The best advice I can give higher handicappers... Course Management

[alf174]

The OP's choice of D leaves his idea of the best way to play it somewhere in a very large finite list. Some more detail about the topography of the hole would be nice; the layup area in front of the pond could have a treacherous downhill lie (yuuch).

I'd go with what I feel most confident with based on all info; for what is known that would be approximately C.

[Chas]

Great point[/B

Hmmmm, that's the trouble with this game of ours .............

................ no blasted points for style! Of course I should choose C, but then again the temptation to try A is always great.

[Henry]

i usally try to play safe in comps but in pratice rounds i try to play to limits but i won't play stupidly

[wachesawgolfer]

D. Slice the second shot into the woods, punch out, than lay up to the water and pitch on the green. Hey, that's why we are 15. If we could do A B or C, we would score better. The best course management is to play smart but also minimize our mishits. Most bad holes do not start out being 260 in the middle, but some do.

[i-Guy]

D. Slice the second shot into the woods, punch out, than lay up to the water and pitch on the green. Hey, that's why we are 15. If we could do A B or C, we would score better.

LMAO!!! That is huge...

But you make a good point, however, I could argue that you could hit three 6 irons and be putting for birdie (depending on if there is carry from the tee box, etc...) But who would do that? I have played a round at the local 9 hole par 30 course and hit nothing more then a 6 iron off the tee (3 Par 4's, 6 par 3's...one of the par 3's plays 215) and have shot even par by keeping it in play and getting up/down if I missed greens...what a concept???

[onthehunt526]

OK, I'm gonna throw something at you that makes this a little easier idea... The hole is 520 yards, straight away, flat to the landing area then downhill, and flat just short of the water... let the debating begin... (and the pin is in the front)

[bsnone]

OK, I'm gonna throw something at you that makes this a little easier idea... The hole is 520 yards, straight away, flat to the landing area then downhill, and flat just short of the water... let the debating begin... (and the pin is in the front)

Well for me and my lousy game I am not overly impressed by the sexy shots. Hitting a 240 yard 3 wood onto a protected green just isn't in my bag all that often so I tend to try and drop the ball between 100-125 yards which allows me to hit a full gap or pitching wedge into the green.

For what it is worth, I tend to play fairly conservativly on par 5's and am more then happy to walk away with 6 on most ocassions. I picked it up playing high school golf usually being the shortest off of the tee. I had no problem going driver, 7 Iron, 9 iron into most par 5's, still don't.

[Cinco]

OK, I'm gonna throw something at you that makes this a little easier idea... The hole is 520 yards, straight away, flat to the landing area then downhill, and flat just short of the water... let the debating begin... (and the pin is in the front)

I don't see how this information makes it an easier idea...it actually makes it a more difficult idea. :) I still think that 225 to carry the water is too far for the average player to consider, so you are left with laying up. Now you are saying that the fairway is downhill to the water, with a small flat just short of the water. That makes the decision more difficult, but nonetheless, I think the average player should lay up in this situation.

[onthehunt526]

Obviously, c is a good answer... but this was meant to make you think... as I said before Joe is a good wedge player.. so he could basically hit any club he wants short of the water... but there is laying up smart and laying up dumb...

I'm frankly surprised no one said Driver off the deck... And if you paid attention... you would have realized that this was almost a facsimile of the 15th Hole at Augusta...

[onthehunt526]

the point is play to your strengths

[Grndslmhttr3]

Go big or go home. A!

[Stacey_E]

Ok, the strengths of my game are driver (73% fairways) and wedge. If a 260 drive leaves me 180 from the water than the water is 440 from the tee. So...

I hit a driver 240 and have 200 to the water. Forget the green. I'm not scratch. I've never had an eagle and I'm not about to start now. There's not a club in my bag I can CARRY over 190 off the deck. I hit the ball low with the putter even, haha. With 200 to the water I pull a 4 hybrid (175 club) do the math and realize it might fly 185 down hill and roll in. Go down to the 7 iron (150 club) it might fly 160 downhill but that leaves me 40 yards of run out room. I hit it a touch thin an it comes out low but only carries 145 down hill. It runs for hell as I yell "stop stop!".

It stops short of the water at "x" yardage from the front. I don't really care what "x" yardage is because I have 5 wedges to cover the distances.
115 PW
103 AW
90 SW
75 LW
60 XW

I pull the club that puts me just past the pin, maybe even in the middle of the green. I hate half wedges. That's why I carry 5.

[i-Guy]

OK, I'm gonna throw something at you that makes this a little easier idea... The hole is 520 yards, straight away, flat to the landing area then downhill, and flat just short of the water... let the debating begin... (and the pin is in the front)

Cool...more information...but let me ask a question...juts like #15 at Augusta is it dangerous on this hole to go long (over the green)? If so then we are back to answer C) especially with the pin up front...

[ks8829]

My best advise:

1) Aim for the back middle of every green, if you misshit the shot you are still on the front of the green, don't come up short.

2) Hit the less lofted iron to get up and down around the green. use a 7 iron to chip rather than a sand wedge around the green when you have room, 20% in the air and 80% on the ground rule.

3) Hit your 1st putts pass the hole on every putt about a foot or two. and as you warm up before a round practice your 1 - 2 foot putts. distance control is more important than your aim.

4) work on the following:
fairways hit per round
greens hit on regulation
putts per hole and per round
up and down per hole and round.

concentrate on the above and work on your weak part of your game and watch your scores drop.

[glebert]

I think the problem with high cappers (which I would be if I carried a handicap, as it is I am just a duffer) is that we fear water, especially carrying a water hazard. I instinctively want to get over the water as quick as possible. I fear that laying up to the hazard just doubles the chance that I will go into it; either I launch my lay-up too far or I top/chunk/shank my approach shot.

I had this exact thing happen yesterday, I had ~200 to an elevated green, a creek going across just in front of the 100yard tile, big hill backdrop behind green, but sand bunkers left and right (which I didn't know about, always look at the layout if you aren't familiar with the course!). I hit my 5w, got the distance just right, but pushed it a little right and ended up in the sand. I ended up muffing my first sand shot, got in out on the next, and two putted for a 6. Should I have hit my SW up to the 110 yard and then hit PW up to the green? Probably. Should I have looked at the layout to see the bunkers? Absolutely.

[pshizz]

honestly though...arn't we talking about a high handicapper?? Why would he go driver off the deck? that is the hardest shot in golf.

[mirv]

i personally would encourage joe to go with B) Hit a 6 or 7 iron short of the water and play a delicate half-wedge shot into the green.

[Cinco]

I'm frankly surprised no one said Driver off the deck... And if you paid attention... you would have realized that this was almost a facsimile of the 15th Hole at Augusta...

I think the key reason no one said "Driver off the deck" was because the golfer in the scenario was a high handicapper.