Boys Jack was an amazing strategist. I have been reading his book Playing Lessons . . . produced back in the 70's when I was totin' a GI Joe Lunch Box with the PBJ and pop tarts to school. The book still resonates. Y'all gotta have this book.
I play an old style course with fast undulating greens. I used to just pound driver everywhere. Not no mo'. I hit about 3 drivers per round now. This game is about POSITION . . . just like buying a new crib . . . LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION.
I had been pounding driver and having alot of downhill and side hill lies. Now I hit 3 woods 5 woods and pecker woods to leave myself the most manageable lie. An example . . . there is a hole on our course #2 hdcp . . . If I bust a driver I got a 5 iron to 4 iron in . . . straight up a hill. Now I hit 5 wood off the tee and then hit pecker wood or 5 wood to the green. I can stop a pecker wood much quicker than I can a 5 iron.
Another thing to watch is playing for the fat part of the fairway. We got a short little hole and driver will leave you a little pitch. However you gotta squeeze that driver between a trap left and OB right. No more . . . now it's 5 wood short of the trap to the absolute widest part of the fairway leaving the best angle and still it's a 9 iron in.
We got a long par 3 that undulates big time back to front . . . I mean you can slap putt a ball of the green quick fast in a hurry if you are above the hole. Used to try to hit the ball pin high from 185 to 200 yards . . . No more just hit a 6 iron to the front . . . It don't matter where the pin is. Just hit it to the front leaving a manageable up hill chip/sand shot or putt.
Having a plan and the right plan is HUGE in golf . . . the score card don't give a rats azz how far you hit your big stick.
__________________
Aloha Mr. Hand
Behold my hands; reach hither thy hand
Last edited by 12 piece bucket : 08-19-2006 at 09:46 PM.
Boys Jack was an amazing strategist. I have been reading his book Playing Lessons . . . produced back in the 70's when I was totin' a GI Joe Lunch Box with the PBJ and pop tarts to school. The book still resonates. Y'all gotta have this book.
I play an old style course with fast undulating greens. I used to just pound driver everywhere. Not no mo'. I hit about 3 drivers per round now. This game is about POSITION . . . just like buying a new crib . . . LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION.
I had been pounding driver and having alot of downhill and side hill lies. Now I hit 3 woods 5 woods and pecker woods to leave myself the most manageable lie. An example . . . there is a hole on our course #2 hdcp . . . If I bust a driver I got a 5 iron to 4 iron in . . . straight up a hill. Now I hit 5 wood off the tee and then hit pecker wood or 5 wood to the green. I can stop a pecker wood much quicker than I can a 5 iron.
Another thing to watch is playing for the fat part of the fairway. We got a short little hole and driver will leave you a little pitch. However you gotta squeeze that driver between a trap left and OB right. No more . . . now it's 5 wood short of the trap to the absolute widest part of the fairway leaving the best angle and still it's a 9 iron in.
We got a long par 3 that undulates big time back to front . . . I mean you can slap putt a ball of the green quick fast in a hurry if you are above the hole. Used to try to hit the ball pin high from 185 to 200 yards . . . No more just hit a 6 iron to the front . . . It don't matter where the pin is. Just hit it to the front leaving a manageable up hill chip/sand shot or putt.
Having a plan and the right plan is HUGE in golf . . . the score card don't give a rats azz how far you hit your big stick.
Boys Jack was an amazing strategist. I have been reading his book Playing Lessons . . . produced back in the 70's when I was totin' a GI Joe Lunch Box with the PBJ and pop tarts to school. The book still resonates. Y'all gotta have this book.
I play an old style course with fast undulating greens. I used to just pound driver everywhere. Not no mo'. I hit about 3 drivers per round now. This game is about POSITION . . . just like buying a new crib . . . LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION.
I had been pounding driver and having alot of downhill and side hill lies. Now I hit 3 woods 5 woods and pecker woods to leave myself the most manageable lie. An example . . . there is a hole on our course #2 hdcp . . . If I bust a driver I got a 5 iron to 4 iron in . . . straight up a hill. Now I hit 5 wood off the tee and then hit pecker wood or 5 wood to the green. I can stop a pecker wood much quicker than I can a 5 iron.
Another thing to watch is playing for the fat part of the fairway. We got a short little hole and driver will leave you a little pitch. However you gotta squeeze that driver between a trap left and OB right. No more . . . now it's 5 wood short of the trap to the absolute widest part of the fairway leaving the best angle and still it's a 9 iron in.
We got a long par 3 that undulates big time back to front . . . I mean you can slap putt a ball of the green quick fast in a hurry if you are above the hole. Used to try to hit the ball pin high from 185 to 200 yards . . . No more just hit a 6 iron to the front . . . It don't matter where the pin is. Just hit it to the front leaving a manageable up hill chip/sand shot or putt.
Having a plan and the right plan is HUGE in golf . . . the score card don't give a rats azz how far you hit your big stick.
I agree with Bucket, the Nicklaus "Playing Lessons" book is fantastic...it should be reissued. You can find used issues on amazon.com for next to nothing...my experience with out-of-print books lately has been good...I received what should be a used copy...but I have been receiving brand spanking new copies.
Great post Bucket...after you learn both swinging and hitting and have the ability to execute all of the hinge actions, the Nicklaus book is the next logical step to better golf. I highly recommend throwing in Tom Watson's "Getting Up and Down book"...too.
DG
Last edited by Delaware Golf : 08-20-2006 at 11:02 AM.
It's a great book I got it a few months ago on Amazon
Also I find thinking about course management really concentrates your mind on the golf course. It stops my mind wandering and makes me concentrate on playing golf rather than my golf swing.
It's a great book I got it a few months ago on Amazon
Also I find thinking about course management really concentrates your mind on the golf course. It stops my mind wandering and makes me concentrate on playing golf rather than my golf swing.
Yep yep! It is a MUST HAVE golf book. It would have been great if Hogan wrote a similar book.
I would like to emphasize on the help my GPS device is to me.
Whenever I play I use to switch it on to find proper distance for my shots into the greens.
Before I used it, I played more like VJ Singh, who was quoted to try to hit as close to the green as possible with each teeshot.
Especially on short Par4's it's a great help, e.g. the whole is 340 yards away which means I cannot drive it, I can consider the wind and probably hit only a 4 iron of the tee, to leave me with another e.g. 6 iron instead of a wedge when there is heavy wind, that means much less stress to me, guessing how much left or right I need to aim.
Then as well playing Par 5's, when you need to consider wether to risk the 2nd going for the green or just layup, when I get to 230m distance I get probably 1 out of 20 on the green the rest is pretty much sprayed left and right, so that way I hit a relaxed 9 iron to leave me with a wedge.
For Pro's on tour it's rather simple, they just ask their caddies, and they don't have to think the same as me in terms dimensions of distance, but for the amateur, I think this is the greatest help in terms of course management.
Hybrid Mode
