Away Courses - Detailed Preparation or Don't Bother?

ShriekingSheet

More a question for the lower handicap players, but not exclusively.

As we get closer to senior/junior/inter scratch cups and interclub matches at away venues, interested to hear what level of specific course preparation/planning people do. And what guys think is / isn't effective.

Do you play one or a few practice rounds? What do you look at / take note of when you do? How detailed is your plan in terms of clubs off tees, targets?

Or do you think / have you found that this just causes paralysis by analysis, and rather than being well prepared, it just makes you tight and play poorly.

One thing I always thought was complete BS but tried and actually found really helps is this. Where a course has very particular shots - eg: long iron tee shots @ Clontarf, cut drives and bunker shots on the Monty, lower irons @ Portmarnock - hitting a few of them on the driving range the week before has really worked for me.

mike12

Rarely works in Ireland as the wind and rain really effects how a course plays.

Rikand

Don't Bother

for Senior/Junior Cup would play a couple of practice rounds and would be typically trying to take a few putts towards general areas where we suspect pins might be. Like a back right corner where the pin is cut on an upper tier, that sort of thing.

Also try to note what irons you hit into par 3's. Yes, wind and rain can be different, but you can base your club selection off the information you've already garnered. Practice round, calm day, hit 5 iron. Real round, wind is into me, well I know then its a 4iron, etc

fred funk }{

Try get two practice rounds in beforehand. Big thing for me is to get a feel for the greens and always stop on a few to practice bump and runs/up and downs.

I would definetly take note of which holes need an iron or a driver off the tee and also try remember the tricky greens.

At the end of the day you can do all that prep and go out a play like a cabbage but it does help a bit and gives confidence if you feel you know the hole a bit.

Rikand

Don't Bother

Those who fail to prepare, prepare to fail!

ShriekingSheet

Don't Bother

Rikand wrote: »

for Senior/Junior Cup would play a couple of practice rounds and would be typically trying to take a few putts towards general areas where we suspect pins might be. Like a back right corner where the pin is cut on an upper tier, that sort of thing.

Also try to note what irons you hit into par 3's. Yes, wind and rain can be different, but you can base your club selection off the information you've already garnered. Practice round, calm day, hit 5 iron. Real round, wind is into me, well I know then its a 4iron, etc

Agree - changing weather is part of golf in Ireland. Assuming your practice round is reasonably close to the event, the course won't be completely different under-foot. Of course you play what the laser says and the wind is doing on the day, but that doesn't mean a practice round in different weather was pointless. You gotta know the course.

Interested in your putting to different parts of the green. Would you honestly remember how they break if the pin ends up there? As in, would it give you more information you'd get fro reading the putt on the day? I get it for tournaments where there's a coloured dot on the green for pin positions for the week, so you're seeing something you'll definitely have. But guessing pin positions and rolling balls, I'd have no idea what any of them did by the end of the round.

Insecurity Guard

I think a key focus in practice round(s) should be on where around each green you really don't want to end up, like behind some mounds with no sight of the pin.

Then in play you're trying to hit the green (obviously) but trying as a fallback if you miss, to miss it on the best side, whether that's short, long, left or right. A bit of work on this can be a real stroke-saver.

Another thing I think often overlooked is to be alert in the actual event. You may be able to see greens on holes you have yet to play - don't miss the chance to note carefully where the pins are.

Rikand

Don't Bother

ShriekingSheet wrote: »

Agree - changing weather is part of golf in Ireland. Assuming your practice round is reasonably close to the event, the course won't be completely different under-foot. Of course you play what the laser says and the wind is doing on the day, but that doesn't mean a practice round in different weather was pointless. You gotta know the course.

Interested in your putting to different parts of the green. Would you honestly remember how they break if the pin ends up there? As in, would it give you more information you'd get fro reading the putt on the day? I get it for tournaments where there's a coloured dot on the green for pin positions for the week, so you're seeing something you'll definitely have. But guessing pin positions and rolling balls, I'd have no idea what any of them did by the end of the round.

Well in practice it wouldn't be just me playing. The team would play in 3 or 4 balls so the act of discussing breaks on a green helps imbed that thought in your mind. Like writing out notes before taking an exam. You might not remember the exact details but you'd have the general thought locked in there.

I'd always bring a scorecard or two with me and I'd have loads of notes scrawled into them. Club selection, pace of green, where to miss it as another poster pointed out ^^