Golf Strategy / Mental Game

Question 1

The advent of strokes gained analysis and shot tracking has helped clarify how golfers can efficiently lower their scores.

Answer 1

Traditional statistics like putts per round and fairways hit do not give enough information on performance. Strokes gained gives each shot you hit a numerical value. Taken in aggregate, you can clearly see which parts of your golf game are performing well, and which ones need help.

Question 2

For golfers of all levels, roughly 2/3 of scoring differential can be explained by tee shots and approach shots.

Approach play is where golfers of all levels can influence their scores the most.

Answer 2

Putting is not as important as we once thought; it explains about 15% importance of determining any player’s score.

Question 3

Typically, larger, more sustainable breakthroughs in scoring ability will come from approach shots and tee shots.

Answer 3

Wedge play and putting are usually a way for recreational golfers to get “quick wins” in handicap reductions. But eventually, each player will reach a ceiling where gains in performance are marginal.

Question 4

Build your game around hitting more greens in regulation.

Question 5

Become more efficient with your driver, so you’ll have a better chance to hit more greens in regulation.

Question 6

Hitting longer, more accurate drives will put you closer to the hole, thus giving you a better chance to hit the green in regulation and lowering your scores.

Question 7

You don’t need to be a magician from 100 yards and within.

Answer 7

You just need to have functional outcomes from within 100 yards.

Have a reliable wedge technique that will get the ball on the putting surface.

Try to eliminate three-putts at all cost, and make some more putts from within 10 feet.

Question 8

Improving your course management is one of the most efficient ways to lower your scores without making any swing changes.

Question 9

Proper strategy is easy to understand, but much harder to implement. Consider it a skill that needs to be honed, just like wedge play.

Question 10

Having a plan before you tee off will help make your decisions on the course easier, and give you more confidence when you initiate your swing.

Question 11

Eventually, strategy becomes a test of discipline. You will be tempted to abandon your plan when things go poorly in your round.

Question 12

At every handicap level, double-bogey avoidance is a more significant separator in scoring potential than birdies.

Question 13

Aggressive decision-making, particularly on approach shots and greenside wedges, is counterproductive. Often, it results in an increase in score rather than the desired outcome (birdie).

Question 14

Better golf is not about birdies.

Think of birdies as an occasional bonus. Overall, you should not pursue them; it will create more mistakes than it’s worth.

Answer 14

A typical PGA Tour player averages about 3.5 birdies per round, and most of those occur on Par 5s. Recreational golfers seldom make birdies, even scratch golfers!

Question 15

Be the casino. Not the gambler.

Answer 15

The “gambler mentality” is where golfers throw away strokes needlessly. You want to stack the odds in your favor over the long run and be the casino.

Question 16

It is much easier to prevent larger scores than to make birdies. That is the cornerstone of smart strategic play.

Question 17

Approaching each hole or your entire round with a target score can be counterproductive. It puts you in a results-oriented mindset when you should be more focused on your habits and process on the course.

Question 18

Instead of being the golfer who starts their round thinking they want to shoot a specific score, shift your mindset to being the golfer who will evaluate each situation independently and make an optimal decision.

Answer 18

You’ll hit some bad shots during the round, so it’s a must that you stay disciplined and stick to the plan, and avoid making rash decisions on the course.

Question 19

Answer 19

Planning - choosing targets before you even get to the course using sate little images (Google Maps, Arcos?) so you’re decisions will come quickly when you’re playing and you don’t have to think about every shot in the moment.

Discipline - you must stick with the plan, especially when things are not going well.

Question 20

You’re not going to be perfect with your course management and decision-making at first, but it’s very important to get incrementally better each time out, and to always stick with the plan. Build good habits!

Question 21

If you want to lower your handicap you absolutely have to be an efficient and smart course manager.

Question 22

No matter how good you become at making smarter decisions, know that short-term disruptions will occur due to variability of your ball striking from day to day that strategy cannot solve sometimes.

Answer 22

Be patient, and be disciplined.

Question 23

Answer 23

Birdies are rare, and aren’t a big differentiating factor. It’s avoiding the double bogeys.

Question 24

Most golfers make double bogeys when they chase pins and short-side themselves by missing.

Answer 24

Which is why is better to be way more conservative on approach shots.

Question 25

Birdies are pretty rare, even for scratch golfers. So birdies should not be your target score. It will just lead to bad decisions. Making par is a great outcome.

Answer 25

Getting close to the pin is hard, and making putts is not easy.

Just get on the green and avoid three-putts.

Question 26

There is no target score.

Approaching each hole or your entire round with a target score can be counterproductive. It puts you in a results-oriented mindset when you should be more focused on your habits and process on the course.

Answer 26

Process oriented over results oriented.

Question 27

Instead of being the golfer who starts their round thinking they want to shoot a specific score, shift your mindset to being the golfer who will evaluate each situation independently and make an optimal decision.

Question 28

Your scores are a lagging measure of your habits and decisions over the long run.

Question 29

One shot at a time.

Commit to making a good decision on each shot.

Question 30

Golf is the culmination of all of your decisions throughout the round.

So just like in Atomic Habits, identify yourself as the golfer who makes great decisions one shot at a time.

Question 31

Simplify the game as much as possible. Be confident over the ball with what you’re going to do.

Answer 31

Don’t pursue too many shots. Hitting fades, draws, etc. Play less shots.

Question 32

You don’t need a “menu” of golf shots as thick as a book to become a better golfer. Moving towards simplicity and fewer shot types will work best for most players.

Answer 32

Claude Harmon got Brooks Koepka to use much less shots. If it works for him…

Question 33

Try to become more of a one- trick pony. Get very comfortable with a repeatable shot-type that produces functional results.

Answer 33

Don’t try to work the ball in both directions. Just play the one shot that gives you the least amount of dispersion.

Question 34

According to research done by Mark Broadie, ⁄ of scoring differential occurs in the long game (tee shots and approaches) versus the short game (wedge and putting).

Question 35

Proximity plays a massive role in scoring with tee shots, approach shots, and wedge play. No matter what level of golfer you are, being closer to the hole will result in lower scores on average. Therefore, it must be considered when choosing targets and club selection.

Question 36

The farther you hit the ball off the tee, as long as you keep it in play, will absolutely help you lower your scores.

Answer 36

Will help you hit more greens in regulation.

Question 37

Knowing how far you hit each club in your bag on average is just as important.

You can use game-tracking systems on the course to gather data. Also, launch monitors can help you understand your overall tendencies

Answer 37

You must know your club distances and shot dispersion / spray chart for each club.

Question 38

Laser rangefinders are slightly more accurate, but golfers typically only use them for pin locations, which can be a mistake.

Answer 38

Make sure you know the exact distances to your target on the green, hazards, parts of the green, etc.

Question 39

You’re playing golf with a shotgun, not a sniper rifle.

Question 40

Dispersion includes misses north to south as well as east to west.

Question 41

We all have a two-way miss. So you cannot eliminate one side of the golf course. You’ll also miss some approach shots long and short.