Let’s do some reflection on the mistakes we’ve made recently in terms of our strategy, and see what we can learn from one another.
Tell me about a mistake you made in a recent round where you know you made the wrong decision, and what you think would have been the smarter play if you had to do it all over again?
That last open at winged foot no way I needed driver off the tee on 18 with a lead, then didn’t need to go for the hero shot.
If I had to do it all over again, I’d do the same thing.
In all seriousness, I’m way less aggressive than I used to be when getting out of position. Take medicine and have better chance of making a par trying to not make worse than bogey than actually trying to make a par.
(credit - decade)
True story, I was standing right next to the tent when that lefty hit his tee shot over my head. Will never forget it!
That’s perhaps one of the strongest features of DECADE (read more here). When you’re in trouble, particularly in the trees, if you just make bogey you are keeping up with the best players in the world! Hero shots = double bogeys or worse.
I often find myself trying to overswing a shorter iron, instead of normal swinging a more appropriate club. I think it’s because I like telling my brother I hit it farther than he does (on the 1 of 10 times I don’t hit it fat from swinging to hard).
Yep, this is a pride thing. I don’t do it too much my with my irons, but definitely happens on my wedges. Would be much better most of the time hitting controlled flighted wedges w/ 1 less club vs full swing wedges. My last round I shot +2 but had 3 bogeys in 4 holes with a wedge in my hand in the middle of the fairway.
Decade + all the stats that are now available helping with expectations management has changed my mindset entirely. Not necessarily leading to lower scores since I don’t play/practice as much, but I’m doing better than I would be if I was still being extremely aggressive.
My s62 records my shame… heavy rough, tried to make a hero shot… actually got away with it until it hit a sapling I though I’d easily carry.
Pride cost me one stroke… took my medicine, got out, got on…
Do you have the CT10 club trackers? I have the S62 also, and I have never had it display the putting strokes taken. I would love to know how to do that!
I have them on order… I just let in the putts at the end of the hole.
Honestly, i ordered a three pack to just get one for my putter (and I’m slightly worried I can’t attach it to my counterbalance weight)… once they get here I can probably mail you one to try.
I used the ones from Skygolf’s Gametracker for years and did not like them. I’m really impressed with the S62!
I have a strategy question. I have a very strong tendency to miss left on a particular hole. I usually feel like it is the result of a bad swing so I have not adjusted my target line to the right. Am I just being stubborn? When do you concede that you’re not going to make many good swings on a particular shot and adjust your aim accordingly?
Made a quadruple bogie on the 17th hole of a qualifier that I was leading. I didn’t know at the time that I could have finished bogie/bogie. It was a par 5. DECADE suggested driver but there was OB right (though 65 yards of landing area).
I’m new to DECADE. In the past I would have hit an iron just to get it in play. It was a short par 5 and I knew I didn’t need birdie. I hit driver because that was the “decade-sanctioned game plan.”
Still not sure whether that was the right play. Maybe I just have to keep brainwashing myself to stick to the numbers no matter the situation. But can’t help feeling that after doing all the hard work for 16 holes, mentally I needed a break and should have just swung a 4 or 5 iron to take OB out of play.
Terrible experience, in any case.
Ouch. That’s a tough one.
Yes driver is the “numbers” play but may make sense when you’re not in a “tournament” setting where you’re trying to go as low as possible to win - depending on how many qualifying spots there were.
The decade response to hitting iron would be - how do you know you wouldn’t have hit the iron OB (not knowing the hole).
In a match play event I once laid up on a short 4 (250) with an iron because the pin was in a spot I thought I’d have a better chance of getting up and down from hitting half a wedge than if I missed the green left or right (given contours). I chunked the iron into a lake in front of the tee. Never will lay up there again.
I just texted Scott. He’s playing golf right now but he’s gonna hop in this thread for some DECADE chat later!
I understand the DECADE point of view but agree it might be obsolete for final holes of qualifiers when you’re guarding against big numbers not chasing lowest average score.
But more fundamentally, I struggle to believe that a 4 or 5 iron has the same chance of missing 40 yards off line. I do believe playing DECADE requires a certain amount of self-brainwashing. Trust the numbers. Just sendit. Driver is no more risky as hitting a 4 iron. Etc.
Still don’t know if I can pull that sort of jedi mind trick on myself. 20 years of believing that an iron is the “safer” play. Hard to deprogram that and really “believe” it under pressure.
Ha! He already told me to hit driver on a twitter thread!
Are you sure it’s not just an aim problem? There are a couple of holes on my home course where the tee box “forces” your aim right or left… I’d suggest next time you are playing to set up like you normally do and then drop your driver down like an alignment aid at your feet (this is NOT USGA approved) and see if you are aiming left.
What’s your usual miss? If it’s a one sided miss left, then aim right and stop being stubborn… If it’s a two way miss, then aim left and force yourself to miss right 
I think this is one of those cases where we see the difference between process vs result… if you could go back in time and ONLY change that decision, sure a 4 iron makes sense… You need to finish in 2 over, so making sure you don’t make a big error allows you to get away with a small error.
The next time you are finishing a tournament and are standing on that tee box, will you know what score is going to win? If not, why not take the smartest “overall” play, which would be driver and position yourself for the best possible outcome.
I’m also curious as to how you made quad… that’s still a double on your second ball.
