“Judging
distance and picking the right club for the shot are prerequisites for scoring
your best.” – Tom Watson. I don’t struggle too much with judging distance and
there are apps for your smart phone now that can actually tell you your
distance to the hole. Swing by Swing
golf has one that is pretty accurate. Apps like that do eat up your battery
though so you have to be selective or bring a charging device. To score well
you need to know how far you hit each club under normal conditions. Either keep
a journal or record it on an app. Under clubbing when the air is damp, hitting
into a strong headwind and shooting at a raised green, are common problems for
those of us who are not scratch golfers. In these situations you should go one,
maybe two clubs stronger. Choosing where you want the ball to go if you hit it
bad may also affect your club choice. Go with what you know you can do.
Learn
to think your way strategically around a golf course. To play strategically Tom
stresses three dimensions to attacking each whole whether par 3, 4 or 5. You
need to understand your personal capabilities, you have to understand the
trouble spots of the course, and you need to play every shot with the next shot
in mind. I think I fear par three’s more than par fives sometimes because it
seems like I need to be so accurate. What Watson’s stresses is that on par 3
holes there is usually a safe part and a fat part of the green. The safe part
may be smaller and include a little rough but that is where you want to try to
play the ball. Play for the safe part that avoids the water and sand. For par
4’s and par 5’s you should angle for the next shot. Stay away from danger. Give
yourself a chance to attach the pin. Remember, this is where it is a thinking
man’s game.
Finally,
Tom says that laying up to a pro golfer is a science. He uses the illustration
of laying up like a pool player. The bottom line is to always plan ahead and
leave your self in a good position for the next shot. He gives these four tips
for laying up. Lay up to your favorite club. Lay up so you can shoot up the
slope of the green. Lay up to a flat lie. Lay up to a full shot. The idea is to
give your self the best chance to score.
Learning
to think my way around a golf course and plan what I want to do can make a
round of golf much more enjoyable. Remembering to choose the right club for the
distance, give myself a chance to attach each kind of par and to lay up like a
pool player helps me enjoy this wonderful game of golf. I think they can help
you too.
