Do you form a game plan?

[OrangeHog]

I'm pretty familiar with most of the courses around where I live so usually know what club gets me to a particular part of the fairway and what area to try and avoid.  That said, when I play a tournament round I try to always get in a practice round inside of 5 days from the event so I can hit a few different shots and keep notes.  No, I don't hit perfect shots every single swing (I wish) but I think it's always smart to know what your landing area looks like, what club gets you there confidently and what your "out" is in case you hit a wayward shot.

I'm a believe that having a game plan equates to better scoring versus just going out there and bashing the ball around mindlessly.

[RH31]

I really only pre plan for shorter holes and/or tighter holes. So it's just picking a lay up club and maybe favoring a side of the fairway here and there.

When I was a decent ball striker, and playing a course for the first time,  I would always lay back to the 150ish range on the too tight for driver holes. That was an 8 iron for me so my chances for par or better weren't bad.

[Kalnoky]

On my home course, I usually make a plan of cardinal sins to avoid, based on previous mistakes. For example, if I know I struggle with a certain club from a particular lie (sometimes on a specific hole) I want to avoid the temptation to try that shot again. So I make a mental note and recommit before I head out.

   

[uitar9]

Only try to shoot to the fat part of the green, never shoot a sucker shot, play smart from a crap lie, no hero shots. Knowing what each club carries, not what I'd like it to carry.

[boogielicious]

22 hours ago, saevel25 said:

I take each shot at a time.

I use the methods described in LSW. It's the best method so far in taking your own playing ability and letting you translate that to getting around the course.

I do this, especially with courses I am playing for the first time. Knowing your shot zones is key.

[dbuck]

I am reminded of an old golf joke, which most of you have probably heard. Four guys play the same course every Thursday. One guy is a slicer and always hits his ball under a tree in the rough to the right of the first fairway. One day they are all in the tall grass looking for his ball, and he suddenly says, "Wait! I haven't hit yet."

That could be me.

I do have a plan for the course I play most often. I think about what I will use off each tee, and the second shot if the first is successful. I probably need more work in planning for misses. I actually execute the tee shot pretty often ( I mean a playable position in the general area of my target), maybe 60% of the time on other than par 3's. My misses are probably pretty consistent as well, so maybe I should plan more conservative recoveries better rather than trying "hero" shots, and have a more definite plan b.

 

[Blackjack Don]

On 12/4/2016 at 2:42 PM, iacas said:

You can't map out each shot because you'd have to be freakishly good to hit the ball into those spots. Even the PGA Tour players can't do that, outside of being very general.

Buy LSW. It tells you all you need to know about building a GamePlan in the section called, oddly enough, "Building Your GamePlan." It's the whole third section of the book. It works for every golfer on every golf course, and it's easy.

LSW?

Pro Internet Tip: Not everybody knows what you're talking about.

[iacas]

On 12/11/2016 at 11:17 PM, Blackjack Don said:

LSW?

Pro Internet Tip: Not everybody knows what you're talking about.

Pro tip: hover over it, and it tells you what it is.

[paininthenuts]

I have the same game plan for every game. Get round the course in as few shots as possible. It hasn't worked very well yet, but I am not ready to give up

[Blackjack Don]

Ah, sorry, Erik. That's a new one. (Now if you'd show me how to get to the newer replies from the last visit, that would be even better.)

With regard to the book, does it really help a high handicapper? I have so many thoughts going through my head I forget about tapping my Game Golf thingie, so strategy is rarely a consideration...when I watch another drive sail OOFB.

[iacas]

9 hours ago, Blackjack Don said:

Ah, sorry, Erik. That's a new one. (Now if you'd show me how to get to the newer replies from the last visit, that would be even better.)

With regard to the book, does it really help a high handicapper? I have so many thoughts going through my head I forget about tapping my Game Golf thingie, so strategy is rarely a consideration...when I watch another drive sail OOFB.

Click the reddish dot or star left of the title of the thread to go to the newest post.

Yeah, I think it does. Plus at what point do you stop being a higher handicapper?

And… add your GG username to your profile, please. It'll add it to your left sidebar area (on computers and tablets).

[Hardspoon]

9 hours ago, Blackjack Don said:

With regard to the book, does it really help a high handicapper?

Take it from a fellow high handicapper (20+) - it definitely helps. Maybe we aren't consistent enough to develop game plans, but the concept of Shot Zones and the sections on practice are invaluable.

9 hours ago, Blackjack Don said:

I have so many thoughts going through my head I forget about tapping my Game Golf thingie,

Just wait...once it becomes second nature, you'll never forget again. I sometimes tap my waist on the driving range!

[Hategolf]

I have in the past but not anymore. 

I used to look at the scorecard ahead of time and look at pictures of the holes in a website that reviews courses. 

It never helped me, because If my plan was to for example hit 3 wood of the tee...I would leave it too short or put the ball too far off line and the plan would go out the window. 

I decided course management and working on making a good swing every shot was time better spent. 

Edited December 14, 2016 by Hategolf

[Pretzel]

I plan out every tee shot that I want to hit on the course before I play it in a tournament. I also map out the areas and shots that I want to specifically avoid, which are taken into consideration when planning my tee shots.

Beyond the tee shot you can't really plan for. If the tee shot goes well, then aim for the fat part of the green favoring the half with the flag. If not, reassess and go from there.

[JonMA1]

On 12/4/2016 at 5:11 PM, Hoganman1 said:

I play the same course most of the time. Occasionally, I'll change which tees I play for some variety, but it's basically the same course for every round. I usually set a scoring goal before each round, but I don't actually have a game plan. After 50 years of playing I suddenly realized mapping out each shot on each hole would probably help me score better.  I realize things don't always go as planned especially in golf. However, formulating a plan is what the pros do every day. That has to work better than simply hitting the ball, hoping one can find it, and then hitting it again. Your thoughts?

I play the same 3 courses 90% of the time so I know them pretty well. I think you can map most of the shots when you know a course in the sense that you know which side of the fairway is more desirable for your approach, clubbing up for an elevated green, or whether the extra 20 yards a driver might give is worth the risk when there's a bottle neck at that distance... those types of decisions. Playing from different tees obviously changes which clubs I play, but knowing the course helps a great deal.

For example, one of those three courses leaves the grass around the greens just long enough that I have to make a substantial adjustment on where I want a chip or pitch to land in order to get the desired roll. I didn't get to the point of knowing that without having a couple die before they reached.

As far as approach shots, for most greens my target is the center. But there are many where it makes sense to aim left, right, short or long of the center. The pin location is much less a factor than what's around the green.

As you said, things don't always go as planned (don't usually go as planned in my case). Also, I've been known to just do something stupid like grab too much club and reach a hazard I'm fully aware of. 

 

[JustJack2016]

I also play most of my rounds on the same course...and the most consistent play (which is far from consistent) is with our "regular" Thursday group.  Because I don't practice these days, I find myself "trying" to stick to a game plan.  For the most part, our course is pretty good...but the greenside bunkers are TERRIBLE (poor drainage makes the sand incredibly compact).  Bad sand and high lips are a bad combination, so most of the greenside bunkers need to be avoided.  Conversely, the same bad sand on a fairway bunker makes for an easy shot into a green.  There are a couple of doglegs on our course where I'll intentionally cut off the corner without any regard to the fairway bunker--if I pull my drive a little, instead of having a nice lie in the fairway, I'll have a tight lie...but a better angle at an open green.  Our Thursday gang is a fun group and we play a lot of "call your shot".  Not only is this fun, it opens your eyes to why some people always put up a big number (or two).  

We have one guy who hits the ball further than most in our group...putts "okay"...and feels as though his best shot is a 30- or 40-yard wedge.  I would agree; however, at the end of the day, he's repeating his story about the one time he broke 90.  ONE time?  I've only lived here a couple of years, so I don't know his complete background, but it doesn't take long to realize why his scores are what they are.  Triple bogey with no penalty shots.  Reason:  "The bunkers here suck."  Response:  "I agree...why were you in six of them?  Aim away...lay up and hit that 30- or 40-yard wedge...maybe salvage a par...or walk away with bogey."  Another triple bogey with no penalty shots.  Reason:  "If I could hit every shot where I want it to go I would be a pro."  Response:  "I agree...but hitting it to the right on THAT par 3 is an automatic double.  You would have to career a shot to make par or bogey.  Even if you hit it WAY left or in front of the green, you have a chance to make a par with a good second shot...or a bogey with an okay second shot."  

With all of that said, yes...you should have a game plan that encompasses what you can do, what you want to do, and, in my opinion, what you shouldn't do.  We all want to hit every fairway/green and shoot 65, but for most of us, 65 wasn't even the goal on the first tee.  If your goal is to break par, break 90, break 108, or shoot your personal best...know what's needed to achieve THAT score and play the course.  Keep good notes on what prevented you from achieving your goal and work to eliminate those errors.  Bad shots are going to happen...poor decisions can be minimized.

Edited December 14, 2016 by JustJack2016
Clarified a couple of sentences.

[Blackjack Don]

Jack, that's a great post, man! I give you props, and am thankful for this whole thread. It's gotten me thinking of doing more than standing on the tee and whacking it, hoping it will go straight this time. That's what I guess high-handicappers do. They are trying to play like Phil, Jordan or Dustin, not like they have the ability to play.

I'm really thinking about this now. Thanks to all who have contributed.

Best wishes.

[Groucho Valentine]

I map out shot shapes and places to avoid. I never hit the ball where i imagine i do in my game plans, but its good to have an idea about what I'm doing strategy wise. Its important for situational awareness.