Delo’s Divots: I preach a lot about course management and how
many strokes are wasted by simply choosing the wrong club or wrong
shot for the situation. But did you know that you can preview a lot
of holes on the course before you play them?
Playing more than one hole at a time sounds like chaos. However, it is not how it sounds.
I preach a lot about course management and how many strokes are wasted by simply choosing the wrong club or wrong shot for the situation. But did you know that you can preview a lot of holes on the course before you play them?
Look around the first few holes of the course you are playing that day. Check out the other greens and where each hole is located. This way when you do play, it is not a mystery of where the pin is and, therefore, what your club selection should be as well as your strategy off the tee.
If the pin is cut way to the right behind a bunker, you can now try to hit your tee shot well to the left to have an easier approach to the hole. You have to aim at something off the tee, and it may as well be the right thing.
I recently played a course where, on the first green, I could see the hole location on No. 3, 10 and 14. Once on the No. 2 green, I could see the location of 6, 7 and 11. I also scouted the hole location on No. 7 and 9 as I drove in and No. 18 from the driving range.
Therefore, after playing only two holes, I knew the hole location already of nine other holes I hadn’t even played yet.
So the next time you are playing, don’t have tunnel vision. Check out the hole location of the other holes you will be playing. It will help your club selection and your score.
