Me in Matchplay

Wichita Lineman

I dont play matchplay very often but I do enjoy it. I'm playing in the first round of our Club Matchplay competition tomorrow. I'm off 15 and as far as I know my opponent is off 7.

Like a lot of you on here I keep records of all my rounds so I was just browsing back over my Club Matchplay performances since I first entered it in 2007.

2007 - Rd 1, Won on 18th v 10hc, Rd2 lost 2&1 v 13hc.

2008 - Rd1, Lost 4&3 v 11hc.

2009 - Rd1, Won 3&2 v 9hc (same guy who beat me in 2008). Rd 2, Won 3&2 v 15hc, Rd 3 lost 5 & 4 v 9hc.

2010 - Lost on 2nd play off hole. Didnt note his hc.

2011 - Lost 6&5 v 17hc (didnt play like one!!) I had a birdie and 4 pars for 33 stableford pts but still got walloped.

2012 - Lost on 18th v 7hc.


Here's hoping I can do a bit better starting tomorrow.

charlieIRL

I have only played 2 matchplay games and loved every minute of both of them.

Best of luck Andy.

DuckSlice

I have never played matchplay, but I am entered into a team matchplay so hoping to do well in that l!!

levitronix

Matchplay is great leveller

Sunday playing grange castle in the mixed, my partner and I where 5 over par after 9 hours and 4 up playing the 9, got too comfy and played crap for 3 holes, then played great iron shots on last few hours, but putted rubbish to go down on the 17 and loose on the 18 , its such a different game.

alxmorgan

levitronix wrote: »

Matchplay is great leveller

Sunday playing grange castle in the mixed, my partner and I where 5 over par after 9 hours and 4 up playing the 9, got too comfy and played crap for 3 holes, then played great iron shots on last few hours, but putted rubbish to go down on the 17 and loose on the 18 , its such a different game.

Slow play is killing the game !!

Rikand

Your off 15, he's off 7, so you're getting 8 shots.

Your most important thoughts should be that off the tee, your key goal is to hit the fairway especially on holes where you are getting shots ( for par 3's, get it around the green area, safe side of the green, not in a bunker, etc.... )

You dont have to be long off the tee.

That's your opponents problem as he's given you so many shots. He's likely going to be trying to get well out passed you to try and make you force your shots. Don't!

For your approach shots to the green, hitting the green is not as important as once again being straight and out of trouble. Then get it onto a safe part of the green, giving you a chance of a par and definitely a 5. Make him work for wins and halves!


I have had 5 singles matches this year, 4 where I was giving 8 shots or more. My results in those matches were 2-2. And the two losses were down to my opponents doing exactly what I have described above. They didnt hit the ball terrible long, but they hit it dead straight, hit their 2nd shots up around the green area, hit their 3rds on or near the green and made par or bogey pretty much all the time.
The two matches I won, my opponents were trying to hit their tee shots up beside me, were forcing their shots and as a result were hitting it out of town or behind trees or whatever else

Keep it safe, keep it tight and unless he plays stellar golf, enjoy bringing him on the par 3 15th ( before you get to your current awkward hole )

scubapro

First matchplay singles myself shortly, if it is anything like the Boards Ryder cup last year I'll be bricking it, though we did win our match. Totally different type of feeling as opposed to playing club comps week in week out. Good bit of advice there Ricky, not taking the gungho approach and actually playing strategically.

Benicetomonty

It's a cliche but it's fascinating to me that you can play awful and win, or play great and lose. I won my club foursomes with my dad 2 years ago, and we played absolute rubbish in the finals, before just barely crawling over the line at the death.

Last year, I played a 6 handicapper in the club championship. I was -2 after 16, easily the best golf I'd played all year, and I was sent packing.

I love it though. I've taken a few scalps over the years, but also been the recipient of some upsets and big defeats, but I always look forward to matchplay events.

Senna

I'm playing in our clubs matchplay (singles and doubles) this year, first time ever playing matchplay and I just cant wait. Lately i've been out a few times with a mate playing match play against him to get used to it and its really true that the game can switch for/against you in a space of a few holes, so never give up. Even if you have to play your 3rd from the tee, don't give up on that hole, your opponent could 3 putt and bring you right back into it.

Wichita Lineman

I'll let ye know how it goes anyway. Thanks for the advice. Some of it might even sink in!

Wichita Lineman

Well I lost 2&1 yesterday but I didnt disgrace myself.

I actually took the lead on the 1st by playing a sensible 2nd shot just getting it on the green instead of attacking the flag after he had gone into the bunker. But from there on in he was on the green in regulation much more than I was and that I felt was the key difference between us. I was 2 down after 5 but pulled it back to level after 7. Went 2 down again after 10 but hung in there and had it back to 1 down playing 17. I even felt confident after hitting a good drive, unfortunately when we got to the ball I was under a tree with no room to swing and only got it out past it on the 2nd attempt and that ended my challenge for 2013.

Rikand

Andy Dunne11 wrote: »

Well I lost 2&1 yesterday but I didnt disgrace myself.

I actually took the lead on the 1st by playing a sensible 2nd shot just getting it on the green instead of attacking the flag after he had gone into the bunker. But from there on in he was on the green in regulation much more than I was and that I felt was the key difference between us. I was 2 down after 5 but pulled it back to level after 7. Went 2 down again after 10 but hung in there and had it back to 1 down playing 17. I even felt confident after hitting a good drive, unfortunately when we got to the ball I was under a tree with no room to swing and only got it out past it on the 2nd attempt and that ended my challenge for 2013.

Pity but good effort.

Uncle Ben

Whilst on the subject of matchplay, how did you play with regard to 'gimmees'.
I normally state at the start of a match that anything within a foot is sound for picking up as far as I'm concerned, however I have seen players make opponents putt from within that distance, and I've also seen players miss from that distance too.

Rikand

Uncle Ben wrote: »

Whilst on the subject of matchplay, how did you play with regard to 'gimmees'.
I normally state at the start of a match that anything within a foot is sound for picking up as far as I'm concerned, however I have seen players make opponents putt from within that distance, and I've also seen players miss from that distance too.

Never give anything for a win - especially if you are behind and its coming down the stretch

Wichita Lineman

Uncle Ben wrote: »

Whilst on the subject of matchplay, how did you play with regard to 'gimmees'.
I normally state at the start of a match that anything within a foot is sound for picking up as far as I'm concerned, however I have seen players make opponents putt from within that distance, and I've also seen players miss from that distance too.

It didn't really arise that there was one to win a hole from a foot or so and that made it easier in this particular game. If it was to win a hole and from more than a 2 foot or so I'd usually make them putt just in case. If it was for a half I'd be a tiny bit more generous. I usually find opponents do the same anyway. It's a round of golf not cage wars

TheDoc

I think someone mentioned above, but you are getting loads of shots, make them count.

Matchplay is an epic format. I played in our club one for nearly every year, granted I don't want to anymore, I was on the side of giving loads of shots. And the worst rattler ever is when the person with all the shots is playing steady golf. If I'm giving loads of shots, I'm always banking on that player hitting some horrendous shots, having some bad holes and making some bad decisions ( Sure why else would they be of that handicapp in the first place)

If you can try limit the bad shots and keep the ball in play, you'll have a great shout. Try to capitalise the holes you have shots on and make sure you don't take silly risks.

And enjoy it, its the best format by miles, also shows you how good at golf you really are!

Wichita Lineman

Yeah I agree it's a great format but it's hard to switch on to it when it's a format that I rarely play. I checked my card and on the 8 holes where I had shots I lost 4 of them, halved 1 and won 3. At the very least I should be aiming not to lose most of those even if they were halved it would have made a big difference. I am capable of doing that considering I did actually win 3 holes where I didnt have a shot at all.

I actually think playing safe didnt work in the sense that I went too cautious and left a lot of irons short. Like I said before I was delighted sensible play won me the first hole but the difference was I did execute the shots I had played for on that one. It didnt happen for me at other times though.

We live and learn.

TheDoc

Andy Dunne11 wrote: »

Yeah I agree it's a great format but it's hard to switch on to it when it's a format that I rarely play. I checked my card and on the 8 holes where I had shots I lost 4 of them, halved 1 and won 3. At the very least I should be aiming not to lose most of those even if they were halved it would have made a big difference. I am capable of doing that considering I did actually win 3 holes where I didnt have a shot at all.

I actually think playing safe didnt work in the sense that I went too cautious and left a lot of irons short. Like I said before I was delighted sensible play won me the first hole but the difference was I did execute the shots I had played for on that one. It didnt happen for me at other times though.

We live and learn.

Thing to remember is that even single figure handicappers will have bad holes and bad shots. If your playing steady enough and placing some pressure, you will force your opponent to chase a hole, or force a shot. And when the slip arrives, that's when you capitalise.

I'm the exact opposite, I turn into a completely different golfer playing matchplay. I'm convinced its something mental, where in matchplay I can put a bad shot or hole behind me and forget it, where in strokes or singles it continues to nag me.

In my Metro practice and the actual matches, I was only +5-6 over gross each time. Yet in Stableford I havn't broken 36 points since last year, and in strokes I haven't shot lower then 87 or something : /

Wftablueboy

I've read an interesting form of match play recently where the high man instead of reviving shots is actually giving the amount of holes as a lead ( ie receiving 7 shots , starts on the first hole 7 up ) but the match is then played off scratch and the low man has to chip away at the lead or the high man hold on to his nerve....

OilBeefHooked2

Wftablueboy wrote: »

I've read an interesting form of match play recently where the high man instead of reviving shots is actually giving the amount of holes as a lead ( ie receiving 7 shots , starts on the first hole 7 up ) but the match is then played off scratch and the low man has to chip away at the lead or the high man hold on to his nerve....

How does it work when the difference is more than 9 shots?.

Wichita Lineman

david-k wrote: »

How does it work when the difference is more than 9 shots?.

Ha ha good point. Maybe the high handicapper just claims the win and they dont bother hitting a ball at all :P

JCDUB

Andy Dunne11 wrote: »

on the 8 holes where I had shots I lost 4 of them, halved 1 and won 3.

This is what killed you to be honest. Losing 4 holes out of 8 where you have shots is not good enough, at all. All you have to do is knock it down the middle on these holes and all the pressure is on the low man. You should have won at the very least 4 of them and halved 3, allowing for one mistake.

david-k wrote: »

How does it work when the difference is more than 9 shots?.

Why whould that make any difference? A player can start anything up to 18 up if there are 18 holes to be played. E.g. if a player receives 12 shots, and starts 12 up, there are still 18 holes to be played, so plenty of scope for the low man to come back.

Ridiculous way to score for matchplay though, I dunno how this is even suggested, never mind agreed to by players. Giving somebody shots does not equate to losing holes, just look at Andy's post above for proof.

Russman

JCDUB wrote: »

All you have to do is knock it down the middle on these holes.

True, but much easier said than done. There's a reason the high man has all those shots.

Wftablueboy

david-k wrote: »

How does it work when the difference is more than 9 shots?.

Sorry didn't give the full information , it's actually high handicap minus low handicap and their given HALF the differience in holes up as a start. It suits the low man , the only real negative is if you get a scratch player against a 28 handicapper , the high man starts 14 up and if he wins the first 3 holes he wins 17 & 15 :-)

GreeBo

Russman wrote: »

True, but much easier said than done. There's a reason the high man has all those shots.

Its a lot easier to do if you play within yourself though.
Hitting an iron off the tee, laying up with another iron, wedge on, 2 putt bogey.
If the other guy manages to par it, you get a half.

Losing it should not be an option unless the other guy birdies or you have a complete disaster of a hole. Its hard to have a disaster when you play conservatively.

OP, what did you lose those holes to? Pars, bogeys, etc?

Rikand

Wftablueboy wrote: »

I've read an interesting form of match play recently where the high man instead of reviving shots is actually giving the amount of holes as a lead ( ie receiving 7 shots , starts on the first hole 7 up ) but the match is then played off scratch and the low man has to chip away at the lead or the high man hold on to his nerve....

I played a match this year where I was giving 17 shots.

I would have lost on the third

1st - halved in pars
2nd - I won with a par
3rd - halved in pars

Wichita Lineman

GreeBo wrote: »

Its a lot easier to do if you play within yourself though.
Hitting an iron off the tee, laying up with another iron, wedge on, 2 putt bogey.
If the other guy manages to par it, you get a half.

Losing it should not be an option unless the other guy birdies or you have a complete disaster of a hole. Its hard to have a disaster when you play conservatively.

OP, what did you lose those holes to? Pars, bogeys, etc?

3rd (index 7) lost to a par, 5th (index 1) lost to a bogey, 6th (index 3) won with a par, 7th (index 5) won with a par, 11th (index 4) won with a par, 12th (index 8) lost to a par, 15th (index 6) lost to a bogey, 17th (index 2) lost to a bogey.

On the 5th I had my worst drive of the day then my second went under a massive tree and I didnt play a good recovery shot from there. Then other than that I was only genuinely disappointed with the 17th, had a good drive resting up against a tree just barely off the fairway with no way to get a swing at it.

It's not as simple as knocking down the middle and hoping the other guy f***'s up as he was pretty much knocking it down the middle anyway :rolleyes:. Just because I had 8 shots doesnt mean I should have automatically won, at the end of the day he was a better golfer than me and our handicaps reflect that. I gave it a go, lost, and can move on.

GreeBo

Andy Dunne11 wrote: »

3rd (index 7) lost to a par, 5th (index 1) lost to a bogey, 6th (index 3) won with a par, 7th (index 5) won with a par, 11th (index 4) won with a par, 12th (index 8) lost to a par, 15th (index 6) lost to a bogey, 17th (index 2) lost to a bogey.

On the 5th I had my worst drive of the day then my second went under a massive tree and I didnt play a good recovery shot from there. Then other than that I was only genuinely disappointed with the 17th, had a good drive resting up against a tree just barely off the fairway with no way to get a swing at it.

It's not as simple as knocking down the middle and hoping the other guy f***'s up as he was pretty much knocking it down the middle anyway :rolleyes:. Just because I had 8 shots doesnt mean I should have automatically won, at the end of the day he was a better golfer than me and our handicaps reflect that. I gave it a go, lost, and can move on.

Yeah, he was a better golfer, thats why he was giving you a shot every second hole!

So on the 5th you had a triple bogey?
What type of hole is it?
Describe the shots you hit...assuming its a par 4, why did you hit a driver?
Where did it end up? Were you playing a miracle shot for your second when you could have played a 5/6/7 iron?

If I told you that a double would win you the hole, would you have played it any differently?

Rikand

5th a monster par 4, tight drive on a fairway that slopes left to right and the fairway is narrow. Your second shot is blind and there is a big oak tree in the way about 100 yards short of the fairway. Green that slopes massively from left to right.

Everytime i play it I thank my lucky stars if I can get away with a 5

charlieIRL

Rickylovesuall wrote: »

Everytime i play it I thank my lucky stars if I can get away with a 5

so do I, but its not the hardest hole on the course though. OK left is OOB but you have the 10th fairway on the right if you go over there. You will almost always have a shot towards the green if you do go right and if its dry you will get a good roll on the ball if you clear the bank. The 6th is a harder hole altogether with OOB left and trees / slope on the right

I've parred the 5th load of times, even from off the fairway......but I've also left a few balls in the field on the left!!

Rikand

wierd, everytime I've played it, although admittedly, it's been a couple of years, the rough on the right is always really long and you nearly always end up stuck behind a tree of some sort. It's pretty much always been a hack out job from the right rough to just over the crest of the hill and then try get on in 3

alxmorgan

Rickylovesuall wrote: »

5th a monster par 4, tight drive on a fairway that slopes left to right and the fairway is narrow. Your second shot is blind and there is a big oak tree in the way about 100 yards short of the fairway. Green that slopes massively from left to right.

Everytime i play it I thank my lucky stars if I can get away with a 5

Only played Moate once and overall score was muck but that hole was the highlight. Drive was slightly left so had to hit 5 iron over big tree (not sure how I got it over)

Lipped birdie putt from 25 feet for tap-in par. As good as it got :rolleyes:

charlieIRL

Rickylovesuall wrote: »

wierd, everytime I've played it, although admittedly, it's been a couple of years, the rough on the right is always really long and you nearly always end up stuck behind a tree of some sort. It's pretty much always been a hack out job from the right rough to just over the crest of the hill and then try get on in 3

I've never played it when there was high rough on the right - there is a good few trees though. How long ago was that?

Wichita Lineman

Greebo, you may not mean to be but I find your tone a bit patronising. Are you a scratch golfer that goes around under par every time you play? You must be by the way you are talking to me.

GreeBo

Andy Dunne11 wrote: »

Greebo, you may not mean to be but I find your tone a bit patronising. Are you a scratch golfer that goes around under par every time you play? You must be by the way you are talking to me.

How is it patronising? I just asked what sort of shots you hit and could you have used better course management. You seem to think that "he was a better golfer" so there was no way you were going to win, I wholeheartedly disagree. Maybe your definition of "giving it a go" isnt the best way to win a match, you said yourself you are not that experienced with them.

I'm merely trying to find out how you lost so many holes when you were getting shots, I'd hate to play a match giving 8 shots, very hard to win if they other guy plays sensibly.

Look, I'm guesing that you came on here looking for some advice, if you dont want people to analyse your course management then I'd suggest not starting a public thread on it tbh.
If you just want people to blindly post "hard luck, good effort" then state that so people dont waste time trying to help you.

Also, if was under par every time I wouldn't be a scratch golfer, I'd be a plus golfer

Rikand

Better golfer on the day I would think Andy meant

Wichita Lineman

Right so Greebo I appreciate that you arent trying to be patronising so - 5th hole in detail - Driver was used because I am normally quite handy with it dont have any real worries about it and even though I have an 'aggressive fade' I can usually control it for my purposes of getting around the golf course. I went from 18 to 13 last year so I'm not a complete twat at the game but I do need to work a lot harder at it now with less shots obviously. The drive went short and right on a long par 4. Second was 3 wood from decent lie but in short rough - shot had a lot of distance but I pulled it left allowing for the 'fade' and of course it went straight as an arrow and ended up under the large tree mentioned above. Thats 100 metres or so from the hole. It really is a massive tree and I didnt have a clear shot so it took me four to get down beside the green, chip was short then took 2 putts for a bad 7. So there was no 'miracle' attempts just poor execution on some shots. Nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to be losing any sleep over.

In my own opinion it's not the toughest hole, the 6th is harder (and I won it with a par) but it's one where it's very hard to recover from if you put yourself in bother like I did. If you had said a db will win the hole you would have been incorrect as he had a bogey and it would have been a half. Better than a loss I grant you!

I didnt go out with the intention of losing and on 17th 1 down 2 to play I felt confident I could take him - this was a long time after the 5th so it wasnt playing on my mind or anything. As well as hitting decent shots you need a bit of luck to go your way and it was cruel to see a decent drive practically wedged against a tree trunk on 17. Maybe I should have declared it unplayable and taken my chances, I didnt, thats the way it goes.

PARlance

Andy Dunne11 wrote: »

even though I have an 'aggressive fade'

Yoink.... I'll be using that phrase if you don't mind Andy

GreeBo

Andy Dunne11 wrote: »

Right so Greebo I appreciate that you arent trying to be patronising so - 5th hole in detail - Driver was used because I am normally quite handy with it dont have any real worries about it and even though I have an 'aggressive fade' I can usually control it for my purposes of getting around the golf course. I went from 18 to 13 last year so I'm not a complete twat at the game but I do need to work a lot harder at it now with less shots obviously. The drive went short and right on a long par 4. Second was 3 wood from decent lie but in short rough - shot had a lot of distance but I pulled it left allowing for the 'fade' and of course it went straight as an arrow and ended up under the large tree mentioned above. Thats 100 metres or so from the hole. It really is a massive tree and I didnt have a clear shot so it took me four to get down beside the green, chip was short then took 2 putts for a bad 7. So there was no 'miracle' attempts just poor execution on some shots. Nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to be losing any sleep over.

I'm not trying to imply that you are a twat, just that there are often different ways of looking at how to approach a hole, that we frequently dont consider.

Even though my driver is probably one of my straightest clubs, if I need to hit a fairway to avoid trouble I use rescue or 3W. The logic being that if missing the fairway is going to cost me a shot, but hitting it with the driver doesnt massively increase my chances of gaining a shot (birdie etc) then why use it?

The bit that would stand out for me is the 3 wood "recovery" shot...granted I dont know the hole, but I cant see any need for it and it seems to have caused more problems than it solved. I wouldnt hit a 3 wood off the fairway, never mind the rough unless my opponent was already on the green in 2 and I was miles away in 4. To me, that would not be a percentage shot in that situation. Maybe I'm overly cautious but when getting a shot I would have played for position (with each shot) and played it as a handy par 5, if he birdies it, fair play to him.

Rescue from the tee, 5 iron, 7 iron or something similar, even if Im not on the green at this stage I'm close and looking at a 6 at worst.
If he pars index 1 then let him have it, odds are you couldnt have done much about it, otherwise you wouldnt be getting 8 shots from him.

Golf is certainly not something to lose sleep over, but maybe something above will save you a shot/hole somewhere along your way.

Wichita Lineman

In fairness the bloody big tree caused most of the problems, if that hadnt been there I would have been fine after 2 shots

Felexicon

GreeBo

Andy Dunne11 wrote: »

In fairness the bloody big tree caused most of the problems, if that hadnt been there I would have been fine after 2 shots

Ahh but the tree was there before you hit your shot too!

Wichita Lineman

Yes but I didnt hit it over there deliberately - it just happened. If I miss-hit a 5 or 6 iron I could just as easily have been on the same line and would then have been giving myself a hard time for ballsing it up while trying to play too safe.

My main problem is lack of experience in matchplay situations I think rather than playing it wrong, I really wasnt going gung ho at everything, like I said no real miracle shots were attempted. Even when behind the tree on 17th I wasnt going for glory. I was just trying to get it a couple of yards past the tree and it didnt work. Thats golf for ya!

GreeBo

Andy Dunne11 wrote: »

If I mi**** a 5 or 6 iron I could just as easily have been on the same line and would then have been giving myself a hard time for ballsing it up while trying to play too safe.

It takes a while, but eventually you start to realise that this isnt true...a 5 iron will never be as bad as a 3 wood.

Trust me

Wichita Lineman

Okie doke, we'll leave it there so

JCDUB

Wftablueboy wrote: »

Sorry didn't give the full information , it's actually high handicap minus low handicap and their given HALF the differience in holes up as a start. It suits the low man , the only real negative is if you get a scratch player against a 28 handicapper , the high man starts 14 up and if he wins the first 3 holes he wins 17 & 15 :-)

Sorry for dragging this a bit off-topic, but I'd love to know where you read this.

As in who in their right mind would see this as an acceptable way to play a match? Surely there isn't a golfing authority in the world who would sanction this?

It's ridiculous, makes no sense. How does two shots equate to a hole won/lost? Did somebody just pick this figure off the top of their head?

TheDoc

Andy Dunne11 wrote: »

Yes but I didnt hit it over there deliberately - it just happened. If I miss-hit a 5 or 6 iron I could just as easily have been on the same line and would then have been giving myself a hard time for ballsing it up while trying to play too safe.

My main problem is lack of experience in matchplay situations I think rather than playing it wrong, I really wasnt going gung ho at everything, like I said no real miracle shots were attempted. Even when behind the tree on 17th I wasnt going for glory. I was just trying to get it a couple of yards past the tree and it didnt work. Thats golf for ya!

I guess if I am reading your last few posts correctly, it seems like just a few bad or "leaky" shots put you into some danger that ramped up the difficulty. It can easily happen to everyone.

The tree comment is interesting, "I was just trying to get a couple of yards past".

We have a hole in Hollywood Lakes, the 7th. There is a tree in the middle of what is essentially the landing zone. The AMOUNT of times people go absolutely beserk over that tree. Saying it's stupid, it's should be taken down etc. It's there for a very good reason, that most of our members cannot comprahend. It's a risk reward factor. The fairway cuts to the right. The "shot" is to land on the right side of the tree. You are then shooting diagnolly into the green, which runs away from you. This is the reason it's index 2, it's a tough hole for a reason.

Now I play one of two shots here. I'm a big hitter, so I can land normally in line with the tree then bounce on. The problem is there is a lake to the left of it, and OB on the right, and I hit a draw. If the flight isn't right I'm in the lake. Too much right, OB. If I'm chasing a little, I'll fire a driver up there. If I'm in a comfortable spot in a match or my scoring round, I'll take an iron which plants me short and to the right, leaving me a clear approach.

The point I'm getting at is essentially course management. Now granted I don' know what distance the tree you reference is lengthwise and I don't know the hole your talking about, but it "sounds" like the 7th in our place.

Players go for it, if they get the right landing zone, or if they get the right distance, they have a good second shot into the green. But if we are honest, what percentage of amateur golfers are able to carry a ball 280+ yards to skip the tree, and control the flight in the process to ensure it lands in what is only about 30 feet wide landing zone.

Risk reward factor bro, it's a concept that took a long while to sink in to my brain. I never EVER factored in risk, I'd just go for something. But once you do and you factor in the risk, it can change the thought process entirely.

So imagine on that shot, you hit whatever, let's say a 5 iron from the rough to try get a few yards past the tree. The thought process for me would be

5 iron - I'm comfy with it, can snag in the rough, might get a low flight, if it snags its going to hook.
Rough - It's heavier then normal today, 5 iron is pushing it
Tree - If I don't get a relatively good strike on this, it's going behind that tree

Risk - I could **** this up epicly
Reward - I'll get a few yards past the tree, still probably be hitting the same iron into the green


Theoretical obviously as I don't know the tree or the hole your referencing as I said, but the above is typically what I'd run through as I'm strolling up towards my ball. (In the event where there is a potential reward for taking something on)

GreeBo

TheDoc wrote: »

Theoretical obviously as I don't know the tree or the hole your referencing as I said, but the above is typically what I'd run through as I'm strolling up towards my ball. (In the event where there is a potential reward for taking something on)

Agree completely, and I think on your home course all these possibilities should have already been figured out so you know standing on the tee whats the best course of action for each scenario. Pelz has a load of info on it, but playing to a plan is a great way to play confidently, which is such a huge part of golf.

Confidence is much more important than aggression.

Wichita Lineman

The scenario on the 17th isnt as you are thinking lads. I hit a good drive but it ended up just off the fairway behind a small tree but it was stuck to it basically and I had very little room to swing. In hindsight I should have taken a penalty drop behind it as it was unplayable. I tried to be clever and attempted to hit it a few yards forward which would have given me a clear shot. I didnt do what I intended and was punished for not taking the sensible option i.e the drop.

Arsenium

Andy Dunne11 wrote: »

The scenario on the 17th isnt as you are thinking lads. I hit a good drive but it ended up just off the fairway behind a small tree but it was stuck to it basically and I had very little room to swing. In hindsight I should have taken a penalty drop behind it as it was unplayable. I tried to be clever and attempted to hit it a few yards forward which would have given me a clear shot. I didnt do what I intended and was punished for not taking the sensible option i.e the drop.

Just catching up with this thread now. It's a great discussion. It's exactly like the chats I used to have with myself on the way home from playing competitions in my last club. With the course manager devil on one shoulder and another devil on the other shoulder.

Lots of times I would be going well, come to the 16th hole which was a dogleg right and bang. Slice it out of bounds. Ruin the card. On the way home I'd promise myself that next week I would take a 5 or a 4 iron, give up the distance and get the ball in play. But next week the devil on my shoulder would make me take the driver. Then it's groundhog day.

The silly thing was if I was playing a practice round, I'd hit the iron just to try it out !!!

I'm still trying very hard to learn course management. And I am slowly realising that most of the hazards, especially around par 5's, are not there by accident. And the landing areas around the green are a hell of a lot wider from 100 yards than they are from 220 !!

PARlance

Arsenium wrote: »

And the landing areas around the green are a hell of a lot wider from 100 yards than they are from 220 !!

Exactly... Try to absolutely burst that driver 300+ yards and with a nice bounce it'll roll another 30... you'll have a shorter iron for your second shot into the green on a par 5
Just some food for the bad devil...

I'm gonna try out a few safer tee shots tonight... I'll be telling myself this right up until I take the driver headcover off