Decisions
How Do You Make Better Decisions on the Golf Course?
Reviewed by Dirk Delfortrie · PGA Member since 1996 · Updated
QUICK ANSWER
Make the decision before you make the swing. Read the situation, identify the useful target and acceptable miss, choose the club, then commit. Afterward, judge the quality of the decision separately from whether the ball happened to finish in a good place.
Separate strategy from execution
A good decision can produce a bad result and a poor decision can occasionally produce a birdie. If you judge strategy only by outcome, luck teaches the wrong lessons. Review whether the target and club made sense before judging the swing.
Choose the target before you address the ball
Late decisions create hesitation. Decide where you are trying to start the ball, where the useful miss is and what risk the shot carries. When the decision is complete, the routine can move toward execution.
Watch decisions after mistakes
Frustration often makes golfers chase pins, force recoveries or change strategy because they feel they need to win a shot back. The next decision should be based on the next situation, not the emotional cost of the last one.
Review decision patterns after the round
Look for repeated situations: conservative choices that created difficult next shots, aggressive targets after bogeys, club changes caused by doubt or rushed decisions late in the round. Patterns are more useful than one isolated choice.
FAQ
- What makes a good golf decision?
- A good decision uses the information available, fits your skill and strategy, accounts for risk and produces a target you can commit to.
- How do I stop making emotional decisions?
- Create a short reset after mistakes and make the next target decision from the new situation rather than from the score you want to recover.
- Should I judge a decision by the result?
- No. Review the decision and execution separately. A good choice can still produce a poor shot.