Create a Game Plan to Improve Your Golf Scores

If you want to play a golf course to the best of your ability it helps to know the course and know how you want to play it. This is particularly significant if you are going to play a competition.

Familiarizing yourself with a course will give you a great advantage over anyone who has not played the course before. If it is not your home course, see if you can get a practice round in on the course. You will get a good look at the lie of the land. It will save you a few shots on the day.

Make sure you take note of how you played each hole and how you could play it better.

Use this information to help create your game plan.

Firstly, if the course produces a yardage book, get yourself one.

Create a game plan for the course. Work out which club you are going to use off each tee. Work out what effects the wind may have on the tee shots, and have an alternative shot to play in those circumstances.

For each green, determine what the best approach angle is, and if you were to miss the green, determine what the safest side to miss is.

If you can make the shot decisions before you even get to the course then you will be less tempted to take unnecessary risks. A game plan is like a personal mentor on course. If you are under pressure just refer to your plan for ‘advice'.

Most importantly stick to your game plan as best you can.

If you are familiar with the course layout, and have a game plan worked out for how you can play it to the best of your ability, you will greatly increase your chances of success on the day.