Five Checkpoints When Playing 18 Holes
By Jack Moorehouse
Many players taking my golf lessons approach a full round of golf hole by hole. If they're playing a course they've played before, they know where to hit the ball and where all the trouble spots are on each hole. Playing hole by hole is fine for recreational golfers, some of whom are still attending golf instruction sessions and struggling to get a handle on the game.
But if you're an experienced golfer and you're serious about chopping your golf handicap down to size, this approach won't do. Instead, you need to start thinking of a round of golf as an entity in itself and to develop a strategy for playing a whole round of golf as such. In other words, you need to start thinking about developing a personal game plan for playing all 18 holes of golf.
Below are some tips you can incorporate in your game plan.
First Tee
Before starting the round, try to find out how the greens are playing. Are they slow or fast? Since you really can't do that on the first green, you'll have to rely on whatever information you can glean before you start the round. You can ask players who've finished their rounds. That helps. But the best way to find out about how the greens are playing is on the practice green, as I tell players who take my golf lessons.
For example, you can check the grain on the practice green by lightly dragging your putter across the green. If the grass stands up, you've scrapped the putter against the grain. If it stays down, you've scraped the putter with the grain. You can't do this on course, but you can test the green's collar or it's apron without penalty. Just make sure the grass is similar to what's on the green.
Seventh Hole
Your round is one-third over. It's time for a tension check. You should feel some tension in some of your muscles, like your lower back, the insides of your thighs, around your ankles, and the inside of your feet. Other muscles like your jaw, neck, and shoulders should be relaxed. If they aren't, do some stretches to loosen them. Some professional swing coaches calls this selective tension.
The 7th hole is also a good opportunity to check your time. How quickly are you playing? Perhaps it's one of those days where for whatever reason you're hyper, and you're playing too quickly. At the first sign of bad shot making, slow everything down, from driving your cart to walking to the tee. In fact, be the last one on the tee.
At the Turn
The turn is a good time to review how you've been playing, and not just in terms of your score. Have you been too aggressive? Maybe you've made a few mistakes. Or maybe you've been too conservative. Some players cut back on their natural aggressiveness so much at the start of a round that they lose their edge altogether. Resolve to make changes on the back nine.
Also, analyze your shots. How have they been? Have you been getting good distance on them? A loss of distance, for instance, can be fueled by the failure to make a complete shoulder turn. For longer, straighter shots you need to make a complete shoulder turn—the left under your chin and the right behind your neck (for right-hander). Resolve to correct problems with your mechanics on the back nine.
Fourteenth Hole
If you decide to get more aggressive on the back nine, remember that this aggressiveness sometimes comes at a price. You're liable to miss a green or two you might normally hit. The price of aggressiveness is tough recoveries. So be prepared to tackle these situations when they occur.
Also keep in mind that the type of putt you hit depends on the course's playing conditions. You've been out there for three hours or so. The grass has grown and the sun has dried the greens out, which can both slow them down and speed them up. Once you figure out the speed of the greens for the final stretch, make it a point to hit the ball harder for uphill putts.
Final Hole
If you've gotten to the final hole and you feel tired, consider putting in a little more gym time. Remember, the strongest machine usually wins. But fatigue can affect your whole swing. The last hole is no time to give yourself a lesson on your swing, as Ben Hogan put it. Once you start your swing, you can't stop it, so don't even try. Stay calm and go with your plan.
These tips are just a few among many that you can incorporate in your game plan, if you're playing a full round of golf. Use whatever works for you. The key is viewing the round as a whole, with its own rhythm, shifts in momentum, and so on. Doing so will help you lower that golf handicap while taking your game to a new level.
Jack
Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book "How
To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros." He is NOT a golf pro, rather a
working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower
their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest
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