Course Management = 10 strokes

[RoverRick]

I have played with a neighbor of mine for 15 years now. I will called him "Bam Bam" because of his early short game skills he had a few years ago. He is a big guy who leans the club way forward and smothers the ball. He hits a big hook that goes forever. If there is an airport or lake or plenty of room right of the fairway he could hit driver, but he would hit his 5 iron 220 yards. No idea how far he "could" hit the driver because one must be able to find the ball in order to measure the distance. Unfortunately, he would occasionally putt the ball 50 yards, thus "Bam Bam"

 

Often he would not even make it to the green and could be seen, well Shakespeare would call it a Soliloquy, except "Hark" was replaced with another four letter work ending with a k. He would often prowl the fence rows during these soliloquies.

 

Eventually, "Bam Bam" learned "touch" in the short game, and we changed his nickname. And finally he learned that if he took his time and made what he calls "half swings" he could control the ball. Bam Bam went from a 36 handicap to a 93-95 shooter. Because of his power he was a threat on any hole. He could birdie it just as likely as he would double bogey or worse.

 

I have played with him 6 times in the two weeks. He has shot 83-86 every round. WOW!

 

He was on my team Saturday and he and I had a 14 stroke lead through 15 holes when the other team conceded and tore up their card so we did not see how badly we beat them.

 

I asked him what had caused his sudden ability to drop 10 strokes per round. He said that "now his goal is to place every shot. It is no longer hitting the ball as far as he can."

 

I can tell you from looking at him that he has never had more fun playing golf. He is putting for par or bogey every hole the last few weeks and the occasional birdie. Instead of walking off and sulking because he is so upset with himself for knocking the ball off the planet,  he is now "high five-ing" and getting knuckles on almost every hole.

 

Will he break par with his messed up swing? Who knows, but he will soon shoot a round under 80.

 

This is similar to my philosophy of I just want to have a short putt for par. The purpose of the drive is put yourself in position to put the ball on the green on the nest shot. The purpose of the approach shot is to give yourself a birdie putt. And the purpose of the birdie putt is to leave yourself a tap in if it does not fall in the hole,  

 

TRY THIS.

[Kenny B]

I have played with a neighbor of mine for 15 years now. I will called him "Bam Bam" because of his early short game skills he had a few years ago. He is a big guy who leans the club way forward and smothers the ball. He hits a big hook that goes forever. If there is an airport or lake or plenty of room right of the fairway he could hit driver, but he would hit his 5 iron 220 yards. No idea how far he "could" hit the driver because one must be able to find the ball in order to measure the distance. Unfortunately, he would occasionally putt the ball 50 yards, thus "Bam Bam"

 

Often he would not even make it to the green and could be seen, well Shakespeare would call it a Soliloquy, except "Hark" was replaced with another four letter work ending with a k. He would often prowl the fence rows during these soliloquies.

 

Eventually, "Bam Bam" learned "touch" in the short game, and we changed his nickname. And finally he learned that if he took his time and made what he calls "half swings" he could control the ball. Bam Bam went from a 36 handicap to a 93-95 shooter. Because of his power he was a threat on any hole. He could birdie it just as likely as he would double bogey or worse.

 

I have played with him 6 times in the two weeks. He has shot 83-86 every round. WOW!

 

He was on my team Saturday and he and I had a 14 stroke lead through 15 holes when the other team conceded and tore up their card so we did not see how badly we beat them.

 

I asked him what had caused his sudden ability to drop 10 strokes per round. He said that "now his goal is to place every shot. It is no longer hitting the ball as far as he can."

 

I can tell you from looking at him that he has never had more fun playing golf. He is putting for par or bogey every hole the last few weeks and the occasional birdie. Instead of walking off and sulking because he is so upset with himself for knocking the ball off the planet,  he is now "high five-ing" and getting knuckles on almost every hole.

 

Will he break par with his messed up swing? Who knows, but he will soon shoot a round under 80.

 

This is similar to my philosophy of I just want to have a short putt for par. The purpose of the drive is put yourself in position to put the ball on the green on the nest shot. The purpose of the approach shot is to give yourself a birdie putt. And the purpose of the birdie putt is to leave yourself a tap in if it does not fall in the hole,  

 

TRY THIS.

 

Exactly!  I realized that a few years after I started playing golf.  Unfortunately, it took me a few more years to undo most bad habits that I acquired.  Your friend has a distance advantage, and sometimes I still try to "get it out there a little further" which usually causes problems.  But I still do it anyway!

[mr_divots]

Course management did more for my game than anything. I'm hitting it a little shorter each year with age, but I've learned to play the game more as it has happened. People used to say "watch this guy" at my home course. Long, but a crapshoot if it was going to be on the planet. Swinging within myself, what a concept!

[westy]

Yep it's true! Course management rules, mind you I don't have the option of hitting it miles.

 

But when I started trying to leave myself 100 yards into the green then things got good, instead of always having them smelly 40- 50 yard shots over bunkers or water.

[jbil8802]

One of my goals for this year is to improve my course management. I'm going to try to focus more on positioning myself at full swing distances with my wedges while I keep hammering away at the in-between shots and shorter 40-50 yard shots during practice.

[Kenny B]

Yep it's true! Course management rules, mind you I don't have the option of hitting it miles.

 

But when I started trying to leave myself 100 yards into the green then things got good, instead of always having them smelly 40- 50 yard shots over bunkers or water.

 

I don't have the option of hitting it miles either, but I have been hitting 20-50 yard shots for so long now that they don't bother me much anymore.  The SCOR wedges have helped with those too.  It certainly depends on the course and the grass, but I a better chance of getting closer to the pin from 40 than from 100 now.

[westy]

Think that's the important point kenny, know what your safe distance is and play to that.

[revkev]

The SCOR wedge test actually caused me to get more aggressive with my game - I realized how much better I was in the 120-80 range than outside of 120 so now I'm always looking to get into that 120-80 zone.

 

I have a friend who is a very good athlete but didn't start playing golf until later in life.  He has a terrible golf swing but a good short game and is a brilliant strategist - He's gone from a 26 two years ago to a 15 and he really carries that handicap well just by doing what he does and not getting caught up into doing too much.

[BIG STU]

Course Management a subject dear to my heart. back in my hey day I had none at all. I can remember my old man in his own sweet way telling me "you don't know where in the hell the ball is going at any time if you did not have a stellar wedge and putting game you could not break 100"  My late friend J A White once told me this (about 10 years ago) "Stu you hit the ball a long way you have an excellent wedge game and are a fantastic putter but just frankly your course management sucks period"  I had a friend of mine do that quote up on his computer nice and I framed it and it hangs in my shop now.

Well I am shorter now but straighter and had to revamp my game some and my course management has improved 100% Now I still putt pretty good but my wedge game I need to practice it because it is not as good as it used to be

[HighFade]

Course management has to be the single most underrated skill in golf. #2 is playing your natural shot shape.

 

Those two things can easily shave 10-15 strokes off a higher handicapper's score.

 

1. You don't have to hit driver on every tee.

2. You don't have to go for every par 5 in two. Or even in 3.

3. Playing away from trouble may sound fearful, but over time, it equates to lower scores. Cuz penalties suck!

[sp0rtsfan86]

I have played with a neighbor of mine for 15 years now. I will called him "Bam Bam" because of his early short game skills he had a few years ago. He is a big guy who leans the club way forward and smothers the ball. He hits a big hook that goes forever. If there is an airport or lake or plenty of room right of the fairway he could hit driver, but he would hit his 5 iron 220 yards. No idea how far he "could" hit the driver because one must be able to find the ball in order to measure the distance. Unfortunately, he would occasionally putt the ball 50 yards, thus "Bam Bam"

 

Often he would not even make it to the green and could be seen, well Shakespeare would call it a Soliloquy, except "Hark" was replaced with another four letter work ending with a k. He would often prowl the fence rows during these soliloquies.

 

Eventually, "Bam Bam" learned "touch" in the short game, and we changed his nickname. And finally he learned that if he took his time and made what he calls "half swings" he could control the ball. Bam Bam went from a 36 handicap to a 93-95 shooter. Because of his power he was a threat on any hole. He could birdie it just as likely as he would double bogey or worse.

 

I have played with him 6 times in the two weeks. He has shot 83-86 every round. WOW!

 

He was on my team Saturday and he and I had a 14 stroke lead through 15 holes when the other team conceded and tore up their card so we did not see how badly we beat them.

 

I asked him what had caused his sudden ability to drop 10 strokes per round. He said that "now his goal is to place every shot. It is no longer hitting the ball as far as he can."

 

I can tell you from looking at him that he has never had more fun playing golf. He is putting for par or bogey every hole the last few weeks and the occasional birdie. Instead of walking off and sulking because he is so upset with himself for knocking the ball off the planet,  he is now "high five-ing" and getting knuckles on almost every hole.

 

Will he break par with his messed up swing? Who knows, but he will soon shoot a round under 80.

 

This is similar to my philosophy of I just want to have a short putt for par. The purpose of the drive is put yourself in position to put the ball on the green on the nest shot. The purpose of the approach shot is to give yourself a birdie putt. And the purpose of the birdie putt is to leave yourself a tap in if it does not fall in the hole,  

 

TRY THIS.

I agree for some golfers course management is a huge step but what if you're already a decent manager?

For instance, I lay up on almost all par 5's instead of hitting 3 wood because the odds of me hitting a solid 3 wood are low, but the odds of me hitting a 7 iron to 100-130 are so much better.

At the end of the day though, you can manage your game all you want, but you still have to hit a good shot.

Sure I can say I played the hole right by avoiding the water hazard on the right, but still doesn't mean anything if my third shot ends up in a bunker because I pulled it 20 yards. As much as I'm knocking this, I know course management is what keeps me from putting up large numbers, instead of bogeys and pars.

[HighFade]

I'm with you, sports fan - you still have to put a good swing on the ball. But IMO, a not-perfect shot with a 3 wood is far more likely to penalize you than a not-perfact shot with a 7 iron. It's like poker, gotta play the odds....

[sp0rtsfan86]

I'm with you, sports fan - you still have to put a good swing on the ball. But IMO, a not-perfect shot with a 3 wood is far more likely to penalize you than a not-perfact shot with a 7 iron. It's like poker, gotta play the odds....

As someone who likes the idea of strokes gained, the hardest thing I had to think of was how much will a 3 wood get me closer, how often will i screw up and have not much of a better shot, and what odds do I have of hitting a 7 iron badly. 9/10 I go for the 7 or 5 and hit it soft and try to smooth swing it into the fairway.

[Kenny B]

As someone who likes the idea of strokes gained, the hardest thing I had to think of was how much will a 3 wood get me closer, how often will i screw up and have not much of a better shot, and what odds do I have of hitting a 7 iron badly. 9/10 I go for the 7 or 5 and hit it soft and try to smooth swing it into the fairway.

 

But if you hit the 3 wood flush and get to the green, you look and feel like a player.  I wouldn't know though.

[Severtheties]

I have played with a neighbor of mine for 15 years now. I will called him "Bam Bam" because of his early short game skills he had a few years ago. He is a big guy who leans the club way forward and smothers the ball. He hits a big hook that goes forever. If there is an airport or lake or plenty of room right of the fairway he could hit driver, but he would hit his 5 iron 220 yards. No idea how far he "could" hit the driver because one must be able to find the ball in order to measure the distance. Unfortunately, he would occasionally putt the ball 50 yards, thus "Bam Bam"

 

Often he would not even make it to the green and could be seen, well Shakespeare would call it a Soliloquy, except "Hark" was replaced with another four letter work ending with a k. He would often prowl the fence rows during these soliloquies.

 

Eventually, "Bam Bam" learned "touch" in the short game, and we changed his nickname. And finally he learned that if he took his time and made what he calls "half swings" he could control the ball. Bam Bam went from a 36 handicap to a 93-95 shooter. Because of his power he was a threat on any hole. He could birdie it just as likely as he would double bogey or worse.

 

I have played with him 6 times in the two weeks. He has shot 83-86 every round. WOW!

 

He was on my team Saturday and he and I had a 14 stroke lead through 15 holes when the other team conceded and tore up their card so we did not see how badly we beat them.

 

I asked him what had caused his sudden ability to drop 10 strokes per round. He said that "now his goal is to place every shot. It is no longer hitting the ball as far as he can."

 

I can tell you from looking at him that he has never had more fun playing golf. He is putting for par or bogey every hole the last few weeks and the occasional birdie. Instead of walking off and sulking because he is so upset with himself for knocking the ball off the planet,  he is now "high five-ing" and getting knuckles on almost every hole.

 

Will he break par with his messed up swing? Who knows, but he will soon shoot a round under 80.

 

This is similar to my philosophy of I just want to have a short putt for par. The purpose of the drive is put yourself in position to put the ball on the green on the nest shot. The purpose of the approach shot is to give yourself a birdie putt. And the purpose of the birdie putt is to leave yourself a tap in if it does not fall in the hole,  

 

TRY THIS.

 

I love this. I was a decent player in high school and college but then I didn't play for a few years as I started working. Once I got back out on the course I was playing with a lot of good players that could hit the ball a LONG WAY. Instead of trying to keep up score wise I would always try and keep up distance wise, especially off the tee box. This did nothing but usually cost me 2 strokes right off the bat.

 

It took me a couple of years to realize that how far I hit it didn't really matter as long as I was in play with a shot. I stopped trying to play for the birdies and starting playing for the pars. This made a huge difference. I can completely relate.

 

The only good thing that came from this is it forced me to work on my short game which has always been decent.

[markb]

Here's another example of what you're talking about.   I played the front nine at Bonneville on the weekend.   An old school, straight course with small domed oval greens.   No real trouble anywhere off the tee, so everyone grabs the big stick.  A lot of 4's in the 350 to 400 range.   I hit the drives well, so I found I had many approaches in the sub-100 yard range.   "Touch shots", not full shots.   And I miffed just about all of them and shot 39.  

 

Instead of going on to the back, I re-routed and played the front again and intentionally hit 3 woods or irons to lay up spots on all those open, short 4's.   This time I'm in the 100 - 140 zone -- and shot a 36 with no miffed touch shots.

[jbil8802]

This has been really helpful to me. Lots of good ideas. I haven't played in a few weeks due to weather but I'm even more anxious to get back out there after reading through this thread. I know that my course management isn't very good but it did improve a lot last year and I will improve it further this year. Things I'm still guilty of that you guys have made some good points about:

 

1. Taking too much club off the tee and ending up with short, uncomfortable approach shots that I might duff instead of playing a club off the tee that will get me to a comfortable distance.

 

2. Trying to reach par 5s in 2 with my 3 wood instead of laying up to a comfortable distance with an iron. This also sometimes results in overswinging with my driver off the tee because I'm already thinking about trying to get home in 2.

 

3. Playing for birdies instead of playing for pars. This one really clicked with me just now. I need to cut out the hero shots altogether. Trying to hit a 40 yard hook from the trees to give myself a chance at a birdie putt is ridiculous. I need to get the ball back in the fairway to a comfortable distance if possible and try to get up and down or take a bogey at worst. This also comes into play with approach shots and going at pins that I have no business going at and leaving myself shortsided or with an extremely difficult chip.

 

4. I need to focus more on shot placement and pick smaller targets. Intermediate targets really help me get aligned properly. I get better results when I do these things things but I just don't do them all the time for some reason.

 

I need to look at the bigger picture rather than thinking I can pull off every shot I imagine. I'm getting there, but I have a long way to go. Really looking forward to the spring.

[Kenny B]

If you can do this, you can eliminate most doubles and triples. Everyone makes bogeys, but throw in a bunch of pars and the occasional birdie and, Poof! Single digit HCP!

[RoverRick]

An example of Bam Bam's course management these last few weeks. Par 5 uphill. He drove the tee shot into the first left fairway bunkers, 250 yards to go. Not unusual for him to do at all. Typically, he will take a 3 iron and try to reach the green, however, it will hit the lip of the bunker and land in the next bunker and still have 220. From this point it is easy to grab a club and hit straight at the green, but hit it fat and it will end up in the next bunker. Now you have left yourself a 50 yard up and down from a bunker. And of course there are bunkers short, left and right.

 

Now this is up hill but it is less than 500 yard par 5 that is an easy birdie hole. (Provided you carry the 180-200 yards over the lake tee shot) or (Provided you avoid any of the 5 bunkers on the left and the hills on the right.)

 

But Bam Bam went into the first bunker and instead of the nightmarish 4 bunker shot bogey or worse I have seen him make hundreds of times, he took a wedge and aimed to the fairway (not the green that would have brought in other bunkers into play). He then hit the next shot on the green and got it close and made about a 10-12 foot birdie putt.  Quite impressive and smart golf.

[Kenny B]

I have a friend who would still go for the green and has gone from bunker to bunker to bunker.  Did I mention he has a PhD?  

[MattF]

I have a friend who would still go for the green and has gone from bunker to bunker to bunker.  Did I mention he has a PhD?  

 

Just goes to show that being book educated doesn't make you smart!