Steve,

Great question!  I think that every course has it quirks and you learn to deal with those quirks from experience.  I also think everyone will develop their "plan" for a course over time based on their style of play (aggressive or conservative).  In order to assist me in developing a plan, I always try to use a yardage book.  Yardage books are a great asset when playing, especially when playing a course for the first time.  Having a pictorial view of the hole with everything laid out certainly helps me decide how I want to approach the hole.  It's also great to be able to add my own annotations for the holes as I make my way around the course.  Another factor to consider is the weather and how it affects the plan you have for playing a hole/course.

Hey Steve, 

I'm not sure if you are going to get too many responses to this question or very few .  The problem is that every golfer will have a different plan.  You should make yours based on your own current abilities.   As your game improves your plan will likely change as well.  I personally try to play to my strengths .  I hit a straight or slight draw and rarely try to hit a fade.  I have the shot, but its not as consistent or reliable and sometimes leads to trouble.  I am alway aware of the best place to miss a shot.  Its not difficult to see one shot ahead and know where you would like to have been if only...  then there is the 70% rule.  If you honestly don't think you can pull off a shot 70% of the time don't try it.  Game plans for mid to high handicap golfers should simply be to eliminate unnecessary high numbers.  

steve

Hi Steve,

I think knowing your game and being honest with yourself is paramount.  After that, a little course knowledge goes a long way.  For instance, the course I play has a lot of tight tee shots with OB on both sides.  However, there's some holes where the OB turns to hazard farther up.  Since I can miss a 3 wood just as easily as I can miss a driver, so I always go big stick.  If I push it, I'm dropping 2 instead to teeing up 2. 

I am also not a long hitter, but I tend to keep it in the fairway.  Where I get into trouble off the tee is leaving myself between clubs.  If I come to a narrow little par 4, I'm not worried about getting into trouble left or right; however, I'll lay off the driver if I can't get it to chipping distance from the green.  I'd rather have 90-100 yards than 30-40. Sometimes little half swings don't always yield the best results...

When coming up with a game plan I ask myself 1 key question:  Where's the best spot to give me the best chance of making par?  I know my distances and I know my tendencies.  If it's a new course, I just look at the yardage book and try to give myself a nice yardage to the stick.

I like your question.  The game is all about angles.  How to use the teeing area to your advantage, Tee shot target to set up second shot, putting your ball on the right part of the green to give you the best opportunity, and where would you want to leave your next putt.  Sacrificing distance for accuracy or to negotiate a bunker, creek, etc is also part of my course management.

Most golfers over estimate their ability.  They will leave approach shots short because they think they hit the ball farther than they actually do.  I would strongly suggest you go out on the course alone one evening and finding out exactly how far you hit each club in the air I like to use 5 balls for this drill.  Course conditions will dictate how much roll you will get.  Be pin high will make life a lot easier.  

First time on a course, I go to the front tees, hit the fairways, then shoot for the middle of the greens.  If I liked the course and go back then its the white tees with a good notion of where to hit to.  I always figure that the first round on a course is a practice round.  The guy's on TV get practice rounds before the tournaments and in my case I like to do the same.  I go out and take mental notes during that first time and plan how I hope the game should go the next time.  After that practice round I usually have a good idea of green speed and whether or not the greens hold my shots the way I like, how good or bad the sand is, where the blind spots and hidden trouble is, where to target on the fairways, what kind of punishment the rough is, where to avoid hillside lies.  Basically looking for ways to make my game work best next time.  Usually when go back, the rounds are much better and I have a lot more fun.

Its a plan that I stick because it just makes sense to me.

Great question Steve!  I try to play to yardages, specifically, the approach shot.  Ideally, if it's a course I've played before, I try to play each hole backwards, from green to tee, picturing where I want the ball to be for each shot.  But I do find that when I'm playing a new course, I probably hit driver more often than I should - I know that was certainly the case during the back nine at the Team Titleist outing up at Thomson CC.  Accuracy was the key there, and I just lost my mind for several holes.

Nice post Steve as this is something I never really thought about.  But here's my normal routine...

Before i start my round, i always stretch out (most important part for me).  After that and if time allows, I like to hit the range if the course has one, just a small bucket to warm up.  Then i'll chip around and putt.   If there's no range, then chip and putt.   

My game plan is very simple; play smart, try to keep in play and have fun.  I will admit i cannot shape my shots and cannot hit it long.  I always look at my GPS since it has a nice layout of the course i'm playing and from there I'll think about my shot.   In the end, i'm just looking to keep it in play and make par..  At least that's my game plan..  Does it happen? Not really..  Still having fun though..

I will say this though especially for a course I never play, i pay very close attention to the greens and how they're running..  I know the practice greens aren't always the same so for the first few 2 holes i pay very close attention to this.  I definitely plan for that since putting is the most important part of my game.  That's 1 to 3 strokes right there.. 

Definitely going to keep an eye on the responses here.  So far some very good ones...

Speaking for myself  I think fairways and Greens no matter the course.

To me the key is to play to your strengths no matter what course your playing.

For instance a shorter par 4 with tight fairway = 3 wood in my book because task number 1 is to hit fairways.

Don't fire at tucked pins and go for fat of the green unless its a 8 iron or less in hand on approach.

I am not single digit  ( yet)  and this is my way of  trying to shoot  my lowest  score. Not being a guy who averages 310 off the tee I need to be a little more conservative than someone who hits it long enough to play the "bomb and gouge"  type of golf.

Every game plan obviously will vary depending on the strength of your game not the course IMO.

Play well