Manage your options

Using simple course management is a sure-fire way to immediately begin to shave strokes off of your score

Philip Leiss is the Head Golf Professional at Ferncroft CC. Phil is a Danvers native and a graduate of Saint Michael’s College.

Golfers spend countless hours practicing and taking lessons. We buy new equipment and read instructional pieces. We do all of this to shave just a few strokes off our score.

Technology and technique are two important aspects of the game, but a critical third is course management. How many times have you gone for the pin when it was tucked next to a water hazard? Or how often do you find yourself trying to hit the ball just a little bit further to clear the corner of a dog leg when you know you don’t have that shot in your bag? How many double bogeys have resulted from notions of eagles?

We have all watched a playing partner over optimistically grab a 3-wood in the fairway with the hope of clearing a water hazard, instead of playing smart and laying up.

Practice and lessons will improve your scores, but you can save a surprising amount of strokes by thinking strategically on the golf course instead of worrying what the position at the top of your backswing looks like.

Course management is the practice of managing “your own” golf game. The first order of business is playing to your strengths and away from your weaknesses. Do you have a superior long game? Do you struggle with middle irons? Is your short game where you feel most comfortable? Once you identify your strengths, use those parts of your game to your advantage.

Secondly, make a fair assessment of how far you actually hit each club in your bag. Be realistic. Armed with this framework you can more easily make decisions on the course.

For example, let’s use three different holes from my home course, Ferncroft Country Club, to demonstrate the different levels of strategy you should use when playing a par-3, par-4 and a par-5.

Playing a Par 3
When playing a par-3 with a green that is surrounded by water hazards - like Ferncroft’s eighth hole – you have to ask yourself, does it make sense to go for the pin? Even if the pin location is on the front left of the green or the back right, it’s probably safest to shoot for the middle of the green and then try and two-putt for par. Sure, there may be a chance that you get it close enough for a birdie, but if you can par the hole take it and move on.

Playing a Par 4
Our 13th hole is 472 yards from the back tees, 460 from the whites and 440 from the front. For many golfers this dog-leg right hole is simply too long to reach in two. If that’s the case for you, admit it to yourself, and try to lay up to a comfortable yardage where you can hit a shot with confidence. If you thrive when you’re 75 yards or so away from the hole, manage your first two shots so you get to that yardage. The alternative is trying to reach the green in two and then being forced to make a tricky shot, or even worse, landing in the hazard with your second shot because you were trying to get on in two. Once again, if you can make a “routine par” - or even a “sacrifice bogey” - take it and move on to the next hole rather than risking a big number.

Playing a Par 5
Our signature par-5, 563-yard (from the back tees) 18th hole presents a classic case where using, or ignoring, course management can make or break your entire round. The tee is elevated and the green is straight ahead, with a beautiful but ominous body of water running between the fairway and the green. After you hit your tee shot you must decide whether you can negotiate the water with your second shot or lay up down the right hand side of the fairway.

When doing so take into account your strengths and what you are trying to accomplish. Are you playing a match-play contest where you need to win the hole or do you have a lead and are just trying to hold off your opponent? Are you better off using your 3-wood to the back of the green, or a long iron to the front apron?

Perhaps you decide to lay up. If so, remember to play to a comfortable yardage for your third shot and keep it away from the hazard. There is nothing worse than deciding to play it safe and then hitting it in the hazard. Also, be sure to take a look at where the pin is so you can leave yourself a good angle. Make sure to take into account where the different bunkers are protecting the green and what’s behind the green.

Many players often overlook course management, but when you play your next round try and think of things a little differently. Instead of walking up to the tee and pulling out the driver, think the hole through and play to the yardages and the clubs that you are most comfortable with. Manage your game and you may be able to manage some more enjoyable outings.