Writing about golf strategy is unusual. I can’t fathom the cause of this. Sure, “Add 20 yards to your drive in 2 weeks” is a hot topic, but this sounds dull in comparison. Please open the door for me!
Although it may not sound exciting, planning for your next practice round will help you save a lot of strokes and give you clear goals to strive towards.
You can hear golfers recount their worst mistakes in excruciating detail at the “19th hole” of any course. That one terrible shot cost me an otherwise excellent round. Remember that! This is what I call the “if only” disorder.
Don’t believe the myth that high-handicap golfers are the only ones who experience this. Recently, at least two significant championships have collapsed on the 18th hole, although it affects golfers of all skill levels.
Avoiding unnecessary strokes in golf requires a strategy considering the player’s present skill level and the course’s complexity.
This is a remark I’d like to make to advance our conversation about possible strategies. Inability is not the cause of strokes lost throughout a round; instead, “poor judgment” is to blame.
I’ll illustrate with an example. You are in light rough 245 yards from the green. Your next shot: how would you play it?
Due to the considerable distance to the hole, most players would immediately go for a 3-wood or 5-wood and attempt to hit the ball. Those of you who can salvage a par from here are rare. There is a strong probability of landing in a trap or hazard close to the green, even if you have the necessary length.
This distance is at least a 2-stroke minimum for most golfers. However, most golfers would play the situation the same way and try to hit the ball as far as possible, regardless of their skill level. Let’s examine the probabilities for golfers of varying abilities:
Partial Handicappers:
First, you’re on the green in one shot using wood, a feat only a few golfers can claim.
You’ll likely be short of the green or in a green-side bunker with the wood, requiring a bunker shot or chip shot to get on in two strokes.
Handicappers Ages 10 to 18
One possible situation involves using wood 40-65 yards from the green.
Likely Scenario: Wood in rough short of green; Approach Shot Missed from 40 to 65 Yards; On in Three Shots from Chipping Area or Bunker.
The Handicappers Over 19!
Statistically, you’ll probably hit a 3-wood poorly and lose 50 yards, whack another 3-wood into light rough or a bunker on the green, then miss the bunker shot or the chip and be done in 4 at the earliest and five at the latest.
When golfers are faced with a 245-yard hole, few are prepared. They can deal with anything that comes their way because they take life as it comes.
Skilled golfers don’t need a game plan since they can pull off various shots when faced with challenges. Reaching that level of mastery requires countless hours of practice. However, most people can only practice for one hour per week because of other obligations, such as work or family.
If you fall into the second group, accept that you have skill constraints. If you don’t feel completely prepared for every eventuality, you need a plan that matches your strengths. Using “poor judgment” means you tried to make a shot you don’t know how to make. That’s what completely ruins your grades.
Approach shot preparation is a good starting point. From the tee to the green, this is the most crucial golf stroke.
This shot requires careful planning and execution. It would be best to put the ball in a favorable fairway position to increase your chances of a successful trial. The only way to give yourself an option is to play from the fairway; therefore, coming out of the rough or lugging hazards or bunkers to the green is not an example.
To stimulate your golfing imagination, consider the following scenario:
1) Commit to using only one of the following two methods for approaching each green:
a. A pitching wedge approach shot from 50 to 80 yards.
Or:
b) a 135-145 yard shot with a seven iron as a medium approach.
2) From now on, you’ll use your range time to work exclusively with these two clubs.
3) Aim for a string of five consecutive shots where you hit the objective inside 25 feet with each club. If you fail to reach the goal before the count reaches 5, begin counting from the beginning.
The accuracy objective should be increased to 20 feet if you have mastered both shoots to within 25 feet of perfection.
What can you accomplish if you adopt these techniques and acquire the necessary specialized abilities?
1) Instead of spending your time practicing every club in your bag, you have zeroed in on the handful that will help you make birdies and other high-scoring shots.
2) If you can use one of these methods to reach the green reliably, you won’t need a solid short game as much.
You’ll lessen your odds of making a 3 or 4 putt if you can aim for the hole from within 25 feet.
4) Since you are not aiming for distance but rather to get the ball on the fairway within acceptable approach shot range and in a position that opens up the green, you can avoid the stress of utilizing long. These challenging clubs have a high probability of failure.
With these plans in mind, let’s take a look at how our golfers would have fared from a distance of 245 yards:
Bettors with a Handicap of 0-9:
These dudes are competent enough to reach the green in two status quo.
Bettors aged 10-18:
165-170 yards. Your approach shot should be a 6 or 5 iron onto an open section of the fairway. A short course of 75-80 yards to within 25 feet of the hole is possible.
One blow could be avoided with reasonable certainty.
High Handicappers (19 and Up)
The 7-iron shot from the light rough to the fairway was 120 yards. 7-iron from 125 yards out, without bunkers to worry about.
There is a big chance that you can save two or three strokes.
Avoiding those unnecessary strokes requires only a small amount of logic. You may stop having “if only” chats with your friends in the bar after your round if you take the time to formulate a plan and use it to guide your practice sessions.
Keep a level head, and may your points rise!
Highlander LLC School of Golf Director and author of the new e-book “Breaking the Distance Barrier” is Les Ross. You can learn more about his engineering-based golf swing and strategic ideas by picking up a copy of the book, which can be had at
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