Do You Have a Plan for Battle?

The “Game” of golf is really a strategic battle between you and the golf course you’re playing. As the golfer, you’re trying to get your golf ball into the hole and the golf course is putting obstacles and things in your way in order to make it difficult for you, “and” the golf course has Mother Nature on its side! Wind, rain, heat, bugs, pests, etc. are all there trying to throw your concentration off as you try to negotiate your ball around the course, taunting you into a loss of concentration and a poor shot. It always surprises me how golfers go to battle with the golf course day after day with no specific plan of attack.  A wise General once said “It’s better to have a plan and be wrong, than to never have a plan at all”.  Truer words have never been spoken, especially when it comes to the “game” of golf. I see a game of golf as a strategic battle with the golf course. In order to win, or even advance, You must have a plan of attack for the course, and follow the plan.  A Touring Professional will have a very detailed plan of attack for the golf course he or she is facing for that day in order to give them the best possible chance of beating the golf course on that day. The Tour Player dissects every hole, every shot, giving them the greatest opportunity to beat that particular hole they’re playing by making a birdie or better, sometimes they win, sometimes they tie (par)…sometimes the golf course wins, as long as the player wins or ties the majority of the 18 battles of the day, they win the war and collect a nice check.  Your battle may not be with Par, yours may be with bogey, or double bogey; it really doesn’t matter as long as you identify it and create a plan to win. The more of the battles you win, the lower your handicap gets, and the more challenging the game gets, hence the never ending lure of golf.  I know it’s not fair to compare our game with that of the Touring Professional or expect to have as intricate a plan as they do; they have a caddie to help them map out and plan a strategy to attack the hole and they spend the hours of the day while we’re at work, practicing specific shots, yardages, and options to help them win as many battles as they can with the golf course. If we are to start winning more battles, having and implementing a plan is the answer. We all know golfers plateau with their game…they become an85 shooter, or a 90 shooter and they seem to stay there, never really improving. I truly believe (and I’ve seen it a thousand times) when you have and implement a plan for each hole you can and will improve on a steady basis, you really can’t help winning more battles. The biggest problem we face is the guesswork that plagues us when we have an uncomfortable distance to carry the ball to the green, especially if there are hazards guarding the green that love to swallow up new white golf balls. Ponds, bunkers, streams, out of bounds, and countless other hazards put there to intimidate us, do just that. The major reason they intimidate us so much is that we are always guessing at the shot we have to hit in order to avoid the hazard and get the ball safely on the putting surface. When we are guessing at what it will take to get the ball safely on the green we create doubt in our minds and in our stroke, inevitably miss hitting our shot creating another doubt filled shot or a penalty stroke if we happen to find a hazard. The majority of our extra shots in our golf games happen from inside 50 yards of the green. This is the area of the golf course where we need to possess, and implement a game plan. The average golfer in North America (mid handicapper) will hit on average 3 greens in regulation in a round of golf. This means he/she is in this “scoring zone” a minimum of 15 times during a round of golf. How many times have you been down in front of the green in 2 shots and then end up taking 4 (or more) shots to get the ball into the hole? THIS is where a plan will bring your game to the next level. The simple math tells us if you implement a plan successfully only 1 time every 3 times you attempt the shot, you will save a minimum of 5 shots off your scorecard. The more confident you become with the plan, the more shots you will shave off your score. On a good ball striking day, I will hit 9 or 10 greens in regulation, in order for me to shoot even par or under par, my short game and finesse game plans had better be working, and they do!  If you are a 95 shooter now, once you implement “The Plan” you will be shooting in the 80s in no time. Let’s get smart and create a plan that WILL change your golf game and lower your scores permanently. I have formulated, use, and teach such a plan with great success. The following short game plan will encompass the 4 short games in golf, the Chipping game, the Finesse game, the Pitching Game, the green side bunker shot, and putting. (I know that’s 5, but I threw in the Green side bunker shot for good measure)  Understanding and putting this plan into action will virtually guarantee lower scores the first time you use it. Let’s have a closer look at “The Plan” and how to put it together to take the guesswork out of your short games and start to win more battles and reduce your handicap…guaranteed!