Path of least resistance leads to lower golf scores (Video) - by Pete Styles
Path of least resistance leads to lower golf scores (Video) - by Pete Styles

Playing a well-designed golf course is one of the greatest joys as a golfer. You want to be able to get out on to a golf course and be faced with certain challenges, certain risks and certain rewards and a well-designed golf course is exactly that. It will give you that option of, "Do I play this shot?" or "Do I play this shot?" There's normally two, maybe three, maybe four ways to play every hole of golf. And I would always suggest that depending on your skill level you generally add on the side of caution, play the path of least resistance. If there's a green here with a bunker to the right and a flag is on the right, you know you need to be playing to the safer part of the green, play to the middle and putt it from there. It would only really be place a very high skill levels that would take on the aggressive root trying go over the bunk, trying go directly to the flag. The reward is the ball is near the flag, the risk is, "Are you going to miss the green?" "Are you going to end up in the bunker?"

Now if you want a little challenge for yourself, what I would suggest is one weekend you go out there and you play really disciplined, safety of every single shot. Take the drive less often. Take the dog leg on less often. Don’t go over the water, don’t go over the bunk. Just play the safe route. See what you score. And then next week, go out there all guns blazing, drive off every tee, three with off the deck, trying to knock you only part fives. Play it every flag. Raise all your putts to the hole and just see what score you come out with the best. If you are very highly skilled, highly talented player, you might score well with all guns blazing. But if your skill level isn’t great and you can't pull those shots off all the time, it would be much better off playing the safer route round. Play the path of least resistance for better scores.

 2012-12-03

Playing a well-designed golf course is one of the greatest joys as a golfer. You want to be able to get out on to a golf course and be faced with certain challenges, certain risks and certain rewards and a well-designed golf course is exactly that. It will give you that option of, “Do I play this shot?” or “Do I play this shot?” There's normally two, maybe three, maybe four ways to play every hole of golf. And I would always suggest that depending on your skill level you generally add on the side of caution, play the path of least resistance. If there's a green here with a bunker to the right and a flag is on the right, you know you need to be playing to the safer part of the green, play to the middle and putt it from there. It would only really be place a very high skill levels that would take on the aggressive root trying go over the bunk, trying go directly to the flag. The reward is the ball is near the flag, the risk is, “Are you going to miss the green?” “Are you going to end up in the bunker?”

Now if you want a little challenge for yourself, what I would suggest is one weekend you go out there and you play really disciplined, safety of every single shot. Take the drive less often. Take the dog leg on less often. Don’t go over the water, don’t go over the bunk. Just play the safe route. See what you score. And then next week, go out there all guns blazing, drive off every tee, three with off the deck, trying to knock you only part fives. Play it every flag. Raise all your putts to the hole and just see what score you come out with the best. If you are very highly skilled, highly talented player, you might score well with all guns blazing. But if your skill level isn’t great and you can't pull those shots off all the time, it would be much better off playing the safer route round. Play the path of least resistance for better scores.