The First Tee with Ryan

Most golfers don’t understand how many strokes they lose due to their decision making. Course management is the difference between hoping for a good round and actually creating a good one. It’s understanding your game honestly and hitting the higher probability shot, maximizing your strengths. The best players aren’t the ones with the best swings, but the most disciplined.

The first rule of course management is simple: know your numbers. Carry distances. Shot shape tendencies. Miss patterns. The best way to find your stock yardages is to use a launch monitor such as Trackman. It can also be done on a driving range with targets, as long as they have enough targets or if you have a range finder. For example, hit 10 7 irons and take the average of these. Most amateur golfers come up short of the flag majority of the time. It’s important to keep your ego in check. Accept that you probably don’t hit it as far as you think.

The next rule is to play away from trouble. It is very common for amateurs to short side themselves. This happens because they aim at tucked pins over water or surrounded by bunkers. Instead, they should be aiming more towards the middle of the green. This approach will help you hit more greens in regulation. More greens in regulation means more birdie putts. This strategy will prevent you from making costly mistakes and keep double bogeys off the scorecard.

Finally, it is important to manage your emotions on the course. A bad shot doesn’t require you to try and make a heroic shot. It is very important to reset and commit to your decisions after hitting bad shots. You have to know that bad shots will happen, and all you can do is go to the next shot. Over 18 holes, and each round you play, discipline beats being emotional.

Course management is not flashy. It won’t get you love on Instagram. But if you commit to it, you will start seeing something better than hitting long drives: consistency. In golf, consistency is everything and shooting lower scores will prove to be a better feeling than flashy shots.

Thank you for reading! Be sure to check out my Instagram @ryansear4