Golf Philosophy… Which One for You?

[Utopia17]

Philosophy One..Your aim is to hit fairways to allow best chance of greens in regulation, and in so doing, score as low a gross score as possible.

And you try to use similar clubs to  greens as Pros would do, because you play from tees that make this possible.

Hopefully you shoot more pars than double bogeys.

This tests your skill.

Philosophy Two...You do not play from tees that allow shots to the greens with similar irons as Pros might use.

You are happy to play woods,hybrids or long irons to many par fours and par 3's.

Your preference is to allow the handicap system to compensate for your shorter driving distance, knowing you are unable to reach most greens in regulation.

You often score more double bogeys than pars.

You prefer  tees that most members use.

 

[Vinsk]

31 minutes ago, Utopia17 said:

 

Philosophy One..Your aim is to hit fairways to allow best chance of greens in regulation, and in so doing, score as low a gross score as possible.

 

Hitting the fairway isn’t always my goal. If the risks are minimal (doable rough, no water or jail trees...) My goal is to hit it as far as possible off the tee. I play the tees for which I’m capable of handling at my best. 

[Piz]

Philosophy Three:  You don't care where anyone else plays from or what clubs they hit.  You face each shot with every intention of playing it exactly as you imagine.  And you maintain that attitude no matter what happens.  Happy Holidays everybody...keep hitting the ball.

[NM Golf]

First off, hitting fairways is way overrated. I would rather hit a wedge from the rough that a 7 iron out of the fairway. To answer you question. I hit the ball far enough to play any tee box, I tend to play the tee box that the rest of the guys in my group feel comfortable playing.

[RussUK]

Philosophy 2 for me. I know my limits but still have lots of fun.

[David in FL]

Neither.

I play tees a bit longer and hit a lot of long irons or hybrids into greens, but I have more pars than bogies and though they happen, I’m upset by any double.

[DaveP043]

I don't use any specific philosophy, but I'm closer to #1.  With my group of friends, we play a set of tees that are comfortable for all of us.  But I enjoy sometimes stepping back and challenging my ability to hit longer shots, or stepping forward and enjoying more short shots into greens.  Two specific things.  I'm always trying to hit my first shot as close as possible to the green, and trying to hit it in the fairway.  Closer is the more important consideration, but I prefer fairway to rough.  And no matter what tees I play, golf tests my skill.

[Lihu]

11 hours ago, Utopia17 said:

Philosophy One..Your aim is to hit fairways to allow best chance of greens in regulation, and in so doing, score as low a gross score as possible.

And you try to use similar clubs to  greens as Pros would do, because you play from tees that make this possible.

Hopefully you shoot more pars than double bogeys.

This tests your skill.

Philosophy Two...You do not play from tees that allow shots to the greens with similar irons as Pros might use.

You are happy to play woods,hybrids or long irons to many par fours and par 3's.

Your preference is to allow the handicap system to compensate for your shorter driving distance, knowing you are unable to reach most greens in regulation.

You often score more double bogeys than pars.

You prefer  tees that most members use.

 

Good question.

If you revise 2 to equal pars and birdies to doubles or triples then that’s more or less me.

If you revise 1 to include first cut with some Lateral or out of play then that would also be me.

I prefer to play the tees that make sense for me. I drive about 250 (total) in the winter so I play from about 6000 yards or so. In the summer, I’ll play whatever my partners or PoP dictates. For instance if the pace is fast, I’ll play shorter tees just to keep pace up. If there are slow groups front and back then longer tees since there’s no point waiting at the next tee box with the next party every hole. Unfortunately, me and my partners regularly play 500 yard par 4s because we want to hit before the group behind us gets to our tee box...🤪

My preference is to use the shorter tees most members should use, and for others to use those tees as well to speed up play but that rarely happens.

[Patch]

No actual philosophy on my part. At least I don't think there is. Never really ever thought about it.

 That said, I am probably closer to the OP's #1 example. I don't take many double bogies. Mostly pars, and bogey 1s for me. 

Perhaps that's my philosophy. Pars, and +1s. I know, when I play, my target score is 80, and the rest is just having a good time chasing the ball around the course. 

 

[p1n9183]

My philosophy:
- Play the course always from the tips to test myself against the course hardest setup.
- Hit the ball as far as i could while i could keep it easy in play (90% success rate).
- Aim at the flag only from 50 yards and in.
- Aim at the middle of the green on short to mid approach shots
- Aim away from the pin on long approach shots in order to avoid short side myself too often.
- Look for a spot in the green to land my ball in the short game and after that choose the rigth club that gave me the roll I need after hitting that spot.
- Lag every putt outside 10 feet (focus on speed)
- Never be short inside 10 feet but never more than 2 feet past the hole.
- Don´t get too happy after a good shot or too angry after a bad one. Keep it steady like Dustin Jhonson.
- Have fun! at the end of the day it´s just a recreational sport.    
 

[mcanadiens]

For any sort of Association event, I'm required to play the white (Regular) tees at my home courses. Frankly, it's a bit longer than would really be ideal, but them's the rules. Between May and August, I'll generally play them in an effort to do as well as I can in our various events.

Both before the prime of the season and after, I'll slide up and play the golds (senior) tees. Really, those tees aren't that much of a bargain. One is 6100 yards from there and the other is damn near 6400. 

Still there's no sense torturing yourself without a reason.

 

 

[GolfLug]

It's not exactly a philosophy as most guys I play with drive 230 yards or less on an average and I play what the group plays. But I guess closer to philosophy one. That rarely puts me at tees over 6,300 yards. Still run into plenty 400+ yards par 4s and 170 yards par 3s that test my long irons.

It's nice to hit fairways but primarily I am happy to have a clear shot at the green from anywhere unless it's goarse type gnarly sticky/rough that you can't get a club through. I will also happily take a fairway bunker that's 25 yards closer.  

[Mr Puddle]

My philosophy is remembering I am not at work, I am getting fresh air and exercise, and I am socialising with friends.  To be honest, nothing else really matters that much !

[rehmwa]

• mix it up and try to get a varied experience and use all my clubs frequently
• visualize gorgeous shots and try to pull them off whenever I get in trouble - includes well executed 'taking my medicine' when I get a REAL trouble
• try as many Bloody Mary recipes as there are golf courses
• play different courses as much as possible rather than the same ones all the time
• drive the golf cart - cupholder needed for cocktails
• hunt for balls on slow or empty days
• learn new ways to cuss at myself
• avoid humans - observe the wildlife

(I like the play philosophy of maximizing my ability to get GIRs though - those seem to be the most satisfying)

 

[dbuck]

Neither fits me directly. I am not a pro, and could care less what they hit, though I enjoy watching them.

I am a 60 year old 13 handicap. I usually have more bogeys than anything else. I usually have a few pars, and birdie or two and a double or two on every round. I like to play from tees that are around 6000-6500 yards and par 72 with a mix of lengths for par 4's and 3's. This gives me a chance to hit most every club in my bag. I like to have at least one par 5 that gives me a chance to reach in two. Most often, I play from the regular mens tees, occasionally from the senior tees. If I played the senior tees on my most frequent courses, I would be hitting wedge on most par 4's.

On the course I play most often, clubs for the par 3's are usually include hybrid, 5 iron, 6 iron, 7 iron, 8 iron, or 9 iron, depending on where the tee and hole are set- and the setup usually includes hitting at least 4 of those clubs.

Generally, on every non par 3, I am trying to advance the ball toward the hole as far as possible on every shot, and hit or be near the fairway on every tee shot. Occasionally, strategy may dictate something else. For instance, there is a par 5 I play frequently, where I may hit 2 layups to allow for a level shot with a favorite club for my third. I would rather have a smooth 8 iron from a level lie, than a partial wedge from a hanging lie over water.

Edited January 7, 2019 by dbuck

[saevel25]

On ‎12‎/‎23‎/‎2018 at 11:02 PM, Utopia17 said:

Philosophy One..Your aim is to hit fairways to allow best chance of greens in regulation, and in so doing, score as low a gross score as possible.

This might not be the case.

I played a hole that is a dogleg right.

Option 1: Hit a hybrid over the corner bunker and be left with a 190 yard shot in.
Option 2: Take driver at the hole, and be left with a 140 yard shot in the rough.

I took option 2 all the time and had a much higher GIR%. Basically, I made par or better on the toughest hole more often than bogey.

Overall your two premises are bit of a mess.

I would say, I play the proper tees that allow me to be challenged and enjoy the game.

[rkim291968]

Oh, boy, my golf philosophy has gone some changes.

 

• Years 1 to 3 - this is my life.   I live to golf, and I play golf to live.
• Years 3 to 6 - this is a hard life.  @#$%@#$%, what the heck is going on?
• Years 7 to now - I give up.  I play golf to relax and kill time.  I won't let it stress me.
• Years 10 and beyond?   Who cares.

Edited January 9, 2019 by rkim291968

[Mr Puddle]

On 1/9/2019 at 7:48 AM, rkim291968 said:

Oh, boy, my golf philosophy has gone some changes.

 

• Years 1 to 3 - this is my life.   I live to golf, and I play golf to live.
• Years 3 to 6 - this is a hard life.  @#$%@#$%, what the heck is going on?
• Years 7 to now - I give up.  I play golf to relax and kill time.  I won't let it stress me.
• Years 10 and beyond?   Who cares.

Quite true. I am at the years 3-6 stage,  and have hit the inevitable wall. Fortunately I have the attitude to survive