By Brad Turner, Director of the SDGA-Orlando Campus
From distance control to target acquisition, there are numerous tactics to successfully manage your way around the golf course. Most are good techniques to help you score a lower round, but most golfers would benefit by adopting an overall strategy approach to course management. Course management begins before you step up to the first tee and it begins by first managing your expectations.
Golfers usually have very high expectations on the first tee. They're excited and have visions of crushing that perfect drive. That unrealistic expectation is a foundation for frustration on the golf course.
At SDGA, I encourage our students to understand that every golfer has three levels of play - an A-Game, B-Game and a C-Game - and every golfer should play to their own 'realistic' potential. A player who knows their A-, B- and C-Games and when to apply them will minimize mistakes and maximize their scoring opportunities.
The A Game is not a player's real game. The A-Game is the great game a player always hopes to have, and of which he occasionally sees a teasing glimpse. It's that unforgettable day when every bounce is good and every putt drops. Unfortunately, when a 20-handicap golfer has a phenomenal, A-Game day and shoots an 81, they suddenly believe that an 81 is a realistic score. As we all know, that's just not the case and this is where managing expectations is critical.
The B Game is your average game. This is a truer - perhaps not as flattering as we would like - reflection of ourselves as golfers. But it's our most realistic score, day after day.
The C-Game is your not-so-good game. It occurs when you're not playing well, and you wish you'd stayed in bed. Everyone, who has ever played the game, has unwontedly brought their C-Game to the course and displayed it for the world to see. The trick in golf is scoring a reasonable game even when you're playing poorly (C-Game). For many golfers, when they're playing poorly, the wheels really come off the wagon.
Golfers should be conservative in their course management. At best, start with a B-Game strategy by trying to shoot your average. No miracle shots. Simply, hit golf shots to your average capability.
For many golfers, a C-Game Strategy is best. Be ultra-conservative for the first few holes and gain some momentum. One of the worst things that can happen, is that you try a risky shot and end up with a double- or triple-bogey. Players who start the game behind the 8-ball usually attempt to play catch-up by making even more risky shots with disastrous results.
Don't forget that Las Vegas was built on people who had high expectations. Just because you hit the jackpot once doesn't mean you'll hit it a majority of the time. Golfers should ask themselves, "What's the probability of me doing it again?" If you can achieve the shot only one out of five times, you will lose in the long run.
But, playing the first few holes conservatively gives you a chance to evaluate how well you're playing on that particular day. If you're playing well and your confidence is high, then increase your strategy to a B- or an A-Game. The key is to be patient, know when to be aggressive and always play your game.
