It’s a Sunday morning in the Golf Shop at Winterfield [1] Golf Course and I am passing out scorecards for the weekly tournament, when in walks Jim, a Golf Club member grumbling about his bad luck on the golf course. What’s wrong i asked and he replied that they should dig up the 13th hole. I can never make a par there he says, it always destroys my scorecard along with a few other holes I could mention

I knew Jim to have a mid to high golf handicap so I asked him exactly what it was he was playing off these days I play off a 17 handicap he said. Just to put you in the picture The 13th Hole at Winterfield golf course is a 368yd par 4 with a stroke index of 2. So I asked Jim what do you think your par is? It’s a par 4 Kevin you know it is, he replied. It is for me I said, but what’s your par? He looked at me with a vacant stare so I proceeded to put him out of his misery.

Your par for that hole is 5 not 4, with your handicap you can take a 5 and still not lose anything in relation to your handicap. So each time you stand on the 13th tee and think about making 4 you are making it harder for yourself. Now if you stood on that tee and said to yourself it’s a par 5 how would you feel then? I am positive you would be more relaxed and think, that’s not hard I can do that, and that is exactly how you should approach every hole you play.

And therein lies the problem nearly all mid to high handicap golfers have, they are not playing their own game they are trying to play low handicap golf. This is where good course management and thinking comes in to play.

What you should do is make out a your own personal scorecard relative to your handicap. In Jim’s case there is only one hole on the golf course that he is expected to par and that is stroke index 18 the easiest hole on the golf course. If your golf course has a par of 70 and your handicap is 15 then your par for the course is 85. I hope you can understand this here because it’s an important part of golf course management.

I know it goes against the grain but it will make every golf hole seem easier and let you play with and relax. Instead of getting out the driver on these tough longer holes and then messing up because you feel you must try to get a par, take [2] golf clubs you are more comfortable with. Now you have your new mental approach with regard to par you will be pleased to see how much easier it is to play each individual golf hole. A par 4 on the golf course where you have a shot means 3 shots to reach the green and 2 putts. Think this way and you will be pleasantly surprised how many times you make an actual par, which in your case means … BIRDIE ….

I finished off by telling Jim to think about your approach to the golf course now! Standing on par 3’s that now become par 4’s .. How much easier is that on the mind? With a nod of thanks and a gleam in his eye Jim wandered off to the bar to join his friends and have a well-earned drink.

This great game of golf is hard enough without putting too much pressure on yourself. Manage your own game better by thinking correctly and your course management will get better along with your enjoyment of the game. Look at each hole on your golf course in a new light. Draw up your own personal scorecard.. NOW !!