7ontheline wrote:I'm playing Am Adv. Masters so I don't get to see what the Pro Masters are doing when the chips are on the line.
Hook up with some Pro Masters in casual rounds. They're generally the most generous with advice, and also have a great mental game. Hopefully you live some place where this is possible.
But yeah, you should play casual rounds aggressively so that you at least know what you are capable of doing. And do it a lot, so you have a fair idea of what your percentages are like. Then you can estimate the probability of taking a 2, 3, 4, or 5 for a given shot selection, and decide what you will do from there.
Anyways, I find that even playing "boring par golf" in tournaments is still a challenge at times, which makes it less boring because it is challenging. And it is still important to have a good drive off the tee. It doesn't have to be a great drive, but it has to make your upshot relatively easy...that way you don't force yourself into having to make tough putts. Playing safe really requires solid quality shots on every throw, you can't have any weak links, or else you'll suffer a bogey.
Regardless of advice, most of us shoot for a birdie off the tee every time, and then decide what to do when we're not in an ideal placement. What we have to do is modify our game from there, and plan better when it is needed. And to play smarter when things aren't going well.
Should I continue to struggle and bring double bogey into play, which is happening less than it used to as my upshots/bailouts/utility shots are getting better, or should I play it smart and take my medicine? If I pitch out to the fairway I don't get as much practice on the difficult shots so that part of my saves game doesn't progress as quickly. I rationalize my bad decisions thinking that if I make more pars than double bogeys then I'm coming out ahead in the long run, and the long run is what really matters to a rookie like me.
