Course Strategy

I have heard of a couple of mental strategies lately to help keep focussed or score better:

1st - Play every hole on the course as a par 5 - the theory being 18 x 5 = 90 which would be nice - for me anyway...

2nd - Probably the one I prefer which is break each round into 6 mini rounds of 3 holes and set a target for the three holes. My target would be 15 shots per mini round = 90.. - don't worry if you fail on a mini round just stick to the game plan.

Anybody got any other strategies.....?

I do the first one and it seems to work a treat (unless i havent had much sleep the night before !!) but then i try to play the par threes as fours

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I like to really plan my way down each hole so for example i'm confident with my 8-iron from 140yds so if its a short par 4 i take enough club to get me around that distance and leave the driver inthe bag.

I get a little banter off my buddies for pulling a 4-5 or 6iron off the tee but it works for me rather than a dodgy 60-70pitch if I pull the big stick, also less risk involved

Mark Thats why your a single figure handicap and im not !!  i seem to do well on a few holes but then lose concentration and start to forget the common sense approach......the driver just calls out to me and says go on i dare ya !!  lol

If there is a sniff of danger with the driver I will take an iron or 5 wood off the tee..

At my course there is a hole with a narrowing fairway trees on the right and a quarry on the left. I am left handed and can almost talk the ball into the quarry so I use the 5 wood then hit a 7 wood chip on the green and two putt...

How easy does that sound... role on sunday - just hope I don't get another 8.

Its aint always easy when you have 3 partners blasting drivers off the tee but I just switch off and let them take the mickey. It normally ends up with one in the bunker, one in the rough and the other blocked out by trees and me sat 70 yard back with a nice 8-9iron.

Ive also started doing it on long par 5's that I carnt reach, hit a 3 or 5 wood off the tee and with my second shot lay it up to around 140yards

Im gonna try this this weekend and see what happens ! im regularly now shoting less than 90, only shot over 90 once this year with a terrible 97 because i slipped back into that mode where i think i can make impossible shots.  hopefully i can then start to break 85 on a regular basis...........

thanks wayne,

well i'd love to get my handicap down as far as poss, i ended last year on 22 and now this year i think im doing quite well, i think realistically im capable of getting down to 15 (dont know if you remember my post on here about getting down to 10 - but i think i finally realise its a bit far fetched).

Now just once if i can i really would like to break 80 i really dont care if i shoot 100+ for 5 rounds after that but its still the one thing id like - heck i'd frame that card!!  Just cant seem to picture the fact that in order me to do that i have to be about 4 over on both the front and back 9 (asking a bit too much, its dam hard that)

what about you wayne?? rest of you all as well forecasts and dreams for the end of the year ???

to play golf    lol

Ive always had the ambition to get to single figures. Just dont get to play enough golf. Yet to break 80 as well. Been close a few times.

Always up early.

MY first post here but the last 2 months I've been playing matchplay competitions & what I've noticed is that I hardly 3 putted because my mind set was "got to get it to the hole to put pressure on my oponent". This was confirmed when I played in my monthly medal & had 3 3putts on the first 9 holes so I put on my 'match play head' & only used the putter 14 times on the back 9.

Try it & see if it makes any difference. 

I bought a measuring wheel from ebay (about £4) & took that & my irons to a long stretch of fairway & hit 10 balls with each club & measured them all & worked out the average. I was surprised at how much shorter I was hitting my clubs than to what I thought I could hit them, especially my sand iron I thought I could hit it 100yds but in reality I could only muster 70yds.

With all this info I can now confidently pace out the yardage on the course & choose the right club rather than thinking 'it's a 7 iron'. My friends all took the mickey when I first started doing this but it soon stopped when I was hitting green after green, the mickey taking soon turned into "what club did you use there??'

I might need to redo this now the drier weather is here as I did it about Jan-Feb & the balls had no run on them at all.

Try it & see.

ok guys seems like we all have deviced some sort of strategy - for those that play the weekend post your scores and lets see if it works..........

im already getting cussed out for saying gonna play safe - been told i might as well play of the reds !!  lol

Count me in - my strategy is going to be breath in on back swing and play each hole as a par 5 = 90....Watch this space, or should we start a new thread..??

Dustbins are a bit clumbsy Matt and not really suited for on the green - prefer a putter myself...

cheers wayne !!lol but in saying that im quite confident that i can probably do well - im gonna also try and do the play every hole as a per 5 as well..........in the hope that i manage a few pars along the way.............

guys i'll start a new thread called "scores after strategic play" hope thats ok with you all

I play in morning and will check out the new thread Alps......

Anybody else up for it..?

Played this morning & my strategy was not to check my score, keep calm, & apply my 'match play' thoughts when it came to putting. I can reveal that I played 6 shots better than my handicap to score a gross 71 & came in with 42 points!!!!

My handicap has been cut 1.2 shots but I don't care I had a faultless games today where everything went right. I hope there's more to come!!! 

I feel that i'm playing better but my scores ar'nt coming down,i'm not a big hitter, just about make 200 yds with the driver,but my real problem is our par 3  13th only 179 yds but its over water. Its got me psyched out, almost always put my first drive in the lake my next from where the ball crossed the water line usually follows then when i do get over i find the bunker! 2 shot to get out then 3 putt!  all those penalties, and i even know what i'm doing wrong. so anxiuos to see if i'm getting over the water i always lift my head, its driving me nuts. Any suggestions

Can'nt take the next club up wayne, i,m trying so hard i'm already taking driver. I think i might just leave it for awhile and take wedge upto the water then wedge over onto the green and 2 put for a bogie. once i've got the water out of my mind then i,ll go back to the driver again. by the way my playing partner gets over ith a 6 iron (show off)

lots of players have trouble hitting driver off tee, but i'm the opposite and can't use any other club but driver from tee,although as i said i'm not a big hitter and struggle to make 200 yds on a good day.  Now your going to tell me to get to the driving range and practice with the other clubs.

Brian,

I was a member at a course where the 1st hole was a par 4 & you had to clear a pond 170 yds from the tee, I know a few 'senior' members who used to take a wedge from the tee to lay up short & thsn play across the pond for there second, chip on with there 3rd, 2 putt & walk off with a 5!!

I suggest trying the way you mentioned & see if that takes any pressure of you.