You really have to think out there.

Looking back to last season, I played a lot of golf on different course, what struck me the most while playing with so many different players was ( for many of them ) a total lack of course management. A new championship course opened in our area and we played on opening day, a great par 72 layout with a high number of " risk and reward " holes. It was very tight and a couple of yards off the fairway and it was bogey or worse. One of my friends in our foursome plays to a seven,a good solid player and he bashed his way around to an 86, without a doubt caused by poor course management. He pulled the driver out on so many holes where it should have been left in the bag. I shot a very satisfying 77 and done absolutely nothing out of the ordinary, all I did was hit fairways using my 14 degree #1 hybrid which I hit around 235 yards and I am quite accurate with it. On the tight, shorter par 4,s averaging around 375 yards I avoided the many bunkers and water hazards and was hitting approach shots with my 8 or 9 irons. I really believe that if the average golfer were to apply good course management to his round they could save themselves 4-5 shots per round on a regular basis.

I agree - my focus for the last half of the season (and all winter) has been mental game and course management. I'm off to Florida for a week in mid February - we'll see if my learning has paid off.

Course management is one of the last parts of a person's golf game they will focus on during their journey to a lower handicap. Most golfers don't play enough to even begin to think about an easier way to get from the tee box to the pin, based on their ability. So much focus over the past few years has been on distance off the tee, and developing a low short game handicap. "Bomb & Gouge" is the term I hear used to discribe todays game. You see, or read very little about course management. Those golfers who do take the time to think about course management, are the ones who have the lower scores during a round. Another problem is that most of today's players can't work their ball as the course dictates to help with the developement of their course management ability. I see this all the time. As an example, the golfer might need to hit a draw on a particular hole, but can only hit a fade. Or, the other way around.

My point is that thinking your way around a course is a strong part of the game. Even a golfer with a limited ability for shot making will benefit using their course management thought process. But also having a selection of shots will make those thought processes even more rewarding on that golfer's score card. GJS

GJS - some popular instruction would state that one forget about learning to work the ball, and work on really getting a handle on their predominant ball flight. Using Vijay Singh and his well known fade, we know that on a 'draw hole' he'll often simply start the ball up the left and fade it back to middle.

Knowing your predominant shot shape factors into management as well. Amazingly enough (or perhaps commonly enough) I was one of those dopes that, while playing with better players who were trying to get me to think my way around the course, my reply would be that there was no point in trying to strategise until I could hit the ball consistently.

I can now firmly say I was wrong. Even with severely inconsistent ballstriking, one should still learn to how to select the right club and shot for the task at hand - even an abject beginner. It can only help in the long run.

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A new highlight: Golfing the home course on Christmas Day.

I say it too often: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

For the record, I'm a club doctor, not a swing doctor.

I won't disagree with your post, but popular instruction or not, a player who has the ability to work the ball as the course requires will shoot lower scores, more often than the player who can't work the ball. It simply gives them more to work with when it comes to planning their course management. A player who can't work the ball will be limited as to what they can do on the course when trying to manage their way around 18 holes. It is also my opinion that a player who can work the ball is a better ball striker, and has better control of their own swing.

For me it is a case of old school versus new school. Tiger Woods can work the ball when he has to. I have seen him do it many times while following him around a course during a tournament. Given the choice I would rather have Tiger's knowlege of the golf swing than any of the other pga pros playing today. GJS

I fully agree with you - the man in control of the golfball has the decided advantage. I was offering a different POV.

For a beginner, you would suggest learning to work the ball?

For a beginner, or anyone else who wants to play to very low, or scratch handicap, they should eventually strive to have more shots available to them. Probably not right after they remove the sales sticker off their new clubs, but eventually. Trouble shots on the golf course show up in many different types of situations. The more answers you have to get out of trouble, the easier it is to get out of that trouble.

I will agree that a golfer who does not work the ball to their advantage, can still be a very good golfer who plays in the 80s, and dabbles in the higher 70s from time to time. I think I read some where that golfers who shoot in the 80s consistantly are in the upper 25% of all the golfers in the world.

Speaking of clubs, it is no secret that some club brands will allow the golfer to work the ball easier than other brands. A new, and/or seasoned golfer should take that issue into consideraton when purchasing clubs. In other words they should do their own "golf club" home work.

With regards to working the ball, I don't think just being able to move the ball left, straight, or right as needed is the complete answer. Being able to adjust the swing based on the ball's lie, and the loft of the club needed for a stroke saving shot is another way to work the ball. By that, suppose you can hit a 9i 160 yards, but you need the loft of a 9i to hit a ball 110 yards based on the situation at hand. I used the 9i example because I saw Fred Couples do exactly this on TGC today. His shot required maximum distance, in addtion to using the most lofted club available to him.

Have you ever hit a putt to a spot on a breaking putt so that the ball would "work" it's way to the hole? A bit of a stretch, and play on words, but viable.

To get back on the topic of course mangement, the more shot variety you have in your bag, the easier course management will be.

Thank you for the exchange of opinions. GJS