By Matt Keel
As golfers improve their golf swings, they often have difficulty applying those improvements on the golf course and lowering their scores. These golfers have better swings and ball striking, but their scores are not going down. One of the easiest ways to start shaving strokes off of your score is to implement some basic course management strategies.
To begin, let’s look at your tee shot. You may hit a good drive, but many times be offline and hit into hazards or fairway bunkers. You want to give yourself the best possible chance to hit your tee shot into the fairway. In order to give yourself the best chance for success, tee your ball up on the same side as the hazard. If there is a hazard on the left, tee your ball up on the left side of the tee box. If the hazard is on the right, tee your ball on the right side of the tee box. By teeing the ball up on the same side as the hazard, you are opening up the opposite side of the fairway and taking the hazard out of play as much as possible.
Now that you’re in the fairway, you need to maximize your chances of hitting your approach shot onto the green. In hitting your approach shot, you need to consider how any hazards affect your distance and your direction. First, determine if there is more trouble in the front of the green or behind the green. If there is more trouble in front of the green, select a club that will travel a distance ranging from center green to the back of the green. Selecting that club will help minimize your chances of ending up short and in the hazard. The opposite is true if there is more trouble behind the green. Select a club that will be a distance ranging from the front of the green to the center minimizing the chance of hitting over the green. Next look at the direction you want to hit your approach shot. The simplest concept is to aim more toward the side of the green opposite of the pin. If the pin is on the right, aim left and if the pin is on the left aim to the right. Your number one goal should be to make sure your next shot is a putt. Choosing the correct side of the green instead of always firing at the flag will help to reach that goal.
Last, we want to maximize our chances of holing out the ball in two putts or less. The key to reducing your number of putts is to read the greens correctly for speed. Most golfers focus more on the line rather than the speed. In order to read the green correctly for speed, you should look at the distance of the putt and also whether the putt is uphill or downhill. Once you obtain your distance, adjust your putting stroke for an uphill or downhill slope. Next, take into account the grain of the grass as well. A putt that rolls into the grain will be slower and a putt that runs down the grain will be quicker. The easiest method for determining which direction the grain of the grass runs is to look at the sheen of the putting surface. If the sheen is shiny you are putting with the grain. If the sheen is dull, you are putting into the grain.
Course management is designed to help minimize high numbers during your golf round. By applying an on course strategy you are giving yourself another method to improve. Try to implement these basic course management strategies into you next round of golf and see for yourself if they make a difference.
Matt Keel is the Lead Golf Instructor at Wildfire Golf Club located at the JW Marriott at Desert Ridge. Wildfire Golf Academy is conducting a variety of instructional programs to encourage people of all ages take up the game of golf. Throughout the year, Wildfire Golf Academy will be running programs designed for all ages and skill levels. For more information, contact Matt Keel at Wildfire Golf Academy or email Matt at Mattkeel@pga.com.
