Course Management

Course Management

  • Conservative play

    Votes: 7 9.5%
  • Aggressive play

    Votes: 5 6.8%
  • Knowing when to be conserv. and when to be aggress.

    Votes: 43 58.1%
  • Hitting the ball in specific spots

    Votes: 12 16.2%
  • Smarter shot selection

    Votes: 20 27.0%

  • Total voters
    74

Asden105

New member
Joined
Mar 7, 2017
Messages
195
Reaction score
0
Location
It's too far!
Handicap
8.7
Any tips on how I can leave myself in better positions to allow for an easier short game and longer shots? Should I take a conservative approach?
 
Any tips on how I can leave myself in better positions to allow for an easier short game and longer shots? Should I take a conservative approach?

I see poor shot and club selection all the time from average golfers. Here are some of the more common ones.


Jim Suttie: Avoid golf's most common playing mistakes

By Jim Suttie
Published on: 1/15/2013
Many of our problems in shooting low scores are related to how we manage our games. The best swing in the world won't help if you can't manage the game you have.

Here are some of the most common mistakes that amateurs make:

(1) Underclubbing. Most amateurs think they hit it farther than they really do. Avoid this mistake by taking one more club.

(2) Using the wrong club when chipping. Most amateurs take a high-lofted club when chipping. My best advice here is to chip with the club that will get it on the green as soon as possible. Try your 7- or 8-iron once in a while.

(3) Using the driver on tight holes. Try the 3-wood as it is much easier to hit straight.

(4) Under-reading putts. Almost all amateurs have trouble playing enough break. The obvious answer ? play more break than you think you need.

(5) Teeing off on the wrong side of the tee. Avoid this mistake by teeing off on the trouble side of the tee and hitting away from trouble.

(6) Going for the pin instead of playing to the fat part of the green. All holes are designed to be played a certain way. Give yourself some room to make a mistake,

(7) Hitting all shots at 100 percent of your power. Fix this by taking one more club, choking down and taking a shorter swing. Watch your percentages go up.

(8) Fighting the wind. Instead of fighting the wind, use the wind to your advantage.

(9) Playing the 'hero' shot. Don't gamble! Hit the shot that you know you know how to hit.

(10) Short-siding yourself. When the pin is on the left side of the green and there is a bunker right next to the pin, make sure you don't hit it left as you will have little chance to get it up and down from there.

(11) Hitting over the green. My best advice here is to always try to keep the course in front of you. Once you go over the green, it is always a tough up and down.

(12) Coming up short on long putts. If you concentrate on solid contact and good distance control, you can avoid this one.

(13) Not playing your natural shot. If you are a fader, play that fade all the way around the course.

(14) Playing too fast or too slow and getting out of your natural rhythm. Stay in your natural rhythm and don't let distractions bother you.

Golf is a game of mistakes, but generally a lot of them can be avoided with a little awareness of these common course management mistakes.

Jim Suttie gives instruction to members and public at TwinEagles Country Club in Naples on Immokalee Road and Cog Hill Golf Club in Lemont, Ill., in summer.
 
you have to know your limits on what shots you can hit and what your go for it distances are. Choosing a club off the tee that keeps you in play and is best club for the hole. know where you can miss on/around the green.
 
Course management is about playing to your strengths. It isn't about bring conservative; conservative typically means to start trying to steer shots. You want to maintain the same "aggressive" approach on all you shots but hitting to specific locations
 
Course management is about playing to your strengths. It isn't about bring conservative; conservative typically means to start trying to steer shots. You want to maintain the same "aggressive" approach on all you shots but hitting to specific locations

That is a really good way to put it.

One other thing I would note, usually when I am in between clubs I will just take extra and choke down an inch or 2 and make a normal swing. But at times, I will make my club selection on where the pin is. If it is in the front I will take the longer club since if I miss long I am still on the green and not short siding myself.

If it is in the back, I will take the shorter club as if I miss short I again am on the green and not short siding myself.
 
Course management is about playing to your strengths. It isn't about bring conservative; conservative typically means to start trying to steer shots. You want to maintain the same "aggressive" approach on all you shots but hitting to specific locations

I think conservative is different than "safe". When you play conservative, always swing aggressively, just at a conservative target. Im just not sure if I should play to conservative targets or if I should play aggressively (pin seeking or trying to carry a long fairway bunker.)

I always felt that a conservative approach doesnt give me too many chances for birdie being 30 feet from the hole on alot of shots. But then again I've always been too aggressive.
 
Be, aggressive. B-E Aggressive!

I'm a firm believer that more people need to just go for it more. Take that riskier line off the tee, go for the pin. There's a difference between playing aggressive and playing stupid, so don't be stupid about it (unless it's casual play, then go for it, cause otherwise you never know if you could have hit that ball out of the bush). I feel like too many play not to lose, rather than playing to win.

I've never known anyone whose wife divorced them, girlfriend left them, or dog ran away, because they got aggressive, missed, and ended up with a double bogey.

~Rock
 
Ok, all 65% of you (currently) that are choosing the answer of "knowing when to be aggressive and when not," I'm calling you out, because that is such a cop out answer. So now answer this. How do you know when it is time to be aggressive, and how do you know when it is not?

~Rock
 
Ok, all 65% of you (currently) that are choosing the answer of "knowing when to be aggressive and when not," I'm calling you out, because that is such a cop out answer. So now answer this. How do you know when it is time to be aggressive, and how do you know when it is not?

~Rock

There isn't a single answer, you have to manage your way around the course by assessing your capabilities against what the ramifications of a poorly executed shot will be.

If I think I can execute the shot I am going to try 8 out of 10 times then I am going for it. Less than that I will take a more conservative approach. For example if you can only hit a fade and struggle to hit a draw would you try to draw the ball into a tight pin position. It also come with assessing what the results of a bad shot would be.
 
Play confidently to a specific target. But choose that target by being aware of where you want your misses to be. Better misses = lower scores.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Ok, all 65% of you (currently) that are choosing the answer of "knowing when to be aggressive and when not," I'm calling you out, because that is such a cop out answer. So now answer this. How do you know when it is time to be aggressive, and how do you know when it is not?

~Rock

Yeah, that answer doesn't resonate with me. I think most of us aren't good enough to really make that choice matter.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Be, aggressive. B-E Aggressive!

I'm a firm believer that more people need to just go for it more. Take that riskier line off the tee, go for the pin. There's a difference between playing aggressive and playing stupid, so don't be stupid about it (unless it's casual play, then go for it, cause otherwise you never know if you could have hit that ball out of the bush). I feel like too many play not to lose, rather than playing to win.

I've never known anyone whose wife divorced them, girlfriend left them, or dog ran away, because they got aggressive, missed, and ended up with a double bogey.

~Rock

To each their own. If I am playing a casual round with my buddies and I have to try and hit a low shot under a tree branch to get on the green and try and scrape out a par after a crap drive I am going to go for it.

If I am in a competitive stroke play and have the same shot, I will probably going to punch out, take my medicine and make sure I take a bogey at worst.

Same thing for when I play match play, if I am hitting 2 from the trees and my opponent is in the middle of the fairway I am going to be more aggressive with my play than if the roles were reversed.

It also depends on the shot, I am a low ball hitter with my irons, so if I have a shot where I have to launch a 7I high (because that is the club I need to hit to get to the green) vs hitting a 9I that I know will clear but will likely leave me short... well depends on the circumstances.

I don't hit the ball particularly far so if I want to make a score (which is my goal every time out, make the best score I can make) then I am going to look at the percentages for me to try and play to my strengths.

Maybe that is a cop out, but I usually take that mentality to every shot I hit.
 
Ok, all 65% of you (currently) that are choosing the answer of "knowing when to be aggressive and when not," I'm calling you out, because that is such a cop out answer. So now answer this. How do you know when it is time to be aggressive, and how do you know when it is not?

~Rock
If I have an open fairway in front of me, I will play as aggressive of a shot that I feel I can do without incurring too much damage if it goes awry. If there is a chance at a big number from trying to do a little too much, I'll go conservative. No matter which route I take, the swing still is a healthy swipe at the ball. The club changes, the target changes, but that's about all.
 
There isn't a single answer, you have to manage your way around the course by assessing your capabilities against what the ramifications of a poorly executed shot will be.

If I think I can execute the shot I am going to try 8 out of 10 times then I am going for it. Less than that I will take a more conservative approach. For example if you can only hit a fade and struggle to hit a draw would you try to draw the ball into a tight pin position. It also come with assessing what the results of a bad shot would be.

Here's another question. If you are the type of person who plays a fade, and the pin is tucked on the left side of the green, assuming no trees blocking your way, would you not just play the fade, knowing you can do it, to that pin location?

To each their own. If I am playing a casual round with my buddies and I have to try and hit a low shot under a tree branch to get on the green and try and scrape out a par after a crap drive I am going to go for it.

If I am in a competitive stroke play and have the same shot, I will probably going to punch out, take my medicine and make sure I take a bogey at worst.

Same thing for when I play match play, if I am hitting 2 from the trees and my opponent is in the middle of the fairway I am going to be more aggressive with my play than if the roles were reversed.

It also depends on the shot, I am a low ball hitter with my irons, so if I have a shot where I have to launch a 7I high (because that is the club I need to hit to get to the green) vs hitting a 9I that I know will clear but will likely leave me short... well depends on the circumstances.

I don't hit the ball particularly far so if I want to make a score (which is my goal every time out, make the best score I can make) then I am going to look at the percentages for me to try and play to my strengths.

Maybe that is a cop out, but I usually take that mentality to every shot I hit.

I only call it a cop out because I don't think it means anything. Everyone says it, but no one articulates when it is time to be aggressive, and when it is not. I wouldn't know based on that response what they are factoring in. Do they factor in the swings in their bag, pin location, how far in a match one is, quality of the other opponent? I don't understand what the answer means when people say it, and I still believe everyone should be aggressive, put themselves in a position to win, or have a PB, and that being aggressive does not mean being stupid.

~Rock
 
Play confidently to a specific target. But choose that target by being aware of where you want your misses to be. Better misses = lower scores.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think this is a prime example of what I'm getting at. One may have a conservative game plan for a hole, but one is still aggressive at hitting their target. Whether your target is 6 feet from the hole with a bunker behind and water in front, or simply laying up to the right side of the fairway to give themselves a 105 yard approach, in my mind, those are both still aggressive plays. They are small targets, which you intend to hit to have the least amount of strokes.

I for one rarely go for a par 5 in two. Part of the reason for that is that I trust my wedges to get me close for a chance at birdie. But I never got those birdie chances until I started picking my layup target.

Maybe the issue is, we need to define what aggressive and conservative is?

~Rock
 
Here's another question. If you are the type of person who plays a fade, and the pin is tucked on the left side of the green, assuming no trees blocking your way, would you not just play the fade, knowing you can do it, to that pin location?



I only call it a cop out because I don't think it means anything. Everyone says it, but no one articulates when it is time to be aggressive, and when it is not. I wouldn't know based on that response what they are factoring in. Do they factor in the swings in their bag, pin location, how far in a match one is, quality of the other opponent? I don't understand what the answer means when people say it, and I still believe everyone should be aggressive, put themselves in a position to win, or have a PB, and that being aggressive does not mean being stupid.

~Rock

But isn't this all subjective? Your being aggressive might be someone elses stupid right? Or vice versa?

I play a fade more often than not, and if the flag is on the left portion of the green I am usually going to aim at the flag. If I hit my normal shot (which is an if) I am left in the middle of the green. If I by some miracle hit it straight, I should be right at the flag.

I would prefer that to aiming left of the pin (likely off the green) hitting it where I aimed and being in trouble. So maybe I am just a conservative player in most rounds as the only reason I would aim into trouble is if I absolutely had to (my opponent will go dormie unless I make birdie for example).
 
I think this is a prime example of what I'm getting at. One may have a conservative game plan for a hole, but one is still aggressive at hitting their target. Whether your target is 6 feet from the hole with a bunker behind and water in front, or simply laying up to the right side of the fairway to give themselves a 105 yard approach, in my mind, those are both still aggressive plays. They are small targets, which you intend to hit to have the least amount of strokes.

I for one rarely go for a par 5 in two. Part of the reason for that is that I trust my wedges to get me close for a chance at birdie. But I never got those birdie chances until I started picking my layup target.

Maybe the issue is, we need to define what aggressive and conservative is?

~Rock

Exactly this. I would consider laying up on a par 5 when you have the ability to get home in 2 being conservative, but to you it isn't.
 
Smarter and more conservative, and what I mean is know your own game, if you need to chip out, or play the safer shot, you could save yourself some strokes.
 
I went for just straight up conservative play. If I stick to hitting shots I have full confidence in, trying to keep the ball in front of myself, and going at the middle of the green I'm going to shoot my best scores.

When I'm firing at pins, trying to hit driver as far as I can and taking aggressive lines, and trying to get home in 2 on par 5's my game can go sideways. It's just what I'm working with right now...
 
I don't believe conservative is the correct word for what it is that many people are actually doing by not playing aggressive. Managing in such a way as to choose shots which lean towards the stronger side of ones ability vs the lessor side is not conservative imo but is actually a stronger way to play. Its simply called playing to strengths. For most people that usually ends up in lower average scores through his/her rounds played. So with that said, conservative simply does not describe what generally ends up being a lower score more often. Its not at all about playing scared imo but is about maximizing the amount of successful shots taken via use of higher percentage ones over lower percentage ones when possible to do so and within reason.
If the "play to strengths" logic is what results in lower scores at the end of rounds more often (and it does exactly that for very many people) which also means a lower cap then how can it ever be considered conservative? It should perhaps be considered as "playing strong"
 
Ok, all 65% of you (currently) that are choosing the answer of "knowing when to be aggressive and when not," I'm calling you out, because that is such a cop out answer. So now answer this. How do you know when it is time to be aggressive, and how do you know when it is not?

~Rock

risk vs reward. if the risk is greater than the reward then its aggressive and possible bordering stupid. Going at a tucked pin instead of the middle of the green is is aggressive. I always evaluate the risk and reward on everyshot as well as how confident i am in my swing/game at the time. we all have different definitions of aggressive, conservative, dumb.
 
Ok, all 65% of you (currently) that are choosing the answer of "knowing when to be aggressive and when not," I'm calling you out, because that is such a cop out answer. So now answer this. How do you know when it is time to be aggressive, and how do you know when it is not?

~Rock

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f9-KLDVCtk
Use the wall, and then you'll know when to be aggressive, and when not to be. Used this philosophy for last 4 years or so. Works great!
 
I can play the smart shots when I need to, but I know when I need to go for it as well. There is a lot of calculated risks, but usually that only when I need to do so.
 
I can play the smart shots when I need to, but I know when I need to go for it as well. There is a lot of calculated risks, but usually that only when I need to do so.

What determines "need." Is it a match you are in, or can need include going for a personal best?

~Rock
 
I really liked reading through this thread. Lots of good tips. The best course management strategy I read was "play to your strengths." I draw my irons and wedges so if I see a right pin location, I pretty much get it close enough to simply 2-putt and move on. However, the green light is on when a left pin location is in play!
 
Back
Top