Course Management 101: When to Attack and When Not To

Now that you’ve learned how to work the ball with some control, let’s turn our attention to course management strategy — the mental side of golf that separates low handicappers from everyone else.

Below we have a diagram of a fairly traditional hole. You can see the green at the top, with the pin tucked on the left.

This is what we call a sucker pin. They call it that for a reason, so don’t be a sucker! You absolutely need to play away from this pin, and we’ll explain exactly how.

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The fairway leads up to a green with water guarding the left side. This is a classic design you’ll encounter repeatedly on courses with water hazards. One side typically offers a bail-out area, while the other side is loaded with trouble. Course designers love to tuck the pin on the dangerous side to lure golfers into attacking that sucker pin placement.

The reality is, with the pin positioned over there, this simply isn’t a birdie hole for most players. The majority of your birdies are going to come on par 5s and easier holes. In fact, 70-80% of your birdies are going to be made on a small number of holes on the course.

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