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Golf Course Strategy Tips
Helpful Tips for On Course Strategy
By Eddie Kilthau, PGA Member
Teeing Up Your Ball
Tee your ball up on the side of the trouble. If there is a lake down the right hand side of the fairway, tee your ball up on the extreme right side of the tee. When you do that, you open up the whole left side of the hole to your vision and it will visually steer you “away” from the trouble. If there is no trouble on either side of the hole, tee it up wherever the flattest spot is on the tee box.
Tee Height
Individual preferance. It is the only chance you get during the round of golf to put it on a peg and take a free swipe at it, so don’t miss that chance. Tee it high and let it fly!
Club Selection
Perhaps the biggest problem area we see with golfers. Golfers tend to think they hit the ball much farther than they actually do. Be realistic. We like to instruct golfers to take the correct club to hit the shot with. If there are bunkers or trouble in front of the green, take one more club than you normally would and hit it. Get the ball up onto the green, even if you don’t hit that perfect shot.
Don’t play for the perfect shot…..chances are slim you’ll ever hit one! (Be realistic).
You are allowed 14 clubs in your bag, use the one that you know can comfortably get you to the green. And if the pin is in the back of the green, take the club that will get you to the back of the green. Don’t try to be a hero, take the club that will do the job for you.
Wind:
No hard and fast rule as to how much the wind plays a factor.
Generally speaking, 0-10 mph wind = ½ club more
10-15 mph wind = 1 club more
15-25 mph wind = 2 clubs more
Reverse that for downwind shots. However, the wind will actually knock the ball down when hitting downwind, so allow for that. Do not try to lift the ball up into the air. If you are on the teebox and can tee it really high, then great.
Decision Time
Out on the course, we are faced with decisions every hole. Here is our Rule of Thumb when you are faced with a question about whether or not you should try to hit a particular shot or not: If you are at least 80% positive and confidently sure you can pull it off, go for it. If you have any doubts, don’t do it.
It’s all about saving shots! There are many times when we want to try to hit our new hybrid over that ravine, afterall, it’s only 165 yards to clear it………but you say you hit that club 175 when you hit it good. Please feel really confident you can do it, otherwise, you’d be better off hitting two 9 irons…one to lay up and one to knock it in the middle of the green, take 2 putts and a bogey and be happy. If you don’t pull it off, your looking at penalty shots and at least a double bogey or worse. Sometimes we need to play smart golf, but if your pride gets in the way, your score just might go up.
Play to Your Strengths
Most golfers only have one gear…full swing! But, sometimes it helps to tone it down a little, stay in control and play to your strength. If you are not very good with a wedge from say 80 yards, but are on a par 5, hitting your second shot and if you hit the 3 wood good, you’ll lay it up about 80 yards away for your third shot. Bad idea…not a strenght. Instead, why not lay up to 100 yards where you can hit a fuller shot and feel more comfortable with knocking it in the center of the green.
If You Are Going to Lay Up
LAY UP!! Do not try to get it up there as close as you can to whatever it is you are trying to lay up short of! Lay it up and make sure you only take one stroke.
Short Game Importance
We cannot stress the importance of this. Most golfers lose most of their shots in a round of golf around the greens…..aka chipping and putting. We’ll also throw pitching and sand play in there to complete the “short game”.
THE FASTEST WAY TO LOWER YOUR SCORES IS TO WORK ON YOUR SHORT GAME.
Get better at hitting the fundamental shot in each category and learn it correctly. Then, practice it. And then practice your short game more than you do your long game and we bet your scores will come down.
CALL FOR YOUR LESSON TODAY: 602-305-7755 ext: 119.
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Eddie Kilthau, PGA Member
ekilthau@vistalgolfclub.com
www.victorygolfworks.com