Course Mangement

[sumo]

Dear Sand Trap,
I know I can be a much better handicap but I do not make good choices when I need to. I think that I can be playing much smarter. I constatly go for pins that I should not and I do not go for pins that I should. I know what I do wrong its just that I do not realise it as I am looking over my ball. Does anyone know how I am able to correct this.Thanks

[zrlaegel]

in stead of going for the pin aim for the center of the green. youll save strokes by doing that. also since you will be on the green practice putting twice as much

[ddalet]

  zrlaegel said:

in stead of going for the pin aim for the center of the green. youll save strokes by doing that. also since you will be on the green practice putting twice as much

This is good advice on average.

Course Management also comes with course knowledge. For Example: The pros are good, but they also have a deeper knowledge of the courses they play because they take the time to study every individual nook and cranny. At least the good ones do.

[RS22]

  ddalet said:

This is good advice on average.

This. By knowing where the good spots to miss are, and the bad spots to avoid are, you can determine which pins to go for and which ones to play it safe to the middle of the green. The obvious pins to avoid are ones near water hazards and tucked behind bunkers, but the less obvious ones are the pins tucked near a ridge or near the edge of the green where the short side has a big downhill slope to the pin or something of that nature.

Before you get over the ball, assess the situation. Look at the pin, look at the green, look at the surrounding areas and determine if this pin is worth going for and know where you can miss and where you can't. You'll probably find more than not that you will end up just hitting to the middle of the green and taking your 2 putt par.

[JaY_B]

Improve your chipping and bunker play and go for every pin, if your confident you can get it up and down, why not give is a shot?

[msd3075]

There are several things you can do to help inprove your course management skills:

- Have a plan of action for each hole and stick to it. If you are playing a par 4 and are absolutely most comfortable hitting your 7 iron into the green, hit a shot off the tee that puts you 7-iron-distance from the green. Don't just grab your driver on every tee box.

- Have your own "par" score for a round and for certain holes. Know the difficult holes on the course and be happy with bogey on these holes.

- Learn to adjust your game depending on how you are playing/swinging that day. If your irons aren't on the mark that day, aim away from trouble regardless of where the pin is located. If your driver isn't listening to you, hit a 3 iron off the tee if you have to.

- Unless you are a scratch golfer and/or you have money riding on you pulling off a clutch trick shot out of the woods, you should just get yourself out of trouble first before you go at the flag.

[cody west]

i always chose my miss like say there is water on one side of the green and a bunker on the other. say the pin is near the water i will still aim for the pin but you can bet anything my miss will not be into the water. i will aim like 5 ft to the side away from the water.
also play your strengths. i know for me i love being in bunkers its the strongest part of my game other than my aproach shots so if there is a bunker near the pin i have no problem going right after the pin because if im in the bunker im getting up and down. but if the pin is near deep rough or a large run off area i might take an extra club and swing much more controlled to make sure i stay away from rough or run off areas

[msd3075]

  cody west said:

i always chose my miss like say there is water on one side of the green and a bunker on the other. say the pin is near the water i will still aim for the pin but you can bet anything my miss will not be into the water. i will aim like 5 ft to the side away from the water.

As long as you are weighing the pros and cons of your shot, you shouldn't worry about "course management". What course management means is that you are determinting what shot is best and executing the best shot given the situation you are faced with. If you hit your drive into the woods, course management" dictates that you think before you swing. Sometimes going after the pin is best; sometimes just hitting the green is an accomplishmenet all in it's own. What course management truely is involves determining what shot is best given he specifics of what you are faced with. If you have to hit a perfect 15 yard draw through a small opening in the tops of the trees to even have a small chance at hitting the green in regulation, "course managemement" dictates that your should just punch your ball out into the fairway and be happy with saving bogey.

Most people cannot save bogey when they land in a green-side bunker. Most people cannot save par when they have to pitch a shot onto the green from a lie in the deep rough. If your short game is good enough that these type of situations do not affect your, then by all means go after tough pin positions. If tight pin positions scare you, if touchy pitch shots scare the crap out of you, or if anything in the sand is a work of magic to get you out in one stroke, for all means and purposes aim for the part of the green away from trouble. You might not get a birdie on the hole, but you'll prevent anything higher than a bogey. One thing most inexperienced golfers forget is what it truey takes to shoot a certain score. if you are a 5-6 handicap, most of the time that means that on average you will bogey half the holes you play and par the other half. That means that half the holes you play you aren't shooting par. Given that thought, what is the obsessiong with trying to force a par on every hole? If there are 3-4 difficult holes on a course that getting a bogey is an accomplishment, why would you be sad with something less than a bogey? Learn to be happy with a bogey on those holes, and learn to be aggressive on the other holes.

[zrlaegel]

  cody west said:

i always chose my miss like say there is water on one side of the green and a bunker on the other. say the pin is near the water i will still aim for the pin but you can bet anything my miss will not be into the water. i will aim like 5 ft to the side away from the water.

well put. i would argue that this post is going to receive numerous responses some disagreeing with one another but i think it is mostly because each person has a different playing style. i suggested the center of the green and that is something i do when im trying to hit in two on a long par 4 or short 5. if im 150 or closer im going pin hunting but i will also look at where im willing to miss. i would personally rather get up n down from a bunker than the rough but that is a personal preference that one needs to learn. hitting fairways is also a must. if you cant do it with your driver try your 3wood or hybrid. 210 in the fairway is better than 270 in the woods