The Ten Commandments of Golf Course Strategy
Golf course strategy is a proven way to lower your score while having more fun on the course, but is it really the key to a better game? Sure, hitting the ball farther than the rest of your foursome is fun for the ego. But if your approach lands hard on the green then darts into the shortside bunker, what good is a 300 yard carry? Consider this great golf quote from the legendary Jack Nicklaus:
“A perfectly straight shot with a big club is a fluke.”
Low handicappers know that golf course strategy is understanding how to get around the course by any means necessary, even if it means taking some distance off when the layout demands control or accuracy.
Of course it’s not that simple. Even the best strategy is threatened by errant swings and bad luck. But with practice, study, and repetition, you can see great results by mastering the inner game of golf. So in this blog, we’re sharing the ten commandments of golf course strategy so you can have more fun and better scores.
Not exactly the word of God, but honor these ten rules and get your game closer to the heavens.
Golf Course Strategy Commandment #1: Know Thy Distance
Is there a worse feeling than hitting it flush, only to watch your ball fly 15 yards over the green? Distance control is the first element of golf course strategy to master. So next time you hit the range, don’t spend all your time bombing drives and grooving 7 irons. Work your way through your bag, picking targets and measuring distances while you go.
You don’t have to be scientific; the goal is to develop a feel for the range of each club in your bag, from your loftiest wedge to your meatiest driver. Knowing your club’s distance within 5 or 10 yards gives you an instinct for what club to play and when to play it. And that’s when you can start thinking about our second commandment.
Golf Course Strategy Commandment #2: Know Thy Self
If you only remember the best shots from your range outing, you'll ignore your tendency to hit your 5 iron a little thin, or forget that not even God can hit the driving iron you stubbornly keep in your bag. So as you measure your distance during those range sessions, pay attention to things like your ball flight, carry, and roll.
Whether you have a natural fade or tend to hit a draw, your swing characteristics amplify when the pressure is on. Knowing your game can help you perform in all weather conditions too, and you’ll start to see the course much differently. If you approach a green with a pin tucked into the right corner, playing a shot that favors your fade gives you an easier chance of getting up and down than going directly at the flag, missing right, and short-siding yourself.
If you don’t know your natural shot shape or other range tendencies, check with your pro or local driving range. More and more ranges these days are equipped with launch angle monitors and ball flight trackers, but if your favorite practice range isn’t technically enabled, you can find a variety of affordable range finders on Amazon. If your range doesn’t have the tech, plan a trip out to Top Golf and use their innovative technology.
Golf Course Strategy Commandment #3: Know Thy Short Game
Sharp golfers are fond of saying “drive for show, putt for dough” and for good reason. Players with a strong short game have more confidence about getting up and down even if they don’t drive it particularly long or even that accurately.
Approach shots can make or break your round. A big mistake mid to high handicappers make is shooting for the pin. If it’s in the back, a common miss is carrying the green, leaving a challenging chip and putt. Be smart in these situations and look for higher percentage plays. Long uphill putts are easier than shorter ones with a lot of break, and it’s usually easier to play from below the hole than above it. An easy uphill chip with a lot of green to work with is always easier than blasting out of a greenside bunker. And if you can get confident on mid-range putts (something that a DIY indoor putting green can help with), that makes your short game strategy a lot less stressful, as you don’t have to be so precise to get the ball within tap-in range.
Oftentimes, the best strategy is to ignore the flag entirely and shoot for the middle. Not only is this easier to visualize, but you’ll find that by giving yourself more margin for error, you’ll end up closer to the pin. Who actually hits it exactly where they aim, anyways? This is especially true if you know your standard ball flight and wind direction.
Commandment #4: Know Thy Bag
Everyone has a club or two in their bag they just can’t hit. Maybe it’s a hybrid or a middle iron, but they’re in there and continuing to hit them while expecting a different result is the definition of golf insanity. On the other hand, you have your favorite clubs that give you a sense of confidence when you stand over the ball. With few exceptions, sacrificing distance for more control is a winning strategy.
So play to your strengths and put yourself in position to hit shots you like, rather than shots that make you weak at the knees. Hitting a full, confident wedge from 120 yards out can be a better play than a 50 yard half swing, so keep that in mind when you’re standing on the tee box. The same goes for your second shot on a par 5. By all means, playing the hero shot in pursuit of the elusive eagle is what makes golf fun. But if it requires you to stroke that pesky hybrid, maybe you’re better off playing a more comfortable middle iron and giving yourself a better chance at birdie. And who knows? You might just hole it out for eagle after all.
Golf is a game of comfort and confidence. If you’re having a great day, swing for the fences. But if you’re grinding over every last shot, keeping yourself in the hole is a great way to stay in the round. You’ll still have a lot of fun, but it might be delayed until you tally up your final score.
Commandment #5: Help Thy Self
Golf is not a game of perfection. It is simply impossible to hit every shot exactly the way you intend to hit it. In reality, very few of your shots will be on target, and in golf even the pros don’t hit directly at every pin. Low handicappers know that a ball below their feet will naturally go right, so they’ll overcorrect to the left and hit a more confident swing.
Take the pressure off yourself by learning where you miss, and which shots tend to give you the most trouble. Play both your strengths and your weaknesses, and you’ll increase your chances of keeping high numbers off the card while simultaneously giving yourself more scoring opportunities.
Once you internalize the reality that most shots you hit aren’t going exactly where you want them, the course will open itself to you. Have a shot that stresses you out? Play something different. Learn how to choke down and flatten out a middle iron, then watch your ball roll forever down the middle of the fairway while your playing partners slice their 3 iron into the woods.
Staying out of trouble is a key element of golf course strategy.
Staring down a long par 3 with trouble all around the green? Check your hole-in-one dreams and aim for the dead center, or even better the front edge of the green. Most par 3s are sucker pins anyways and a bogey isn’t the worst score you can make. Then when you’re around the green, putt everything you can and take the chunk completely out of the equation.
Knowing your game is key to helping your game, and the fastest way to unlock consistently better golf.
Commandment #6: Get Thee Self into Scoring Position
Many golfers think getting in scoring position means hitting it as far as they can, as straight as they can, and as close to the hole as possible. This “bomb and gouge” style of golf may arguably work for professionals like Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas, but it’s unlikely to work for you.
In fact, golf doesn't always mean trying to get as close to the hole as possible. If you know you're less accurate within 75 yards than when you're out at 110, plan the hole to exploit your strengths. Distance means a lot in golf, but not as much as knowing how to use it. While you might feel soft for taking a 3 wood or even a long iron off the tee, keeping high numbers off your card more than makes up for it.
Think about each hole in its entirety, rather than shot by shot. This helps you create a strategy for getting from tee to green, rather than gripping it, ripping it, and then going to find it. Say you’re playing a long par 5 with a big dogleg right. It might be tempting to carve one around the bend, and wouldn’t it be a beaut if you pulled it off? But the margin for error is small, and is the high risk of getting into trouble worth the modest reward of 10-15 extra yards when you still can’t reach in two? The heady golfer clubs down to position themselves for their next shot and reduces the probability of the big miss.
Commandment #7: Read Thy Scorecard
The scorecard is a wealth of information for smart golfers, especially when playing unfamiliar courses. Hole distances, handicaps, and course layout illustrations are key for golf course strategy. Take a minute to review the information for each hole and map out a strategy for getting from tee to green in a smart way. Note the handicap as well; the lower the number, the harder the hole.
You’ve still got to execute of course, but golf is a mind game and you need every advantage you can get. Study the scorecard to see how the average golfer plays a particular hole, and if you see that most people bogey it, don't be hard on yourself if you do too. Knowing where you can lose strokes, or at least where you're expected to lose them, can be mentally empowering on those difficult holes that are currently eating you alive.
If you really want to take it to the next level, ask the pro shop if they have a yardage book for the course. These are usually available for a small fee, but they contain valuable information like driving distances (crucial for club selection on your tee shot), the contours of each green (helpful to understanding whether to play a longer or shorter approach shot), and insight into hidden hazards that might not be visible everywhere on the course. Again, there’s nothing worse than hitting a great shot into a bad place, so scorecards and range books provide information to help you avoid frustrating situations.
Commandment #8: Recognize Thy Badness
As previously mentioned, golf can be a mind game. One bad shot can snowball if you let it, leading to a terrible round and no fun at all. Plan ahead during your course research to strategize ways that will get you back on your feet. If you are struggling with your swing, hit easier shots with comfortable clubs until you find your groove. The last thing you want is for the wheels to come off before you even make the turn, and proper strategy can help you keep it together.
If you've thought about the best and worst case scenarios for every shot, you should already know what you'll need to do in order to get yourself back into scoring position. Don't try to get out of trouble with a risky hero shot, because that's how you get deeper into trouble and further into a slump. Take your medicine; chip out into the fairway where you can take out your favorite iron for a nice, easy full swing. You'll feel better for it, and your score will show it.
Same goes for your bad shots. We all remember the great shots we hit on the driving range, and shrug off the bad ones as flukes. If you know you have a slice and there's a boundary or hazard towards that side of the fairway, line up a few yards in the opposite direction and let your natural tendency bring it back into a playable position.
Commandment #9: Stick to Thy Strategy
Once you know your club distances, course layout, and on-course temperament, you should start studying the intricacies of your game. Practice can make perfect, but only if you're practicing perfectly. Too many golfers hit the range with no intention, raking ball after ball onto the mat and hitting the same swing every time. This might feel good, but it does little for your game.
In fact, hitting fewer shots on the range but with more intention is a far better way to practice. The first thing you might want to establish is a consistent pre-shot routine. You want something you can rely on when the pressure is on, and a repeatable pre-shot routine will free your mind from distractions and help you focus on the shot. This should include picking an aim point and lining up your feet. Keep some alignment rods in your bag and use them to understand where you are hitting the ball, and why (check out the video below, from Michael Breed’s Course Record YouTube Channel. This feedback will help you understand how you play each club in your bag, making on course club selection much easier. Again, the fewer things you have to think about when you’re on the course, the more you can focus on playing smart golf.
One thing range practice can’t prepare you for is the variance of lies you’ll encounter during your round. How does a ball above your feet affect your 8 iron? If it rained yesterday and the ground is still slightly soft, what does that mean for an approach shot? What are the best techniques for hitting out of deep rough, or the super thin stuff around the green? If you don’t have access to top notch practice facilities, take time during casual rounds to practice shots you don’t often see (provided you won’t slow up your group or the overall pace of play).
Commandment #10: Have Thyself Some Fun
Golf is a game that, health willing, you can play forever, and improving your game can be a lifelong pursuit. Whether you practice golf at home or never hit the range at all, keep things in perspective. Golf is a game that cannot be won, and you’re going to have good days and bad, so find a way to enjoy the journey and don’t let frustrations get the better of you. Play golf with people you love. Eat the hot dog and tip the cart girl. Put on some music and take full advantage of every good walk spoiled.
But also, spend some time really thinking about your next round. Imagine yourself teeing up on #1, and think about where the ball is most likely to go. Play the whole round like that, and be honest with yourself. It's not about imagining the perfect round of golf, it's about imagining the most realistic game and turning that into an advantage.
Whatever happens during your round of golf, do not deviate from your plan. Golf is a four-letter-word and some days it really feels like it. Just as with your bad days, you can't make it a good one by hammering the ball into oblivion. Play it smart, and stick to the game plan. And as the great Tiger Woods said,
“No matter how good you get, you can always get better — and that’s the exciting part.”
Not only will the steadfast action of adhering to your golf course strategy keep you focused on the task of actually playing, it can help you cool down when tempers flare or you start down the dark path of a mid-round slump. The strategy in this case is your meditation, your happy place if you will, and your key to unlocking better golf.
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