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Course Management

Posted by: user20126 [FORUM MODERATOR] | Mon 18th Jul 2011 11:18 | Last Reply

A couple of incidents have happened to me over the last couple of weeks that have shown me how important good course management is.

INCIDENT ONE

The first one happened during a round of golf on the Abbotts course at Stapleford Abbotts GC.

I was playing well, keeping the ball in play and putting well.

I arrived at the ninth tee, a steady, straight par four hole (314 yards, SI 13). With my handicap I don't get a shot on this hole, so I'm always looking to walk away with a par!

I'm one over par for the course as I stand on the ninth tee. There is a good wind blowing from behind me straight up the fairway.

At the 130 yard distance from the green are two large trees, one either side of the fairway. A new bunker has been added to the right of the fairway, just at the right distance to catch a steady drive!

For the last six or seven rounds I've been hitting an iron from the tee, aiming to leave my ball between the two trees, with no chance of reaching the bunker.

I don't know why but I pulled out my driver! Took my shot and hit a slight push. I knew that using my driver and the wind my ball would clear the bunker on the right. It did, and we all saw it bounce beyond the bunker.

I walked up to where my ball should have been and we couldn't find it. Must have bounced and run into the long stuff. So off I went back to the tee with my three iron and hit my second ball down the left of the fairway, a gap wedge onto the green, and ended up three putting!!!

So, from being one over par on the tee, I walked to the tenth tee being four over par.

Why, oh why did I pull my driver out of the bag? With the wind blowing up the fairway all I needed to do was take an iron, put it on the fairway, hit the green and one or two putt. Lesson learnt!

 

INCIDENT TWO

I played in the GTour event last Saturday morning at Mannings Heath GC (Kingfisher course).

Teed off in light rain on the first hole. Hit a good drive up the right hand side of the fairway, the ball flight was a slight draw. Hit the bank on the fairway and run up past the marker post and settled on the fairway.

My ball was in standing water so I took a drop and then I looked at my next shot. If I remember it was about 130 yards, but with the wind.

I didn't want to be long, so I hit a pitching wedge, aiming to land the ball short and let it run up onto the green.I hit the ball a tiny bit fat but it went on it's way. Landed short of the green and ran down towards the flag. Stopping three feet from the hole and I duly sank the birdie putt.

Three strokes for four points, a very good start.

Walked to the second tee and it was my honour.

This hole is a short par 3 (140 yards, SI 17). I looked at my SkyCaddie and it told me 133 yards to the flag, which was on the left hand side of the green.

I couldn't feel much wind on the tee so I decided on a steady swing with an eight iron.

Made a good contact, again with a slight draw. Watched my ball fly towards the green, over the green and into the trees about half way up a mature tree. There must have been a good fifteen yards behind the green and this tree was tall.  I must have gone 155 yards with this eight iron!

Now I don't know what happened here, either the wind was much stronger above the trees than I thought, or I caught the ball really well!

Took a pitching wedge for my second ball off the tee and left it just short of the green. chipped on and putted in for a five, but no points!!!

The other three guys who were in my group all walked back to their bags to change clubs!

If I hadn't gone first on that hole I wouldn't have taken that club.

On the brighter side, I played a nice three iron tee shot on the seventeeth hole.

Put my ball right in the middle of the fairway, with bunkers just in front and to the side of me!

I'll certainly be thinking more about where, and how I will get my ball from the tee to a point on the fairway that is good for my next shot.

Russ


Last edit : Mon 18th Jul 2011 13:27
re: Course Management
user16163
Reply : Mon 18th Jul 2011 12:12

Just goes to show you how important course management is

someone who is good at course management will more than not beat a better player whos hasnt got much course management.

i used to be in the latter, a decent player without much course management, just as my nickname says "grip it and rip it" although now i have changed, started taking irons off the tee on some holes and just trying to plot my way around the courses i playknowing where to lay up on the short par 4's as i am pretty consistant from around the 130yrd mark

hopefully now i can get myself to a mid single figure and keep it there.

re: Course Management
user202037 [FORUM MODERATOR]
Reply : Mon 18th Jul 2011 19:23

A little knowledge helps too.

Down-wind, if you normally hit low drives, the wind can 'knock' the ball down and you actually lose flight length. 3wood down-wind can often be the 'best' choice.

TheLyth

re: Course Management
user99350
Reply : Tue 19th Jul 2011 13:11

Too true Lyth, let the wind do all the work. However, in no wind conditions I still can't work out how I'm hitting my 3 wood further than my driver though.

re: Course Management
user338942
Reply : Tue 19th Jul 2011 13:41

I've found using a GPS system helps no end with course management, especially when playing approach shots, simply down to knowing the yardage to the back of the green. So many courses will have greens 30/40 yards deep, but all yardage markers on course are either to the front or centre of the green. Although it sometimes raises eyebrows taking 5-iron from a 150y disc on the fairway, the knowledge the back of the green is 175/180y is priceless.

re: Course Management
user202037 [FORUM MODERATOR]
Reply : Tue 19th Jul 2011 14:39

Patrick,

Its 'launch angle'. I have two Drivers of the same make, one with 8.5* loft and one with 10.5* loft. In normal conditions I will hit the 10.5 further than the 8.5 because I can 'launch' the ball at a better angle. It's down to 'Club Fitting' again and getting the right loft for you can add yards to your drives.

Also in many cases it is a simple fact that a player can hit a 3wood better than a Driver so gets more distance.

TheLyth

re: Course Management
user20126 [FORUM MODERATOR]
Reply : Tue 19th Jul 2011 17:19

Two things to mention here.

With 'Incident Two' I took the yardage to the flag from my SkyCaddie SG5.  So I had an accurate yardage and I knew what club I hit for that distance.

In this case, 133 yards is an eight iron.  With the breeze from behind I decided to hit a steady, smooth eight iron instead of trying to hit a good nine iron.

As I said in my original post, either the wind was stronger than I thought up above the trees or I caught the ball flush out of the middle of the clubface.  Another factor here I forgot to mention. All summer I have been using Pro V1 golf balls.  For this round and the one before I went back to using the Srixon Soft Feel.  What I had noticed with the soft feel golf balls was that for my pitch shot (90 yards and in) the ball did travel that little bit further than the Pro V1s had.

I played the Abbotts course again yesterday.  Arrived at the ninth tee with the weather conditions virually the same as with 'Incident One'.

This time I did take an iron from the tee, a four iron.  I hit the ball well with a slight push, it ended up in the shadow from one of the big trees, left me an eight iron to the green.  Landed the ball pin high, but about five feet right of the green (flag was on the right of the green).  An average chip from an uphill lie left me with a ten foot putt for par.  Missed the putt and ended up with a bogey!

This score is two shots better than in 'Incident One', so I would have taken it on that day!

Russ

re: Course Management
user410507
Reply : Wed 27th Jul 2011 15:20

You shouldn't have to rely on a GPS, most courses provide yardages to either the front or centre of the green and on most yardage charts these days they always have the depth of the green noted.

Only thing some courses do not do is give you pin position for the day, it is so simple to just have a marker on the pin noting front, middle or back position.


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