I am going to play a the Gateway National golf links today…its nearly 7100 yards, 74.2 and 127 slope. Tough track. If the wind blows at all, some of the holes are absolutely brutal.
How do you prepare for a course you don’t traditionally play well?
goal for the day, 1 shot at a time. Thinking box, pick target and commit to intermediate target.
execution box…no thoughts.
shorten swing and stay in rhythm. distance is not the issue and if it is, I don’t make up distance by hitting in the junk…so, stay within yourself.
Have fun. Worst case scenario, smoke a cigar and have a beer, check out the scenery.
Any other recommendations?
@Steven yes sir. Arccos will provide the smart caddy feature to suggest a club based on what you actually do, not what you wish you would do. My favorite feature while playing is the “plays like” distance that takes into account wind, temperature, elevation, barometric pressure, etc. I have found it to be incredibly accurate. Looking at data, it lets you change what you are compared to. As an example, if you are a 15 and would like to become a 10 handicap, compare your stats to a 10 handicap. Then you can see exactly what the differences are and where you need to make improvements. As a 15, comparing yourself to a scratch golfer is meaningless, but the ability to compare to an achievable target is super helpful. One thing to keep in mind is that arccos reports your total distance, with roll. You still need to do some work to know your carry distance with each club…most people way over estimate their carry distances. I use launch monitors to dial in those distances.
@Tom Saguto it’s so hard to keep that right arm connected. Sad. You would think that I am a reasonably intelligent person and I play rounds with the shorter swing and see, without a doubt it doesn’t hurt my distances at all. But, I go out and let’s just say some swings I totally black out and forget about my intermediate target. When that happens, too if backswing I see it and have to rescue the shot. Because I know before the downswing even starts “oh shit, went way to far.” In order of things to fix: 1. Inside of 10 ft. Have to make more putts. My putting is deceptive because I 3 putt less than a scratch golfer. But I also make fewer birdies. Gotta improve. I think that’s worth a couple strokes per round. 2. Inside of 100 yards. As my distances have improved, now the touch shots. Need to work on the dial, 30, 50, 75, 100. Get comfortable and precise with those yardages. Have to hit more shots closer to pin and never miss greens…pathetic. 3. Par 3 tee shots. It’s almost like my longest approach shots in a round are pat 3’s. I simply miss too many greens and it’s inexcusable. Have a perfect lie and still miss too many greens. Arccos tells me a pretty similar story. Now the good news. My goal at the start of the year was to be able to play to a 3 handicap. I am right there and have basically been playing to a 3 for the past 30 rounds. Now I am getting greedy because I believe I could actually get to scratch if I just clean some things up.
@Tom Saguto Power has never been an issue for me, but the club tweaks to optimize launch angle and spin rates has made a big difference because now I never feel like I have to kill it to get my yardages right. Here are my distances over last 30 days.
Nice (half) round, @Russell Hogue, PhD! Sounds to me like you are maximizing the power source of angular momentum based on the description of your swing. Well done!!
@Steven - Let's be clear: Coors Light is the flavored water of your locale....😆
Well, it got too slow so I quit at the turn. I am subbing in a league tonight and didn’t want to be out in the heat all day and go straight to league. Shot 39 with 2 3 jacks… Regardless, it was the best ball striking of the year for me and also coincided with the first time I can remember, every shot had a clear flight plan and when I stepped into execution box I literally had one thought of releasing over the intermediate target. To shorten my swing, I had one feel. Keep my right arm connected to my body and accept I don’t need more power. Guess what? Something happened. The short swing with no effort to lift my arms so I can get more power resulted in, more power. Great example, last hole, 410 yard par 4. I hit hybrid, gap wedge to about 10 feet. 270 yard hybrid and 140 yard GW.
My 5 Cents(Inflation)
Number 1: My goal for the day is same one shot a time but that is from now on, everyday not matter what courses I am playing!
Number 2: For me the home range has and is the best thing for me in my execution box. Ingraining the takeaway and making the arms turn my shoulders down and keeping eye on the back of ball and mental pause at top before down swing.
(This has been the biggest thing about hitting 4 days a week at home besides getting things ingrained ) And of course outdoor practice and playing, my execution box can't be empty! When it is, I'm for sure in the junk!
Number 3: Is a gem for sure! For me it is about the distance, as in right club selection(what club will get me there and be the right one! Not what I think it is, know what I can hit each club no matter what it is). More fun being on, then being short because I have macho thoughts!
Number 4: Always , worse case for me, check out beautiful CO mountains in view from every course I play! And a flavored water,(beer was the biggest disappointment for me years ago on my first one, never acquired a taste for it)!
Don't forget to update us.
Have fun and knock them on!