DECADE by BirdieFire

[QEight]

Regarding mapping, the only hard part is getting that cone into Google earth and sizing it to your specific yardages. Once you have your cone in there, you can map a course in maybe 10-15 minutes. Just cut and paste it 14 times and move it to each hole. I screen shot each hole with a cone and paste them into a word doc I can print out and take with me.

 

I think the YouTube video has a link to a premade cone, but I made my own without photoshop. I drew lines in Google earth for my yardages then pasted a picture of that into PowerPoint. I retraced the lines in PowerPoint with the shapes tool and then deleted the picture from Googleearth. I was left with just the cone I created using the shapes tool in PowerPoint. You can save the PowerPoint cone as a picture with transparent background. Once you create the cone picture in PowerPoint, open it in Googleearth, size it correctly, then just cut and paste onto each hole.

 

I think my problem is good earth. The program isn't letting me open anything. When I'm in google earth and click "open" it won't let me select any files on my computer at all. What am I doing wrong?

 

Have you especially tried e.g. jpg pictures?

[ebrasmus21]

Regarding mapping, the only hard part is getting that cone into Google earth and sizing it to your specific yardages. Once you have your cone in there, you can map a course in maybe 10-15 minutes. Just cut and paste it 14 times and move it to each hole. I screen shot each hole with a cone and paste them into a word doc I can print out and take with me.

 

I think the YouTube video has a link to a premade cone, but I made my own without photoshop. I drew lines in Google earth for my yardages then pasted a picture of that into PowerPoint. I retraced the lines in PowerPoint with the shapes tool and then deleted the picture from Googleearth. I was left with just the cone I created using the shapes tool in PowerPoint. You can save the PowerPoint cone as a picture with transparent background. Once you create the cone picture in PowerPoint, open it in Googleearth, size it correctly, then just cut and paste onto each hole.

 

I think my problem is good earth. The program isn't letting me open anything. When I'm in google earth and click "open" it won't let me select any files on my computer at all. What am I doing wrong?

 

Have you especially tried e.g. jpg pictures?

 

I must be an idiot because I can't figure this out. I've downloaded that cone from the youtube video and it will only save as a png.

 

This is either really difficult or I'm computer-challenged.

[ebrasmus21]

Got it going thanks for everyone's help.

 

So here is the first hole at my club. OB on both sides. Based on this hole is driver always going to be the play?

[sethdavidsdad]

Got it going thanks for everyone's help.

 

So here is the first hole at my club. OB on both sides. Based on this hole is driver always going to be the play?

Yes, but if your miss pattern is greater than 65 yards wide(can't remember if it's 60 or 65) you may need to change the shape of the cone.

[ebrasmus21]

Got it going thanks for everyone's help.

 

So here is the first hole at my club. OB on both sides. Based on this hole is driver always going to be the play?

Yes, but if your miss pattern is greater than 65 yards wide(can't remember if it's 60 or 65) you may need to change the shape of the cone.

 

I just mapped my entire course. I have most of the cones set between 70 - 75 yards wide.

 

 

There are some interesting holes that I'll post - please provide feedback to those that are interested.

[ebrasmus21]

This is the hardest hole on the course. Par 4 dogleg right. I hit driver.

[Ty_Webb]

Can anyone help me understand the "mental" score I'm supposed to give each shot?

 

I've been watching all the tutorials but I haven't found an explanation of how to grade each shot mentally. Is it a grading scale from 1 - 10. ?

 

My understanding of the mental scorecard is on a given hole if you get a 5, your mental scorecard would show how many of those 5 shots you were committed to a decision and went through your process on. If you did that on 3 of the shots, but 2 of them you were distracted or you made a poor decision, then you'd give yourself a 3. The mental ranking is then a percentage of your shots that you were committed to. I think the goal is to get that up somewhere around 90-95%. A couple of the videos explain that ranking.

[klebs01]

Bit the bullet and purchased the elite level. Now if only it would get above 40* so I can start recording rounds and see how bad I really am.

[QMany]

This is the hardest hole on the course. Par 4 dogleg right. I hit driver.

Can driver carry the trees in the right? How is the rough on the left half of your driver dispersion?

[ebrasmus21]

This is the hardest hole on the course. Par 4 dogleg right. I hit driver.

Can driver carry the trees in the right? How is the rough on the left half of your driver dispersion?

 

Really the only way to play the hole is to cut it off the bunkers on the left. Trees protect the right side basically from the tee box till past the dogleg. So trying to carry the trees on the right would be unrealistic in most cases.

 

Rough on the left is usually not that bad. Angle into the green from the left sucks but the rough isn’t generally an issue.

[QMany]

This is the hardest hole on the course. Par 4 dogleg right. I hit driver.

 

What distances does hybrid leave you? Send D unless hybrid is going to leave you wedge.

[ebrasmus21]

This is the hardest hole on the course. Par 4 dogleg right. I hit driver.

 

What distances does hybrid leave you? Send D unless hybrid is going to leave you wedge.

 

Yeah I’m thinking it’s driver all day long. Hybrid would still leave me 180 into a narrow green.

[drewtaylor21]

This is the hardest hole on the course. Par 4 dogleg right. I hit driver.

 

What distances does hybrid leave you? Send D unless hybrid is going to leave you wedge.

 

Yeah I'm thinking it's driver all day long. Hybrid would still leave me 180 into a narrow green.

 

I'd agree, that'd be a driver for me every time. If you play a draw it might be a bit tricky, but if you can fade one there, it looks ideal.

[pusb365]

I'm heading to Scotland this week to play some links golf (for the first time).

 

Currently mapping out the first course and I'm wondering how DECADE translates to links golf as at the moment using the guidelines I will only be hitting driver about 3 times on the first course.

 

Pretty much all the fairways are less than 40 yards wide, and there are fairway bunkers around my 3 wood yardages, so for nearly every hole the answer seems to be long iron short of the fairway bunkers. I'm not going to have very many wedges in to greens at all.

 

A lot of this will depend on what state the rough is in when I get there. If it's not looking to be very penal then I can be more aggressive.

 

Having said that, the average fairway width at my course is about 25 yards and I hit driver on most holes there as the holes are tight the whole way, so there's no real advantage to clubbing down, whereas on this links course they are wider around my 2 iron carry and then pinch to 25 yards at my driver carry.

 

I'll try and post some screenshot examples in a bit, but keen to hear people's thoughts on this.

[QMany]

Are there 65 yards between penalty hazards? Can you carry the bunkers with driver? Does laying back with iron or hybrid leave wedge in?

 

We need to know the answer to those questions.

[pusb365]

OK here is one example:

 

 

Here you can see that I can comfortably clear the bunkers with driver. To lay up short of them would only be a 185 shot:

 

 

 

 

However if we look at a hole flyover, these coloured dots show my driver carry distance:

 

 

 

 

 

Red dot to red dot is the fairway, which is 27 yards.

Yellow to yellow is light rough to light rough, at 38 yards

And blue to blue is hazard on the right to thick gorse on the left, 51 yards.

 

The gorse isn't a penalty hazard, but I think it may as well be. I'd have to aim away from the hazard on the right, putting me closer to the gorse on the left.

 

A layup short of the bunkers is a 185 shot and leaves 185 to the green. A driver would leave 100 yards, but is there too much trouble?

 

 

 

 

 

Example 2:

 

Here is a par 5. Once again driver comfortably clears the bunkers

 

 

 

 

 

If we take a look at the flyover:

 

 

 

At my driver carry distance the fairway, red to red, is 23 yards

Light rough, yellow to yellow, is 32 yards

Heavy rough, blue to blue, is 48 yards.

Outside of that is heavy gorse and probable lost ball/no shot.

 

Layup short of the bunkers leaves 285 yards. Probably route from there would be 170 yards and then 115 yards

A driver would leave roughly 205 yards to the green.

 

 

 

Example 3:

 

Par 4. Once again, driver comfortably clears the FW bunker

 

 

 

The flyover looks like this:

 

 

 

The fairway, red to red, is 26 yards

Light rough, yellow to yellow, is 37 yards

Heavy rough, blue to blue, is 41 yards

Outside of that is gorse and a lost ball/no shot

 

A layup short of the bunker leaves 195, a driver would leave 145.

 

 

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

[Fort Worth Pro]

What course is that? Example 1 looks like a hole at troon. You can have a general idea of where you want to finish but wind May and can change what club is needed. Downwind laying up to 185 might be no big deal because it could very easily be a 9 iron. Some of the bunkers you think are easily carried might not be if into the wind and 3 wood might be the play to be short of them. Some courses the gorse is essentially a lost ball. In Scotland have your game plan but be flexible.

[pusb365]

It's Gailes Links, which is just down the road from Troon so it's the same railway line that you see!

 

I agree about conditions and fully expect that to play a big part, but like you say it's good to have a general plan going into it.

[Fort Worth Pro]

Ok. I should have recognized it. Played it 3 times but not since 2014. First example is driver down the left side. Par 5 is driver down the left side and example 3 is lay it back. Only reason I say that is that is some of the nastiest heather on the course if memory serves on the right and driver down left will go into gorse bushes. Also no bunkers of note around the green so a 6 iron or so in isn't the worst thing in the world.

 

This might have to be adjusted based on how thick the heavier stuff is (it varies from year to year). At gailes the dark black looking stuff is heather. You can almost always find ball but it is a hack out. That stuff is nasty but kind of like if there were trees. It's lesser of two evils

[pusb365]

OK thanks. Maybe I'm being a bit too wary of the rough then.

 

Obviously the heather/gorse needs to be avoided but I think perhaps I'm being too scared of the non-heather rough and can be a bit more aggressive than I first thought.

[QMany]

I agree with FWP. I think you treat heather/long-fescue/thin-gunch like trees, while gorse/unfindable-gunch is like a penalty hazard. Playing in Kansas and Nebraska, I see a lot more gunch (faux-links) than I do trees (parkland). I do wish DECADE addressed it a little clearer.

[pusb365]

So I had a great time in Scotland and played very well. The rough was definitely not as punishing as I thought it would be so you guys were right.

 

I noticed how valuable DECADE is though, not so much in the good shots or giving me extra looks at birdie, but when I wasn't disciplined and got greedy and strayed away from decade by chasing a tucked pin, or aiming too close to a fairway bunker etc. I got punished and was kicking myself for not being disciplined.

 

Highlight of the trip was playing the last 7 holes of Western Gailes in 1-under despite 20mph winds.

[QMany]

Glad to hear!

 

DECADE has definitely helped me hit more greens, albeit I need to work harder on my lag putting. But I think it has helped my confidence most off the tee. Mapping out the lines, I know where I should be on +95% of my dispersion. Did you find that helped playing those courses for the first time?

[pusb365]

Yes it definitely helped me pick a line off the tee.

 

A lot of the tee shots on the courses I played were fairly blind. You could see maybe half a fairway, and the rest was blocked by mound or some gorse etc.

 

If you'd never played there before you'd probably assume you just need to aim down the visible part of the fairway, but actually on a lot of occasions I was able to aim over the gorse or mounds and know that I was cutting the corner and able to take a more aggressive line than my partners.

[Fort Worth Pro]

So I had a great time in Scotland and played very well. The rough was definitely not as punishing as I thought it would be so you guys were right.

 

I noticed how valuable DECADE is though, not so much in the good shots or giving me extra looks at birdie, but when I wasn't disciplined and got greedy and strayed away from decade by chasing a tucked pin, or aiming too close to a fairway bunker etc. I got punished and was kicking myself for not being disciplined.

 

Highlight of the trip was playing the last 7 holes of Western Gailes in 1-under despite 20mph winds.

 

Western gailes might be the most underrated course in Scotland. I LOVE that golf course.

[Jkap110]

Glad to hear!

 

DECADE has definitely helped me hit more greens, albeit I need to work harder on my lag putting. But I think it has helped my confidence most off the tee. Mapping out the lines, I know where I should be on +95% of my dispersion. Did you find that helped playing those courses for the first time?

 

Q, assume you went straight to the elite version when you started using??

[QMany]

Correct, I don’t think there was a Lite version then.

[mmack067]

I've wanted to sign up for quite some time and I'm finally going to do it and go all in for this season. I've made some swing changes and equipment changes over the last couple of years so this is the last piece of the puzzle.

[3_Jack_Par]

This is really interesting stuff. I mapped out a course where I have a match this weekend, and I'm going to try to strategize my tee shots based on the charts. I've played this course maybe a half dozen times over the years, so I know it a little bit, but seeing the cone over each hole really shows where it makes the most sense to be aggressive and where the more conservative approach is wise.

 

One thing -- I used the cone overlay that's linked from the YouTube video that was shared earlier in the thread, and that one has gray lines, which are a little faint when I use it on the map. I see some other people have posted pictures where the lines are white and stand out more. Does anyone have a link to one like that they could share? I could probably download photoshop and make one, but I'm lazy.

[ebrasmus21]

This is really interesting stuff. I mapped out a course where I have a match this weekend, and I'm going to try to strategize my tee shots based on the charts. I've played this course maybe a half dozen times over the years, so I know it a little bit, but seeing the cone over each hole really shows where it makes the most sense to be aggressive and where the more conservative approach is wise.

 

One thing -- I used the cone overlay that's linked from the YouTube video that was shared earlier in the thread, and that one has gray lines, which are a little faint when I use it on the map. I see some other people have posted pictures where the lines are white and stand out more. Does anyone have a link to one like that they could share? I could probably download photoshop and make one, but I'm lazy.

 

Jack if you're still interested PM me and I'll email you my cone file.