Golf Game Management I: Lower Scores
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I.
Lower Scores
without Physical
Improvement
The
topic of this next
series is Golf Game
Management. Can you
shoot lower scores
without physical
improvement? The
answer is a resounding,
YES! Not that
I'm advocating not
improving your ball
striking and short
game skill level.
How well you score on the course
is dependent on
the following:
† Ball striking
ability (distance
and accuracy).
† Short Game Skills (100 yards and in).
† Putting Game (reading greens and executing).
† Mental Game (concentration & control of emotions).
† Game Management (optimizing the other parts)
Dave
Pelz, in his book "Short
Game Bible" (which
I highly recommend,
and not because if
you buy it from amazon,
I get a large chunk
of money), outlines
a similar break down
of the game of golf.
He advocates, as do
I, that the Short Game
is the one that golfers
should be focusing
most of their energies.
In this next series of newsletters,
I'll be emphasizing ways
that you can improve
your Game Managment, which
in my view, is getting
the most out of your
current skill level.
Probably the easiest way most amateur
golfers could improve
their game management to
lower their scores
is to hit more club
on all their shots.
In a poll on my website,
out of 484 golfers
taking the poll,
over 65% of golfers
come up short over
50% of the time.
It has been my experience
that most full
shots that fall short
of the target are
due to not hitting
enough club. Just
like your handicap
is an average of
your best 10 rounds
of the last 20, golfers
tend to gage how
far they hit their
clubs based on their
BEST instead
of their average.
Consider this simple analysis of
how many strokes
this under clubbing
costs. I'll use my
own statistics in
the analysis which
are my short game
averages:
Wedge 10-40 yards = 2.8 strokes = E(Wedge) =
Expect #strokes
with wedge
Chips
= 2.4 strokes = E(Chip)
= Expect #strokes
with chip shots from
green edge
Putts (15-30 ft)
= 1.9 strokes = E(Putts)
= Expect # putts
Let's assume I'm hitting an iron to a green on
a par 4. If I hit
the right club for
the shot and execute
the shot adequately,
I'll put the ball
on the green (let's
say 15-30 ft from
the pin). Based on
my putting statistics,
I would on average
take 1.9 more strokes
to hole the ball
for a total of 2
+ 1.9 = 3.9 strokes.
If I underclub, I'll come up short of the green
and either need to
wedge or chip the
ball onto the green;
I'll assume an average
of 2.6 strokes (half
chips and half wedges).
Based on my short
game statistics,
I would on average
take 2.6 more strokes
to hole the ball
for a total of 2 + 2.6 = 4.6
strokes. I'd make bogie over half of the time.
The difference between these two scenarios is
0.7 strokes.
If I underclub on
half of the 18 holes,
that's 9 X 0.7 =
6.3 strokes more
for a single round.
That's a lot of strokes.
And, this is assuming
I have a relatively
good short game.
The weaker my short
game, the greater
the difference in
strokes (once again,
empha- sizing the
importance of the
short game). And,
of course, if there
is a hazard in front
of the green, the
penalty for falling
short is even greater.
Now, you might argue that if there are hazards
left or right of
the green, then
hitting the right club would
put them into play,
whereas under clubbing
would eliminate
them. You're right. We
would need to know
your "shot
pattern" (percentage of shots
you hit left, right,
short, long) to
estimate the effect. Suffice
to say that hitting
the right club
more often will reduce
your score.
One of the services I provide golfers is a "shot
pattern" analysis.
I'll be discussing shot
patterns in greater detail
in future newsletters.
The concept is extremely
important in making wise
club choices on shots;
knowing where you are likely
going to hit the ball and
how that overlaps with
the golf hole hazards.
In future newsletters on this topic, we'll take
a look at Game Management
further in areas
such as club selection
based on shot patterns,
wind, elevation,
altitude, and temperature.
We'll also look at
Game Management as
it applies to your
short game and putting.
There a lots of ways
to make the best
of what you currently
have! We can all
make better choices
on the course.
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Make a Newsletter Suggestion.
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If
you are more interested
in finding out which
golf ball is best
for you and your
game, consider the
following:
Longest
Golf Ball Report -- a statistical
analysis of different
golf balls hit by
an
Iron
Byron Robot machine.
Discover
the secret "missing
link" in your
golf game. Understand
which golf balls
REALLY make a
difference in
each stroke!
A list of resources that have been used to produce this newsletter
can be found on my
website here.
The focus
of my site
is to utilize science
and math to lower
your score. New technology
is one
way to achieve this,
but to be honest,
the technology is
one small piece of
the puzzle.
To actually improve significantly,
we all need to:
1. Improve our swings using CD
Interactive, Hit
Down Dammit!
2. Learn how to swing simpler
like the Iron Byron
with the great coffee
table book, Swing
Machine Golf!
3. Improve our physical fitness
and strength.
The
Golf Trainer Power
Performance Program™ and Ultimate
Golf Fitness Ebook
4. Improve our mental games.
Golf
Mind Software
5. Improve our Probable
Golf games.
Learn how to make better
choices on the course
through knowing how
shot patterns and reading
the elements and course
better.
Click on the links above to
take a look at
ways that I personally
use myself and
recommend you try
as well.
Hope
I provided some useful
ways for to become
better prepared for
you best golf season
ever.
Ken Tannar
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