Course management - How would you react?

[cbe_golfer]

Here's a situation. You are in the short grass perfect lie. You have 240 to the center of the green..very big landing area..no disasters around the green. There is a creek 60 yards from the front of the green. Your shot is a dog leg left turning at about 50 yards..tall clump of trees. You cant go over the trees and make it to the green. What would you play?

[lamebums]

Unless the tree is impossibly high I will try and cut the corner anyway. But I'm pretty good at working the ball with the 3 wood, so my second option is to hit a draw.

[wolverine318]

How big is the dog leg? 90 degrees? 45? I can turn over my 3 wood pretty good, but not 90 50 yards out good. Im probably laying up with wedge wedge into this green. Maybe 9 iron 52 degree.

[Diggitydog]

Course management will definitely depend on the skill level of the player. If a 240 draw is your bread and butter, then go ahead, but I'm guessing that shot is more likely in the bag of 5 handicaps and down. My play if I was a 15 handicap would definitely be to lay up to a distance that I like. My favorite distance is 125 yards out.

[Shindig]

If I'm 240 yards out and you let me tee it up and hit driver, there's a very good chance that even a straight shot would leave me short. So unless I read this description wrong, I'm going to lay up to about 95 yards and hit a pitching wedge into the green. And if I'm long or short on my "to-lay-up" shot, then I hit a GW or 9I, both of which I'm fine with.

[NM Golf]

240 yards is a 3 iron for me. It depends I may hook a 3 iron or lay up. Its kind of a difficult question, I mean is this a weekend round with your buddies or is it the last hole of the club championship and you have a 3 shot lead. Is there wind, whats the severity of the angle of the dogleg, is the lie level, etc. There are many scenarios in play. It sounds like a low percentage shot to me.

[ChiChiIsMe]

Pitch it straight 120 yards and hit another iron into green.

[creggur]

Since I can't hit a draw to save my life, I would definately be laying up and wedging onto the green.

[Jeepthrills]

I would be dumb enough to hit the draw into the green with my hybrid. I can't draw my 3 wood and 240 would be a stretch for me, but I do feel like at worst I could carry the creek and leave myself a pitch. Then again, thats one of the reasons I am a 16.9 and not a 6.9.

In reality I would top the ball and only advance it 40 yards. I would then follow it up by pushing my third into the trees on the right.

[WhiteSoxFan]

I have no 240 yd. club other than my driver. I'm hitting a 9-iron about 130-135 and a SW or GW the last 100-110.

[cbe_golfer]

I would be dumb enough to hit the draw into the green with my hybrid. I can't draw my 3 wood and 240 would be a stretch for me, but I do feel like at worst I could carry the creek and leave myself a pitch. Then again, thats one of the reasons I am a 16.9 and not a 6.9.

lol..that is precisely what I would have tried two months ago...with a three wood though. I took my three wood out of the bag for that reason

and to NM Golf's variables..lets assume 20 degrees left..no wind..perfect lie..playing a casual round.

[TourSpoon]

I guess it depends how much of a dogleg you are talking about. I normally draw the ball with the three wood so I would feel comfortable with that shot.

[JumpHigh_HitHard]

I can usually crank my 2h over 230, and the club seems to have a natural draw bias.

Generally I would feel comfortable going with this shot; but if I am not striking the ball well I would lay-up with a PW/9 iron to about 100 yards, and have a full SW/LW in.

[23Rounder]

I won't try and pretend that I haven't tried to the hit the 240y draw with my 3 wood many times in the past in similar situations but with my ability it generally leads to at least a double!! Hopefully I would lay up about 120 yards out and hit wedge into the green.

[golfchief]

lay up, then hit to the green.

[iacas]

I'd draw a 3-wood or hybrid (the latter if I didn't want to go long for sure), but it wouldn't be very low.

50 yards is a heck of a draw. You probably won't encounter this kind of situation that often.

[J_Bone]

Here's a situation. You are in the short grass perfect lie. You have 240 to the center of the green..very big landing area..no disasters around the green. There is a creek 60 yards from the front of the green. Your shot is a dog leg left turning at about 50 yards..tall clump of trees. You cant go over the trees and make it to the green. What would you play?

Could you get a picture off Goggle Earth like this one below? For your situation: What I should do and what I would do are two different things. I should lay it up in front of the creek and and try to leave myself a 100 yard gap wedge shot. What I would do is grab my 3-wood and try to draw it around onto the green. The problem is I hit a fade shot normally.. So more than likely I would hit a hook and and bend it right into the trees.. .

[Jeepthrills]

The 18th hole at White Lake Oaks, where I play regularly is a similar situation, but with the opposite layout. It's a double dogleg that requires a draw off the tee. A good tee shot will leave you 200-230 that requires a fade or a very high second shot over trees. There is water from 50-75 yards infront of the green. In this case I normaly hit my 3H off the tee, as I tend to fade my driver and 3 wood but can draw the hybrid. There is plenty of bail out room right, but if you end up on the right half of the fairway you would have to bend the ball about 60 degrees to get it on the green. If you miss the fairway right, forget about the green in 2. In both of these cases I hit whatever will leave me 90-100 yards to the green. Usually 9 or PW. If I am in the left half of the fairway I have no hesitation. I hit either my 3 wood or the hybrid again. I feel that even with a mediocre shot I will still clear the water and leave myself with a pitch and putt for birdie. It helps that the shot is a fade and there is some room on the left side for error. It's a little risky if you miss left as there are willow trees and a drainage ditch, but it's a decent risk/reward ratio.