Shot Mapping/Course Planning

[klineka]

When you are going to be playing a course that you have never played before, do you think it is valuable and worth the time to pull it up on google maps and attempt to plan out your round? I have attempted this before but without a god way to measure the yardage, I think it is somewhat limited specifically on courses you have not played before.

This is easier to do and I have had success using google maps to plot my way around on courses I have played before because I know/remember the approximate yardages for most holes, but on a new course, I am not sure what the best strategy is for this.

One example that isnt always reflected in google maps is the size and thickness of some of the trees and the elevation changes are more difficult to determin in google maps as well.

Any tips or suggestions?

**Also if this is more suitable for a general forum area instead of the club, feel free to move it there, I started it here because I wasnt sure how specific it would get in relation to LSW terms and concepts**

Edited September 11, 2017 by klineka

[iacas]

Google Earth is free and has a few measuring tools.

I think it's valuable to do it before rounds but I don't plan every shot. I measure things that may look unusual like an excessively narrow gap, the carry over a pond or the distance from a bunker to the front edge of a green, stuff like that.

In other words stuff tough to measure on the ground.

[DeadMan]

The browser version of google maps has a measuring tool has a measuring tool as well.

I don't really measure out an entire round like this, though. I have done it for two courses: my home course, and a course I played on without seeing before for a state mid-am qualifier. For my home course, I just wanted to be precise about how wide fairways are, and what hazards could be in play. I also measured the width of greens, so I know how much margin for error I had. For that other course, I hadn't seen it before, so I wanted the width of fairways and a gauge for where I could safely avoid hazards. That worked really well, although I didn't end up qualifying because of my putting and one bad swing. I felt a lot more confident and had a better idea of what I was looking at.

For everything else, I think I get enough information with my GPS. It doesn't have width of fairways or greens, but it has distances to hazards/bunkers/etc. That's good enough for most of my rounds.

Edited September 11, 2017 by DeadMan

[klineka]

I didnt realize google maps had distance measurement! thanks. I thought there was a thread for "how would you play this hole" but I cant find it after a good amount of searching.

This hole is at a course I am playing on Friday, which I have played multiple times before. Par 5, 515-535 yds depending on which tees I play from, it is 235 yards to the end of the first fairway, then a pretty significant hill that goes down at least 15-20 feet to the second fairway, which starts at 285 yards from the tee box. The rough at this course is not terribly thick. I have been down the side of the hill where the small red circle is before, its not a terrible spot to be, but still have a slight sidehill lie over there. The first part of the hill above the cart path is pretty steep, but the area below the cart path isnt too steep and more manageable. Still will have a downhill lie but not nearly as severe as above the car path.

A well struck 3 wood for me can easily reach out past 235 and put me on the hill (the red dot was a 3 wood), and my new driver has been around 250 carry based on my driver fitting/range sessions so far, rolling to 270ish with the furthest after 1 full round being 295 according to gamegolf. I have not played this course with my new driver yet.

With the thought of advancing the ball as far as I can, do I really hit a hybrid off the tee here to make sure I stay on that upper fairway, leaving myself 280-290 left for my 2nd shot, or is the better play for me to hit driver over the hill and take the good ones that reach the fairway (leaving myself like 220 yds left at the most) and deal with the ones that dont quite make it to the fairway? (most likely a hybrid) Here is the pic for reference.

 

[billchao]

I'll use Google Earth to take a look at some things and also scout out how other people play a course ahead of time, but that's it. There's no point in planning out a whole round because I'm not likely to execute the plan properly anyway.

Plus, maybe I'll plan layups on certain holes but I'm striping my driver that day, I'll hit the driver because my shot zone is smaller for that round. That's kind of the essence of GamePlanning.

24 minutes ago, klineka said:

I thought there was a thread for "how would you play this hole" but I cant find it after a good amount of searching.

You can just start one and I'll move my response later. The title format is something like, "How Would You Play This? X hole at Y course". There's a bunch of them around.

BTW I'd hit driver. If the rough isn't penal and you can get additional yardage from bouncing off a hill, I don't see a reason not to hit it longer. Your bad shots probably don't end up much worse than your miss with the 3W anyway and your good shots put you past the first set of trees.

Maybe I'll miss it right and end up by the cartpath with a look at the green, assuming its not fescue or anything to the right of the path.

[DeadMan]

@klineka - that hole should be driver all day, unless there is a hazard somewhere in the landing zone that isn't obvious from that picture. To me, there's no difference being in the rough or the first fairway, because you're likely laying up either way and making par. If you can get into the second fairway, then you can go for the green in 2 and have a good shot at a birdie.

[klineka]

Thanks for the feedback so far guys. I reposted this in the instructions and playing tips general forum so feel free to delete that post with the image in this thread if you want.