Stopping the blowout holes

Gidday everyone,

This is my first post for a while so bare with me. I have been sitting around the14 handicap range for the past couple of years and have been frustrated by ruining great rounds with big numbers on 1 or 2 holes, EG: podium finishes in consecutive monthly medal's recently with 9 and 10 on the card respectively.

My course is a group 1 course in Newcastle Australia and is quite penal on way-wood drives and big numbers happen easily if you loose your head. So, this brings me to my point. I went out for a practice round this afternoon to do an experiment that I think everyone should try. To play a 5iron off the tee on every par 4&5!

I hit my 5iron around 170m and was amazed when I walked off after 9 holes shooting 2 over off the stick with very little drama. I didn't try and hit the longer par 4's in 2, just laying up in front and got up and down on most and even birdied one of the par 5's with a dead stick PW and parred the other one. I didn't even look like getting in trouble. 38 is my lowest 9 holes ever.

So what am I saying, well I guess I've had a holy crap moment and having my wife say 'Really that's nice dear', I needed to share with someone that gives a hoot! Now I'm not saying I'm selling my driver and buying a pencil bag and only carry 5 clubs. But maybe the big dog is not the club of choice on every hole and long irons into elevated greens maybe are shots best left to the low markers even on the par 4's.

Now I just have to deal with my ego on Saturday and the crap I will cop from my buddies for hitting rescue on a par 5 and laying up on those long par 4's.

Anyway thanks for listening, love to hear your thoughts.

Cheers

Gidday everyone, This is my first post for a while so bare with me. I have been sitting around the14 handicap range for the past couple of years and have been frustrated by ruining great rounds with big numbers on 1 or 2 holes, EG: podium finishes in consecutive monthly medal's recently with 9 and 10 on the card respectively. My course is a group 1 course in Newcastle Australia and is quite penal on way-wood drives and big numbers happen easily if you loose your head. So, this brings me to my point. I went out for a practice round this afternoon to do an experiment that I think everyone should try. To play a 5iron off the tee on every par 4&5! I hit my 5iron around 170m and was amazed when I walked off after 9 holes shooting 2 over off the stick with very little drama. I didn't try and hit the longer par 4's in 2, just laying up in front and got up and down on most and even birdied one of the par 5's with a dead stick PW and parred the other one. I didn't even look like getting in trouble. 38 is my lowest 9 holes ever. So what am I saying, well I guess I've had a holy crap moment and having my wife say 'Really that's nice dear', I needed to share with someone that gives a hoot! Now I'm not saying I'm selling my driver and buying a pencil bag and only carry 5 clubs. But maybe the big dog is not the club of choice on every hole and long irons into elevated greens maybe are shots best left to the low markers even on the par 4's. Now I just have to deal with my ego on Saturday and the crap I will cop from my buddies for hitting rescue on a par 5 and laying up on those long par 4's. Anyway thanks for listening, love to hear your thoughts. Cheers

Now I'm not saying I'm selling my driver and buying a pencil bag and only carry 5 clubs. But maybe the big dog is not the club of choice on every hole and long irons into elevated greens maybe are shots best left to the low markers even on the par 4's.

Maybe being considered less manly is less embarrassing then constantly dragging my partners through bush looking golf balls or reloading all the time.

Just something I may need some advice on. I advised my friend to try this in his 9 hole round yesterday. He scored pretty well, but constantly found himself short of the green. He hit a lot more fairways, but where he wanted to be on the green in 3 strokes, he was just short on 3. Could this just be a misjudgement in club selection, or could this strategy cause you to be a bit too relaxed and then you don't hit your normal distances?

Yes i suppose it could be. I found that I had to alter my target line then put a full swing on it. The target zone, being closer seemed much bigger so I could swing with confidence. You should always pick a target on that second shot, I'm always looking at my wedge distance or the 100m marker. But the philosophy will work just as well with a 5 wood or a hybrid from the tee, in fact thats the most likely way I will incorporate it into my comp rounds. Tell your mate not to worry about being slightly short for 3, thats what handicaps are for. But, I'll bet his ball striking will improve if he's always playing of fairway lies.

Might be an OK strategy in the short term but the ceiling is pretty low with that strategy. FIR is hugely overrated as a stat. Nice to have but never at the sacrifice of a GIR. GIR lead to lower scores, FIR (by themselves) do not UNLESS they are bumping up your GIR% which ain't gonna happen if you're acheiving your FIR by laying up.

But what about double bogey and inconsistent bogey golfers? Wouldn't this strategy bring them at least to score 90 consistently?

Like I said, short term (might get you to 90) but very low ceiling.

Makes sense. But take me for example, total beginner, I slice big time off the tee using any driver or wood, but I could get pretty decent iron shots sometimes. Would you suggest using this startegy, while working on improving drives in practice? Or would you suggest that I keep playing the driver/wood, even though I slice a lot?