Advantages of knowing your course

[kfowler]

I typically play a variety of courses during the season. While I do play some courses several times during the year, I've never played them to enough to become really familiar with the holes.

This summer, I started playing a local muni on the way to work. They have a 9 hole early bird special for $14 including cart. I could play 9 holes and still be in the office by 8 o'clock. It's been great. I've been playing there about once per week all summer.

I have to say I've never realized what a huge advantage it is to really know your course. The course I play requires some strategy for the first several holes. You can actually play three holes before even pulling out your driver. I've played enough to know what club selection works and which ones don't. I can now walk up to the tee box knowing exactly what I need to hit and where all the trouble is. My scores are really starting to show it as I posted a personal best 40 this week.

[Leftygolfer]

I agree it is a huge advantage. I played in a league all summer and also at the same course many many times on the weekends.

The biggest advantage I notice is putting. I don't have to put much thought into reads as I know the greens well.

[Where's the Cart Girl?]

Very good call. No substitute for having seen the shot happen before when you need to make it happen again. If you're not going to hit 60% or more GIR you better know where to miss if you wanna score half decent. And standing on a tee knowing - 'okay, a 3-iron puts me in the middle of that dogleg' makes me feel more confident than - 'well, I need at least 210 but it looks a little downhill but I think I should get some roll if I hit it good....'

[Chas]

Interesting OP. Like you, I'm starting to get smarter around the course (finally .....) and it helps to play the same course fairly often to develop your tactical skills I agree. Why? Because it's easier to compare results using different tactics on the same hole if you know it well and play it often. For one thing, boneheaded shots on my part get more and more eliminated, e.g. use of driver or 3W off the tee on a dogleg left where I get wet if I hit anything longer than about 230 that isn't a straight shot, a fade or a push.

But in theory of course, as long as you have the info that you need on a given hole (distance to the elbow in a dogleg, carry over a canyon, distance to pond just left of fairway on the elbow etc etc), playing the same course shouldn't be THAT much of an advantag unless there's some sort of a psychological issue. We all know that golf has a lot of psych so it's a big factor but the idea should be to try to minimize that by playing by the numbers. Reminds me of instrument flying a bit, in a way that would be difficult to explain exactly but it has to do with trusting and acting on the objective data you have in a given situation.

What I'm trying to say it, as your tactics improve on your favorite course you'll hopefully find it translating to lower scores on much less familiary tracks. That's what I'm hoping at any rate. Just bring along a good rangefinder or GPS device so you know exactly what you're faced with in every situation. It's the equivalent of a set of gyroscopic instuments in the cockpit. When you watch the pros, you strongly sense that they don't care much about which course they're playing on (within reason - they have their favorites because some courses suit their game better than others), they just go by the available data and play the indicated shot.

p.s. that is one heck of a deal. I wish I could get my *** out of bed early enough to take advantage of something like that myself. And Torrey Pines is on the way to work, just a couple miles away in fact. hmmmm

[kfowler]

Chas - I can see how it could translate on to other courses. One thing I've noticed is I've started paying attention to things I didn't look at before. As Leftygolfer mentioned, greens is a big one. Knowing the slope of the green and where to stay away from is huge.

For example, on several of the holes they have strong back to front sloping greens. If the pin is in the front, you'd much rather come up short of the green and chip/putting up than in the back of the green.

[Dub]

You certainly get to know where the "good" misses are on your home track.

It helps with reading the greens, too.

Sometimes I'll catch myself not focusing hard enough and swing thoughts creep in.

I actually score better, at times, on strange courses. I think that I become so target focused that it really does help my game. I've seen oth4s do the same.

[kafka01]

I´m having less problems playing a course if someone gives me inside knowledge and correct yardages.

Despite using a rangefinder i sometimes have problems figuring out the yardages, like if you aim at a tree you think you have to carry - just to find out, that behind that tree is another group that you cant really see.

And searching for your balls on a unknown course is usually a pain in the a.. and not very effective for me.

[oneF457z]

When I played in high school, this was particularly true for my team.

We were known to be a fairly decent team, but we only had 2 or 3 really solid, consistent players. Our matches played 9 holes and took the best 4 of 6 scores. So, we could usually come out close to the top if we had a 4th play well, but usually ended up around 3rd out of 8 teams or so.

But at our home course, which we played everyday when we didn't have a match, we never lost, and I'd say we won our matches by double digits 75% of the time. The front nine was just wacky enough w/ hole shapes and distances that we had the biggest "home course advantage" in the county and region.

I would totally agree with everyone on the greens though, knowing how they break and the spots to avoid when hitting approaches is a very helpful tool.

[bunkerputt]

Great thread. Playing the same course over and over is how you learn course and game management in my estimation. I play a local muni quite often at lunch and I know the first par-3 is an 8-iron if I worked out the night before, or a 9-iron if I've had a two day layoff. Since there's no range, I always have to start cold, so taking the extra club is necessary a lot of the time. My favorite example is a 264 yard downhill par-4 with a fairway that slopes severely to the left, creek extreme left, woods to the right, green that slopes into a pond in front and runs off to some nasty lies behind. I tried going for it a few times and it paid off about 10%. The best lie is a perfectly flat area with nice green turf right in front of the pond on the left side of the fairway. It leaves an easy 75 yard pitch over the water and an uphill two-putt. It took about 10 rounds before I got over the mental block that the best way to play the hole was directly at the water followed by going over the water with the second shot. Putting the ball on the right side of the fairway will score you a nasty sidehill lie from a lot of rocky ground followed by a wedge that you will probably pull left and long.

[lumpuckeroo]

No doubt there is an advantage. I see it a lot with my Dad, he is a member of a 9 hole course in a small town. He plays 18 holes a day pretty much April thru October so he putts a lot on those greens. When I play with him and his buddies they give him just about any putt inside 6 feet, he doesn't miss. But when he comes and plays on the courses were I live he is not nearly as good on the greens.

[Dub]

I'll give you a great example.

Yesterday's round I played at a local track that I play once every 2-3 months...so I'm very familiar with the layout.

My threesome played the back 9 first due getting routed around a tourney. We all shot within 1 stroke of each other...it was getting tight. We made the turn back to the front and battled it out nicely. One of the guys was a long hitter and he was bombing his brand new Dymo (rounded head) driver. I was having to grind...but it was working out okay....and the guy that normally beats us by a few strokes was just not striking it as crisply and solidly as normal.

This guy, instead of trying to kill it....just used the course (he plays here every week) to his advantage. He'd get bounces that at first seemed like luck...but it just kept happening all round. I saw him miss the green by ten feet but his ball fed off the side and cozied up nicely leaving him a short birdie putt. Over and over again.

One final case....we were on a long par 5 just after a tough par 3. The longballer crushed his new Dymo about 290. I went after it, too....caught it really flush and was about 20 yards back from him. The local guy aimed well left...we though he was misaligned or something (crazy from the heat) and drove it well....not long by his standards....just a nice control swing. His ball disappeared over the hill.


We drive up and see the 290 yard drive well ahead....and my solid tee ball....and even with mine was "the local's" ball. He landed his dead nuts on a downslope that evidently shot his ball foward a huge distance. He was grinning like sly fox.

The "local" kept doing that stuff all round. The firm fairways yielded some excellent kicks all day to him. It is cool to see somene who is intimate with a course game it to their advantage. Home cooking at it's fineist.

I was able to hold on and finish 2 strokes ahead of him....but it was a stacked deck. If he'd been on his game a tad more.....

Gonna try to get him to play my home course next week....or at least a "neutral" track. He's not overly fond of my course because of the softer fairways. You really do have to carry the ball more. He games a running drive...reminds me of Mr. Palmer as he turns it over with hookspin and the ball runs hard after touchdown.

[cody west]

I agree with you BUT your not learning the course as much as you are learning course management
i play at a long tight course with many hazzard about 285 out. i know i cant hit driver but thats not because i know the course its because my course management tells me to hit my fairway wood and just lay up 15 yards short and take the mid to short iron in, instead of a sand wedge. you jsut have to be able to judge distance well.
the only real advantage is putting because greens tend to roll extremely different from course to course. even when the courses are next to eachother with some holes touching the greens roll very differently

[Golf'nBiker]

I was somewhat of the opinion that the homefiled advantage wasnt that big a deal...everyone has to hit the ball on the same fairways...until TODAY!! I played in a tourny (dog-fight) on a course...or coarse, for the first time. WOW!! It rocked my world...all but 2 holes (less the par 3's) were a dog leg...one could not see the greens from the tee boxes. A little mental math was somewhat of an assist, but holy crap. Extremely hilly! I may just go get me a range finder!

[Parker0065]

I typically play a variety of courses during the season. While I do play some courses several times during the year, I've never played them to enough to become really familiar with the holes.

I will say that the lower your handicap gets, the less of a big deal this is. I agree that some courses can be flakey but if you can play a course at least once and have a idea where the trouble is then it really just comes down to executing the shots. No PGA Pro goes out on Thursday never playing at least one practice round on the course under normal conditions.

[Jay-Bird]

You certainly get to know where the "good" misses are on your home track.

Right on the money on both points.

I will say that the lower your handicap gets, the less of a big deal this is. I agree that some courses can be flakey but if you can play a course at least once and have a idea where the trouble is then it really just comes down to executing the shots. No PGA Pro goes out on Thursday never playing at least one practice round on the course under normal conditions.

Yep.

Knowing your course should teach you that the same mental approach should be taken at every course. Course management applies an any course, muni or cc, goat field or championship track.

[PiustheDrGolf]

Well..
I play with my boss at his CC at least once every two months. I thought he has big advantage by knowing the course and caddies at first few times. And mostly he wins the match.

A week ago, I played there again. But, this time, I was prepared as much as the CC's caddies. I had good idea where I want my ball to be landed and what iron will be played for 2nd shot. and where in green would be the best chance to score less. pretty much detailed out hole by hole. The plan was well thought-out and I was ready..

Of course, my plan was based on an assumption that I can hit as I planned.
I couldn't execute my plan because I was SO~ focused on the strategies and somehow couldn't hit ball solidly. haha..... Lost again.

[zrlaegel]

that is exactly what ive been hoping to hear about. Course management is necessary to play better golf. Please check out my thead about course managment and lend me your thoughts