The importance of knowing the golf course to a professional is inestimable. The tour pros make sure that they know the course inside out, from first tee to last hole, and also that their caddies have all the distances worked out.
When you go on vacation and try a strange course, you enjoy the experience, but might find that your game is not up to its usual standard. You might put it down to one too many beers last night, or too much wine with your dinner, but we both know the real reason. You didn't know the course. It is a strange course and you know neither the distances nor the greens.
That is one reason why not too many rookies win the USA PGA or the Masters. Because they don't know the course well enough. Oh, don't get me wrong! Some rookies do win now and again, but the players are getting so fit these days and so close to each other in ability that knowing the course counts for a lot more than it used to. Some rookies win because they have the right caddy - a good caddy that knows the game and the course is worth his weight in gold.
That is why Scots caddies are so popular when the British Open is played at St. Andrews, or Muirfield, or any of the other famous Scottish golf courses. American pros don't get the time to play Scottish courses as much as they would like to - and believe me, they would like to because they are among the best in the world. But they just can't spare the time due to pressure of work. However, they make sure they get a good Scots caddy - and they don't come cheap!
Why should you benefit from knowing the course? Well, to start with, the first tee. You have to know exactly how far down the fairway these bunkers are, or that road or stream that cuts across the fairway. It looks like 300 yards, but might be 320, and that makes a difference. As an average player you have to decide whether to go for it with your driver or to play safe with a one iron. Sometimes it makes little difference since the second is not much more difficult from a 350 yard drive as from a 320 yard drive. In fact, on some courses the 320 yarder gives you the easier shot to the green.
You need to know the first hole for that, and the same could be true of every hole. You must know the optimum driving distances. Then you have the second shots. You might not have the flag in sight. You may have to walk up the course to see what is coming next. That small rise might be hiding a multitude of problems for you, but you won't know till you look. Prior knowledge is a big help, especially if the nasties are something at which you could practice.
Many courses, the Scots ones in particular, ask for a good ability at the chip and run rather than the high shot with back-spin. Each type of shot has its advantages in particular situations, and a lot depends on the cut of the green. A very fast green might not take the back-spin if it is running away from the hole. You can't tell that unless you have played the course a few times.
Winds too. What are the prevailing winds, and how will they affect your drive in each direction? On some courses, the prevailing winds are across the course, and affect your shot from opposite directions on the front and back nine. With others, they are with you and against you over the two halves.
The most important aspects of local knowledge are the greens. Conditions can make a massive difference. A green can be well drained or covered in moss that absorbs water and slows right down after a short shower of rain. You can't tell that until you have played a course under all conditions - wet, dry, damp and misty, you name it, the greens will be of different speed and run differently under each condition.
Different greens are constructed using different grass types, and each affect the run of your putt. Not just that, but in what direction does the grass lie: across your line, with it or against it? That makes a big difference to better players, especially on longer puts. The position of the hole is frequently significant, and it could be on a mound, in a gully or on a slope. If you play the course regularly, you will know how to handle each situation.
The importance of knowing the golf course you are playing cannot be overestimated. Most players are playing the course, not opponents, and in order to beat your enemy you must first know him. Of two players of equal ability, he or she who knows the course the better will win.
The Importance of Knowing the Golf Course was originally published at http://www.golfplayernow.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andre_Sanchez
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