Course Management
There’s a saying that the vast majority of golfers should live by and it’s “Putt when you can, chip when you can’t, and pitch when you have to.” I utilize this is my own game.
Since my practice schedule is limited, you’ll usually find me putting from off the green. There’s a lot less that can go wrong when you putt. For some reason there’s a stigma out there that people think, if you’re not on the green you can’t use a putter. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Even from 30 yards off the green you will see me putting occasionally. Now if you have to go through thick rough I obviously wouldn’t recommend it, but here in North Carolina when the grass goes dormant you can putt from anywhere and you’ll lower your scores by doing so.
Also, if you’re a 20 handicap or higher you should not be flag hunting. I guarantee if you aim at the center of every green, rather than the flagstick, the majority of your scores would be lower. There’s also pins out there called “sucker pins” that even the pros won’t be aiming for. Instead, they will try to work their ball into the flag using a draw or slice instead of aiming right at it. Going for these flags can sometimes lead to a high number.
Remember, in golf they don’t draw pictures on the scorecard, just numbers.