Visit Other Courses

By January 6, 2020Tips & Tutorials

A tip that I want to share with you today is quite simple, and yet there are many golfers that are failing to do this one simple thing that will improve your game beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Now, this is directed to the club golfer that plays the same course week in week out.

I know that being a member of a club is a more economical way of playing golf, and that for many it is the social side of the game that is also a benefit to being a club member, but at the same time playing the same course over and over again is detrimental to your game.

You may be thinking that playing the same course gives you an advantage when it comes to playing competitions, but this is only true if you are playing your home course.

For the golfer that enjoys heading to local courses to take part in open competitions, playing the same course does not help.

This is because you get stale, you lose your competitive edge.

Your ability to see a shot is diminished because you are aware of all the scenarios when you are playing your home track.

Moving across town to play in an open competition means you have to “remember” how to plot your way around a course, the distance you hit the ball and how to maintain your concentration as you are walking between shots.

At your home course, you can probably describe the club you would hit from each tee, the club you would use for your 2nd and every single obstacle on the course. This is great but you are on autopilot, rather than reacting to the hole and altering your game plan as you go.

Autopilot is not a good mental state to be in when you are playing, and this is the reason why when you have a particularly rough day at your home course you struggle to turn thing around, because it is not the norm, it is alien to you.

When you play another course, the same alien feelings rear their heads and if you are unable to deal with them then you will not manage the course correctly, resulting in a poor performance.

For club members it is wise to arrange an away day every 6 weeks or so with friends, you could arrange a reciprocal agreement between the local courses, so that it costs even less.

The experience of playing a different course with differing conditions will help you keep fresh and appreciate that there are varying ways to play a hole (even at your home course).

Stay fresh and keep your enjoyment bubbling away under the surface, don´t get stale.