"strategy" while playing regular round

[Killa]

So while on tournaments I go out with a clear strategy in my mind that usually involves leaving my driver and 3 wood in the bag for all but the most open holes, on regular friendly rounds I just grip it and rip it. And that usually results in catastrophic scores. And now since I lowered my hcp to 36 basically any score higher that double is above my hcp and I strike my first ball OB I just mentally abandon that hole and move on (since I need par with my second ball to the hole actually count for anything). I should add that I don't get to play a lot. This season I have 4 or 5 9 hole rounds and 3 18 hole rounds, so I kinda want to try to hit that driver on a tight hole where a nice drive will give me a decent shot at a birdie putt. 

 

To shoot my current lowest score possible I probably just need my 5,7,9,PW,GW,SW, PW and putter. I should leave the rest in the car, but such a strategy won't ever get me to break 90 let alone 80... 

 

I am practicing a lot with my 3 wood and driver so hopefully those clubs will turn into my strengths rather than my liabilities sooner than later, but what/how should I play in the meantime? 

[David in FL]

I hit it as far as I can off the tee.  Then I try to hit it as close to the hole as possible.  Then I try to get it in the hole with the fewest putts I can.

Rinse and repeat.  

[billchao]

1 hour ago, Killa said:

So while on tournaments I go out with a clear strategy in my mind that usually involves leaving my driver and 3 wood in the bag for all but the most open holes, on regular friendly rounds I just grip it and rip it. And that usually results in catastrophic scores. And now since I lowered my hcp to 36 basically any score higher that double is above my hcp and I strike my first ball OB I just mentally abandon that hole and move on (since I need par with my second ball to the hole actually count for anything). I should add that I don't get to play a lot. This season I have 4 or 5 9 hole rounds and 3 18 hole rounds, so I kinda want to try to hit that driver on a tight hole where a nice drive will give me a decent shot at a birdie putt. 

 

To shoot my current lowest score possible I probably just need my 5,7,9,PW,GW,SW, PW and putter. I should leave the rest in the car, but such a strategy won't ever get me to break 90 let alone 80... 

 

I am practicing a lot with my 3 wood and driver so hopefully those clubs will turn into my strengths rather than my liabilities sooner than later, but what/how should I play in the meantime? 

I'm of two minds on this. On one hand, I know I can score better if I hit less drivers off the tee. On the other hand, I feel like I need to be able to learn to hit better drives in all situations.

So I go back and forth about it. Lately I've been hitting more drivers off the tee trying to get in closer to the greens, but I actually feel like this strategy costs me strokes in the long run.

My best rounds tend to be the ones where I pick a club off the tee that will get me to a certain approach club (like an 8I) as opposed to hitting driver and leaving a partial wedge in. This isn't because I'm better with a full swing than I am with a partial wedge as the old myth goes, but rather that I'm less likely to be in trouble off the tee with a 6I than I am with my driver, thus saving strokes.

[JonMA1]

2 hours ago, Killa said:

To shoot my current lowest score possible I probably just need my 5,7,9,PW,GW,SW, PW and putter. I should leave the rest in the car, but such a strategy won't ever get me to break 90 let alone 80... 

I am practicing a lot with my 3 wood and driver so hopefully those clubs will turn into my strengths rather than my liabilities sooner than later, but what/how should I play in the meantime? 

I was typing up a long-winded response, but realized you pretty much nailed it with this.^^^

Play a few rounds now and then where you use those clubs which hurt your score the most.

[MarvChamp]

I am a high handicapper who has remembered to play for position off the tee. I like playing it safe and in the fairway. So I often use a 3- or 5-FW or a 3 HY. Works for me. -Marv

[saevel25]

But this book and implement the sections on course strategy. 

http://lowestscorewins.com

http://lowestscorewins.com/buy

 

[Killa]

10 hours ago, saevel25 said:

But this book and implement the sections on course strategy. 

http://lowestscorewins.com

http://lowestscorewins.com/buy

 

Check my sig ;) 

I will reread it on vacation but I can implent that strategy to shoot my lowest score possible now, but will that help or hurt in the long run is the question...

[Grinde6]

The easiest answer to this is to get a lesson.  It should not only help you with your driver, but also with your irons/approach shots too.  A quick 30 minute lesson could potentially turn your weakness of a driver into your strength to where you wont even have to strategize like this.  Now it might take a couple lessons as well, but it is worth it.  I would keep using those clubs though, as not using them isn't helping you become better with them...go to the range with just your driver and see if there is anything you can change to make the flight better...ball position, how far away from the ball you are standing, aiming point, grip...all things to check and tweak until you can at least come up with a "go-to swing".

[mcanadiens]

Most of the courses I play are not tight. Lack of distance always seems like my bigger issue. I hit 1W on just about any hole where I'm not worried about having to carry a hazard that I know is a low percentage shot. In fact the one hole out of my normal rotation that precludes the driver is Kittyhawk Eagle, No. 3. It's a par-4 with a big hazard to the right. The hazard is fed by a stream that crosses the fairway at between 200-230 depending on your tee. That is just about my carrying distance with the driver. 

Other than that one, its pretty much driver all day .

[Killa]

34 minutes ago, Grinde6 said:

The easiest answer to this is to get a lesson.  It should not only help you with your driver, but also with your irons/approach shots too.  A quick 30 minute lesson could potentially turn your weakness of a driver into your strength to where you wont even have to strategize like this.  Now it might take a couple lessons as well, but it is worth it.  I would keep using those clubs though, as not using them isn't helping you become better with them...go to the range with just your driver and see if there is anything you can change to make the flight better...ball position, how far away from the ball you are standing, aiming point, grip...all things to check and tweak until you can at least come up with a "go-to swing".

 

On the range I can hit quite a few drivers/3 woods in a row. And when I miss my driver it's usually a slice and with my wood it's a hook. And not a nasty one but one that starts hooking/slicing about 150 out and then goes 50 yards off target. 

At the course I played yesterday that means dense forest. It's mostly not marked OB but you aren't finding your ball if you miss it.

[Kalnoky]

I think the driver is usually the last piece people figure out in golf. I think of it as the masterpiece. But I also think golf just takes a lot of practice and experience, even if you take lessons now, you are playing against people who took lessons 15, 12, 10, 5, years ago and maybe then a refresher course each spring. They make it look easy, but it's not an easy game. And those players will be the first to tell you it's not an easy game. 

The first step is to lose the slice. So if you take a lesson, tell the guy you want to lose your slice. That was the biggest thing I got from lessons was, I stopped slicing the ball and started hooking, and then pulling the ball. I still pull a little but I can play with that. The slice will just kill you. 

[p1n9183]

To shoot lower it´s all about to keep the ball in play (avoid all the penalty hazards). First of all you need to know your real shot cones. Let´s say:
Driver: 100 yards wide.
Wood: 80 yards wide
4 Iron: 60 yards wide
7 Iron: 40 yards wide

Then with the help of google maps you have to mesure the distance between penalty hazards in all the holes on the tournament course. As an example...
Hole 1, OB left, Water rigth. 60 yards in between. Hit 4 iron, even if the hole is long.
Hole 2, OB left,rigth, 100 yards in between. Hit the big stick no matter what.

Obviusly if a big sand trap it´s at the distance of your selected shot, maybe you could grab a shorter club and play safe short of it. But the main target is to keep the ball in play and as long as you can (no OB, no water, no unplayable terrain).
     

[Killa]

14 minutes ago, Kalnoky said:

I think the driver is usually the last piece people figure out in golf. I think of it as the masterpiece. But I also think golf just takes a lot of practice and experience, even if you take lessons now, you are playing against people who took lessons 15, 12, 10, 5, years ago and maybe then a refresher course each spring. They make it look easy, but it's not an easy game. And those players will be the first to tell you it's not an easy game. 

The first step is to lose the slice. So if you take a lesson, tell the guy you want to lose your slice. That was the biggest thing I got from lessons was, I stopped slicing the ball and started hooking, and then pulling the ball. I still pull a little but I can play with that. The slice will just kill you. 

I can stop the slice with the driver, I just need a couple of practice shots, I set up with a bit of a closed face (couple of degrees) and it goes straight or just slightly fades. But that's on the range when I can hit 10 in a row. When I have 3 holes between each driver shot...

That's my biggest problem, I'm all over the place. I mean for example this week - hole 7 a very hard dogleg left that you need to carry a pond on the approach. I smashed my 3 wood with a baby draw about 220 yards (bit downhill - but I was actually too long, ball stopped on a gravel path where I got relief and needed to punch out to get back on the fairway). 8th I hit the green with my 6 iron on a 180 yard par 3, 9th hole I hooked my 3 wood 2 times ( both remained in play but I hit a provisional). 10th hole I hit about a 200 yard 3 wood of the tee dead straight uphill. 

 

OK thinking back my 3 wood wasn't that catastrophic, had a couple of duffs that were salvageable but I know I hit 5 or 6 shots OB with my driver + 3 wood. And that is +12 strokes and when I mentally stop playing the hole after an OB it's easily 20 strokes per round...

 

I guess more practice is the answer to all of my struggles :)

Edited July 11, 2017 by Killa

[SLAMGolf]

I cannot possibly imagine tournament play without a driver or 3 wood.  I don't think I've ever even heard of it, in fact.  Imagine you hit every fairway and green but you putt the same way you do.  Do you think you could break 90?  Imagine you took your long game to the course except you holed every putt inside 20 feet.  Do you think you could break 90?  Fix your swing.  Get some lessons.  That's probably better advice than "Practice your driver"

[Killa]

If I'd hit every fairway and green I'd probably break par...

[Grinde6]

1 hour ago, SLAMGolf said:

I cannot possibly imagine tournament play without a driver or 3 wood.  I don't think I've ever even heard of it, in fact.  Imagine you hit every fairway and green but you putt the same way you do.  Do you think you could break 90?  Imagine you took your long game to the course except you holed every putt inside 20 feet.  Do you think you could break 90?  Fix your swing.  Get some lessons.  That's probably better advice than "Practice your driver"

Phil Mickelson did it at Merion...

...but you need to practice your weakness(es)...I agree that he should get a lesson or two so he can become aware of what he needs to do to correct the issue, but in the meantime, practicing the driver with different ball positions, grips, etc will help as well.

[JonMA1]

I think losing the fear of or at least not caring about a high score can do wonders towards improving. Sacrificing a round now and then by working on a weakness helps me in a way that the range can't. 

I went to my first TST outing earlier this year... was nervous as hell beforehand, but to my surprise, I wasn't playing terribly. I had incurred a couple penalties and missed lots of easy approach shots, but nothing too embarrassing for a high capper.

Then came the 13th hole. 

First drive - pushed into woods. Second drive - hooked left. Third - topped into the crap in front of the tee box. Now, my fourth tee shot was a beauty, flushed straight down the middle and over the hill. But when it didn't roll back into view I had a bad feeling. Walked over the hill and discovered the hidden hazard it landed in. Throw in an unplayable lie after my approach I think that set a world record for the most penalties in a hole. I'd hit my ESC before getting anywhere near the green.

For the rest of the round, I was hitting my driver better than ever. Other than some hurt pride and what must have been a bit of awkwardness for my playing partners, nothing bad had come from that abomination of a hole.

In fact, going through that may have done more good than harm.

While I'm still capable of hitting consecutive drives out of bounds, more times than not my driver gets me in the fairway  - close to 60% since that round according to game golf. That's a higher percentage than my fairway woods AND with the added benefit of being 25 yards closer to the hole.

With my crappy game, I can't be critical of anyone's strategy. But personally, it's hard to give up on a club that can provide that kind of an advantage in distance.

[WUTiger]

You didn't tell us what problem you have with driver and 3W. What goes wrong on these shots? Possibly a lesson would help.

13 hours ago, Grinde6 said:

The easiest answer to this is to get a lesson.  It should not only help you with your driver, but also with your irons/approach shots too.  A quick 30 minute lesson could potentially turn your weakness of a driver into your strength to where you wont even have to strategize like this.  Now it might take a couple lessons as well, but it is worth it. 

You need a long club you can hit off the tee if you are really going to lower your scores. With a lesson, the instructor could tell you if you have the wrong driver for your swing. Otherwise, some tips should help you get your long club shots into the fairway.

A couple of people I play with don't use a traditional driver. One uses a 3W that  he hits off the tee and from the fairway. Another uses a high launch 12* driver. Both of them break 80 on occasion.