Golf Shot Panning 3: Pro Level

Course Management Series

This is a further video in my course management series looking at course strategy from a Pro Level perspective. Arguably, course management is equally as important at club level where the shot scatter is greater (see Course Management to Break 100 Every Time) and it highlights the all-important 'shot planning' phase of the Pre Shot Routine.

The 'AIM' of Course Management

The main aim of course management is to give yourself the biggest targets possible. This will have a number of positive effects on your game but most immediately, you now have room to be not quite at your best. Everyone's best shot goes straight so on absolute top form you may aim for small targets. On every other round of your career, this approach to course management will end in tears. 

Course Management: Aim Your Scatter

If you hit 10 balls with any one club on the driving range and tracked where your shots finish you would end up with a dispersion that looks not unlike a shotgun scatter pattern (with the odd outlier). Work out your typical scatter with each club and then consider the sort of targets that you are aiming for on the course. i.e If the scatter with your driver is 50 yards (typical of PGA Tour players) then taking on a gap between bunkers that is only 20 yards wide is an obvious error in judgment.

Conservative course strategy leads to confident swings.

To me, this is the biggest benefit of good course management, it frees you up to make your best swings. If you are picking high tariff shots with high risk then you are likely going to feel under pressure to pull the shot off. This often leads to guided, steery swings. On the other hands, big targets work the other way.

So think...

               BIG targets = BOLD swings

                                Small targets = Steery swings

Simply put, effective course management works from both angles to improve your game. Not only will have larger margins for error but you will also make better swings because of it.

Shot Planning Exercise

How often do we as good golfers, stand up to the ball without a clearly defined outcome?

Often I find myself either disengaged or more focused on the 'HOW TO', technical elements of the shot.

This is a terrific exercise to do on the course; verbalise exactly what you intend to do on every shot. It won't just shine the light on your course management but force you to find a clarity of purpose on every shot. Every shot in the video took considerable planning and you will see that I used my laser quite extensively to calculate carry and run out distances of every bunker and hazard that was in play. 

From there, I was able to pick the biggest targets and execute the shot with confidence and clarity.

Good luck, play well.