What Is Golf Course Management? (Video) - by Pete Styles
What Is Golf Course Management? (Video) - by Pete Styles

So what is meant by Golf Course Management? Well Golf Course Management can often be the difference between the high handicapper and the better golfer and the touring professional. Generally, the better the Golf Course Management, the better the player. It stands to reason that, if I understand how the hole is laid out to where I’m going to hit my shots, I’m going to play better than someone that just picks out a target and just heads straight for the hole. Think about this, when you are driving a car, you don’t just jump in the car and head straight for the shops. You actually get in the car and you assess the situation around. You assess how busy the road is, where the safe place to drive on the road is, what are the hazards that are approaching you. And you adjust the way you drive, and your speed and your awareness to the hazards.

A good golfer plays a golf hole in exactly the same fashion. They start off behind the tee, they stand back, they look down the golf hole and they assess what they see. They assess where the hazards are, where the danger is, the things I want to avoid, the things where I’ve got a higher percentage, a higher margin of error. They then choose the shot that’s appropriate, more importantly, they choose the club that’s appropriate. So you find then a very narrow hole with bunkers everywhere, I’m not necessarily going to go gung ho with my driver. Likewise, if you are in your car driving down a very busy street with two schools on either side, you are not going to drive there at 60 miles an hour. You are going to slow down, you are going to play the percentages, you are going to look around you a little bit more. You are going to take a safer option. So a narrow, tight hole, I might drop down to my hybrid club or even an iron to keep the ball in play. Then as I get towards my ball I can see the green, I assess the green, I assess the danger, I assess the safe area, I assess where the flag is. I might go straight for the flag, I might actually play it safer for this center part of the green and then putt across. Then as I mount to my par threes or my par fives, Course Management plays a big part in those as well. Do you go aggressive? Do you go defensive? Also when depending on the different type of competition you are in, and the different situations in your round, Course Management could be a bit different. If I’m playing a match play competition, and my playing partner or my opponent – sorry, is next to the hole into, and I’m miles away into, I can be a little bit more aggressive with my third shot. I can try and get my third shot in or really close, because they are probably going to win the hole any other way. If I’m playing in a Texas Scramble format or I’ve got a team competition around me, again I can be more aggressive. But if I’m playing the first five or six holes of a 36-hole stroke play or medal play tournament, I’m going to be a little more defensive. I’m going to guard against making big double bogeys, big triple bogeys. I’m going to play the percentages, just play a little bit safer. Particularly if it’s a golf course I don’t know, I don’t know what’s over the brow of that hill, I don’t know what’s behind that bunker, so I’ll play more conservative and play safer. So understanding Course Management will help you improve your scores, improve your handicap, and actually enjoy the game a little bit more as well. 2014-05-08

So what is meant by Golf Course Management? Well Golf Course Management can often be the difference between the high handicapper and the better golfer and the touring professional. Generally, the better the Golf Course Management, the better the player. It stands to reason that, if I understand how the hole is laid out to where I’m going to hit my shots, I’m going to play better than someone that just picks out a target and just heads straight for the hole. Think about this, when you are driving a car, you don’t just jump in the car and head straight for the shops. You actually get in the car and you assess the situation around. You assess how busy the road is, where the safe place to drive on the road is, what are the hazards that are approaching you. And you adjust the way you drive, and your speed and your awareness to the hazards.

A good golfer plays a golf hole in exactly the same fashion. They start off behind the tee, they stand back, they look down the golf hole and they assess what they see. They assess where the hazards are, where the danger is, the things I want to avoid, the things where I’ve got a higher percentage, a higher margin of error. They then choose the shot that’s appropriate, more importantly, they choose the club that’s appropriate.

So you find then a very narrow hole with bunkers everywhere, I’m not necessarily going to go gung ho with my driver. Likewise, if you are in your car driving down a very busy street with two schools on either side, you are not going to drive there at 60 miles an hour. You are going to slow down, you are going to play the percentages, you are going to look around you a little bit more. You are going to take a safer option.

So a narrow, tight hole, I might drop down to my hybrid club or even an iron to keep the ball in play. Then as I get towards my ball I can see the green, I assess the green, I assess the danger, I assess the safe area, I assess where the flag is. I might go straight for the flag, I might actually play it safer for this center part of the green and then putt across. Then as I mount to my par threes or my par fives, Course Management plays a big part in those as well. Do you go aggressive? Do you go defensive?

Also when depending on the different type of competition you are in, and the different situations in your round, Course Management could be a bit different. If I’m playing a match play competition, and my playing partner or my opponent – sorry, is next to the hole into, and I’m miles away into, I can be a little bit more aggressive with my third shot. I can try and get my third shot in or really close, because they are probably going to win the hole any other way. If I’m playing in a Texas Scramble format or I’ve got a team competition around me, again I can be more aggressive.

But if I’m playing the first five or six holes of a 36-hole stroke play or medal play tournament, I’m going to be a little more defensive. I’m going to guard against making big double bogeys, big triple bogeys. I’m going to play the percentages, just play a little bit safer. Particularly if it’s a golf course I don’t know, I don’t know what’s over the brow of that hill, I don’t know what’s behind that bunker, so I’ll play more conservative and play safer. So understanding Course Management will help you improve your scores, improve your handicap, and actually enjoy the game a little bit more as well.