1. 
   Most fairways are at least 40 yards wide.  If you aim 10 yards to the left of the fairway, it would take a 50 yard slice to get the ball to the water.  A shot with that much curve is rare, so this is definitely the best way to play this hole.
   
   
   
2. You are 150 yards from the green with the pin placed at the front of the green, but the pin is tucked behind a menacing sand trap.  You’ve spent a lot of time practicing getting out of the sand and on the green in one shot, but you’re not confident enough in your ability to do it just yet.  Your 150-yard club is an 8 iron.  What do you do to try and avoid landing in the bunker?
   
   Most golfers would automatically reach for their 8 iron, and “take dead aim”. However if you were to play with sound course strategy, you would take a 7 iron and aim for the middle back of the green leaving a straight forward two putt for par.
   
   Most people would be afraid of going over the green, but you know that your 7 iron goes a maximum of 165 yards. Even if you hits your best shot you will still have a 45 foot putt for birdie.  You also know that if you miss hit the 7 iron it will wind up pin high and in almost no circumstance will the dreaded bunker be in play.
   
   

On the other hand if you choose the 8 iron, it will require a near perfect strike to get the ball to the flag. The slightest miss hit results in your ball landing in the sand trap.  Here, the 7-iron is the right club based on the layout of the hole.

 

Putting course management into play with your golf game requires a good working knowledge of the way you play and what you are capable of doing.  That means you need to track your progress and really pay attention to how your game is coming along.

 

Course management skills can really help shave strokes off of your score.  So can knowing what the most common mistakes and problems golfers have along with ways to combat them.