General Information

Course Management

 Course management for an 18+ handicap is essentially a lesson in the basics.  Better players will find this information slightly conservative, but nonetheless, meaningful.  Remember these rules, and make a better informed choice if you want to take risks.

Never follow a bad shot with a bad choice.

You are already in a tough position (behind a tree, in rough, too far back to even get to the green even if you were in the fairway) to have a reasonable percentage of making the shot you think you need to make to "save" the hole. You are always better off thinking of the bad position you are in as a chance to "recover" then to "be a hero". We see them all the time on TV making spectacular shots from impossible places. It sits in our heads that that is what we are supposed to do. Resist the temptation, play a 7i out of the rough (when the ball is covered in grass) to the middle of non-trouble. You will be increasing you odds of having a good next shot, then the 5w you want to play to the middle of the green that has only 10% chance of getting there and a 60% of being in another bad position. You know you "should" play smart, but will always be tempted to try the hard play because it is fun and if it is worth the risk (1$ for that hole) then go ahead, otherwise its only 1 stroke that you are forfeiting 100% of the time vs. 2+ strokes 60% of the time. Over 18 holes, the 7i wins.

Know your distances for all clubs swinging @ 80%.

Swing a little less then you full potential for the majority of your shots. You swing smoother, and in better control. If you go 100+% at the ball, you will always error in some way or another. Who cares if you have a 6i @ 80% or 7i @ 100% into a green. The length is not worth the chance of not being in the fairway. The other factor is that if you get comfortable with the distances of 80% swings, you will find that you now have a little room to hit the ball a little farther or higher when you need it and are willing to take a little chance. No one cares which club you hit to get the green except your putter.

Aim for the center of all fairways or greens.

If you hit the flag as it is tucked behind the bunker or in the back left corner on the 3rd tier, then you had better have made a mistake. Stick an imaginary flag in you head that is in the center of every green and you will save yourself some valuable %'s.

If you can't get to the green with your 3W, don't hit the 3W.

Figure out which club would put you 100 yards in by subtracting your distance from 100. Say you were 265 from then hole. Hit it 165. You now have a PW/SW that will be able to have spin on it and hit with normal power. When you get inside your PW/SW range, you now have to start to take a little off it. How much? Don't know...guess. What will it do after it hits the ground? Don't know...guess. If you were a full club away, you have a better idea as to the answer to both of these questions.