Course Strategy

Tournament Course Management

Play the percentages over a full round.

Why it matters

A tournament round is won by avoiding the big numbers, not by collecting birdies. Over eighteen holes the player who shoots level with no disasters almost always beats the one with four birdies and two doubles. Course management is the discipline of playing for that first scorecard.

How to do it

Identify before the round which holes are birdie opportunities and which are par-save holes, and play each as what it is.
On the par-save holes, take the safe route every time. The stroke you do not lose counts exactly as much as the one you gain.
Avoid the double bogey above everything. One double undoes two birdies.
Play your own game rather than matching your card-mates. Their distance is not available to you and attempting it is how rounds unravel.
Keep the same decision process on hole 18 as on hole 1. Pressure changes the stakes, not the odds.

Common mistakes

Trying to birdie every hole.Half of most courses are not birdie holes for most players. Playing them as such converts pars into bogeys.

Chasing a card-mate who outdrives you.Play the shot you have. Reaching for distance you do not own is the fastest way to a double bogey.

Taking more risk late because the score is not what you wanted.The odds are the same on hole 17 as on hole 3. Chasing turns a mediocre round into a bad one.

Key points

Know your par-save spots and take them.
Avoid the big number — bogey beats double.
Play your game, not your card-mates'.

The drill

Drill · Mark the card first — 1 round with every hole pre-labelled birdie or par-save. Before teeing off, go down the card and mark each hole as a realistic birdie chance or a par-save. Play accordingly for all eighteen. Compare the total with your usual. Most players shoot better while feeling as though they tried less, which is the entire lesson of this category.

Watch: Tournament Advice for Disc Golfers — TrevDom