Setting Up the Course for your Game

In talking to many golf club professionals, they all have a plan for pin position to make sure that traffic on the greens and such is somewhat controlled to help maintain the greens throughout the season. So if you were to ask before each round where the pin placements are today, they would most likely be able to tell you - not only whether the pins are near the front or back but exactly how many paces they are from any edge. This is good information which you should log into your Pocket Pro so that you can factor in where you should try to land your ball for the proper approach angle to the green.

This can be a big deal in that on some greens, the angle of the approach can be quite critical depending upon the slope of the green. Even if you come up short, if you have left yourself in a good position to run the ball up, you can still salvage the hole. If you put yourself in the wrong position you could add another stroke or two and as we all know it can add up quickly.

The Tee

Where is the tee box the most level so that I can get a good solid stance? At the same time, where is my target in the fairway? Obviously you want to find a landing spot that is going to give you the flattest lie possible. But you also want to look ahead as to what kind of angle do you want for your next shot to the pin? This will determine from what spot on the tee will give you the best angle to accomplish your goal. Always try to give yourself as much of an opening as possible so that you start to eliminate the stupid mistakes. So does it make more sense to hit from the left or right side?

Does the fairway slant at all and if so what effect is that going to have on the ball?

Again, we are trying to figure out where we want to hit the ball to have it end up with our desired lie and our desired angle to the pin.

One last thing, pay attention to what is between you and your desired landing area. If you hit the shot fat or lose it a bit right or left, where is that going to leave you?

Fairway

Once you are at your second or third shot (depending upon whether the hole is a 4 or 5 par), you have to start considering what is going to happen to the ball once is gets on the green. Remember that the less lofted the club, the more roll you are going to get once the ball hits the green. If you are playing into a hole with a 4 iron and the hole is close the front of the green, you may want to hit short and let the ball roll up. With a 9 iron or wedge, you may be able to fly it to the pin and have the shot check up. But how much spin do you usually get on your short iron shots? That becomes a consideration also.

The Green

Now you have to consider the undulations of each green and what kind of trouble surrounds those green. You are not only concerned about the sand traps but what about the fringe or any significant slants that could take the ball away from the hole. These are all things that should be well noted so that each time you play you are not guessing but that you actually know what is going to happen under different situations and/or conditions.

We are not always going to hit the shots that we want. But by thinking more about what we want to do and/or what angle we want to have we will start the process of getting our minds trained to think strategically and like any mental process, eventually we will begin to see results. If you are only successful two or three times on each side, before you know it you have started to reduce your scores by 6 to 10 strokes per round and that should thrill any golfer.

Remember, you have to first be honest about your particular golf game and your individual skill sets. Don't judge yourself by other golfers. Work from your own game. The more honest you are about your abilities, the better results you will eventually begin to see. You will also be able to more clearly identify those areas where you honestly need to spend some time working on your skills. A perfect example is that most average golfers use up the majority of their strokes around the green - chips coming up short; putts way off line; etc.

Most every average golfer can shave off 3 or 4 strokes a side by just thinking more strategically. Just imagine what that would mean to your handicap. I have actually seen people virtually drop 8 to 10 handicap points over night. The average golfer leaves a lot of "stupid" strokes out on the course every round. Shore up that part of your game and you will be amazed at what happens.