The Scoring Method - Course Strategy Initial Review

I think every golfer has experienced these feelings at some point. It's the feeling that we want to play well and not have blow up holes. It's the feeling of tension when we think a specific tee shot on a course we play or a tough approach shot that we've never been able to execute. That feeling that the dreaded snowman is lurking and just waiting to pop up and destroy our round and our confidence. But don't fret, there may be a solution to these feelings and to playing some of our most enjoyable golf yet...

As I continue to improve my game, I've come to the realization that rounds have not gotten more relaxing because I'm better overall at golf. If anything, my expectations have risen and with them, my perception of what failure and success looks like has changed. I was getting stressed before rounds or over tee shots because I wanted to play well and not make mistakes. And I've realized that's no way to go about playing a game that we love. So I set out to find out how to play golf more stress free and just let the game come to me. What I found was The Scoring Method from Wil Robins.

I can't recall exactly where I heard of this method but I was intrigued when I first heard about it. I decided this winter to to purchase the Level 1 video series and see what it was all about. Right away, I realized that I do not play golf the way The Scoring Method advocates. I actually played golf recklessly. No, not like I'm hitting into groups in front of me and wailing away without any type awareness. More of, I was simply playing too aggressively and with too much tension. The Scoring Method has a "10 Keys of Scoring" that I'll break down quickly without giving too much away:

1. Make Short Putts Inside 4 Feet - Pretty simple. Go practice your short putts and make everything inside 4 ft. It frees up your short game and lag putting when you have confidence in this area.

2. Avoid Penalty Shots At All Cost - Play to the safest area with a club/shot you are comfortable with. Earn every stroke instead of giving strokes away with penalties.

3. Get Out of Trouble on The First Try - We often try to pull of a hero recovery shot. We should focus on putting the ball back into safe play with a clear view to the green. No compounding errors!

4. Stop 3 Putting - Lag putting isn't about the read. It's about the speed. Practice getting your speed right on lag putts so you are always within an 8 ft circle of the hole. Then make the 4 foot putt you've been practicing!

5. Club Up! - We often play a club that gets us to our target with a perfect strike. The problem is, we don't strike our shots perfectly every time! We need to play a club that allows us to slightly miss the strike and still get to a safe area. Typically, that means playing more club and swinging in control vs. trying to muscle a shorter club.

6. Don't Play Risky Shots! - Sure, we could try to cut the corner with our driver and have 75 yards to the green. Or, we could play it smart and hit a go-to club off the tee and leave ourselves 150 yards in to the green. I don't know about you, but I hit a lot more great short iron shots vs. great drives....

7. Don't Short Side Ourselves - Play to the side of the flag with the fat part of the green. If we miss the green to that side, we have a much better chance of getting up and down versus trying to hit a flop shot from the short side.

8. Move On - Every golfer makes mistakes. Getting hung up on mistakes we made earlier in the round doesn't help the rest of our round. Take a lesson from each mistake and move on quickly.

9. Read the Lie - The lie determines what kind of shots we are able to consistently pull off. A ball sitting down in thick rough will not have much spin when it lands. Or trying a flop shot off a a tight hardpan lie may not be wise. Sometimes it's best to just bump and run it onto the green and take the par putt opportunity.

10. Start of in 1st Gear - Essentially, aim to get inside 100 yards in regulation. If it's a par 4, the goal is get inside 100 yards in 2 shots then hit your third shot on the green and have a putt for par. We don't need to press our game too early until we know what we have for the day and we can build confidence hitting fairways with our go to club.

Honestly, when I first looked at this I thought, "I'm more advanced than this." Well, I was wrong. When I look back at the rounds where I've really struggled, it's because I'm stubborn and keep trying to hit shots I'm not comfortable with. I could light up fairways with my 4 iron but I keep pulling driver because it's a par 4 or par 5 and getting myself into trouble. I would stand on a tee box full of tension because I wanted to hit the perfect drive and have a chance at birdie. Well I hate to to break it to you, but birdies are not that prevalent. I think Scott Fawcett from DECADE golf has seen that the difference between a 10 handicap golfer and a scratch golfer is only ONE birdie per round on average. The main difference is that the scratch golfer doesn't have all the bogeys and worse that the 10 handicapper has. We should look at playing for easy pars and bogeys and the occasional birdie. Forcing birdies often leads to trouble and can quickly blow up a score.

That's what I'm finding early on in this method. The pars come easily when I'm not focused on trying to make birdies. I select a club I have confidence in on the tee regardless of what it leaves me to the green. If I get to my approach shot and I'm not comfortable going for the green at the yardage I'm left, I lay up and try to get up and down. No lost balls and wayward drives. It's a stress free way of playing golf and I like it. As we get better, we just move gears. From 100 yards, to 75 yards, and so on. But knowing that I've practiced my short putting and lag putting, practiced my chipping and pitching, and have a go to club off the tee that puts me in play nearly every single time is refreshing. I feel prepared for the holes to come and the tension is gone. Probably the hardest part of this method is to stick to the plan! I've deviated a few times to try and make birdies or because it's a "driver hole", and I've gotten burned. Staying committed to the plan is key.

It is clear that this method simplifies our course strategy plan and our practice plan. I'm going to keep using it and seeing where it takes me. There's a lot more to it than what I've talked about here and I recommend you go and check it out.

http://thescoringmethod.com/

We play golf because we love it. Not because we're trying to make a living from it. Let's enjoy our time on the course and play golf in a stress free way. How else could we enjoy our odyssey?

-Nick