The Blathering Duffer
7 Rules to Help Lower Your Scores
TBD 26.07
shot, play the percentage shot. Par 3 over water, but safe land out to the right? Can
you make it over the water 8 out of 10 times or should you just take the easy shot to
the right and get on the green with a 2nd shot.
4) Never Aim where you can’t afford to miss. If the flag is on the right side of the green,
next to a bunker, don’t aim at the pin as your miss could easily be in the bunker. Aim
to the fat part of the green, the far side and your miss left is just off the green with
an easy chip or your miss right is next to the pin. Avoid the blow up hole and always
aim where your miss does the least harm.
5) Never let Ego choose the club. What club makes the next shot easier, keeps you out
of trouble. Is that 3 wood really going to go as far as you think and carry the water?
Or should you maybe take less club, lay up and leave yourself an easy short pitch
shot up to the green?
6) Never try to make Birdie, Play for Par and the occasional birdie will happen.
Remember the biggest difference between a low vs high handicap golfer is not the
number of birdies, but the number of double bogey’s and worse. On a Par 3, don’t
aim at the tucked pin, aim at the middle of the green, the fat side of the green.
7) Don’t leave your chip shots above the hole. Avoid having to putt downhill. It is easier
to control an uphill putt, so when chipping onto the green, you want your ball to end
just below the hole so you have an easier putt back up to the hole.
Ready Play Etiquette
Too many times I see cart golfers sitting in their cart, right next to their ball and chatting about life. Nice social moment, but if you aren’t ready to hit your ball, you are adding up to 20 mins to your round….. and everyone else’s round who comes behind you. Golf courses are taking note of players that finish with slow rounds. They may ban slow players for a period of time or from play at all in the future. If you tee off prior to 10 am, you are expected to finish in 4 hrs. After 10am, you are expected to finish in 4 hr 30 mins as they recognize delays begin to pile up, but you should do everything you can to avoid being part of the reason for delay.
Remember, its not how close the group behind is to you, but how close you are to the group in front of you! Here’s some hints to help:
1) You should be able to hit your ball within 30 seconds when it is your turn to hit. 40 seconds is the maximum time allowed under the rules.
2) If you believe it is safe, drive up to your ball and get out of your cart to start figuring out what you want to do. Pull your club and when its your turn, take a few seconds to confirm in your mind what you are doing, take 1-2 practice swings and then hit the ball.
3) If the cart buddies are not too far from each other, park the cart between the balls and each player can get out and start examining how they will hit their ball. Safety first though, keep an eye on who is playing from where and stay out of the possible ball path.
4) If not safe to drive to your ball, you can still look at what’s ahead of you and start thinking about your shot so when you are able to drive to your ball, you already have a good idea of what you are going to do.
5) Sometimes it can’t be helped, your balls are on opposite sides of the fairway. One of you can grab a bunch of clubs and walk over to your ball while the other has the cart. I’ve taken as many as 6 clubs with me so I have plenty of options. A small Sunday Bag that hooks to your regular bag is helpful. You can load it up with a few clubs so you don’t leave any clubs on the ground and forget about them. (Especially nice to have a Sunday bag when its Cart Path Only!
6) Be mindful of how far behind you are of the group in front and is the group behind
having to wait. Sometimes it can’t be helped that the group behind has to wait if you are also waiting. If you can’t see a group on the green when you pull up to the tee box, you are well behind.
7) Tricks to speed up play and keeps everyone playing. Turn the round into a shamble: pick the best drive and everyone hits from the spot of the best drive. Play your own ball from there. DO NOT take Mulligans if you are behind. Turn the round into a scramble where you play from the best shot for each shot. If you are getting far behind, you may be asked to pick up your ball and move to the next hole as a group.
8) As soon as you and your cart buddy are finished, go directly to the next hole and tee off while the others are putting out the previous hole. This is one of the most effective ways of speeding up. It works best when walking as you don’t need to wait for a cart buddy, but it still works with carts too. Sometimes the order of putting can be relaxed to allow the cart buddy of the first person to hole out to finish next. Its amazing how much time this little trick can save on the course.
7 Rules to Help Lower Your Scores
TBD 26.07
- Never follow up a bad shot with a risky shot! Drove your ball into the trees, don’t try to thread it back through a narrow gap. Take your medicine and take your easiest out just to get to the good grass of the fairway. Don’t play pinball through the tree!
- Never Short Side yourself with your approach shot. When hitting into the green, pick the best place to miss, away from trouble and allow you the most green to work with if you miss the green. Avoid having to chip over bunkers or water. Miss on the safe side.
shot, play the percentage shot. Par 3 over water, but safe land out to the right? Can
you make it over the water 8 out of 10 times or should you just take the easy shot to
the right and get on the green with a 2nd shot.
4) Never Aim where you can’t afford to miss. If the flag is on the right side of the green,
next to a bunker, don’t aim at the pin as your miss could easily be in the bunker. Aim
to the fat part of the green, the far side and your miss left is just off the green with
an easy chip or your miss right is next to the pin. Avoid the blow up hole and always
aim where your miss does the least harm.
5) Never let Ego choose the club. What club makes the next shot easier, keeps you out
of trouble. Is that 3 wood really going to go as far as you think and carry the water?
Or should you maybe take less club, lay up and leave yourself an easy short pitch
shot up to the green?
6) Never try to make Birdie, Play for Par and the occasional birdie will happen.
Remember the biggest difference between a low vs high handicap golfer is not the
number of birdies, but the number of double bogey’s and worse. On a Par 3, don’t
aim at the tucked pin, aim at the middle of the green, the fat side of the green.
7) Don’t leave your chip shots above the hole. Avoid having to putt downhill. It is easier
to control an uphill putt, so when chipping onto the green, you want your ball to end
just below the hole so you have an easier putt back up to the hole.
Ready Play Etiquette
Too many times I see cart golfers sitting in their cart, right next to their ball and chatting about life. Nice social moment, but if you aren’t ready to hit your ball, you are adding up to 20 mins to your round….. and everyone else’s round who comes behind you. Golf courses are taking note of players that finish with slow rounds. They may ban slow players for a period of time or from play at all in the future. If you tee off prior to 10 am, you are expected to finish in 4 hrs. After 10am, you are expected to finish in 4 hr 30 mins as they recognize delays begin to pile up, but you should do everything you can to avoid being part of the reason for delay.
Remember, its not how close the group behind is to you, but how close you are to the group in front of you! Here’s some hints to help:
1) You should be able to hit your ball within 30 seconds when it is your turn to hit. 40 seconds is the maximum time allowed under the rules.
2) If you believe it is safe, drive up to your ball and get out of your cart to start figuring out what you want to do. Pull your club and when its your turn, take a few seconds to confirm in your mind what you are doing, take 1-2 practice swings and then hit the ball.
3) If the cart buddies are not too far from each other, park the cart between the balls and each player can get out and start examining how they will hit their ball. Safety first though, keep an eye on who is playing from where and stay out of the possible ball path.
4) If not safe to drive to your ball, you can still look at what’s ahead of you and start thinking about your shot so when you are able to drive to your ball, you already have a good idea of what you are going to do.
5) Sometimes it can’t be helped, your balls are on opposite sides of the fairway. One of you can grab a bunch of clubs and walk over to your ball while the other has the cart. I’ve taken as many as 6 clubs with me so I have plenty of options. A small Sunday Bag that hooks to your regular bag is helpful. You can load it up with a few clubs so you don’t leave any clubs on the ground and forget about them. (Especially nice to have a Sunday bag when its Cart Path Only!
6) Be mindful of how far behind you are of the group in front and is the group behind
having to wait. Sometimes it can’t be helped that the group behind has to wait if you are also waiting. If you can’t see a group on the green when you pull up to the tee box, you are well behind.
7) Tricks to speed up play and keeps everyone playing. Turn the round into a shamble: pick the best drive and everyone hits from the spot of the best drive. Play your own ball from there. DO NOT take Mulligans if you are behind. Turn the round into a scramble where you play from the best shot for each shot. If you are getting far behind, you may be asked to pick up your ball and move to the next hole as a group.
8) As soon as you and your cart buddy are finished, go directly to the next hole and tee off while the others are putting out the previous hole. This is one of the most effective ways of speeding up. It works best when walking as you don’t need to wait for a cart buddy, but it still works with carts too. Sometimes the order of putting can be relaxed to allow the cart buddy of the first person to hole out to finish next. Its amazing how much time this little trick can save on the course.
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