When you play 18 holes, you know you\u2019re going to putt the ball into the hole 18 times. The structure of par assumes you need 36 strokes to get the ball on the green in 18 holes. That\u2019s 54 strokes, guaranteed, every time you play. <\/p>\n
The questions you need to answer are, what are you doing with the shots from #55 up to your average score? And which of them you can get rid of most easily?<\/p>\n
Extra putts? Of course there are going to be some. But if there are more than 18 extra, that\u2019s too many. An extra 14 would be nice.<\/p>\n
Extra swings? Make good contact and hit the ball straight. This isn\u2019t difficult if you get lessons to learn what you\u2019re supposed to be doing. Hint: it might take more than one lesson.<\/p>\n
Penalty strokes? Keep the ball in bounds and out of water hazards. See above.<\/p>\n
Extra recovery shots? Hitting out of tall grass, hitting out of trees, all that\u2019s going to happen, so learn to get out of trouble and back in play in ONE shot. Don\u2019t get greedy.<\/p>\n
Extra chips? One per hole. First chip gets on the green. Close to the hole is better. <\/p>\n
Extra pitches? One per hole. The green is a HUGE target. But if you aren\u2019t good enough yet to hit it on the fly every time, hit a pitch and run with an 8-iron. Even if you can hit it on the fly, if the pin is sitting right in front of you and there is good ground between it and you, go with the 8-iron.<\/p>\n
Extra sand shots? The pros say this is the easiest shot in golf. It is, but it\u2019s a lot like learning to ride a bicycle. Get a lesson and practice. Once you know how to do it, it\u2019s the easiest shot in golf.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When you play 18 holes, you know you\u2019re going to putt the ball into the hole 18 times. The structure of par assumes you need 36 strokes to get the ball on the green in 18 holes. That\u2019s 54 strokes, guaranteed, every time you play. The questions you need to answer are, what are you … Continue reading Those Extra Strokes<\/span>