Playing it safe

[idrive]

I have been playing Golf since I was a Kid. I am now 51.

 

I have never "played it safe"... until just recently. I have always gone for the Par 5's in 2, challenged bunkers, gone after the tough Pins...

 

I am finding this has helped my score on obvious lay up situations, etc., but when I don't go for "my shot," take less club than I know I can hit, (play it safe) it seems I don't do as well as I did before. Course Management. I hear it constantly. I also think you need to play "your game."

 

How do you guys play it???

[EJ Mac]

I have not been playing as long as you but I have decided to change the way I go about my round and play a little more conservative simply because I tend to drive the ball well as long as I don't get aggresive and am a fairly good wedge player and putter so I figure if I can put myself somewhere close in 2 I have a realistic chance at par bogey at worst, but that is me in the end you must do what is most comfortable and suits your unique and individual game. JAT

[astamm8]

it really pains me to play it safe, too. it can be hard to make good swings on safe shots as well. one of my least favorite shots in golf is the 7 iron off the tee on a short par 4 or the 7 iron lay up on a par 5. i almost always hit mediocre shots, although they end up okay because there is a huge margin of error. it's really hard for me to take dead aim and focus when i'm just aimed at nothing.<BR><BR>but, i've recently started playing quite a bit safer, which has definately helped my game. here's how. one, i have a regular game. there's money (and more importantly pride) on the line. so, i'm not gonna be stupid and give away holes by taking stupid gambles. instead i try to play a safer shot and still be aggressive. i rarely hit away from the flag and what not, but i'm much more careful that if i don't hit it just right that i leave it in a good spot. so maybe i try to fade it to that right flag over a bunker instead of going right at it. if it doesn't fade it's in the middle. if i draw it, and i double cross myself a lot, i've not shortsided myself. the second thing that's helped is playing a course that's just more 'difficult'. what i mean by that is there are more fronting bunkers and what not. i've always played agressively, but not just stupid. so when i'm hitting 4 iron to a par three with a nasty deep bunker in my way, i'm just hitting to the middle. i can now do that because the line to the flag looks so uninviting that i actually feel good and aggressive playing away from it, although that's pretty much gonna be as close to that line as possible that's not just stupid.

 

anyway, works for me. when i play by myself, i imagine myself a really top notch player. i go at basically everything and try to do it the 'right' way, working the ball left, right, up, down, etc. i always amaze myself at the number of these shots that i pull off. on the other hand over 9 or 18 holes, i always score worse because when the don't come off, the recovery shots are often just brutal.

[JakeBarnes]

It has never been a matter of playing it safe or playing it aggressive for me. It all comes down to whether or not I feel comfortable with that shot and playing it accordingly as it plays out in my head. If I can't visualize the shot, I don't take it.

[jho786]

I used to go at everything even when it was a dumb decision and was a bit too cocky with my game. I would have a blow up hole that would just kill my score and I could attribute it to one shot that screwed me to make an 8. Now I have learned better. Although I play slightly aggressive now, I play for the best positions on the hole.

 

For example, monday I played 9 holes with a teen who reminded me of how I played in high school. Id try to kill everything and hit high iron shots into every green and take full swings on everything. On par 5's I'd lay up to about 130-120 yards and hit a lower PW with a penetrating ball flight to pierce through the wind. On all of those shots I had no more than a 15 foot putt. When the 9 holes were finished, the teen shot a 51 because of a drive he tried to kill on a par 5 but hooked it OB and a poor club choice on a par 3 and put it into the water. I shot a 3 over 39 on the back and had a lot of fun doing it and the only reason why I didn't shoot par or better was that 3 birdie putts and 2 par saves missed the cup short by 8 inches.

 

For me I have a lot more fun plodding my way around the course playing shots that are high percentage for a good result and not playing out of my game. I just enjoy my round more and I didn't realize I was doing so well (especially for my first round of the year). You can play aggressive when you need to but just remember that a double bogey or worse can happen instantly if you try to play a shot you're not comfortable with or just don't have that type of shot in your bag.

[kurob]

I think "playing it safe" should mean making aggressive swings to conservative locations, but it often doesn't. All too often "playing it safe" can lead to people making indifferent swings.

[astamm8]

I think "playing it safe" should mean making aggressive swings to conservative locations, but it often doesn't. All too often "playing it safe" can lead to people making indifferent swings.

 

 

i couldn't agree more. sometimes that's easier said than done, for me anyway. getting better at it though...

[Grum]

I think there's a balance to playing your game and playing it safe. Play what you are confident in/you're good at, and if in doubt, go for a sensible lay up.

[birdie_man]

You gotta be smart and let your decisions be influenced by whatever the situation dictates. But having said that......some people are gonna tend to be more aggressive and that's probably how they are meant to play. I don't see a problem unless you are plain reckless. (you can overdo anything)