Do You Seek to Learn From Your Rounds?

[gbogey]

2 hours ago, Bucki1968 said:

I actually classify my rounds as practice rounds and playing rounds. Practice rounds I will routinely try to hit some different shots (big cuts around trees/bunkers, low punch shots etc). Playing rounds I'm trying to score. 

Ditto.  When playing a round to score you should hit the shots that work best for you. Go out by yourself for a practice round and work on the shots you want to develop.

[windlaker]

4 hours ago, David in FL said:

 The purpose of this game is to shoot the lowest score, not to hit the coolest shots.

I should tattoo this on the back of my hand, to remind me of this mid-round.

Thanks, David.

[p1n9183]

At this moment, score isn´t that important. So every round i go out i work on new ideas to improve my swing.
"Insanity Is Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Expecting Different Results"

Sometimes i shoot around 80 and sometimes like this last weekend i shot around 70. 
It doesn´t matter as long as i can drive home knowing that i tested a lot of new ideas.  

[miggusrises]

I think I get what OP is talking about.

At the start of the year I bought a driver and have been using it on the course. At the start it was wild and I didn't know how to control my misses, so the club made me somewhat nervous when pulled. Back then, it would have often been a good idea to lay up with a shorter club, as it removed the possibility of a big number on the scorecard, and so naievely that would be the 'better shot'. 

But if I had always done that then I would never have overcome the fear of hitting driver on tight holes, and I wouln't have figured out how to bias my misses. Now my scoring is much better because of the extra length, and I feel comfortable hitting driver at every opportunity. In the short term I paid the cost of higher scores and more stressful golf for the payoff of reaching a higher ceiling. 

I think this applies to flop shots, tight lie chips, and generally playing more aggressively. Yes you can practice off the course, but until you start actually trying to play them in the context of the round you'll never have them as part of your game, and you will be limiting your long term potential. 

[DrvFrShow]

Last year I finally started letting my game come to me. I started getting 43 for 9 holes. I can't practice much due to injuries. 

So here's what I learned about my game: I got to the course about 30 minutes before tee time and spent 15 minutes lag putting and 5 minutes swinging my orange whip warming up and stretching my muscles. I didn't hit a small bucket on the range like some people did. 

First two holes: I'll hit a 4 or 5 iron off the tee. I'm just feeling out the course and seeing where my swing is for the day. I know distance is king, but being on the short grass beats being out of bounds or a duck hook. Remember, I'm still warming up. My goal is to keep the ball in play. What usually happens is a par on 1, and a par on 2 - chances for birdie on both holes. So, you can't fault the strategy, can you? The course gets longer and more difficult afterward. Still I've used this on other courses with similar success.

No more hero shots. If I'm in trouble I'll try to advance the ball if possible, but I'll take my medicine if I have to. I will not try to thread the needle. When given the choice a 3/4 7i or a hard 8 iron, I will take the hard 8 iron every time. I'm just more accurate and more reliable with that type of shot. And do not give power to a bad shot. If I hit a bad shot after hitting 4 good ones, remember that I hit 4 good ones prior to that. Everyone makes bad shots. Everyone get double bogeys. Everyone.

 

[Cantankerish]

On 5/22/2019 at 6:56 PM, billchao said:

I don't need to hit driver on a short par 4 either, but when I do it's because I'm confident I can execute the shot I selected, not because I'm forcing myself to hit the harder shot.

Hi mates.  I had been looking for wisdom on this topic when I asked the question months ago.  I believe that Bill's sentence here about sums up what I have learned.  My experiments of all sorts were certainly necessary.  But now that I have experimented with many, many shots, I have some experience with a bunch of them. So I am going to take the shot I am "confident I can execute".

Thanks, Billchao. I hope that this piece of the puzzle reaches others.

[Mr Puddle]

On 5/22/2019 at 9:19 PM, Cantankerish said:

I feel like there should be a stock conventional wisdom to this question.  I am routinely making shot selections based upon what I feel "a golfer" should be choosing instead of what "I" should be choosing.  I feel that it is a learning experience every time I am on the course <--by my own design, mind you. I am perfectly cognizant of this decision.  And every shot contributes to that education.  The problem is that I do not need to hit the lob wedge over the sand trap because I think I can do it with the 50 gap wedge and hold the green, which is the easier shot.  On a 350 yard par four, the driver which goes catastrophic for me every 5th hole or so, is not strictly necessary to reach the green in 2.  I really could reliably putt from 6 feet off the green with at least as much precision as my chip.  And so on.

But I need to learn these shots...don't I?

My buddies tell me that I should have a handicap pretty well below what it actually is based upon the quality of my shots.  I know that I give away strokes every round because of these decisions.  I am not sure at what point I say "The primary purpose today is to get a low score, not to improve the long-term quality of my game."  I gotta be honest, I feel like there is this bit of wisdom I need to hear on this concept.

What do you do when these situations arise?

Because I am so rubbish, I don't see the point of dropping down clubs. The theory is that I should consider two 4 iron shots, than a driver and and an approach shot. The problem is that I don't hit any of my clubs straight, so hitting a lesser club serves me no purpose. 

On 5/23/2019 at 11:38 PM, DrvFrShow said:

Last year I finally started letting my game come to me. I started getting 43 for 9 holes. I can't practice much due to injuries. 

So here's what I learned about my game: I got to the course about 30 minutes before tee time and spent 15 minutes lag putting and 5 minutes swinging my orange whip warming up and stretching my muscles. I didn't hit a small bucket on the range like some people did. 

First two holes: I'll hit a 4 or 5 iron off the tee. I'm just feeling out the course and seeing where my swing is for the day. I know distance is king, but being on the short grass beats being out of bounds or a duck hook. Remember, I'm still warming up. My goal is to keep the ball in play. What usually happens is a par on 1, and a par on 2 - chances for birdie on both holes. So, you can't fault the strategy, can you? The course gets longer and more difficult afterward. Still I've used this on other courses with similar success.

No more hero shots. If I'm in trouble I'll try to advance the ball if possible, but I'll take my medicine if I have to. I will not try to thread the needle. When given the choice a 3/4 7i or a hard 8 iron, I will take the hard 8 iron every time. I'm just more accurate and more reliable with that type of shot. And do not give power to a bad shot. If I hit a bad shot after hitting 4 good ones, remember that I hit 4 good ones prior to that. Everyone makes bad shots. Everyone get double bogeys. Everyone.

 

Thanks for the advice, but I am rubbish, and your handicap is 3 higher than mine

[DennisMiller]

On 5/22/2019 at 4:44 PM, dennyjones said:

I tell my friends sometimes...."A smart golfer would..." and then proceed to do something completely different. 

In that case, we're probably related...

In the past couple years, before and after surgery, I've gone through a lot more equipment changes than normal, searching for what works. My effort during a round to learn from it has consisted mostly of counting fairways hit, greens hit, putts, up/downs and sand saves. Using my GPS, I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out how far I hit my irons. I have a set of Game Golf sensors, but I haven't been able to make them work up to now.

[CarlSpackler]

Yes. @GAME GOLF certainly helps by reviewing the Insights. I compare myself against a 10 Handicap to see what I need to do to get there. My approach shots, especially with mid to long irons, are really hurting me right now. My short game is not quite as sharp as years past, but improving my approach shots will take pressure off my short game. My longer putts have not been stellar, but I am not overly concerned there.

[Slice of Life]

Always. I try to take a little something from each round...doesn't always work though.

[boogielicious]

2 hours ago, CarlSpackler said:

Yes. @GAME GOLF certainly helps by reviewing the Insights. I compare myself against a 10 Handicap to see what I need to do to get there. My approach shots, especially with mid to long irons, are really hurting me right now. My short game is not quite as sharp as years past, but improving my approach shots will take pressure off my short game. My longer putts have not been stellar, but I am not overly concerned there.

I feel like a dope. I didn't see the drop down for "versus 10 handicap".  I now feel better about myself. 

 

[CarlSpackler]

39 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

I feel like a dope. I didn't see the drop down for "versus 10 handicap".  I now feel better about myself. 

If I really want to feel better, I compare myself to a 20. 😎

Then again, my rounds of late have only been slightly better than a 15. 😢