Play on Unfamiliar Golf Courses

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To some, an unfamiliar golf course may sound like an adventure, but to several golfers, the idea is more of a hassle than a challenging quest. Golf is a great and enjoyable sport, but playing it can also be very demanding. The solution to this problem is to be scrupulously organized in the course to avoid snags, be it playing around unfamiliar ranges or a course that you are used to.

For the most part, golf courses are at times riddled with rough patches, water hazards and sand bunkers. Be prepared by carrying proper clubs fit for such a location.

Here are several location problems golfers might face once they find themselves cruising different golf locations. We have also included some easy tips to remember so you can conquer your fear of untried courses.

• Water hazards – Small-scale bodies of water can be found in almost any golf course. Majority of times, they can be easy to cross if they are not situated surrounding the green. Putts can also be influenced by green speed.

• Sand bunkers – Many bunkers are situated around the green to make an unclear shot even more difficult. When you land in the sand bunkers, make sure you swing through the sand with the proper club. No practice swings through the sand are allowed so practice your swing outside the sand bunker.

• Rough – Around the fairway and around the green, you can have rough patches of wild high grass. Difficult to find your ball and difficult to make a clear swing through the high grass. Use a proper club and keep a firm grip.

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  Hole measurement – Holes that are known to bring out doglegs and other game risks can impede the play of even the most talented long distance golfers. To avoid this particular dilemma, golfers must know and grasp the accurate yardage meant for every hole being used.

• Golf course length – For Open tournaments and elite clubs and resorts, the grass on the fairways are kept much shorter. Players would then have to adapt to the speed of the trimmed fairways. The ball can bounce and trundle much further than expected, thus players must pick the proper line off the tee.

Now, for some tips in terms of managing your game in the face of unfamiliar golf spots.

• Make use of the Internet. Get an overall layout of each and every hole by using Google Earth. The yardage tool will also prove to be useful to acquire distances. Take notes of problematic holes and jot them down in your notebook.

• Go to the course earlier than usual. Try some warm-up moves and practice your swing tempo to amp up your confidence.

• Get a caddy book and ask for any temporarily changes to the golf course or golf rules.

• Tee off with whatever you feel most comfortable with. If you are into 7-irons, then stick with 7-irons. No need to show off with your heavy driver and risk a complete useless outcome. Keep it safe on the first hole and let others make the mistake. Of course, when you are good enough to play safely with your driver you should take the advantage straight away.

• Keep your approach shots as nearer to the ground whenever possible. Try playing with a longer club and a quicker swing. Have a game to the front of every green if they are accessible.

• Do not overthink. Just line up your shot and go have a swing on that ball. However, if you don’t feel too confident, laying up to a safe location and testing out an up and down par will be helpful.

• Then again, you can always try out the smart, cool approach in your game. When golfers play unfamiliar locations, they attempt to cook up shots that they themselves are hesitant of.

While doing warm-up shots, do not take stabs at anything you haven’t tried before just to add something on your golf routine. Don’t expect that much, relax and don’t make overweening shots during your initial tries.

Don’t miscalculate the boost a nice, easy start will provide to your confidence. Start off with a couple of bogeys or pars.

• Each and every hole in the range has a safe, benign side. Look for it and check out if the hole was really built the way the designers intended it to be. Majority will provide you a sure escape to one side or another.

• Always check the location of the 150 markers if you’re about to play around unknown courses. Once you have discovered its positions, you can gauge the inevitable hassles from there.

Once you get nearer to the green, the short holes normally gets scraggier and more difficult. If it happens that you are stuck on a short par four, try using a 7-iron or an 8-iron from the fairway.

• Go for the safe area of the flag. Take note of the flag’s location on the green as you scrutinize your survey shot. In addition, you should also take note where the difficult up and down will crop up.

Taking shots at flags will only get you into trouble and even the pros themselves frequently steer clear of this. You can try a right pin placement or a long left.

• If you are familiar with the phrase “live in the moment,” this is the time to take in said phrase and approach the game with that kind of attitude. Think of those holes as a new challenge each time, not something you have to brood over because of recurring mistakes.

Concentrate on the hole you are currently trying to achieve. If you have made misses on prior holes, don’t dwell on it and don’t even think of the subsequent hole since you cannot do anything about it now.

Plenty of awful shots occur because of players going on and on about the last hole they have missed. You must avoid this and shut down all negativity. Fix all of your attention and momentum on the shot you are facing at the moment, block out all of the bad shots you’ve made or just how flawed your game is.

Now that you have completely set your sights on that hole, concentrate on how you are going to play it, then ace it. Mind you, it will create a world of difference.

• Last but certainly not the least, keep your cool and have fun with your game! Golf, as mentioned before, is a great choice for a sport and is entertaining to boot.

Playing on a new course shouldn’t be that difficult. Accept the challenge and you’ll be surprised at your own capability to adapt. Sometimes, winning doesn’t matter, rather is all about conquering the landscape.