Course Management

GolfNut33

This topic really gets me going.


I would consider myself fairly decent at course management but the amount of lads I see making horrendous decisions on the course is incredible. For example; I was playing along side a 18 HC last Sunday. Playing a longish par 4 (think 410 yrds) slightly uphill with a pond in front of the green. He hit a poor enough drive and he had about 200 yrds to the green and about 180 to carry the water. He took out a 3 wood and proceeded to plonk it straight in to the drink. I would have guessed it was a 1 in 20 shot to get it on the green. He proceeded to scratch the hole. A simple lay up would have almost ensured he'd get maybe 2 points but at least 1.

I have multiple examples of this kinda of thing, even know a low HC lad who is equally as bad at plotting his way around the course, goes for every Par 5 in two and goes for every pin no matter where it is and only to miss out on wining sometimes by a few points/strokes and wonders why he can never get over the finish line.

Golfers spend huge money on equipment and lessons to gain a shot or two improvement but neglect possibly the easiest way to improve their score through course management.

Dbu

Best score I ever had, was when I decided on the first tee to 'go after everything' or as my buddy would say'just hit it'
Over thinking was my wrecking me game

GolfNut33

Dbu wrote: »

Best score I ever had, was when I decided on the first tee to 'go after everything' or as my buddy would say'just hit it'
Over thinking was my wrecking me game

You'll have the odd good score but your consistency will be poor.

Seve OB

Dbu wrote: »

Best score I ever had, was when I decided on the first tee to 'go after everything' or as my buddy would say'just hit it'
Over thinking was my wrecking me game

snap.
but I do see the OP's point.
But no point in going for shots if you aren't on your game. some days you take your medicine and sometimes you let fly. so many different factors in play

But with regard to the low handicappers, esp the one he mentioned, they should be going for everything if it is in their remit. if it doesn't come off so what. if they were to lay up all the time they probably wouldn't be so low.

Seve OB

If that shot OP described above was a 180 yard par3 it would be no different to the above scenario. does the OP always lay up somewhere safe, chip on, 2 putts and walk away happy with 2 points?

If that's the way you think golf should be played it would get very boring very quickly

Mantis Toboggan

It really does depend on the level of golfer and the risk/reward element of every shot.

My track course management is huge, it's narrow with plenty of trouble both off the tee and around the green. I've struggled since joining as my mentality is to go for everything. I've changed my game this year to nearly always go for the safe option especially in competition.

I like the 7/10 rule. If I'm confident of hitting the shot more often than not then I'm taking on the shot. But I agree that good course management can make a huge difference. I see plenty of players which I've been guilty of in the past fail because they're taking on the wrong shots repeatedly because they're not thinking enough about what they're trying to do.

slave1

Seve OB wrote: »

If that shot OP described above was a 180 yard par3 it would be no different to the above scenario. does the OP always lay up somewhere safe, chip on, 2 putts and walk away happy with 2 points?

If that's the way you think golf should be played it would get very boring very quickly

That old blast from the past;)

callaway92

I get your post, OP; but for an 18 handicapper, course management is tougher than 'going for it'.

Going for it at least gives them a bit of freedom with the shot.. Playing for the middle-of-the-green etc suddenly starts putting thoughts/specific targets in their head and can work against them..same with laying up - There's as-much-a-chance of holding back on shot and hooking it etc.

slave1

I see this time and time again with high handicappers I play with, they hook or slice a drive (which I can do too) and instead of taking a wedge walk into the rough with a 3 wood to get it up to the green, a pro would not get it up to the green from where they are, the ball ends up ploughing through the long grass 20 or 30 yards and same shot again.....pretty soon the hole is scratched
Bad drive, take a wedge, get back into play...

slingerz

Played with some plus handicappers last year as they prepared for senior cup. Really interesting as they selected different clubs to me on a number of holes.

Completely changed my approach to one hole and made the world of difference to my average score on that hole afterwards

megabomberman

The example provided by the OP is a cast iron case of poor course management.

Where I really find it tricky is whether to play the 5 iron/rescue off the tee on the tightish 370 yard par 4 or just roll the dice and attempt to drive it to within the wedge distance.

Most YouTubers seem to advocate for an only use driver when absolutely necessary approach, for the high handicappers.

slave1

I always use driver, most forgiving club in the bag

newindublin

slave1 wrote: »

I always use driver, most forgiving club in the bag

Driver is the club you hit the furthest, if you are a high handicapper (like me) it has the most potential to go the furthest in the wrong spot. For someone advocating course management I find this pretty contrary.

One thing I am trying to work on is swallowing my pride and hitting 3 wood off the tee more. In fact, I was able to do this over the weekend and feel pretty good about it. My driving started well in the round, but later in the round started to creep into my old bad habits. When the holes got tight I pulled the 3 wood and kept it in play and scoring. Wide open holes I let the driver rip, knowing I had room.

slave1

Horses for courses, sure I cringe when I see Rory taking a “safe” iron off the tee and the ball flies straight into trouble

newindublin

I too think I we should all base our golf off playing like the number 3 ranked player in the world, because that's clearly who this thread is aimed at.

Mantis Toboggan

slave1 wrote: »

I always use driver, most forgiving club in the bag

Depends on the course, I used to be like that but my new course is narrow with lots of trouble, hitting the fairway is crucial, it's not a long course.

mike12

I'm not sure a 18 will score much different over the year no matter what he does.

He can still be on the green in 4 and make his point or 2.
If he lays up no guarantee he will hit the green in 3 so has to get up and down for 2.
He still has to get over the lake so can still go in and then it's a definite scratch.
If he is crap wedge player then he should go for it 100% of the time.

DuckSlice

My course management is terrible and its something I need to improve on.

An issue I have is I only hit my 3 wood 210/220 which on a long tight (440ish yards) par 4 leaves me trying to hit a hard 3 wood to get on in 2. so I usually go with the driver. My home course doesn't have any tress and is a an open enough links so I don't have to think much about course management but when I play other courses it kills me.

I think an issue with a lot of the higher handicapped golfers I see is the don't know how far they hit there clubs. taking irons for par3's they cant reach with their driver etc.

GolfNut33

Thanks for all the replies lads, a lot of good points made.


It's just that I see some many bad decisions being made that i think its something that can be improved on relatively quickly and a lot of effort goes in to lessons and club fitting (correctly) and course management tends to be forgotten.

Dbu

GolfNut33 wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies lads, a lot of good points made.


It's just that I see some many bad decisions being made that i think its something that can be improved on relatively quickly and a lot of effort goes in to lessons and club fitting (correctly) and course management tends to be forgotten.

All well and good if you are a low handicap golfer and can hit every iron and wood out of the centre and know how far they travel.
If you are a high HC golfer, just go hit it and enjoy it

IK09

Ive been back playing golf for all of 3 weeks but it seems to me that its really hard to comment on course management.

I can see why the "safe" approach would be best for some people. I love the feel of the higher irons 7-P. So for me I would have no problem laying it up to a spot where my game is stronger.

I can also see why someone else would try and go straight for the green, maybe theyre not comfortable chipping and maybe they are excellent with a putter.

In my probably oversimplified and under informed opinion, its difficult to judge someones course management without taking into account their specific game.

PARlance

Try not to hit it into trouble and if you do, just make sure you get it out.

spacecoyote

PARlance wrote: »

Try not to hit it into trouble and if you do, just make sure you get it out.

I like that, its crude, but actually fairly sensible.

I don't know that I agree with the comment around, if your handicap is high, just switch the brain off & swing at everything. On the 1 day in 20 when everything clicks, maybe you have a great round. But on the other 19 days, you'll just end up getting angry & frustrated. I think people enjoy golf more when they're playing & scoring well. And I think that using a bit more strategy will end up with improved scores, and as a result, more enjoyment of their golf.

I think at the higher handicap level (18 & up), a sensible approach is to try make sure that you are on the green in one less than par. You have at least one shot of every hole, so on in 1 under par means a 2-putt is 2 points in a stableford comp. If the odd 1-putt drops, you end up with a 3-pointer.

Before someone takes it too literally & says I'm suggesting someone doesn't go for the green on a par 3 off the tee, or not take on a green on a par 4 if they're in the middle of the fairway with a short iron in their hand, etc... I'm not suggesting that. I'm suggesting that if you can, as PARlance eloquently put it, make sure you get out of trouble, and give yourself a chance of getting on the green with your next shot, then, I think, on average, your scores will improve.

When I took up golf I would have taken a more direct, have a lash at it, approach. Back then my handicap was higher (started at 22) and found that I when I switched my strategy I started to consistently hit buffers & pick up cuts.

Now, I am trying to be much more conscious of my strategy when I play. Though the targets have probably shifted. If I find myself in trouble, I might still employ the target of getting on in one under par for the hole, and trying to at worst make a bogey. But that is more a reactive strategy. My strategy now is more to try reduce my chances of finding trouble hitting balls in to greens, so I tend to not take on sucker-pins, take my distance to the back-side of the green, and my line at the centre of the green. I'll play more aggressively with targets with a wedge in my hand.

I also try to leave myself a club in to greens that I'm happy with on holes, like trying to leave a full wedge in on approach to a par 5, rather than leave a 70-80yrd pitch.

I think I had a pro say it at a lesson something along the lines of playing with an approach that his conservatively aggressive. In essence, play your golf with conservative targets, but hit aggressive shots at those targets (I'm paraphrasing a lot there, but hopefully it makes sense as a concept)

slingerz

etxp wrote: »

My course management is terrible and its something I need to improve on.

An issue I have is I only hit my 3 wood 210/220 which on a long tight (440ish yards) par 4 leaves me trying to hit a hard 3 wood to get on in 2. so I usually go with the driver. My home course doesn't have any tress and is a an open enough links so I don't have to think much about course management but when I play other courses it kills me.

I think an issue with a lot of the higher handicapped golfers I see is the don't know how far they hit there clubs. taking irons for par3's they cant reach with their driver etc.

What are you playing off? I would think it may be the case where you are probably not meant to be able to get on in 2 in that case.

DuckSlice

slingerz wrote: »

What are you playing off? I would think it may be the case where you are probably not meant to be able to get on in 2 in that case.

I play off 10. Lowest i have been is 9. I compensate for my lack of distance in a good short game.

slingerz

etxp wrote: »

I play off 10. Lowest i have been is 9. I compensate for my lack of distance in a good short game.

Well with a good short game a more prudent approach would be to lay up short in two and look to get up and down for par?

DuckSlice

slingerz wrote: »

Well with a good short game a more prudent approach would be to lay up short in two and look to get up and down for par?

that probably would be the best approach. certainly would mean more chance of being in a decent spot for my 2nd shot on a tight long par4.

Barnseire

I played in our club fourball a couple of years ago with a friend off 17. I was off 7 at the time. As we played he was asking advice which I freely gave. It's funny we thought about our own course in very different ways. With his game, I was always thinking about where would leave him the easiest next shots, whereas he was looking at pins and trying to get straight at them. We won the comp and his handicap came down to 14 over the course of he year :-). Course management is different for different players withe different abilities.

billy3sheets

There's a lot to course management besides the go-for-the-green scenarios. There's a lot can be learned from snooker players attitude of always thinking 1 or 2 shots ahead.
What will my next shot be?

How does 300 yds break down - 2 x 7 irons, 6 iron & 9 iron, 5-wood/wedge? Combinations will be different for players of different abilities, even for same player on different holes/courses/competitions or how their currrent form is.

I think the important thing is, and the point the OP is making, is think about it, consider your options, don't just grab the biggest club always.

mike12

I think a lot of golfers overestimate their ability to hit a shorter club off the tee and be on the fairway.

Often all that will happen is they are in trouble just further from the green.

The lay up and try and make par should be lay up and make bogie the best players in the world only get up and down 50% of the time, for a 18 handicapper he will make bogie most of the time.

TitianGerm

If I think my way around the course I do much better. There's holes I know I can give myself a birdie attempt and make par otherwise, then there's others I'll happily take a bogey.

I'm off 18 and don't hit the ball very far. From 100-110 I can usually hit the ball fairly close.

For example

First Par 3 in Bunclody is a 3 wood for me off the whites so I'd usually hit short of the green and left so I don't end up in the water. Gives me a short chip up the green and a decent chance to make par. If I go at the green I'm bringing the water into play and would be unlikely to make bogey if I do end up in the drink. The risk v reward isn't worth it.

The 6th is similar, I hit 3 wood off the tee to get to the corner and 110-120 into the green. Would be disappointed walking off unless I made par.

On the 9th I'd hit 5 wood (iron if a strong wind helping) to leave myself 100 to the green. If I hit driver I'm risking missing the fairway as the rough tightens up around where I'd land my driver and even if I hit the fairway I'm leaving myself a distance I'm just not comfortable with.

Saying that I'm still struggling to hit 36 points but that's more consistency as I'm not playing often enough at the moment.

kippy

GolfNut33 wrote: »

This topic really gets me going.


I would consider myself fairly decent at course management but the amount of lads I see making horrendous decisions on the course is incredible. For example; I was playing along side a 18 HC last Sunday. Playing a longish par 4 (think 410 yrds) slightly uphill with a pond in front of the green. He hit a poor enough drive and he had about 200 yrds to the green and about 180 to carry the water. He took out a 3 wood and proceeded to plonk it straight in to the drink. I would have guessed it was a 1 in 20 shot to get it on the green. He proceeded to scratch the hole. A simple lay up would have almost ensured he'd get maybe 2 points but at least 1.

I have multiple examples of this kinda of thing, even know a low HC lad who is equally as bad at plotting his way around the course, goes for every Par 5 in two and goes for every pin no matter where it is and only to miss out on wining sometimes by a few points/strokes and wonders why he can never get over the finish line.

Golfers spend huge money on equipment and lessons to gain a shot or two improvement but neglect possibly the easiest way to improve their score through course management.

Thats all well and good lad, but there are plenty "golfers" who get out on the rare occassion and who are still learning those lessons and learning about golf as they play. The social golfer who simply cannot commit the time needed to improve at the levels that some who play and practice often can.
Each to their own, some folks are happy to get out and enjoy the company/peace without being too worried about the prizes if worried at all.

Mantis Toboggan

kippy wrote: »

Thats all well and good lad, but there are plenty "golfers" who get out on the rare occassion and who are still learning those lessons and learning about golf as they play. The social golfer who simply cannot commit the time needed to improve at the levels that some who play and practice often can.
Each to their own, some folks are happy to get out and enjoy the company/peace without being too worried about the prizes if worried at all.

Ok but if you don't have time to practice and you're looking to improve then surely the quickest way to improve would be through better course management. Bit of strategy and stop going for the hero shot definitely improved me.

megabomberman

Mantis Toboggan wrote: »

Ok but if you don't have time to practice and you're looking to improve then surely the quickest way to improve would be through better course management. Bit of strategy and stop going for the hero shot definitely improved me.

Exactly, any high handicapper who has played a fourball next to an experienced golfer who helps them pick their way around a course knows that course management can reap instant rewards. Hundreds of reps on the range not required.

GreeBo

kippy wrote: »

Thats all well and good lad, but there are plenty "golfers" who get out on the rare occassion and who are still learning those lessons and learning about golf as they play. The social golfer who simply cannot commit the time needed to improve at the levels that some who play and practice often can.
Each to their own, some folks are happy to get out and enjoy the company/peace without being too worried about the prizes if worried at all.

Arguably the worse you are the more important good course management is.

Sure it can be more fun to just go for everything, but it rarely results in a good score for 18 holes and returning a cricket score is just not fun, at least not for me!

kippy

GreeBo wrote: »

Arguably the worse you are the more important good course management is.

Sure it can be more fun to just go for everything, but it rarely results in a good score for 18 holes and returning a cricket score is just not fun, at least not for me!

Course management only works when you are comfortable with knowing your distances and being comfortable cycling through your clubs and being confident of getting a clean hit on the ball in the right direction. Those all come with practice, lots of practice......

megabomberman

kippy wrote: »

Course management only works when you are comfortable with knowing your distances and being comfortable cycling through your clubs and being confident of getting a clean hit on the ball in the right direction. Those all come with practice, lots of practice......

Course management isn't just for tour pros. Do think that an 18 handicapper would score better on average with Steve Williams selecting their club and shots or a complete novice?

Mantis Toboggan

Watched a good video this morning on YouTube, OMP was on golf vlogs. The episode was about breaking 90 easily by taking all the trouble out. OMP is 78 and his drives go no more than 160 metres. Would apply more to high handicappers but it shows that with a little bit of thought it makes the game that bit easier.

The Tetrarch

I don't play now but decades ago when I was in my teens we played a links course in the west of Ireland every day of our month long holiday there.
For a few years my uncle, handicap 5, holidayed there.
With the balls and equipment in those days a 200 yard drive was better than average.
I remember he always played a 400 yard par 4 with an easy driver off the tee, a 4 iron to about fifty yards in front of the green, then a short iron to at most ten feet from the pin. He always scored 4 or 5.
The rest of us sliced into the rough, hacked our way down the hole, and scored 6, 7, or 8.
After a while you absorbed his thinking, assessing the situation from where you were, planning the shots.

Golfhead65

Mantis Toboggan wrote: »

Watched a good video this morning on YouTube, OMP was on golf vlogs. The episode was about breaking 90 easily by taking all the trouble out. OMP is 78 and his drives go no more than 160 metres. Would apply more to high handicappers but it shows that with a little bit of thought it makes the game that bit easier.

Brilliant videos, I'm subscribed to Golf blogs uk and omp is originally from Ireland and played off 2 back in the day and in an interview he said that Newlands is his favourite all time course

kippy

The Tetrarch wrote: »

I don't play now but decades ago when I was in my teens we played a links course in the west of Ireland every day of our month long holiday there.
For a few years my uncle, handicap 5, holidayed there.
With the balls and equipment in those days a 200 yard drive was better than average.
I remember he always played a 400 yard par 4 with an easy driver off the tee, a 4 iron to about fifty yards in front of the green, then a short iron to at most ten feet from the pin. He always scored 4 or 5.
The rest of us sliced into the rough, hacked our way down the hole, and scored 6, 7, or 8.
After a while you absorbed his thinking, assessing the situation from where you were, planning the shots.

Is that course management or being able to hit the ball well?

GreeBo

kippy wrote: »

Course management only works when you are comfortable with knowing your distances and being comfortable cycling through your clubs and being confident of getting a clean hit on the ball in the right direction. Those all come with practice, lots of practice......

You don't need to have that detail to have good course management, it just makes it easier to score better.
You also don't need to have a clean hit... course management is independent of that.
In fact it's there to give you a better chance of shooting your best score when you are playing badly.

Seve OB

played a game the other day, par 5, I got a good drive away and left myself about 215 to the pin, bunkers short and right of a small green, pin tucked away . clever shot was to lay up short of the bunkers about 70 yards out and chip in from there.
so I took out a 4 iron and went for it. stuck it to 12 foot. missed the eagle by an inch but a tap in birdie.
some of you guys would have had me playing course management shots where I would have been lucky to make par and bringing bogey into play. by taking on the shot I was not making things any worse for myself, sure I could have ended up in a bunker, but isn't that what a sand wedge is for

TitianGerm

Seve OB wrote: »

played a game the other day, par 5, I got a good drive away and left myself about 215 to the pin, bunkers short and right of a small green, pin tucked away . clever shot was to lay up short of the bunkers about 70 yards out and chip in from there.
so I took out a 4 iron and went for it. stuck it to 12 foot. missed the eagle by an inch but a tap in birdie.
some of you guys would have had me playing course management shots where I would have been lucky to make par and bringing bogey into play. by taking on the shot I was not making things any worse for myself, sure I could have ended up in a bunker, but isn't that what a sand wedge is for

What do you play off though?

Seve OB

TitianGerm wrote: »

What do you play off though?

12

Mantis Toboggan

Seve OB wrote: »

12

Thread is more aimed at the high handicappers who are struggling to lower their handicap. That 215 yard shot they might only hit the green 1 time out of 10 and the other times land them in all sorts of trouble and walk off with double bogey.

TitianGerm

Seve OB wrote: »

12

I'd expect a 12 handicapper to be much more consistent in their shots than someone off 18 though. The correct shot for you may very well have been to go for the green in two especially if you've no shot there.

Now the 18 player my not be able to hit a 4 iron 210 and will have to hit a 5/3 wood. This makes the shot a bit harder. The correct shot for the higher player, especially if they are not confident in the club/distance, is to lay up to 100 and take the bunkers out of play. Up and down from there will give them 4 points or on and two puts will give them 3 points.

If they go for it with the 3 wood then they may catch the bunker and then will be giving themselves a tougher shot to get up and down for their birdie than if they were in the middle of the fairway.

I hit my 4 iron no more than 170. If it was me I'd hit the 100 as my bad shot is to leak the ball to the right (can be a slice but have almost gotten rid of that now). I'm fairly confident of hitting the ball within 10 feet from that distance and would be very confident of not having more than two putts from there.

If there's no trouble to the left of the green I may hit the 3 wood up there depending on pin position and how much green I have to work with when chipping.

Keano

Seve OB wrote: »

played a game the other day, par 5, I got a good drive away and left myself about 215 to the pin, bunkers short and right of a small green, pin tucked away . clever shot was to lay up short of the bunkers about 70 yards out and chip in from there.
so I took out a 4 iron and went for it. stuck it to 12 foot. missed the eagle by an inch but a tap in birdie.
some of you guys would have had me playing course management shots where I would have been lucky to make par and bringing bogey into play. by taking on the shot I was not making things any worse for myself, sure I could have ended up in a bunker, but isn't that what a sand wedge is for

That's only one hole though How was the rest of the round?

pakman

Mantis Toboggan wrote: »

Thread is more aimed at the high handicappers who are struggling to lower their handicap. That 215 yard shot they might only hit the green 1 time out of 10 and the other times land them in all sorts of trouble and walk off with double bogey.

I had this exact situation in Captains Prize yesterday in Kilcock. Out with a new driver and hit one 290 with strong wind behind on par 5 5th. Had 210 to hole with tree in middle and water on left.

Thinking about course management I layed up but hit it too well and got in trouble. chipped over water into far bunker, two out of the bunker with second going back into the £$%ing water. chip back from where i started and ended with a 10 to end any chances and due to bad course management when I thought I was being conservative. Should have gone wedge wedge but took an 8 after seeing the great drive and wanting to build on it. It was still the right call not to go for the 210 yard shot though.

This kind of thing went on to happen all round with new driver giving me distance I'd never had before. Played a whole different course as a result and didn't know what I was doing. Suddenly hitting half shots rather than full which I am awful at. Some short and some long with no confidence standing over the ball.

If I had been smart I would have stopped and taken 7 iron and wedge instead of hitting a 5 and then trying to finesse it. That way I would have had full shots and been in places I was familiar with on the course.

For me course management is just finding your way around where you have a club in your hand you know you can hit and in places that are safe enough. I've only really started doing it recently and dropped 3.6 shots in past two months almost completely due to it. It also the thing that kills my boards performances the most too as I don't take time to read the course. That and I am cr*p a lot of the time

DuckSlice

pakman wrote: »

I had this exact situation in Captains Prize yesterday in Kilcock. Out with a new driver and hit one 290 with strong wind behind on par 5 5th. Had 210 to hole with tree in middle and water on left.

Thinking about course management I layed up but hit it too well and got in trouble. chipped over water into far bunker, two out of the bunker with second going back into the £$%ing water. chip back from where i started and ended with a 10 to end any chances and due to bad course management when I thought I was being conservative. Should have gone wedge wedge but took an 8 after seeing the great drive and wanting to build on it. It was still the right call not to go for the 210 yard shot though.

This kind of thing went on to happen all round with new driver giving me distance I'd never had before. Played a whole different course as a result and didn't know what I was doing. Suddenly hitting half shots rather than full which I am awful at. Some short and some long with no confidence standing over the ball.

If I had been smart I would have stopped and taken 7 iron and wedge instead of hitting a 5 and then trying to finesse it. That way I would have had full shots and been in places I was familiar with on the course.

For me course management is just finding your way around where you have a club in your hand you know you can hit and in places that are safe enough. I've only really started doing it recently and dropped 3.6 shots in past two months almost completely due to it. It also the thing that kills my boards performances the most too as I don't take time to read the course. That and I am cr*p a lot of the time

How can you say it was the right call not too go for the shot? You didn't go for it and had a disaster, would you have been much worse if you went for it?

edit - off topic, which driver did you go for?

Mantis Toboggan

pakman wrote: »

I had this exact situation in Captains Prize yesterday in Kilcock. Out with a new driver and hit one 290 with strong wind behind on par 5 5th. Had 210 to hole with tree in middle and water on left.

Thinking about course management I layed up but hit it too well and got in trouble. chipped over water into far bunker, two out of the bunker with second going back into the £$%ing water. chip back from where i started and ended with a 10 to end any chances and due to bad course management when I thought I was being conservative. Should have gone wedge wedge but took an 8 after seeing the great drive and wanting to build on it. It was still the right call not to go for the 210 yard shot though.

This kind of thing went on to happen all round with new driver giving me distance I'd never had before. Played a whole different course as a result and didn't know what I was doing. Suddenly hitting half shots rather than full which I am awful at. Some short and some long with no confidence standing over the ball.

If I had been smart I would have stopped and taken 7 iron and wedge instead of hitting a 5 and then trying to finesse it. That way I would have had full shots and been in places I was familiar with on the course.

For me course management is just finding your way around where you have a club in your hand you know you can hit and in places that are safe enough. I've only really started doing it recently and dropped 3.6 shots in past two months almost completely due to it. It also the thing that kills my boards performances the most too as I don't take time to read the course. That and I am cr*p a lot of the time

Yeah laying up was probably the right choice here if you didn't think you could hit the green more often than not. laying up will still give you 2 putts for 3 points. laying up should also in theory get you closer to the flag. This strategy over the season will reward you more until you get confident of finding your target from 215.

Here's the problem with laying up though which you encountered the weekend. It's a harder shot than it looks, firstly people get too casual and don't concentrate as much as a normal shot and secondly, like you after a good drive it kills them to not go for it so they end up being greedy and try to lay up as close to the hazard as possible to eek out every yard, generally the wrong club gets picked and a couple of bad bounces later it's in the drink and then you're cursing yourself for not going for it. Happens us all.