How Is Your Golf Game Course Management?
- Date: 2007-04-27 - Word Count: 842
Share This!
Golf course management for your golf game? What the heck is that, you are asking? Well, it could be the difference between cutting strokes off your golf round or continuing to shoot the score you always shoot. It could be the difference between consistency and playing army golf - left, right, left, right.
Golf course management is playing a golf course and managing that play so that you have the best opportunity to score well. Golf course management provides a consistent way to attack a golf course given your golf playing strengths and weaknesses. Most amateur golfers want to pull out the driver on every hole and hit it as hard as they can. This might be impressive and showy, but probably gets them into more trouble than anything. Following a different style will help keep them out of trouble and lower their golf scores on the very first round.
Before you can utilize golf course management to your best advantage, there has to be some truthful self-assessment of your golf game. This truthful self-assessment can be from your history on the golf course or taken from shots on the driving range. You will need to know how far you can hit each of your clubs. You will also need to know which shot is your "money" shot. This shot determines how far out you are most comfortable hitting into the green with the most confidence. For most amateurs, this is around 100 yards out and a short iron.
This also requires that you do a little home work on the golf course that you will be playing. Some questions you will need to be able to answer for each hole are:
- How far to trouble on each hole. Trouble may be a bunker, deep rough, dog leg right or left, trees, etc.
- What the yardage markers are and where they are located on each hole. Some courses use markers on sprinkler heads, others use markers on the cart path, and others use bushes or trees at strategic locations. This is sometimes noted on the score card for the golf course.
- Hole locations on the green and how they are designated. Some courses use different colors to indicate the general location of the pin and hole. For instance, red is the front area of the green, yellow is the middle area of the green, and blue is the back area of the green.
- Wind direction and velocity.
- Any other factors on the golf course that will have an effect on your swing or golf ball flight.
As you can see, this will require more than a little work on your part and you will also need to keep your focus during your golf round. It would be best to have a little notebook that will fit in your back pocket to keep notes about your golf game.
You have warmed up on the practice range and putting green. You have assessed the conditions for the day and the golf course. You are finally ready to attack the golf course with your new found course management style.
At the tee box on any hole, you will need to assess the yardage to trouble. To manage that trouble, the best thing to do is take a golf club that will avoid the trouble. This can be done in many ways. Some are to drive short of the trouble or past the trouble. Remember that a golf driver will slice easier than any other golf club. If there is trouble on your slice side, take a different club to take that trouble out of play.
If it is a dog leg left, and the dog leg corner is 180 to 200 yards out, there is no need to take a driver and try to land it in a small area. It would be better course management to take a shorter wood or an iron that you know will go 180 to 200 yards and aim for the corner.
On long holes where you have a choice of taking a risk of hitting a long iron, fairway wood, or some hybrid club to maybe reach the green, why not lay up to a manageable distance. That distance should allow you to use a golf club that you have very high confidence you can get the golf ball very close to the pin. This may be a pitching wedge from 100 yards or an 8 iron from 150 yards. You should know this from your practicing and experience from previous rounds and on the range.
If you try to take a risky shot that will probably miss the green and put you in trouble, you risk taking a bogey or worse on the hole. If you manage the hole, your worst score should be a bogey and the best is par or better!
If you have watched Tiger Woods in recent tournaments, you will have noticed that this is how he manages his golf game. If it is good enough for the best golf player in the world, don't you think it should be good enough for you?
Golf course management is playing a golf course and managing that play so that you have the best opportunity to score well. Golf course management provides a consistent way to attack a golf course given your golf playing strengths and weaknesses. Most amateur golfers want to pull out the driver on every hole and hit it as hard as they can. This might be impressive and showy, but probably gets them into more trouble than anything. Following a different style will help keep them out of trouble and lower their golf scores on the very first round.
Before you can utilize golf course management to your best advantage, there has to be some truthful self-assessment of your golf game. This truthful self-assessment can be from your history on the golf course or taken from shots on the driving range. You will need to know how far you can hit each of your clubs. You will also need to know which shot is your "money" shot. This shot determines how far out you are most comfortable hitting into the green with the most confidence. For most amateurs, this is around 100 yards out and a short iron.
This also requires that you do a little home work on the golf course that you will be playing. Some questions you will need to be able to answer for each hole are:
- How far to trouble on each hole. Trouble may be a bunker, deep rough, dog leg right or left, trees, etc.
- What the yardage markers are and where they are located on each hole. Some courses use markers on sprinkler heads, others use markers on the cart path, and others use bushes or trees at strategic locations. This is sometimes noted on the score card for the golf course.
- Hole locations on the green and how they are designated. Some courses use different colors to indicate the general location of the pin and hole. For instance, red is the front area of the green, yellow is the middle area of the green, and blue is the back area of the green.
- Wind direction and velocity.
- Any other factors on the golf course that will have an effect on your swing or golf ball flight.
As you can see, this will require more than a little work on your part and you will also need to keep your focus during your golf round. It would be best to have a little notebook that will fit in your back pocket to keep notes about your golf game.
You have warmed up on the practice range and putting green. You have assessed the conditions for the day and the golf course. You are finally ready to attack the golf course with your new found course management style.
At the tee box on any hole, you will need to assess the yardage to trouble. To manage that trouble, the best thing to do is take a golf club that will avoid the trouble. This can be done in many ways. Some are to drive short of the trouble or past the trouble. Remember that a golf driver will slice easier than any other golf club. If there is trouble on your slice side, take a different club to take that trouble out of play.
If it is a dog leg left, and the dog leg corner is 180 to 200 yards out, there is no need to take a driver and try to land it in a small area. It would be better course management to take a shorter wood or an iron that you know will go 180 to 200 yards and aim for the corner.
On long holes where you have a choice of taking a risk of hitting a long iron, fairway wood, or some hybrid club to maybe reach the green, why not lay up to a manageable distance. That distance should allow you to use a golf club that you have very high confidence you can get the golf ball very close to the pin. This may be a pitching wedge from 100 yards or an 8 iron from 150 yards. You should know this from your practicing and experience from previous rounds and on the range.
If you try to take a risky shot that will probably miss the green and put you in trouble, you risk taking a bogey or worse on the hole. If you manage the hole, your worst score should be a bogey and the best is par or better!
If you have watched Tiger Woods in recent tournaments, you will have noticed that this is how he manages his golf game. If it is good enough for the best golf player in the world, don't you think it should be good enough for you?
Related Tags: golf gifts, discount golf clubs, clone golf clubs, custom golf clubs, knockoff golf clubs, golf club sets, golf club drivers, golf club putters, golf hybrid clubs, discount golf accessories, titanium drivers, golf club irons, knockoff golf equipment
Kevin is the husband of Becky and the father of 2, Nicholas and Kirsten. He is an avid sports fan and over-all good guy. He has taken his love of sports and developed web sites that offer that love of sports to others.www.GolfClubsHome.comcollectiblesport.com/golfmemorabilia Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles
Recent articles in this category:
- Links Golf Courses Of Snowdonia
As the great Ian Woosnam himself once said of playing golf in North Wales: "If you are looking for c - Deciding If Take Golf Lessons
In case you are interested in improving your game or you're just considering beginning to play golf, - Medicus Dual Hinge Driver - Add Distance And Accuracy To Your Drives
The Medicus Dual Hinge Driver will help you to hit longer and straighter drives by giving you instan - Phil Mickelson Putting Style
So what is Phil Mickelson putting style? After all, he can string together a bunch of birdies in a r - 3 Slice Tips To Help You Fix A Slice In Your Swing
For many golfers having the ability to fix a slice is a genuine battle. If you are someone who faces - The Best Of Courses In Golf Are Respected Worldwide
Even the most innocent golfers will fancy playing on the best of golf courses they can meet the expe - 10 Minutes A Day To Building Confidence In Golf
Confidence in golf comes from both a conscious and an unconscious perspective. This article is focus - 10 Critical Areas In The Golf Mental Game
When it comes to golf, the mental game is highly recognized as being a big factor. We conducted a su - Why In Golf Hitting Fat Shots Has Both Mechanical And Mental Factors
When it comes to a lack of confidence in golf, hitting fat shots and hitting thin shots is often a r - Overcome Hitting Fat Golf Shots By Thinking Confidently
Hitting fat golf shots will erode one's confidence, depending upon the age of the golfer. That's cor
Most viewed articles in this category:
- The New Square Drivers - Is It Hip To Be Square?
You've probably heard about the new square drivers. As one golfer commented..."Looks like a tank on - Grooved Golf Swing Series: How To Use Your Elbow While Putting
Here is a tip that will allow you to control the putter head and send it along the right line every - Grooved Golf Swing Series: How To Be A Better Putter - Some Tips
First a look at the alignment of the putter blade as you place it behind the ball. If you have you - Understanding The Basic Rules Of Golf
There are many people who embark on playing golf but do not really try to understand the rules or th - How to Benefit From Golf Training Aids
A person who wants to go into a sporting hobby can choose something that will not only entertain him - Left Handed Golf - Do Left-Handers Play Golf Left-Handed
I am a natural left-hander and I write with my left and play one handed sports such as tennis, badmi - Golf - Equipment Required
How would you like to learn to play like Tiger Woods?Well, we can't promise you that, but we can giv - Golf Swing Instruction Will Improve Your Swing Technique And Distance
Do you see the need for instruction for your golf swing? Most amateur golfers have subpar swing mec - How To Use Golf Training Aids To Get Your Tempo In The Groove
Baaack and thru. Baaack and thru. Baaack and thru. Feel the rhythm, feel the tempo. Bring the club b - Become A Better Golfer By Improving Your Short Game With These Golfing Tips
If you've spent some time either playing or watching golf, then you'll know that around 70 percent o