Learning about course management

[sara]

I was browsing some books online about the mental game and course management (by Ray Floyd). I also stumbled on an ebook called "Game sense" and it describes some things that sound interesting as to playing with a strategy. For instance, I have read about there being a strategy on how to choose the best spot on the tee box, etc. I would like to read more about such topics.

So far the only "strategy" I have made for my game is a plan for my home course and my personal par; going from the green to the tee for each hole and which clubs to use to score my personal par. I am tempted to buy either the Ray Floyd books or that ebook.
Any suggestions?

Thanks.

[Harmonious]

Check out your local library. They generally have a good selection of golf instruction books. In many of the books is a section devoted solely to course management, things like you mentioned regarding where to tee off from, etc. Also, Google "golf course management", and you'll likely get many sites,some having to do with running a golf course, but others that will talk about how to maneuver your way around the course. Good luck!

[alomar123]

I played my course today with only irons, and it really opened my eyes to which holes do not need a driver. Lose alot less balls and in more fairways.

[saevel25]

i always tee up on either side of the tee box, the reason is that the center is littered with divots and foot marks, if i go to the ends i can get more stable footing and better teeing area.

[sara]

Check out your local library. They generally have a good selection of golf instruction books. In many of the books is a section devoted solely to course management, things like you mentioned regarding where to tee off from, etc. Also, Google "golf course management", and you'll likely get many sites,some having to do with running a golf course, but others that will talk about how to maneuver your way around the course. Good luck!

Thanks. I have Tiger's "How I play golf" and "Golf Annika's way" they talk a little about course management. I will google a bit more on course management. Thanks.

[sara]

I played my course today with only irons, and it really opened my eyes to which holes do not need a driver. Lose alot less balls and in more fairways.

I played a couple of rounds without my driver. I stuck to my plan and used a hybrid to tee off. I think it makes you realize that great distances are not required for most holes. It is interesting and am looking for more ways to see the course in different ways. I have switched my tee box spot. For some reason I always teed up on the same spot for every hole.

[Sing Golfer]

Buy the Ray Floyd book. It is great with regard to strategy and scoring. As he says at the start of the book, "...if i could be given your exact physical golf game, i would beat you 99 times out of 1000..." He talks about the things pro's do that amateurs don't.

Well worth the money.

[delav]

I played my course today with only irons, and it really opened my eyes to which holes do not need a driver. Lose alot less balls and in more fairways.

Sometime putting the big stick in time out can help . On a typical round I'll usually hit driver 5 - 6 times at most from the tee, even when driving the ball well.

[Shindig]

So far the only "strategy" I have made for my game is a plan for my home course and my personal par; going from the green to the tee for each hole and which clubs to use to score my personal par. I am tempted to buy either the Ray Floyd books or that ebook.

Ray Floyd's book is fantastic. He makes the claim early on that, if he were given your physical ability and equipment, but his brain, he'd produce a lower score than you would 99 times out of 100. And then he goes on to explain how. I believe it helps.

Considering you are already thinking strategy, this can help make better ones or show you what you can improve so that a lower expected score can come about.

[double_j]

Yes, course management is an integral part of the game. That said, there's no exact science to it. I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from learning about their game but in a nutshell, basic course management comes down to:

1.) Know your game - what you can and cannot do, what you like and dislike, what are your normal tendecies? Be honest and holistic with your evaluation - ego is a normal human trait and it's not uncommon for most people to overestimate their game (e.g., I'm pretty good with a driver in my head, but my scores would tell you differently). Keeping good stats helps with this part of things.

2.) Based on your honest evaluation, map out a strategy for each hole that gives you the highest overall probability of success (however you might define that). Play away from your weaknesses and compensate for your normal mistakes.

For example, suppose you find yourself 230 yards from a well protected green. Most amateurs would just swing a 3 wood since that's the club they need to reach. On the other hand, someone with decent course management skills would say..."hmmm...I'm not that strong with my 3 wood and my sand game is a little suspect, my mid irons are the strongest part of my game and I absolutely love approaches from 80 yards. Based on this, I think I'm going to swing a 7 iron to leave myself with a very comfortable approach shot."

The next step in course management thinking is to consider the nuances of the course itself. What positioning gives you the best approach to the green? If I miss the shot I'm trying to execute, where would I prefer to end up, etc.

Heck, you could even boil this down to a probability calculation. All you need to do is to hit some balls with each club and determine the % of time you hit each well. Your course management strategy would be whatever combination of clubs would get you in the hole with the highest combined probability of success.

The concept is simple. The hardest part is being honest about the strengths and weaknesses in your game. And although I'm a fan of learning all you can about the game, course management is really one of those things that comes with experience. Read all you want but you've got to get out and practice it, too.

[Dave]

Ray Floyd's book (Elements of Scoring) is a good one. Another one worth getting is "Playing Lessons" by Butch Harmon.

[sara]

Yes, course management is an integral part of the game. That said, there's no exact science to it. I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from learning about their game but in a nutshell, basic course management comes down to:

I keep a lot of stats. Maybe too much for someone just starting out and I tend to emphasize my practice time on what I feel are my weakest points. Like spending several days just hitting my 7i until I got a decent swing with it.

The next step in course management thinking is to consider the nuances of the course itself. What positioning gives you the best approach to the green? If I miss the shot I'm trying to execute, where would I prefer to end up, etc.

This is the part I have trouble with. Besides the obvious like avoiding water, hazards, bunkers, trees, etc., I don't see a "better place" to end up in. Maybe this is because I played with a more experiences 2 handicap player and he talked about how he hit the ball to place it in good spots, which was something very few people do. All I saw was that I ended up in a good place on the fairway and with a good, clean view of the green. Perhaps I am overthinking this too much?

[zeg]

Ray Floyd's book (Elements of Scoring) is a good one. Another one worth getting is "Playing Lessons" by Butch Harmon.

"Playing Lessons" is one I got from the library last year and really enjoyed, but I can never remember the title. Definitely worth a look.

[Blades4me]

I was browsing some books online about the mental game and course management (by Ray Floyd). I also stumbled on an ebook called "Game sense" and it describes some things that sound interesting as to playing with a strategy. For instance, I have read about there being a strategy on how to choose the best spot on the tee box, etc. I would like to read more about such topics.

Oh yes, course management--talked about at great length and rarely employed.

[TourSpoon]

I played the other day with a golfer that had almost no course management. On a tight par 5, I hit an iron off the tee knowing that the fairway pinched (the tees were up for some reason) and he hit his driver in the water. Needless to say it went like this all day with two people with similar abilities shooting 76 and 81. It really came down to course management so I would encourage you to start knocking shots off your game by playing smarter.

[double_j]

This is the part I have trouble with. Besides the obvious like avoiding water, hazards, bunkers, trees, etc., I don't see a "better place" to end up in. Maybe this is because I played with a more experiences 2 handicap player and he talked about how he hit the ball to place it in good spots, which was something very few people do. All I saw was that I ended up in a good place on the fairway and with a good, clean view of the green. Perhaps I am overthinking this too much?

You'll get it with experience. It can be a bit hard to figure out your preferred shots until you've had enough on-course experience to try a bunch out.

There are really two "levels" to this 1.) the optimal leave and 2.) a good miss. The first says "given what I'm facing ahead, I think I would like to position myself for a shot to the green at a certain point on the course." While much of this is personal to the golfer, some of the standard preferences include a.) uphill putts are comparable to downhill and b.) it's better to give yourself a some green to work with on a chip rather than to leave yourself with a flop or another touchy/tricky shot, etc. (shortside). It's actually very helpful to think this way even on those little bump and runner chips from 10 yards out. Try to figure out if missing long would really hurt you. Since most of us amateurs tend to miss our chips short (chunks et al), taking the fear out of missing long can go a long way towards helping you to accelerate through the ball and hit it pure. I've found that for many mid-cappers and up, its usually OK to play a chip harder than you really think you have to. Planning for a good miss requires that you know your 'normal' mistakes for the shot you're about to execute and taking that into consideration before committing to the shot. Tiger's 3 wood into 18 at Pebble is a perfect example of this. He knew that his likely 'mistake' when hitting a cut 3 wood is to overcut the ball. Since overcutting the ball would leave him in the front bunker, he could be comfortable going ahead with the shot because all else equal, that bunker was a pretty good place to end up. You can guarantee that if his normal miss with that shot was a pull or hook, there is no way he would have gone for it as agressively as he did since his normal mistake would have put him into the ocean.

[sara]

You'll get it with experience. It can be a bit hard to figure out your preferred shots until you've had enough on-course experience to try a bunch out.

Thanks. That kind of gave me a different, more clear view on the subject.

[double_j]

You'll get it with experience. It can be a bit hard to figure out your preferred shots until you've had enough on-course experience to try a bunch out.

Oops. Just noticed I said "uphill puts are

comparable to downhill". Meant to say "Uphill putts are preferable to downhill".