Knowing your score!

spacecoyote

dconnolly81 wrote: »

31 points on sat in loughrea great front 9 20 points then blew up on the back 9. Cant figure it out why i played so badly on the back 9. The 3 rounds before that in athenry was very consistent with 33 points in all 3 rounds. My chipping around the greens is kill me

Are you counting your scores after 9? Sometimes coming off 9 holes & seeing you've got 20 points can change your mindset, you're suddenly thinking about your score, rather than just playing away.

Maybe try not adding up scores for a couple of rounds, concentrating on the next shot & see how things end up at the end.

Seve OB

spacecoyote wrote: »

Are you counting your scores after 9? Sometimes coming off 9 holes & seeing you've got 20 points can change your mindset, you're suddenly thinking about your score, rather than just playing away.

Maybe try not adding up scores for a couple of rounds, concentrating on the next shot & see how things end up at the end.

Karl Morris? Super 6?

edit; here is a link

dconnolly81

spacecoyote wrote: »

Are you counting your scores after 9? Sometimes coming off 9 holes & seeing you've got 20 points can change your mindset, you're suddenly thinking about your score, rather than just playing away.

Maybe try not adding up scores for a couple of rounds, concentrating on the next shot & see how things end up at the end.

I always try not to look at my score just concentrate on my game but the lad that was marking my card told me after 9 witch didnt help but still not an excuse to completely blow up.

Seve OB

dconnolly81 wrote: »

I always try not to look at my score just concentrate on my game but the lad that was marking my card told me after 9 witch didnt help but still not an excuse to completely blow up.

I never understand this phenomenon.

As a golfer, you should always be aware of your score, especially if you are going well. how can you not know you are beating your handicap by a couple of shots at the turn?

And then you get the guys who give about their marker for telling them what they shot on the front 9 as they mark the card up on the 10th tee box :rolleyes:

dconnolly81

Seve OB wrote: »

I never understand this phenomenon.

As a golfer, you should always be aware of your score, especially if you are going well. how can you not know you are beating your handicap by a couple of shots at the turn?

And then you get the guys who give about their marker for telling them what they shot on the front 9 as they mark the card up on the 10th tee box :rolleyes:

Never gave out about the marker giving me the score and i did know i was playing well as i had pared 4 of the 9 holes and only bogied the rest. As i said it was no excuse

benny79

Seve OB wrote: »

I never understand this phenomenon.

As a golfer, you should always be aware of your score, especially if you are going well. how can you not know you are beating your handicap by a couple of shots at the turn?

And then you get the guys who give about their marker for telling them what they shot on the front 9 as they mark the card up on the 10th tee box :rolleyes:

You would be surprised how well it works but I agree with Space that it does distract you and you get to fixed on your score instead of the next shot etc.. You would have a rough idea of your score but if I know I'm going well I would always ask the marker of my card not to tell me my score at the turn.

Seve OB

dconnolly81 wrote: »

Never gave out about the marker giving me the score and i did know i was playing well as i had pared 4 of the 9 holes and only bogied the rest. As i said it was no excuse

sorry wasn't pointing at you specifically, but I have seen it happen

Keano

Tidying up the the how did you score thread!

spacecoyote

Seve OB wrote: »

I never understand this phenomenon.

As a golfer, you should always be aware of your score, especially if you are going well. how can you not know you are beating your handicap by a couple of shots at the turn?

And then you get the guys who give about their marker for telling them what they shot on the front 9 as they mark the card up on the 10th tee box :rolleyes:

Agree to a large extent Seve. When I'm playing well/bad I tend to know that I'm playing well/bad, but on my best rounds of golf I tend to know that I'm up, but not be focussed on exactly how far up

As benny says it focusses you in on the score, not on the fact you're playing well. Its subtle, but can change your mentality

And yeah, I've been on a Karl Morris session & a lot of what he preaches makes sense. Before I had the GameGolf I had created my own spreadsheet for tracking my scores, split up in a super 6 format.

Used to be interesting to track where I was dipping in form

AnneFrank

of course you know your score !
But it's the old Faldo mantra, shot by shot.
Nothing that has happened before or after matters.
I've started really concentrating on making my practice swing exactly the
same as my real shot, amazing how it get's the mind right

Seve OB

Sorry boss, went off on a tangent there!

I think it's good to know. I appreciate the idea of not wanting to know but still think it's silly.

why? well for a few reasons.
if you want to win. coming down the back straight with a few holes to go you have 34 in the bag. 2 points per hole foe the last 3 will get you to 40 which might normally be the magic number. play sensible and don't be risking tough iffy shots. but maybe you have only 30. well you will most likely need a couple of 3 pointers at least, so maybe pars with shots. then you know you have to go for it.

or if you haven't had a great game but a push over the last few holes will get you into the buffer. not knowing your score might mean you have already given up and .1 is on it's way

and also, you should just know. you should mark your own score to verify with the marker later on.

I'm not so sure I like the super 6 idea. I generally just take every hole as it comes, put the last one out of your head and start again with every tee shot. super 6 still has you grouping holes together. really, every shot should be forgotten about when you are hitting the ball the next time.

spacecoyote

Seve OB wrote: »

I'm not so sure I like the super 6 idea. I generally just take every hole as it comes, put the last one out of your head and start again with every tee shot. super 6 still has you grouping holes together. really, every shot should be forgotten about when you are hitting the ball the next time.

Strictly speaking you're right, it is still grouping holes together, and not ideal.

The logic behind it is to break people out of the 9 + 9. So if you have 10 points after 9 holes, you'll probably write off the next 9 holes, or if you have 21 points after 9, you might go defensive for the 2nd 9 trying to protect & guarantee your score

By splitting it into 6 groups of 3, you get a restart every 3 holes. So if you have a terrible couple of holes, you get to push the reset button more regularly, and are only writing off 3 holes rather than 9.

You obviously don't want any prior hole to impact the following hole, but for some people its impossible, so the super 6 tries to minimise the fall out of a bad hole(s)

In terms of your other points, if you think about it, how many times have you stood on the 15th with 34 points & said to yourself, "level 2s in & I've got this in the bag" only to blow up in that last run, or, "I need to par the last 3 to make my buffer" to take on unnecessary shots & end up making doubles & trebles. I've done it myself, multiple times & in big club events.

I guess that might say more about my lack of bottle than anything else though

Seve OB

ah no you are right and we can always blow it up in the home straight, whether you have a score going or not!

I tend to be good at digging deep and grinding out a few scores to get into the buffer after a bad game. won't say I do it all the time or anywhere near it, but i guarantee you i would be a shot or 2 higher had i not known my score on occasions in the past and knew that i needed to score on the home stretch to get the buffer. not knowing the score, i probably wouldn't have tried as hard.

17th for example in greystones is a tough par 4, long over water, esp if you don't get your drive away. times when you have a score going it is a clever play to lay up. if you don't know you are so far ahead and then play the risk/reward shot to dunk it in the drink, you could be left dreaming of what could have been!

ps, it's been a hell of a long time since i had 34 points through 15

HighLine

Seve OB wrote: »

I never understand this phenomenon.

As a golfer, you should always be aware of your score, especially if you are going well. how can you not know you are beating your handicap by a couple of shots at the turn?

And then you get the guys who give about their marker for telling them what they shot on the front 9 as they mark the card up on the 10th tee box :rolleyes:

It's really very simple - don't announce their score on the 10th tee unless they ask you or wish to corroborate.

Can't understand why guys do this. Doesn't bother me personally as I will know what I'm on but there are plenty of players who don't want to know their scores at the turn and that's their choice, not yours.

Rikand

In tough conditions on Sunday, I was +6 after 15 holes. I had just parred the previous 6 holes to boot - there's a long walk to the 16th hole from the 15th - my 3 playing partners started talking..... " you're playing great" " you're on for some score" " if you can par the last 3 holes, you'll win this! "

I finished - Double Bogey, Par, Double Bogey.



And got .1 back

JCDUB

Rikand wrote: »

In tough conditions on Sunday, I was +6 after 15 holes. I had just parred the previous 6 holes to boot - there's a long walk to the 16th hole from the 15th - my 3 playing partners started talking..... " you're playing great" " you're on for some score" " if you can par the last 3 holes, you'll win this! "

I finished - Double Bogey, Par, Double Bogey.



And got .1 back

I'm just wondering if you're suggesting that their stating that you were going well somehow affected your finish?
If it did then you need to work on your own mental fortitude down the stretch.
Nobody else is responsible for your game apart from you, end of story. (Apart from freak occurrences like somebody playing your ball by accident etc.)
And people suggesting that markers shouldn't call out a score is ridiculous. If you don't know your own score, don't want to know and are suggesting that knowing it will have a negative affect on your score then you have some serious work to do on the mental aspect of your game.

In stableford I don't think I ever don't know my score. Surely everyone knows after a hole how up or down they are?

kieran.

In stableford competitions the way i'm thinking is either :

A) up on my handicap
around my handicap
C) couple down on my handicap
D) no longer counting

If its A- B -C I usually count up my scores on the 15th tee box and decide on my strategy for the last four holes. In stroke play I always know were I am relative to my handicap.

Russman

JCDUB wrote: »

If you don't know your own score, don't want to know and are suggesting that knowing it will have a negative affect on your score then you have some serious work to do on the mental aspect of your game.

Its all opinion obviously but not knowing your score is put forward by Bob Rotella as being a good thing. Insofar as, if in theory, the player is trying to shoot the best possible score he can for a given hole, then what went on before has no bearing, yet as humans we let it affect us massively. The idea being that not knowing your score helps get down to "one shot at a time".

Different strokes and all that.

I know when I'm playing well, I'll know it, but I won't necessarily know exactly how well. I find that the better I play, the less aware of my score I will be.

That said, even though I don't like guys calling out scores after 9, it doesn't really "bother" me per se, I just have a chuckle to myself and wonder why they do it.

Mantis Toboggan

For me the only time the scores matter are at the end of the round and I'm happy not knowing until then.

Rikand

JCDUB wrote: »

I'm just wondering if you're suggesting that their stating that you were going well somehow affected your finish?

Not suggesting it at all

I just thought it was a nice story for the topic that was in it

Seve OB

Russman wrote: »

That said, even though I don't like guys calling out scores after 9, it doesn't really "bother" me per se, I just have a chuckle to myself and wonder why they do it.

I don't know what's not to like about it. I generally wouldn't bother unless someone else brings it up first. But I can tel you why it's done. Marking the card for someone else, you have to add up the scores, front 9, back 9 and overall. On the 10th tee, waiting for the guys up front to move on, mark up the card for te front 9 and do your sums then just confirm the score with the player. No different to confirming it at the end of 18.

Really can't see the problem, and as others have said, if some lads do have problems with it, then they need to look at their own mental apporach and work on that.

Does anyone actually believe that pro's don't have any idea on their own scores or even scores of others when they are coming down the stretch and in contention? No different really

Seve OB

kieran. wrote: »

In stableford competitions the way i'm thinking is either :

A) up on my handicap
around my handicap
C) couple down on my handicap
D) no longer counting

If its A- B -C I usually count up my scores on the 15th tee box and decide on my strategy for the last four holes. In stroke play I always know were I am relative to my handicap.

this makes a lot of sense

Keano

Seve OB wrote: »

I don't know what's not to like about it. I generally wouldn't bother unless someone else brings it up first. But I can tel you why it's done. Marking the card for someone else, you have to add up the scores, front 9, back 9 and overall. On the 10th tee, waiting for the guys up front to move on, mark up the card for te front 9 and do your sums then just confirm the score with the player. No different to confirming it at the end of 18.

Really can't see the problem, and as others have said, if some lads do have problems with it, then they need to look at their own mental apporach and work on that.

Does anyone actually believe that pro's don't have any idea on their own scores or even scores of others when they are coming down the stretch and in contention? No different really

Huge difference between pro's not knowing and someone standing on the 17th tee and someone says to you 2 more bogies and you'll be in with a shout.

Seve OB

Keano wrote: »

Huge difference between pro's not knowing and someone standing on the 17th tee and someone says to you 2 more bogies and you'll be in with a shout.

ah yea, i was going to extremes there alright

alxmorgan

There have been numerous stories down the years of pros finding out they were in contention late in a round and crumbling under the pressure. So its not just us amateurs.

And this idea of you need to sort out your mental game is an easy throw away remark to make. I find it typical of the man up attitude taken by the likes of Piers Morgan. If I hit a slice OB on the last two holes when not in contention nobody rounds on me and starts in with you need to sort yourself out but if I did it when in contention suddenly i'm a mental midget and need to have a look at myself.

I know when I'm playing well, I'll know it, but I won't necessarily know exactly how well. I find that the better I play, the less aware of my score I will be.

This by the way is me as well......I've also found the better I play the less elated I am. Weird but its almost like my system goes on autopilot and the autopilot (being a robot an all ) doesn't get carried away. Thoughts of my score can turn the flying of the plane very much back to manual.

JCDUB

alxmorgan wrote: »

If I hit a slice OB on the last two holes when not in contention nobody rounds on me and starts in with you need to sort yourself out but if I did it when in contention suddenly i'm a mental midget and need to have a look at myself.

Therein lies the issue.

You are more concerned about other people rounding on you and what others think of your game than what you need to do to finish out a round.

I couldn't give a damn what others think of my round, just what I think when I assess how I'm playing or have played.

If you're ok with slicing OB on the last two holes then that's fine.

Russman

Seve OB wrote: »

I don't know what's not to like about it. I generally wouldn't bother unless someone else brings it up first. But I can tel you why it's done. Marking the card for someone else, you have to add up the scores, front 9, back 9 and overall. On the 10th tee, waiting for the guys up front to move on, mark up the card for te front 9 and do your sums then just confirm the score with the player. No different to confirming it at the end of 18.

Really can't see the problem, and as others have said, if some lads do have problems with it, then they need to look at their own mental apporach and work on that.

Does anyone actually believe that pro's don't have any idea on their own scores or even scores of others when they are coming down the stretch and in contention? No different really

I can see what you're saying alright. As I say, it doesn't really bother me, but I'd never tell a guy his score unless he asks me. I've just seen a lot of people go to pieces once they're aware of how they are doing.

As regards a guy's mental approach, I'd venture that most club golfers don't even know what that is, let alone how to work on it. I know one guy, decent enough player off about 14/15 who, as long as I've known him, never, ever qualifies for the final round of the Captains Prize, I wouldn't want to be the person that tells him all he needs to do is work on his mental approach !

Each to their own and all that, but I've definitely noticed in recent years as I've played poorly, I'll know exactly what score I am, whereas back in the day when playing well I'd be aware I was probably doing a good score but wouldn't be consciously aware of what my score was, I'd be within a shot or two if asked, but definitely made an effort not to ask or add them up in my head.

Russman

alxmorgan wrote: »

If I hit a slice OB on the last two holes when not in contention nobody rounds on me and starts in with you need to sort yourself out but if I did it when in contention suddenly i'm a mental midget and need to have a look at myself.

In some clubs you'd be called something very different and a lot less complimentary than a mental midget for doing that..........:D:D!!

I'm joking of course, but seriously, when that happens to us, banter aside, (like "....the f--ker knew well what he was doing....") I've only ever seen sympathy from playing partners rather than a critique of your approach.

PARlance

alxmorgan wrote: »

And this idea of you need to sort out your mental game is an easy throw away remark to make. I find it typical of the man up attitude taken by the likes of Piers Morgan. If I hit a slice OB on the last two holes when not in contention nobody rounds on me and starts in with you need to sort yourself out but if I did it when in contention suddenly i'm a mental midget and need to have a look at myself.

I've never seen anything but a "oh s**t" look in a group if someone messes up. No need to be claiming anyone is like Piers Morgan

Personally I always know my score. I can't see how anyone wouldn't have a fair idea but if people can block it out then that can work. Despite what people say, I don't think it's the announcing of a score that's the real problem, it's the expectations around it.

I think it's the "21 points, keep it going / you're playing great" kind of remark that adds pressure as people feel they are being monitored! Increased expectations, others invested in your game etc. That would be my take on it anyway.

MetzgerMeister

I don't tot up my score after 9 because I then put myself under serious pressure to keep doing well on the second 9 if I had a good score. this makes me mess up and not enjoy the second 9.

ridonkulous

There are numerous, very successful top level major winning pros who won't look at a leaderboard until they're a couple of holes from home and that's only to see what needs to be achieved to take it down which also works both ways. I'm thinking Harrington on 18 the year before he won the open thinking he'd need birdie to get into a playoff, forced it, made bogey and missed out on a playoff by 1.

I'll know what I am gross going around, not exactly but a fair idea. I keep a markers score without fail and tot it up at the end. I've played with guys who shout out my points after 9 and ask if it's right. My response it's always the same, "I've no idea". It doesn't bother me either way. I don't even know the indices of the holes on my home course and I'll likely never learn them. I know the holes that I struggle with and the ones I tend to score well on. Does it impact me on a given day, I'd say no myself. I analyse a hole on a shot by shot basis. I've seen guys thinking to themselves I've a shot here and accept bogey for 2 points before they've even hit a shot on a hole. To me that's madness. Every shot matters, it's an all shots count game. If I'm in a prime position after my tee shot and the pin is accessible I attack, shot or no shot and the reverse applies. I play stableford comps just as I would a medal. It works for me. I find this approach must useful in cases where I find myself in trouble off the tee, it focuses me to aim to get my lowest score possible based on the shots I've hit. On a given day that could be a birdie, or a triple. Either way it works for me.

I can see both sides of the argument. I know I don't ask or shout out a guys points to him at any stage. What does it achieve? The 19th is the place for working out the card seeing as everyone should keep a markers score and the computer works out points these days so I don't even bother working out someone's points. I verify the score per hole and sign it.

fred funk }{

ridonkulous wrote: »

There are numerous, very successful top level major winning pros who won't look at a leaderboard until they're a couple of holes from home and that's only to see what needs to be achieved to take it down which also works both ways. I'm thinking Harrington on 18 the year before he won the open thinking he'd need birdie to get into a playoff, forced it, made bogey and missed out on a playoff by 1.

I'll know what I am gross going around, not exactly but a fair idea. I keep a markers score without fail and tot it up at the end. I've played with guys who shout out my points after 9 and ask if it's right. My response it's always the same, "I've no idea". It doesn't bother me either way. I don't even know the indices of the holes on my home course and I'll likely never learn them. I know the holes that I struggle with and the ones I tend to score well on. Does it impact me on a given day, I'd say no myself. I analyse a hole on a shot by shot basis. I've seen guys thinking to themselves I've a shot here and accept bogey for 2 points before they've even hit a shot on a hole. To me that's madness. Every shot matters, it's an all shots count game. If I'm in a prime position after my tee shot and the pin is accessible I attack, shot or no shot and the reverse applies. I play stableford comps just as I would a medal. It works for me. I find this approach must useful in cases where I find myself in trouble off the tee, it focuses me to aim to get my lowest score possible based on the shots I've hit. On a given day that could be a birdie, or a triple. Either way it works for me.

I can see both sides of the argument. I know I don't ask or shout out a guys points to him at any stage. What does it achieve? The 19th is the place for working out the card seeing as everyone should keep a markers score and the computer works out points these days so I don't even bother working out someone's points. I verify the score per hole and sign it.

How can you not know what holes you have a shot on? That's bonkers to me.

ridonkulous

fred funk }{ wrote: »

How can you not know what holes you have a shot on? That's bonkers to me.

What difference does it make knowing you've a shot? Genuine question. What benefit do you find it has?

PARlance

fred funk }{ wrote: »

How can you not know what holes you have a shot on? That's bonkers to me.

Especially if he was playing off 18.

ridonkulous

ridonkulous wrote: »

What difference does it make knowing you've a shot? Genuine question. What benefit do you find it has?

Don't think anyone said anything about benefit.

But I know in my place I've no shot on 5, 8, 14 and 15. I just know this, I can't unknow it. I'm guessing most golfers here play the course they're a member of most of the time, surely you get some idea of what hole is what index?

fred funk }{

ridonkulous wrote: »

What difference does it make knowing you've a shot? Genuine question. What benefit do you find it has?

I wasn't making the point you mentioned above. I'm extremely aware of which holes I have shots on at my home course and the holes I'll gain or lose a shot if my HC changes. I find it staggering that someone doesn't do the same but maybe I'm different.

red ears

I know my score every step of the way and its a bit of a curse. Id rather be able to forget and just play my game.

levitronix

Not quite score related but as I got older the mental side of the game became my enemy . Was up in carton practicing, noticed a couple of very good players . Practiced kinda close watched their shots and hit similar shots. On the short game practice I was feeling great hitting great shots , hitting as good but put me out on course sometimes i wonder why practice it I hit it so crap.
I have won before good comps and held it together never blown up but if I start bad I can never claw it back , for me the start is the bigger hurdle

Rikand

ridonkulous wrote: »

I've played with guys who shout out my points after 9 and ask if it's right. My response it's always the same, "I've no idea".

You must sign for incorrect scores the whole time so

Jawgap

I try to play to a plan......so I know what I think is a reasonable score for me on each hole and aim for that......if I do better I consider myself to be under "par"

I always keep track of my score, but I hate people in the group talking about it if I'm on for a good one.

I try to see it as a waiting game.....I play my normal game, and play the percentages. When an opportunity presents itself, then I push a bit.

I've also developed my own formula for playing the last 4 holes so I can pretty much guarantee myself 8 or 9 points......so if I'm walking off 15 on a good score, I know I can back myself to close out the round consistently.

If a round gets away from me, as in the chance of a prize, a cut or a score in the buffer zone is effectively gone (less than 21 pts after 15 holes) - I'll just work on practising to score those last 8/9 pts.

Jawgap

ridonkulous wrote: »

What difference does it make knowing you've a shot? Genuine question. What benefit do you find it has?

So you know what you have to do,on each hole.......when I had a h'cap over 18 the holes I had 2 shots on I treated as "bankers" and practiced bogeying them (yay, free points:)).

Now I'm under the 18, I like to know which holes I don't have a shot on and factor that into how I play them......for example, on one par 5, I'd focus on getting a safe drive away, then try to place the second into a position where I can ping the green with my third. I'd rarely tried try to get the second on......on the par 5 where I have a shot, I'd be more willing to go for the green in 2.....seen as I have a "free" shot to play with.

charlieIRL

I just go out and (try) enjoy my round of golf, points or not!!

ridonkulous

Rikand wrote: »

You must sign for incorrect scores the whole time so

I know what score I've had after a hole, that goes in after I've played the hole in the markers score on the card. So no.

slingerz

playing well one day i asked my partner who was doing my card if i had 35 points with 3 to play.

his response

"mind your own f*#$ing business"!!

ridonkulous

Jawgap wrote: »

So you know what you have to do,on each hole.......when I had a h'cap over 18 the holes I had 2 shots on I treated as "bankers" and practiced bogeying them (yay, free points:)).

Now I'm under the 18, I like to know which holes I don't have a shot on and factor that into how I play them......for example, on one par 5, I'd focus on getting a safe drive away, then try to place the second into a position where I can ping the green with my third. I'd rarely tried try to get the second on......on the par 5 where I have a shot, I'd be more willing to go for the green in 2.....seen as I have a "free" shot to play with.

But why would having a shot on a hole affect how you aim to play it? This is exactly what I was on about in my initial post. Standing on a hole saying to yourself a bogey here is 2 points so no harm done is counter intuitive for me. I'll take it shot by shot and see based on the position I've put myself in what is and isn't achievable score wise on a hole. I'm not basing it on the perceived difficulty of a hole which as it turns out is manipulated for matchplay anyway. But each to their own, mine works for me and if yours works for you then stick with it. It was just my two cents.

Jawgap

ridonkulous wrote: »

But why would having a shot on a hole affect how you aim to play it? This is exactly what I was on about in my initial post. Standing on a hole saying to yourself a bogey here is 2 points so no harm done is counter intuitive for me. I'll take it shot by shot and see based on the position I've put myself in what is and isn't achievable score wise on a hole. I'm not basing it on the perceived difficulty of a hole which as it turns out is manipulated for matchplay anyway. But each to their own, mine works for me and if yours works for you then stick with it. It was just my two cents.

I suppose we all play the game differently.

In my experience, and certainly on most golf holes, there's a lot more than one way to get to the green......now I'm not good enough to shape shots or sit the ball down at a given distance off the tee, but I can pick which side of the fairway to go down, which is useful on a links course with narrow approaches to raised greens, especially when the pins are tucked behind one set of bunkers or another.

.....for example, the 11th at our place, allows you to tee off over some water, followed by rough and carry to a narrow enough landing area on the dog leg, or you can fire one out to the left and pretty much be guaranteed a shot from the short stuff, but it will be likely long and blind, or compromise and go straight at a fairway bunker on a mound and hope you don't reach it, but you'll be left with a shortish 2nd, that's partially blind.

I've a shot on the hole so I tend to take the water and rough on (depending on the wind), as it's a really good scoring chance if you carry it.......but I know if I don't carry, I'll have a "spare" shot to use to recover and still have a good chance of the bogey, and 2 pts .....if I didn't have a shot on it, I'd go left or straight, reduced chance of a par, guaranteed bogey, practically no chance of a double......if I'd no shot and went across the water etc the possibility of not scoring anything becomes more of a probability

Others may see it differently.

Seve OB

I'm against you on this Ridonkulous. If you have a shot on a hole, a par 4 eg. the clever play is to play safe and get on the green in 3 and hope for 2 putts, with the bonus if you get it close inough with your third that you might drain the par putt. So that might be a 6 iron off the tee, an 8 iron lay up and a wedge in.

Or you could whip out the driver, spray it right into the trees, have to knock it out backwards and sideways, now left with a difficult long iron into the green and looking at a double at best.

Now I know this is very simplistic view and not the way most people play the game, but really, if we all thought about our approach to the game and planned our shots a bit better, we could all be a lot better. I am very guilty of this as mid teen handicapper.

What you are saying is a fair enough approach for a much more solid single figure player.

Seve OB

If you have no shot, a 180 carry and need to get down in 2 to save a point. Risk reward, a difficult carry for you, but there is no point in laying up or now you need to hold a 50 yarder to save a point.

Now same position, but you have a shot. Lay up and now you have a 50 yard approach to get close and give you a putt to save a point.

This is where knowing your shots/score/indexes counts, but probably where most people mess thing up!!!

Jawgap

Seve OB wrote: »

I'm against you on this Ridonkulous. If you have a shot on a hole, a par 4 eg. the clever play is to play safe and get on the green in 3 and hope for 2 putts, with the bonus if you get it close inough with your third that you might drain the par putt. So that might be a 6 iron off the tee, an 8 iron lay up and a wedge in.

Or you could whip out the driver, spray it right into the trees, have to knock it out backwards and sideways, now left with a difficult long iron into the green and looking at a double at best.

Now I know this is very simplistic view and not the way most people play the game, but really, if we all thought about our approach to the game and planned our shots a bit better, we could all be a lot better. I am very guilty of this as mid teen handicapper.

What you are saying is a fair enough approach for a much more solid single figure player.

....but surely a single figure handicapper isn't going to "wait and see" where their drive ends up, they'll have in mind where they want to put the ball from the drive, with some degree of precision.....if anything I've found that low handicappers are even more strategic when playing a hole, mostly because they have the game to be that strategic?

They're looking for birdie opportunities, while I'm looking for pars and bogeys

Seve OB

Jawgap wrote: »

....but surely a single figure handicapper isn't going to "wait and see" where their drive ends up, they'll have in mind where they want to put the ball from the drive, with some degree of precision.....if anything I've found that low handicappers are even more strategic when playing a hole, mostly because they have the game to be that strategic?

They're looking for birdie opportunities, while I'm looking for pars and bogeys

well what i mean is the good single figure golfer is likely to be more consistetly good off the tee and doesn't generally run the risk of finding deep trouble half as much as a 14 handicapper like myself.

So clever play off the tee when we both have a shot, is 4 iron for me (keeps me in play as i described above, to look for a solid bogey or sneak a par), but driver for the more consistent 5 handicapper which should keep him in play and give him a good look at par or even birdie.

Im talking about playing clever here and not playing the glory shots we can all play from time to time