DAVID Thinking golf
Course management is how average swings shoot respectable scores
I have walked with strikers who cannot break 90 and short hitters who never panic. The difference is rarely a six-pack of lessons. It is where they aim when they are unsure. Course management is a fancy name for “do not give the course your extra balls.”
The miss map
Every green has a stupid side. Water, a bunker with a four-foot face, out of bounds, a slope that feeds into jungle. Before you pick a club, pick the miss. If short is fine and long is death, take less club and accept the uphill chip. Caddies get paid for that sentence.
On tee shots, ask what the hole does to a fade. Tree lines in Nairobi eat balls that would be fine on a wide resort course. Sometimes the play is 3-wood, 9-iron, two putts, and a look on your friends’ faces like you cheated.
Lay-ups are not cowardice
If your stock 5-iron is 165 and the water starts at 160, you do not have a 5-iron shot. You have a lay-up to your favourite wedge. People hate this because it feels like giving up. It is the opposite. You are choosing a shot you own.
Play the hole backwards: where do I want to putt from, then pitch from, then tee to.
Wind, altitude, wet rough
Highland air here can add a club for some players; wet Kikuyu can take it away. I would rather you take one extra and putt from the back fringe than come up a yard short into a front bunker. Weather is not a vibe. It is a number.
Playing lessons are where we rehearse this without a card. Tournament bags are where we use it. Walk a round with strategy as the lesson.