Course Management

A whole round without losing a ball!!

Yes it can be done. Good course management can be the key.

All you need is to plan ahead, sharpen up your thinking, and curb your natural instinct to whack the ball as hard as you can!!

Do You Know How Far You Hit The Ball?

Okay, you don’t have to know to the nearest inch, but you should have a rough idea, how far your ball goes when you connect properly.

When you hit the ball wayward, you can pace out your shot to a marker on the course, or by finding the distance on a course planner.

Improve your course management skills by using all the means available to you.

Keep Your Eye On The Ball.

We all do it- turn away in disgust when we hit a bad shot. We see it done on tv by the pros, but they have plenty of spectators to find the ball.

So if you want to find your ball, stay watching the shot. Mark a position against a tree, bush or some distant object.

Take A Minute To Look Where All The Trouble Is!

Take time to look at where the trouble is on the hole you are playing. Do this whilst your playing partners are playing so you don’t delay play.

Course management, once learnt, will be done without you realising that you are doing it.

It’s easy to hit a careless shot and run up a bogey or double bogey just because you did not bother to observe the lay of the land and where potential problems lie.

Before you play every shot, pick out where you want your ball to go. Keep this thought and you will play a more positive shot to where you want the ball to go.

Pick Out Close Up Targets Along Your Target Line.

It’s not easy to line up with something 200 yards away, especially as you get older!

Poor lining up causes many lost balls So, instead make it a policy of standing behind the your ball and pick out a distant and near object on your target line, and use the close up point as your reference when you address the ball.

Don’t get so carried away with swing techniques that you forget your target!

Play Tight Or Very Difficult Par Fours, As Par Fives.

The chances are that your handicap will give you a shot on these holes.

So focus on your net par, and give yourself 3 shots to the green. You will be amazed at how often you will come away with an actual par.

Perhaps you should think of using 2 irons and a pitching wedge instead of trying to hammer a driver.

Don’t use 1have a go1 tactics unless you have plenty of room or you are just practising.

Use The Width Of The Tee.

Pick out which side of the fairway will cost you a lost ball, and which side will let you get away with a slightly wayward tee shot.

Then tee off from the side nearest to the trouble and play away from the trouble. That way you can hit a poor shot and still not be in the mire.

Don’t switch to auto pilot and march blindly up to the middle of the tee. The tee’s width is there to help you.

Learn To Hit The Ball Softer For More Control.

Grip down the shaft a little, take more club than normal ( don’t worry about what your partner is playing, it is about how many not what club you used!)

Widen your stance

Don’t however try to hit softer by swinging slower, but try to get more rythym into your swing, and swing through the ball.

There is no need to 'Crush' the driver !

How and Why to Loosen Driver Commitment in Your Golf Game

Golf is a multifaceted sport, in the sense that it’s difficult for a number of different reasons. It’s mentally and physically challenging to the point where a player simply can’t afford to falter in technique or mindset.

It’s that tough, and strokes are incredibly critical to protect.

One area that many golfers, including professionals, struggle is within the long game. The tee box and shots with low irons are difficult because players have to find a balance between power and accuracy. This is hard to do, and it often leads to frustration and continual bad habits on the course.

A specific way that golfers can increase their success on the Golf Course and drop strokes is to give up on the usual steadfast driver commitment. It’s not imperative that every golfer use their driver on every tee box.

Below are the reasons why, and an alternative way to approach each situation.

1. Power struggle

Most players immediately start drooling at the thought of “crushing it” off the tee box the moment they clutch a driver between their fingers. Sure, it’s fun to try and outdrive a friend once in a while, but if you’re really trying to drop strokes and polish your score card, this is a habit to quickly take note of. Power does not consistently equate to low scores for the average golfer. Even professionals feel the need to soften the urge. How to mitigate: The best way to deal with the constant urge to smash the golf ball is to take a deep breath and avoid trying to beat your playing partner in distance. It’s not worth it, and it’s much more rewarding to get a par or birdie than competing with your best friend off the tee.

2. Accuracy

Due to golfers feeling like they have to swing with all their might on the tee box, accuracy is a major concern. The most significant realization here is that any errant tee shot makes the following strokes that much more difficult. If you land in the rough every other hole, your second shots are consistently difficult. This is something to strongly consider if you’re looking to improve your game. Whether you’re slicing or hooking the ball, there’s a chance you would find a more straight arrow if you utilized an iron.

How to mitigate: If you’re struggling with the driver, consider hitting an iron on a shot or two per round where you would normally pull out a driver. Think about using a low iron or driving iron off the tee box on the first par five of every round you play. You’ll most likely find yourself in the fairway much more often.

3. Frustration

Drivers are difficult to hit. Even Tiger Woods struggles on a weekly basis with his driver. There’s a reason that golfers of all levels find themselves in the rough for the second and third shot. This commonality within the sport leads to frustration, and it’s important for you to harness any emotion and take a break from your driver if you need to.

Just like anything else in life, if you’re struggling with something, it can often help to simply switch things up. A fresh start can rejuvenate people in dire situations, and golf is similar in principle.

How to mitigate: If you’re struggling with your driver and can’t quite pinpoint where you’re going wrong, consider giving it a timeout. Let it hang out in your bag for a few holes rather than forcing the issue to the point of boiling frustration. Your struggles are often much more fundamental than you think, and sometimes a switch of clubs can do the trick and help you keep your cool.

The driver is the symbolic club in golf. It’s the only macho part about the sport and for some reason people hold on to the club with white knuckles. It’s alright to let go of it, especially if it will assist you on the scorecard.

Think about these things next time you’re struggling within your long game.

You will benefit in the long run.

NOTE

This article about 'Driver Commitment' was submitted by 'Scott McCormick' who writes about

San Diego Golf Courses for "Golf Now".

Keep Your Target Small.

Turn the shot around. Imagine you are trying to drive back to the tee from the middle of the fairway. You would have to have a much sharper focus.

Now do this for your next shot to the green, pick a precise landing area. By using better course management you will have picked out the spot where you want your ball to land, and hit towards that spot.

Stay Alert To Where You Have Lost Shots.

Good course management means staying alert to where you lost shots the last time you played your home course. This can lead to sharper thinking on how to deal with a particular hole.

If you have developed a slice and there is trouble down the right, put your driver away and use an iron you are comfortable with, and get the ball in play.

Learn the Rules.

You will be surprised how well you can score if you learn to play with the rules.

Sometimes the rules can give you a break. Think about where to drop instead of mentally thinking you have blown it.

Besides good course management there is a need to have a consistent and repeatable golf swing.

course management

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