Here is a great article for mid to high handicappers

[JWL1957]

This article explains how to keep things simple. While you are developing your swing, you can also learn how to play . It is a very good article, and full of common sense.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Golf-Strat...-90&id;=1031955

[Boyder]

Good read. The thought process of playing for 17 over is one I have embraced quite a bit this season. There are several par 4's I tend to play as par 5's and a couple par 5's I always play as par 6's, because if I don't I end up in trouble and staring a snowman in the eye (or worse).
I like most everything covered in this article ... very good info for most any golfer, but especially those that shoot in the 90's and above.

[melchior]

Just what Boyder said, great article.

I think this type of approach (which I've semi-been working on, just trying to be comfortable until shooting to the green, but still going for pars) will really help a couple buddies of mine that are well above max handicap. I think just the relief of pressure from each shot will help them as they're not that bad at the range but really get inside their heads on the course.

[B-Con]

Good article. Great course . I've adopted some of those strategies here and there from time to time, but I often forget while I'm playing. I'm thinking about actually going over the scorecard ahead of time and writing my own "par" for each hole to remind myself how to play throughout the game.

Was the article copy-n-pasted from somewhere? Two of the sections contains identical text.

[sean_miller]

This article explains how to keep things simple. While you are developing your swing, you can also learn how to

Some good stuff in there, but the average distance per shot thing (and a 410 yard par 4 being one of the 5 handicap holes - wtf?) don't add up for me. The course isn't divided up into equal 115 yard segments. If one of my buddies hits 5 straight gap wedges on a par 5, I'm gonna kick his ass!!

[JWL1957]

Good article. Great course . I've adopted some of those strategies here and there from time to time, but I often forget while I'm playing. I'm thinking about actually going over the scorecard ahead of time and writing my own "par" for each hole to remind myself how to play throughout the game.

Not sure. I stumbled across it on ezine one day and saved the link.

[Easy]

This is pretty much how I play. The par 4's are my par 5's and the par 5's are my par 6's. GIR + 1 golf. Having this mindset definately eases the pressure to grip and rip it.
The only downer is that you get called "Alice" or "Fairy" off the tee. That all changes once they see who actually wins.

[Shorty]

If one of my buddies hits 5 straight gap wedges on a par 5, I'm gonna kick his ass!!

You should, because you play off 7 and this is about someone trying to break 90.

The article makes sense. There are a lot of holes -e even par 5s - where a 6 iron off the tee might be the smartest strategy. I once had a par 5 that I was totally psyched out on. For a month or so I was hitting three 8 irons and parring it most of the time. The problem with this sort of play is that it is totally emasculating. But.... if an 18 marker wanted to guarantee he'd break 90 becuase his life depended on it, I'd say take out everything longer than a 6 iron and he'd do it.

[mihi4]

From time to time I play our short 9-hole Par 29 (only 2 Par 4s) only with my i8 and my wedges, to sharpen up my short game.
In one of these rounds I made my best score on this course ever (+2)...

greetings
michi

[Dragonsrock]

I read the article, seems logical enough, but based on my stats, my driver is the best part of my game...why give away this advantage? Maybe my second shot should be an 8 iron instead of a 5 iron or 4 iron, but that would assume I have a decent short game and statistics suggest otherwise? Not sure how I apply this...

[JWL1957]

I read the article, seems logical enough, but based on my stats, my driver is the best part of my game...why give away this advantage? Maybe my second shot should be an 8 iron instead of a 5 iron or 4 iron, but that would assume I have a decent short game and statistics suggest otherwise? Not sure how I apply this...

The overall jest of the article was to use common sense. (Play around your weakness)

[iacas]

The problem with saying "just hit the ball 115 yards 47 times" or whatever is that you have to actually hit the ball 115 yards and with some accuracy.

Most of the people who can't break 90 are likely to shank a few of those, blade them, chunk them, etc.

Want to break 90? Work on ball striking.

[ezmorningrebel]

i don't think the author was suggesting that people go out and actually hit the ball 120 yards at a time. the point he's trying to get across is to for mid to high handicappers to stop being so obsessed with distance. having reliable shots in your bag and using them is a big key to scoring better. if i'm 230 out on a par 5, my chances of being on in two as a higher handicapper are better if i just hit 2 full pitching wedges. it's not as sexy as pulling out the 3 wood and going for it but then my odds of a mishit, lost ball, leaving an awkward pitch from the rough or sand shot are going up.

[JWL1957]

The problem with saying "just hit the ball 115 yards 47 times" or whatever is that you have to actually hit the ball 115 yards and with some accuracy.

I know quite a few that dont shank, chili dip, blade, and chunk. They play stupid by trying to over power the course,... playing the shortest club possible, Drivers with 9 degree loft and stiff shafts, trying to loft 60 degrees wedges when a simple 7 iron chip would do better, trying to carry a hazard instead of playing around it, Buying a game instead of practicing, etc. etc.

It all comes down to decision making? Not wanting to practice is also a decision. I am a great example...... I dont practice and I sitting at a 10. So be it.

[cavanagh]

I have our captains prize this weekend and have qualified and this article has made me think

thanks

[mike295]

I gotta say that distance is something that I am not really looking for. I might be in the minority here but I feel very confident in the distance I get with my clubs. I want accuracy, I would rather lose 20 yards per drive and 10 per iron if i could put the ball in the location I want to 8-10 times. While I think the article is logical I do not think that accuracy comes with taking the driver and long irons out of the bag.

[wubskis]

I embraced a very steady mindset to my game prior to this summer's season, and my scores have definitely changed for the better. I tend to get called boring, a coward, etc, by some playing partners, but at the end of the round, guess who isn't paying for drinks having shot the winning score?

I got back into golf a year and a half ago (ish) and still haven't added a driver to my bag. I will eventually (I half-jokingly said I'd get one when I'm playing bogey golf), but for now I just don't see it as a worthy addition. On the courses I play regularly, from the tees I play regularly, I can only think of one hole where I would actually like to be able to pull driver for that little extra distance over my three wood, to reach the corner of a dogleg and be able to see the green for my second shot. Otherwise, as is outlined in the article, I am playing holes with an additional stroke added onto par, so even with a 450 yard par four at a local course, I can take 3w (200-210), 6i (155-160ish~) and be hitting a full 50* into the green comfortably, usually setting me up with a very decent attempt at a 2-putt.

Meanwhile, as my playing partners are looking for their balls after pulling their drivers, they'll still be berating me for being a chicken. I guess my point is that some people will never buy into course management, because they think it "takes the fun out" of the game. My dad recently picked up golf, and I've been imparting whatever wisdom I can throw his way, and he is already scoring lower than a buddy of mine who's played for about two years, despite the fact my dad has played for about six months, and his distances are about 75% of my friend's, if not less. Case in point, I suppose!

[pittpanther]

if i'm 230 out on a par 5, my chances of being on in two as a higher handicapper are better if i just hit 2 full pitching wedges. it's not as sexy as pulling out the 3 wood and going for it but then my odds of a mishit, lost ball, leaving an awkward pitch from the rough or sand shot are going up.

But remember, we're talking about a 20-HC... So when he duffs that first pitching wedge and now he's 190 out, what should he do? Two more pitching wedges?

Read iacas' response - work on ball striking.