Does Golf Require Strategy? If you only knew...

Does golf require strategy? Golf not only requires strategy, but is a game of it. Skilled golfers manoeuvre the course like a chess board. Lesser skilled players learn to limit their mistakes through strategy. If two golfers are equally skilled, but one has a superior strategy, that player will perform better over time.

Does golf require strategy?

Of course! I bet any golfer in the world with the right strategy tailored to his game would improve scoring on average by at least a few strokes. It doesn't matter what handicap you have, how good you play. Many times people think that high handicap golfers don't need a golf strategy because they're not accurate enough. This is not true! It's true that the strategy changes according to the skills of a golfer, but every golfer should have a strategy, at least the ones that want to play better 😉

Getting to know yourself

What about a complete beginner? Does his game of golf require strategy?

It is impossible for a brand-new golfer to have a complete golf strategy, but it surely helps if your strategy includes at least aiming points, landing spots etc. Maybe your game is still too erratic to have any type of consistency you can use to help yourself, but at least you have a goal in mind.

If you are just beginning, your main focus should be on learning how far you hit each club. It is also important to learn typical ball flight, such as whether your shots are line drives or are high and arcing. When you get to know what you can expect with each shot, you can begin building a more in-depth strategy you can trust.

What conditions affect strategy

If you’re standing over your shot and the wind is nearly blowing you over, you change clubs. That’s golf strategy. If you’re hitting into a green that’s 30 yards below where you’re standing, you hit a club that wouldn’t go as far. That’s golf strategy.

Learning how things like wind, rain, and elevation affects distance is a major part of strategizing. In most cases, the only way to learn this is by playing (as if you needed more encouragement to play when you’re a new and excited golfer).

Thinking Ahead with golf strategy

What do you do when there’s a big curve or cliff ahead? You hop in your cart and your drive up so you know which way the hole goes. Seems pretty obvious, right? If golf were not a game of strategy, you would blindly choose a club and hope for the best.

What might seem like a basic, intuitive idea, this action is a key part of learning golf strategy. You don’t want surprises and in turn, learn a little bit about what you need to do with your next shot.

As your golf skills improve, your forward-thinking strategy as well. You won’t be limited to walking ahead on blind shots, but will incorporate this on chips and other short shots. When you do this, you’ll be selecting landing spots, and attempting shots that require greater precision.

When you’re good vs. when you’re not that good

Strategy is largely steered by how skilled you are. Good players place shots, aiming to put themselves in quality positions to attack the pin.

A player that’s not as good takes a different approach. They need to hit safe shots that have the lowest likelihood of getting them in big trouble. Don’t cut it too close to the trees, hit the lay-up shot, driver isn’t always the best play. All strategy tips golfers learn to incorporate, most of the time after learning the hard way.

What about pros? What's their golf strategy?

Pro golfers have a very detailed golf strategy. Also their yardage books include a lot of data...from the fairway slopes, to the green slopes, grain (in which direction the grass grow) etc.

If pro golfers are experts in every aspect of the game, why do they need a caddie? Well, even the most talented players in the world overlook things or need someone to talk them out of crazy ideas. Like you already know it, golf isn't a game of perfect and you always find yourself in tricky positions. This is where a caddie comes in.

A golf caddie is a built-in strategist, there solely for the benefit of the player they carry the bag for. When the best players in the world do something, it’s because it’s necessary. If they find asking and using strategy tips necessary, then the sport absolutely requires it.😉

Conclusion

In summary, every golfer needs their own strategy. It’s not true that beginners don’t need a strategy. Even though you may not hit every shot reliably, it can help you a lot, especially to avoid potential problems, obstacles and other obstacles on the golf course.

Do you already have your own golf strategy? If not, you can learn how to build one here: https://golf-madness.com/courses