Have you ever shown up to a new golf course, shoes on, bag in tow, excited to have a great round, only to end up more familiar with the sand trap than the cup? Having a great round on one course does not guarantee you’ll walk away with a low score on another. Turns out, our teachers were right. If you want to do good on your test, you must study. Think of the golf course as the test and having a golf strategy plan for better course management as studying.
This is a difficult pill to swallow, trust me I know! Look on the bright side though. No other test is as fun as hitting the links. It’s the best test you can ever take. So let’s dive in and break this down into chewable chunks.
5 Things to Know to Develop a Golf Strategy
Yourself
Knowing yourself is vital to a successful round of golf. Do not be distracted by your golf buddies and what works for them. You do you!
Your Weakness
Knowing what you are not good at is just as important as knowing what you are good at. If long iron play is a weakness, staying away from those is a good strategy. If you have never successfully hit a “flop shot” then don’t attempt to do one just because you watch a video from Phil Mickelson. Dude is literally a magician.
Your Strengths
Use these to your advantage. If your 3 wood is your best club in your bag then use it on the tee box. Don’t worry about everyone else using a driver. Let them fail the test. If you are green side and have two options: chip the ball on or bump and run, choose what type of shot you are strongest with.
Clubs
This is where I see the most issues with all golfers. Not only in beginners, but people who have been playing golf a long time. Picture this: you and three of your buddies are playing a par 3 that is 175 yards to the flag. You’re tempted to ask the famous questions: “Hey, what are y’all hitting?”
Please do not do this. Just because Kyle is using an 8 iron doesn’t mean you should. What if your 8 iron only goes 145 yards? Being 30 yards short will be embarrassing. Using a 6 iron instead of an 8 iron will not be. It doesn’t matter if you need a 6 iron instead of an 8 iron. What matters is getting on the green!
The Golf Course
Most golf courses can be previewed online. Whether it’s Google Earth, a course website, or even better, a GPS Golf App. There is no excuse for not knowing what you’re about to get yourself into. Even the scorecard has a course or hole-by-hole layout. Ignorance is not an excuse. Spy on the course you’re playing ahead of time. Get yourself educated.
Now that we know ourselves, our weaknesses, strengths, clubs, and the golf course we are playing, how do we put these tidbits of information into an actionable golf strategy plan for better course management? How do we take and pass the test?
We need a plan. You wouldn’t tell a builder to simply “build you a house, no need for a house plan. Just build a house.” Having a course management strategy plan prior to a round will help reduce rash decisions and lower your score.
3 Tips for Golf Course Strategy: Creating the Plan
1. Golf Course Knowledge
There are 7 basic things or items to learn prior to walking up to the first tee box.
1. Is the course a Par 70, 71, or 72?
2. How many par 3’s?
3. How many par 5’s?
4. What are the distances?
5. Can I attack any of the par 5’s to help lower my score?
6. Is the course littered with bunkers or is there more water than a waterpark?
7. Review the slope rating and course rating on the course scorecard.
Every course has these two indicators noted on its scorecards. The higher the numbers, the more difficult the course.
2. Club Distances
How far can you hit each club? This is where you need to be honest with yourself. Just because Rory McIlroy can hit a 9 iron 185 yards doesn’t mean you can. All golfers have different skill sets. You do not need to be able to hit each club the max distance. Working to achieve that will make you able to hit a ball far. And that’s it. It will not lower your score or make you an overall better golfer. Know what you can actually do so you can use that knowledge to benefit you and your round! This will take time at the range, but you should have at least a good understanding of your distances.
If you have 150 yards to the center of the green and you know your 8 iron can just barely get you there, then hit your 7 iron. There is no need to “man up” on a club. You have a dozen to choose from. Use them.
3. Don’t try a shot you have not practiced.
Oh for the love of everything good…don’t try to hit a low hook around a tree because you have a “window” if you have never hit or practiced this type of shot before.
Although these shots, among others, are useful, they are the exact opposite if you have never practiced them. Stick to the basics. Your basics. This is why I say “know yourself and your game.” Stay with what works for you. Yes, I understand hitting that one-in-a-lifetime shot might look cool, but in reality, it is not a smart strategy plan for good course management.
How to play Par 3’s
Par 3’s can fool you. They might seem easy, but they are statically the hardest to play. There is no room for error. No chance to make up for mis-hits. You have 3, and I mean only 3 shot to reach par.
So have a plan for all par 3’s. Know the distance. Know the hazards. Know where the pin is located. Have a worst-case scenario planned prior to making your shot. Meaning; have a way out. Do not shoot for the pin when it’s covered up by a bunker. The smarter play is to aim away from hazards, get on the green, two-putt, and run like hell to the next hole.
How to play Par 4’s
Every golf course has more par 4’s than par 3’s and par 5’s. So get really comfortable with par 4’s. They come at you in all different shapes and sizes. Some will entice you, while others will scare the daylights out of you.
Previewing the distances on each of these is only one necessary aspect. Please keep in mind that just because a par 4 is only 300 yards, doesn’t mean it’s easy, or that you should “grip and rip.”
Looking at the hazards (water, bunkers, tall grass, narrow fairways, big dogleg left or right) will be just as important.
I vividly remember playing in a golf scramble once, where hole 18 was set up for a possible shortcut. It was a large dogleg to the right with some mounds and trees in my way. The hole could not be seen, so I had to blindly guess where to aim. Though I played this course many times. That scramble was the only time I made it on the green in one. Every other time my ball was lost.
If an iron off a tee box is a smarter play, then do it. You do not get to let the big dawg eat on every par 4. Let your golf buddies do that while you get the lower score.
How to Play Par 5’s
Do you remember the Friends episode where Joey went to Vegas to star in a movie? Surely I’m not the only Friends geek here? Anyway, towards the end of the episode, when things haven’t worked out the way he wanted them to, he walks into the buffet and says “this is where I make all my money back!” As he proceeds to pile eggs on his plate a mile high.
This is how you should approach par 5’s. Be aggressive. Par 5’s are your chance to gain some strokes back, and the only time I’ll tell you to take some risks.
Plan your shots in your head prior to teeing off. Most par 5’s can leave you with a short iron or even and wedge into the green. This is a great way to be on the green in regulation and have a chance for a birdie.
Some par 5’s will even give you a chance to go for the green in two. If you choose to do this my only advice is to make sure you have a way out. Meaning if you don’t make it on in two, then your ball needs to be in a manageable position to chip onto the green. What you don’t want is to go for the green in two and have your ball end up in the water. Be smart and only take manageable risks when planning your course management strategy.
Final Thoughts on Course Management
Military leaders spend immeasurable hours planning out a mission. They have actions for all phases of the battle. They are well thought out and executed. This is how your course management strategy plan should be.
Well thought out and well-executed. Make a golf course strategy plan and stick to it. Even if you have a bad hole or two, don’t veer from the plan. The moment you bail on your planning is the moment you lose.
Do not worry about what others are doing. I promise they didn’t plan like you did. They walked up to the first tee box while tying their shoes and eating a sausage egg and cheese biscuit hoping to have a good round.
No need to hope my friend. You have a course management strategy plan and are ready for battle!
Let’s golf! And remember to have a Parvelous round!
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