Weekly Golf Tip as seen in The Winnipeg Sun --

August 14th , 2007

Smart Golf Never Goes Out Of Style -
Hit your Longest, Straightest Club on Narrow Holes

As you can see I am at a narrow hole -- the sixth hole at Elmhurst Golf and Country Club. It is a very nice 380 yard, par 4 -- dogleg left with trees and bush on both sides.

I have a selection of clubs in my hand -- my driver, my three wood and my hybrid. Most golfers just reach for the "big stick" and hit their driver every hole that is not a par 3. They also shoot scores much higher than they should and do not have as much fun because they are looking in the bush all day. That is nice if you like poison ivy, but not if you want to score well.

First, I do not hit a draw with my driver -- I can hit it straight or I can hit a fade (move the ball left to right). The hole is a dogleg left (moves from right to left). And there is thick bush on each side of the fairway if I miss the shot. That automatically takes the driver right out of the equation.

DOG-LEGS

Second, I hit my three wood about 260 yards but the hole dog-legs fairly sharply at the 150-yard marker.

That means I should only hit it about 230 straight to get a 150-yard shot in to the green. My three wood is too much club and is risky given that I would have to draw the ball around the corner if I hit it.

The best shot selection on this hole is to hit my hybrid off the tee to about 150 yards away from the green. That means I would like to hit the hybrid about 230 yards and straight. I know I can hit that shot in the fairway 9 out of 10 times -- giving me a very good opportunity to score on this hole.

My old college coach used to always say to our team -- "hit your longest, straightest club on narrow holes". Sometimes it was a five iron for me and sometimes it was a three wood, but I focused on trying to get the ball in play. It is very difficult to score well from the bush, trees or water. And also not much fun.

To lower your scores, play smart golf from the tee and get the ball in play. If you do not have a greater than 60% chance of pulling the shot off -- do not try it. Play a smarter shot and score better.

Remember -- smart golf never goes out of style.

Derek Ingram is the Head Teaching Professional at the Elmhurst Golf & Country Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is a past winner of the Canadian PGA's Teacher of the Year and one of the top High Performance Golf Coaches in the World.

- Derek Ingram