What is your personal par?

The Rules of Golf defines par on a hole as the score a typical professional player could expect to score on a hole.  Par is generally thought of as the number of strokes it will take to reach a green in regulation and then adding 2 putts for par...

But the average player put WAY too much pressure and focus on par! The goal of golf is to complete a round in as few strokes as possible - not how many pars a player can have.

How would you play this hole?

Imagine as a player you are on the 461 yard hole.   It is a tremendous hole. There is out of bounds down the left side with a creek all down the right side.  The creek crosses the fairway roughly 150 yards from the green and drains into a pond that fronts the green and protects the entire left hand side.  There are bunkers to the right of the green.

As a player playing this hole as a par 4 it is formative.  The drive must be long and straight in order to reach the green.  This brings into play both the creek and the lake when taking on Par as your goal.  I would say that the stroke average on this hole is well above 5 for every day play.

Now, how would a players perspective change it this hole was a par 5?  A player could comfortably hit a hybrid off the tee to a generous landing area.  Assuming the player hit it 200 yards that would leave a very managable 261 yards in 4 shots. 

Another hybrid of 180 yards would easily land in the landing area avoiding the creek and lake with another generous landind area with a 81 yard shot for the third.  A good wedge into the green leaves chance at 4 but a 5 would be almost assured.

The hole in my mind is the 9th at Ghost Creek at Pumpkin Ridge.  One of the great holes in the Pacific Northwest.

Break the hole down

As a player you should be thinking about breaking a hole (each hole) down into manageble shots.  Shots outside your comfort level can cause wasted shots and higher scores.  On our 9th hole the second shot is the one that scares me. Water and the bunkers loop large for a low running shot from 200 yards.  Even a good shot from that distance has little chance of holding the green.  Even a good shot can leave a short sided flop shot with water awating the sculled shot.

The Bogey Player

If someone is a 20 handicap or higher I recommend that player never attempt a shot over 200 yards without a wide landing area.  A 20 handicap player is commonly refered to a bogey player.  These players roughly hit the ball 180-220 yards off the tee.  But I wonder how many players who are in that handicap range would be below their average if they stopped trying to play above their ability.  I would be willing to bet that a bogey player trying to make bogey their personal par would be able to break bogey.

Imagine...

Playing golf is hard enough.  Play within yourself and within your natural tendancies.  Allow for the normal tension and anexity in your swing the relax by hitting shots you are most comfortable hitting.  Play every hole over 200 yards as a par 4, over 400 yards as a par 5, over 475 yards a par 6.  For players with a 250 yard shot look at them as a chance to hit 2x 125 yard shots.  Imagine getting to practice the exact shot and yardage BEFORE you hit it. 

Your personal par

Your personal par is your handicap (which is a measure of your POTENTIAL not your average) added to the par of the golf course.  For instance, if you are a 10 handicap on a par 72 your personal par is 82.  On the top 10 handicap holes change the par to be one more than the score card.  When it comes time to play that hole take the strategy that is perscribed to score your personal par.  I bet you'll have an easier time beating your handicap.

If you have any questions or comments please do not hesistate to contact me via email: john.grothe@gmail.com

Your friend in golf.

John Grothe, PGA