36 Hole Invitational

This coming weekend sees our 'main event' in the golfing calendar; the 36 Hole Invitational. We all lobbed in a £10.00 entry fee with the hope of not only winning the silver, but also (for the eventual winner) fully paid-up membership for 2014. With the event being open to only those who have completed 6 qualifying events throughout the year, we might just limit some of the banditry too.

There are approx 40 entrants with half qualifying for sunday. Our course is 5300 yards but quite tight in places (a few internal oobs) and has a few short, tight dog-leg par 4s which look a doddle but with inclement weather at weekend, are likely to be quite a challenge.

Here's the thing, common sense tells me to leave the driver at home, use the 3-wood sparingly and favour hybrids and irons. However, it's one thing sat here telling myself I'm going to do it and then allowing myself to start 'bag watching' and stupidly following my playing partners. What advice would the lower handicappers among you give to someone off my handicap facing this sort of event for the first time?

No idea what a low handicapper would tell you but this higher handicapper would say leave the big dog in the car. Off 19, play bogey golf. If you have a really short par4 and a shot to the green in regulation with no silly yardage, then go for it - but if anywhere near your limit, lay up - wedge it to the green and look for 2 putts to come off with nett par. Some of those first putts may just go in.

Cut out the mistakes and you'll do well - good luck!

He who dares Rodney, get the big dog out  
 
(No seriously Davie is right!)

Cheers guys. I remember LJ taking the time and trouble to email me a detailed sheet on how to get around Meyrick Park in Bournemouth a couple of years back. Had I been able to execute the shots he proposed (all of which were sensible) then I'd have got it around a lot better than I did. I suppose because low-handicappers have so few shots to play with, they put a lot more 'course management' in before-hand in planning their strategy allied of course with many hours of practice  

Course management is just as important (some may say MORE important) for high handicappers than low.

Take a look at your second shots to the green. If you think you can only make it 3 times out of 10, then don't do it. If it's 5 out of 10 then still think twice

In my experience higher handicappers make their points on par 3s and shorter par 4s. If you have shortish par 3s then you can still get on them from the tee and two putt for happy days. Same for 2nd shots to short par 4s.

Longer par 4s don't even think about it. Rescue or 3 wood off the tee - and two wedges if necessary

I played a comp recently and had an OK score going (though never good enough to win). On the 18th (a par 5 but not massive long) I hit a decent drive, then chose a 3 wood for second shot. I'd not been hitting it well all day where my trusty hybrid had been sweet all day. I chunked the 3 wood and then hacked my way up the remainder of the hole in disgust. A playing partner afterwards asked me why I picked the 3 wood when the hybrid would only have left me 20 yards shorter (assuming I'd hit the 3 wood properly) - and I'd still have had a shot to the green (maybe a 8 iron instead of a wedge).

I couldn't answer him but I've remembered it since

I think we get a rush of blood to the head don't we? For example the 9th/18th (mine is a 9-hole course played off 2 separate tees) is a par-5 of less than 500 yards. However, it is fraught with danger. You have 2 streams running across, a lateral water hazard and boundary on the left and oob on the right which continue the length of the hole. The smart move is to knock a 6-iron to an island between the 2 streams, hit about a 7-iron over the second stream onto the fairway and then a hybrid will get you onto the green in 3 shots or even another mid-iron plus chip onto green for a possible 5 or 2-putt 6. But no, I (and most others) always seem to try and carry both streams (190 yard carry) risking oobs, or the stream or a poor lie behind a wall and tree (on the fairway). The risk doesn't pay dividends because even if you make the carry you've still got well over 200 to the green with the risk of carving or hooking one into serious trouble. And that's why we remain at a high handicap because our judgement and decision-making and ability to pull off the more challenging shots under pressure are lacking when it really counts. Whereas a better player would seldom tackle a shot he/she was less than 90% certain of making under normal conditions  

In answer to your question, we have 3 very reachable par-3s (which we play twice from different tees). Even a high handicapper should be looking at 3 pars out of the 6. There is one longish (and tight) par 4 and a few shortish (but tricky par-4s). Three of them are easily par-able providing you get a reasonable drive away. Our course is all about hitting to a specific point on the fairway and then playing a sensible approach. Not difficult, but that makes it all the more frustrating when you play commando golf