Does Having The Correct Golf Swing Mechanics In Place Make It Easier For Strategizing On The Golf Course?

Have you ever played on a golf course that you knew nothing about? I’m sure you have during one golf round or another. That happened to me yesterday. We were playing on a very difficult tightly laid out golf course. It commanded several different shot variations.  It had elevated greens,  many combinations of sidehill and downhill lies.  All kinds of obstacles to carry or shoot over. You can tell by my descriptions,  I didn’t have a very good day playing.  I shot at least 10 strokes higher then I should have.  Most of my troubles wasn’t knowing the golf course, and yanking my driver out of the golf bag on every hole. (Dumb!)

My focus or golf mindset was to get the ball out there on the fairway far enough to eliminate the pressure on my second shot. This is the wrong way to strategize when trying to play within yourself.  You do need  a game plan to know when to attack or be conservative when approaching each hole.  Golf course management is gained through knowledge of each hole and what to expect.  Not knowing the golf course.  What I should have done was visualize in a pre-shot routine before addressing the golf ball,  the intended target of where to place the golf ball on the fairway. This can be done by standing behind the golf ball and looking for the safest places to hit to. By looking at your scorecard, the layout of the golf course is usually pictured there, or at the  hole sign next to the tee block.

Your aiming  for the fairway,  because landing a golf ball there eliminates the chances of a bad lie, and it gives you the best angle to approach the green. When you reach your drive you need to study your lie for a minute, and analysis what you want to do with your next shot.  If you don’t think that you can reach the green with your next shot, it’s often a safer play to lay up. This means playing a controlled shot that’s deliberately aimed short of the green, rather than hitting the golf ball as hard as you can and hoping for the best.

Questions that do need to be answered before hitting your second shot are:  What is the intended target?  What distance do you have left to the green? How far is it to lag short of the green, if you can’t reach it? (Check to see where the nearest distance marker is.) Where is the trouble,  and do you want to play away from it, if possible?  Do you want to play short of trouble or risk by going for it if possible? If  in the rough, consider how high the rough is and whether you can get out of it?  Notice if the golf course is wet or dry in certain places?  Always take into consideration the wind?  Is this an uphill, downhill or sidehill lie?  Do you want the ball to stop or roll after it reaches its intended target?

A key component of effective approach play is what’s called the lie of your golf ball, or how it sits on the ground after it has come to rest. If you’ve found the fairway, then it’s likely you’ll have a good lie from which to plan your next shot. A good lie is important because it gives you options.  You can be more aggressive with your golf shot,  safe in the knowledge that nothing unexpected will happen as the ball leaves the clubface.  A bad lie will not,  if  it’s in a divot, dirt, tight lie with very little grass to hit into, or high rough that includes weeds.

The secret to successful fairway or approach play is maintaining control.  Never try to over swing the golf club at full speed.  Instead, rely on your golf swing mechanics that you’ve ingrained into your muscle memory and concentrate on accuracy.  Make sure you choose the right golf club for the shot ahead and try to picture the flight of the golf ball,  as it leaves the clubface and heads towards the green. Take several practice swings until you have created the golf swing necessary to get your ball to its intended target. Waggling before hitting does help to keep your wrists loose, and is the starting point of your timing. Now commit yourself to swinging the golf club, and not focused where the golf ball should go.

Golf pre-shot routine is a must-have.  Always visualize precisely the kind of golf shot and outcome you desire to achieve.  Visualizing the golf shot not only helps to eradicate any doubts that you might have,  but also makes it feel great when you actually do execute the shot just as you had imagined.  Every golfer has their own routine, and if it’s working for you don’t change it.  Always  feel free to personalize your own routine or style, and change it if  it’s not working for you.

There are some main fundamentals that everyone who plays must rely upon from tee to green. Only through practice or playing that you’ll gain the knowledge and experience to know what clubs to choose, different lies of your golf ball, the intended target selections,  and your golf swing mechanics.  Surprisingly most golfers often skip right over the important things that will help them accomplish their  goal of getting the ball to its target. Their first thought is to hit the ball where they think they want it to go.  Sometimes this works, but most of the time you want a real routine to plan.  Training Aids such as Medicus, can do just that for you! Click the following link to get a better understanding, how this training aid can help you.   Medicus #1 Swing Trainer Aids!

Take a playing lesson from your P.G.A. pro. There’s no substitute for having a seasoned teaching pro walk you through actual on-course strategy. Never get too ambitious on hard courses.  The courses on which the pros play tournaments are tough. It’s fun to play them, and even more fun if you adopt a conservative strategy.

Playing the game as simple as possible is better than fancy. Lay up on all the par fives and play the long par fours as if they were bogey rather than par holes. When the opportunity presents itself by creating the conditions to become more aggressive when you have a chance to go for birdie or even eagle then go for it.  However, from a bad lie, just get the ball back into play.  Bumping a sand wedge 10 yards back onto the fairway is always better than trying to hit a dramatic shot off a bad lie.  The pros will sometimes go for it because they figure they can recover from a bad shot. Amateurs will probably just make a bad situation worse. Finally when practicing, play holes rather than beating balls. Many pros practice by pretending to play actual holes. You can consult a scorecard for a favorite course,  hit a drive, then an iron, and even imagine you have missed a fairway or green and practice recovery shots.

For more great information on approach shots don’t forget to add this DVD to your golf library by Bobby Eldridge. Click the following link: Golf Instructions On Improving Short Game!

Planning Golf Course Strategies Depends On How Well Your Golf Swing Mechanics Is Working!

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