Scoring
Aim: To try and
create a positive mindset for you to take into any stroke
round, so that you have no illusions as to what score you
should get, but you remain focussed on shooting a good round.
Also to introduce the "3-hole course" to help you
with attitude.
What on earth does
this mean ? Surely you shoot as low as you can right ? Well, yes,
but its not always so simple ! A good score is not just about the
birdies and the eagles, its also the great up and downs, the
recoveries and the bogies that should have been a lot more. Dont
have any set plan for scores, often birdies just come in a bunch
and others they just dont go in the hole, if you have a set
target, youre just setting up for a disappointment. Sure, all the
reachable par5's should be gimmie birdies but dont lash an
approach if you cant quite get there, causing you to make a tough
par or bogey when you could easily lay up and get close in 3.
Dont go for sucker pins near water or bad trouble, especially if
your snap is off, or the conditions are tough, play safe for the
heart of the green, more room for error and still a chance to
hole a long putt ! A method I use a lot is to write the numbers 1
to 18 on a piece of paper and fill in the PAR as I get to each
hole, but I draw a line after every 3 holes, so the 3rd,6th,9th
etc...and treat each section as a 3 hole course, which I
"play" separately. If there is no wind, I'll aim to
have birdie putts on all 3 holes, and make at least 2 of them,
but hopefully 3, in breezy I hope to make 2 of them, but be sure
of 1, and in the wind I would look to have at least a birdie in
each section. When I get to the end of the section I forget about
that and start a new one, which allows me to forget about the odd
bad shot / bogey, and keeps me focussed if I get into a birdie
run. You must forget each section as you finish it, and this will
stop you from panicking as you get to the end of the course with
few birdies to show, just play each section hard on its own, and
see what you can do...Shoot for the pins if you can, especially
if you have your stock shot to the green, but dont be scared to
play slightly away if the pin is near trouble, or leave yourself
an easy chip..dont force a score and make sure you dont throw
shots away with bad decisions.Generally a tournament will not be
lost by the odd birdie that gets away but by the silly bogey you
make or the double or triple bogey that should have been a
bogey...still think of par as a friend, because every dropped
shot mops up a precious birdie, you may be disappointed with 18
pars ( although Nick Faldo did alright with that to win the Open
against Paul Azinger ) but you better believe that 18 pars feels
a lot better than 9 birdies and 9 bogies ! Here's what I mean by
having a little notepad with a whole series of 3-hole courses set
up on it, allowing me to draw a line under each three holes makes
me re-focus, so I dont get complacent if I've made some birdies
and I don't get down if I've made a bogey, focus hard on the
3-hole course you are on at any one time
Course: Innisbrook |
Par = 71 |
Round
One :67 |
windy,normal,slow |
Round
Two : 68 |
breezy,soft,medium |
Round
Three : 62 |
calm,soft,medium |
1 |
Par5 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
2 |
Par4 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
Par4 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
|
10 |
Par4 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
11 |
Par5 |
5 |
6 |
5 |
12 |
Par4 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
|
4 |
Par3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
Par5 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
6 |
Par4 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
|
13 |
Par3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
14 |
Par5 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
15 |
Par3 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
|
7 |
Par4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
8 |
Par3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
9 |
Par4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
|
16 |
Par4 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
17 |
Par3 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
18 |
Par4 |
4 |
3 |
5 |
|
Player : |
LDSDBomber |
Level and Tees : |
both CHAMP |
Top Tips:
Don't try to look too far ahead or get too caught up in your
score, or your intended score
Split the course up into 6 mini courses of 3 holes each and
play them separately
Try to play each section under par, but if you have a bad
three holes, move on to the next section and re-focus
You can make the triple birdie run at any time so be patient,
and if you do, start fresh with the next three holes
A great score is as much to do with the par saves and damage
limiting bogeys (not worse) as the birdies and eagles
Scoring can be very streaky so dont get the arse on if you
are in a par-streak..par is good...par is good...its bogeys
that mop up birdies!
Do learn what you can about the course beforehand ( see
course knowledge section )
If you can, practice first, hit some putts on the greens you
are going to play and play the danger holes in practice
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