use to carry a 2i and I used it a lot on the short Par 4's off the tee. It almost always was right down the middle and set me up perfect for a little wedge to the pin. A lot of people I played with were surprised by this.... I remember one particular time, I hit a 2 iron and the other 3 guys all hit Driver and all of them were in trouble and I was sitting pretty, 120 yds from the pin. I hit it stiff to the pin and birdied the hole and they were all bogey or worse. Sometimes when I was really hitting my Driver well on that particular day, I would use it to my advantage but that was not always available. Knowing when to do something with a higher percentage result is the key.

I agree with the gist here and have even suggested very similar and is what I put into practice when out on the course. But I also mentioned not over doing it. There comes a point when we simply have to play the game for what it is.

I often bag the driver when on a hole with a layout where hitting my driver too long and or in the wrong direction because i didnt turn it or hit the precise shot required is trouble and when a shorter club is also still long enough for the hole. And if I don't hit that shorter club as desired Im often not in the same trouble. So that does and has worked well majority of the time. But Im not going to bag it when there is no real reason to or just because I can struggle with it.

I mean if a par 5 or any hole's tee shot doesn't present a recipe for a precise shot nor is not penal for not placing the shot properly, Im not bagging my driver just because Im struggling with it especially if the hole is not a shorter one. The odds (in your example) of executing 3 good 5irons in a row for many mid and high cappers is simply not a high percentage play either. There is a reason we have a driver and is part of our game. We do need to play the game for what it is at some point. If we fail at executing so be it, it just is what it is.

So yes I totally agree with the smart managing choices but I also feel we shouldn't just do that for the heck of it and that we do need to play the game for what it is. Imo we cant over manage that to a detriment of distance and do have to try to execute the shots we should be making which are not risky other than our own inconsistency with basic ball striking. We fail we fail and is what it is.

 

[5150]

I agree with the gist here and have even suggested very similar and is what I put into practice when out on the course. But I also mentioned not over doing it. There comes a point when we simply have to play the game for what it is.

I often bag the driver when on a hole with a layout where hitting my driver too long and or in the wrong direction because i didnt turn it or hit the precise shot required is trouble and when a shorter club is also still long enough for the hole. And if I don't hit that shorter club as desired Im often not in the same trouble. So that does and has worked well majority of the time. But Im not going to bag it when there is no real reason to or just because I can struggle with it.

I mean if a par 5 or any hole's tee shot doesn't present a recipe for a precise shot nor is not penal for not placing the shot properly, Im not bagging my driver just because Im struggling with it especially if the hole is not a shorter one. The odds (in your example) of executing 3 good 5irons in a row for many mid and high cappers is simply not a high percentage play either. There is a reason we have a driver and is part of our game. We do need to play the game for what it is at some point. If we fail at executing so be it, it just is what it is.

So yes I totally agree with the smart managing choices but I also feel we shouldn't just do that for the heck of it and that we do need to play the game for what it is. Imo we cant over manage that to a detriment of distance and do have to try to execute the shots we should be making which are not risky other than our own inconsistency with basic ball striking. We fail we fail and is what it is.

Maybe I’m oversimplifying it but to me the choice of club off the tee is pretty simple: what keeps me out of trouble and sets me up for the next shot I want to hit? That’s the club I’ll choose.

 

[rollin]

Maybe I’m oversimplifying it but to me the choice of club off the tee is pretty simple: what keeps me out of trouble and sets me up for the next shot I want to hit? That’s the club I’ll choose.

yes but what happens sometimes is that some people over manage their safe or smart play to the point of being a detriment. When I eventually learned to make smarter choices I began (and is something I see enough of from others) I began to over do it. I realized that managing safer and smarter is a huge positive but we also just have make shots for what they are and cant just throttle back everything just for the sake of it when it isn't really called for or necessary or because we struggle with execution of basic golf shots. I mean to totally way over exaggerate the point we can technically play every hole with an 8 iron and likely never lose a ball or be in all that much trouble. But at some point we have to play the game for what it is.

 

[5150]

yes but what happens sometimes is that some people over manage their safe or smart play to the point of being a detriment. When I eventually learned to make smarter choices I began (and is something I see enough of from others) I began to over do it. I realized that managing safer and smarter is a huge positive but we also just have make shots for what they are and cant just throttle back everything just for the sake of it when it isn't really called for or necessary or because we struggle with execution of basic golf shots. I mean to totally way over exaggerate the point we can technically play every hole with an 8 iron and likely never lose a ball or be in all that much trouble. But at some point we have to play the game for what it is.

Fair enough. I think when I say that I play the shot that keeps me out of trouble AND sets me up for the next one that is a different deal than just staying out of trouble.

 

[*Range Rat]

This is excellent advice for mid to high handicap players. But it's terrible advice for the low handicap player.

Since about 95% of the golfers on here are not legitimate low handicap players, its great advice to the audience that will be reading it.

 

[Brassie]

I agree with the gist here and have even suggested very similar and is what I put into practice when out on the course. But I also mentioned not over doing it. There comes a point when we simply have to play the game for what it is.

I often bag the driver when on a hole with a layout where hitting my driver too long and or in the wrong direction because i didnt turn it or hit the precise shot required is trouble and when a shorter club is also still long enough for the hole. And if I don't hit that shorter club as desired Im often not in the same trouble. So that does and has worked well majority of the time. But Im not going to bag it when there is no real reason to or just because I can struggle with it.

I mean if a par 5 or any hole's tee shot doesn't present a recipe for a precise shot nor is not penal for not placing the shot properly, Im not bagging my driver just because Im struggling with it especially if the hole is not a shorter one. The odds (in your example) of executing 3 good 5irons in a row for many mid and high cappers is simply not a high percentage play either. There is a reason we have a driver and is part of our game. We do need to play the game for what it is at some point. If we fail at executing so be it, it just is what it is.

So yes I totally agree with the smart managing choices but I also feel we shouldn't just do that for the heck of it and that we do need to play the game for what it is. Imo we cant over manage that to a detriment of distance and do have to try to execute the shots we should be making which are not risky other than our own inconsistency with basic ball striking. We fail we fail and is what it is.

I agree about not overdoing it but from my experience, golf is a game of confidence. I've actually played three 5 iron shots to a par 5 green when my Driver wasn't working. It works! I can execute that 5 iron shot pretty reliably. If I don't feel confident with the Driver for the upcoming shot, I'll usually play my 3W or something similar instead. If I'm over the ball and lack confidence of pulling the shot off, I'm in serious trouble even before I swing that club. I have to have confidence.

The other thing I did was not look at the trouble up ahead when I'm into my shot routine... I would pick an alignment spot about 5' in front of my ball and hit the ball over that spot. I didn't want the visual of the trouble in my head when swinging.

 

[goalie]

"Don't follow a bad shot with a stupid decision" has helped me shave a lot of strokes.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

[McLovin]

Am I wrong that shaping the ball “away from trouble” implies that you are starting the ball essentially at or very near the trouble?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

no, you definitely have the idea.

for me, it's more common that i will over-shape the ball than under-shape or double-cross.

let's say i have a hole with a hazard down the right. as a right-hander, your philosophy would ask me to set up left, and fade the tee shot back to the fairway. however, if i fade it too much, or don't start it far enough left, i'm in the hazard.

with my philosophy, i would aim down the right (not in the hazard, but certainly down that line), and try to draw the ball away from it. the only way i'm hitting it into the water is if i start the ball too far to the right and don't draw it enough, or swing out to the right but leave the face wide open and hit a push slice.

what i like about my way, is i can swing with full intention. what makes me nervous about your way, is if i get too aggressive i could put too much shape on the ball and end up in trouble. not saying one way is better than another, just speaking to my own confidence issues.

 

[zbeekner4]

You have to plan for each hole.

Take an online course tour and figure out where the fattest part of the fairway is, where the trouble lies, and what fits your miss. For example, there’s a 420 yard dogleg left hole and a lake through the fairway at about 275 straight out. Most people see the 420 and think you HAVE to hit driver but 7/10 times and with my cut, I’ll find the drink. So I layup and have a longer approach.

Which is my second course management hack: guarantee yourself a par putt. 230 into a green and I have a 50:50 shot at hitting the green. I layup to a comfortable area and chip onto the green. Even a 2-putt prevents a blow up hole.

 

[gonyr]

Which is my second course management hack: guarantee yourself a par putt

I like this. Try to get on in one over regulation. You won't make all of the putts, but you will make some. At least have a chance at par.