A golfing experiment

Have just read Golf Is A Game of Confidence by Bob Rotella. Then decided that rather than just play my usual game round my home course (RAF Waddington) I would look closely at the card and plot my way round . I figured that with nil errors but no outrageous good fortune, I would aim to score 81. (par off the yellow tees being 65 ) The rough is unusually lush and high at present so keeping to fairways was going to be crucial. (we have no semi rough, its fairway then straight into the lush stuff). Of course my plan fell apart quite early on when I drove into trees on the first. I then proceeded to make errors and some good shots and single putts etc... The upshot was that I scored , yes you've guessed it. 81. An interesting round which did a lot to deepen my concentration and enjoyment. The question is how do I do it from here on? Anyone out there tried it?

Michael, I have thought of a simlar exercise of going out with only an eight iron as my longest club. I would probably get a lot of bogies and not a lot if any doubles. However there is little chance of birdies apart from on short par 3s. May be worth a go. Dave CAC handed Geordie.

Don't quite understand Michael. Do you mean like Dave implies that you only took a few clubs with you? With the drier weather of late, I noticed that at my club a driver off the tee is not always sensible as even decent shots were running out of fairway on some of the holes - either slight dog legs or the 4 holes were a brook runs through at about halfway to the hole.

I guess I could reach some par 5s with 3 7 irons but the trouble then is you need to make 3 good shots. Often even you skim a driver or fairway wood along the ground it might still go 200y which is clearly way more than I can hit a 7 iron.

A friend said he picked up a tip from a top amateur. When choosing a club for a shot work out what is the best and worst result you could have with it. Then decide if you still have the right club.

What I did Tim, was to look closely at the card and then decide beforehand how I would play eg. which par 4's could I reach in 2 and which needed 3 shots. Which par 3's could I hit and which would need a chip etc... In other words I played the round in my head before going out. I suppose this approach may be common for some players but I usually just go out and play it how I feel at the time. It was the result that tickled me the most as when my plan fell over, which it did on more than a few occasions I mamaged to come in bang on my prediction. The Rotella book was about 'staying in the moment' and playing one shot at a time. I thought my plan would let me do this. I think the disciplined approach suited me well and I shall certainly try it again. Cheers!

Michael, your approach seams to be at odds with Rotella's other book - Golf is not a game of perfect, how does he sqaure off the approach of planning out your round in advance, with his assertion that you have to accept the lack of perfection before you can be good at the game?

Greg, Rotella is just another author with his view of the game. Contradiction is bound to happen.

The main point that I took from the Rotella book was the idea of playing each shot (forgetting the last and not thinking of the next but one) at a time. i.e. staying in the present. I just thought that a pre-planned round might help do this. I don't think Rotella was advising me to do this, so there probably wasn't a conflict Greg. I enjoyed this approach though and as said may try it again on a different local course. Cheers fellas!