Tactics & Strategy

Effective golf strategies

1. Work out a game plan for each hole before you select your club and tee up. If you are playing your home course or a course you regularly play - STOP - think what you doing and plan your attack. Those who fail to plan - plan to fail.

2. Start your thinking at the hole and work backwards. For example you are playing a hole that is 340 yards long. What would be your best club and most likely to get close to the pin a wedge, 9 iron, 8 iron? Let's say it's your 9 iron and you normally hit this club 130 yards. That means you need to hit your drive 210 yards to leave yourself a full shot into the green. Think before you reach for the driver... If there is a hazard within reach consider dropping well short and playing a longer club in. For example if you hit your five iron 170 yards then two five iron shots would also get you on or near the green. But if you take your driver or 3 wood and drive into a bunker, or other hazard you may not be able to get on with your next shot.

3. Plan to hit your drive to the side of the fairway that opens up the green and pin and gives you the best shot in. For example if the pin is on the left hand side of the green and is behind a greenside bunker. Then you may be better off playing your approach shot into the green from the right hand side.

4. Know how far you hit each shot and use that information to help you play better golf. Measure your shots and work out exactly how far you hit each club. There may be smaller gaps between certain clubs.

How to find out how far you hit your golf shots

5. You rarely find hazards at the back of greens. Slopes, bunkers and other hazards are typically in front of most holes. On many approach shots you will be better off being 5 yards over a green than 5 yards short of it.

Playing Tactics

1. In windy conditions - make sure you factor sufficient effect the wind will have on the ball. Many players feel the wind against them on a shot and will go up a club to allow for the wind and still come up short. They should have gone up two clubs.

2. Allow for the effect of slope. A ball will not go as far uphill as it will downhill - this sounds obvious doesn’t it? However, many players still come up short on uphill approach shots. If you need to get the ball up to the hole then focus on the top of the flagstick and not the green. This will help visualise the right shot and you are more likely to execute it correctly.

3. From the tee the number one rule is get the ball in play - you can't score with your approach shot from out of bounds or from tricky hazards.

4. Use the tee box to your advantage. You have to tee the ball up from within the tee markers - but you can stand outside the tee markers to take a shot. If you need to draw the ball on a particular hole for your drive - stand on the left hand side and aim down the right of the fairway - this will encourage an in-to-out swing path and help draw the ball. Similarly if you need to hit a fade then tee up on the right hand side of the tee and aim down the left hand side - this approach gives you the widest amount of margin in case the shot doesn't quite come off correctly.

5. If you have a downhill putt on a fast green you can address the putt and strike the ball off centre. By doing this you deliberately miss hit the ball and it will not go as far. This means you can take a more positive stroke at the ball. The best way of doing this is to address the ball off the toe of the putter rather than the sweet spot.

6. A poor putt is more likely to finish nearer the pin than a poor chip. If you are just off the green and you don't have severe slopes or bumps to negotiate then usually a putter is a safer approach than a chip or pitch shot.