Bad score avoidance vs aggressive play

+Jake H
Great topic Jake. Putting is probably the only part of my game that keeps me a single digit player. I could never relate my putting thought process to others until I had a playing lessons with Dan Jamati. He helped me understand being "present" with each individual putt is what I was doing (at least most of the time, sometimes a brain fart sneaks in). Being present with the putt is a conscious effort to make a stroke that will put the ball in the hole based on all elements observed, e.g. break, slope, etc. Once I'm not present with the putt, e.g. me thinking "I need to one putt this green or don't three putt" I've already lost the battle.
Thanks for reading.
Barry

+Jake H

Hi Jake - I use Decade and agree with you.

Using an analogy, to me Decade feels like the equivalent of an idiot-proof playbook on poker strategy. It lays out all the odds and gives you the high percentage play every time (fold, call, raise, all-in, etc.). I believe 99.9% of recreational poker players would play better and win more hands by blindly following the system.

But anecdotally, watching the pros who make it to the final table and win @ the World Series of Poker, the winning moves aren't always the high percentage play. Luck of the draw, competitors going on tilt, or a perfectly timed bluff can make them a champion. Always playing the odds perfectly doesn't guarantee competitive victory.

I like Decade because I fall within the 99.9%. Yes it often leaves me with a 30ft 2-putt more often than a 15ft birdie chance, but I'm also in the hazard less. I can see how it would net me a lower average score at the end of a season, but a 72 hole tournament may not be a large enough sample size to warrant playing the percentages every. single. time.

For the 0.1% of elite golfers who already have golf strategy down cold, I can definitely see how it might dull their competitive instincts.

+Ed C

That’s a great analogy I couldn’t agree more!

+Ed C
What is the decade system. Never heard of it.

+Lars M

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aPe-Wbd0j84

+Ed C Anecdotally, I heard a similar story from another tour pro. He found himself thinking, "where would my worst shot go" instead of just looking at where he wanted to hit. By trying to avoid the bad shot consciously it made him look at too wide of a target for his style. It made it harder for him to truly commit to a line/target. Decade has the opposite effect for some golfers, and it's a great starting point for beginners to understand strategy but you do have to keep the bigger picture - how to get into the right state of mind in your preshot routine - in mind when planning your shot.

As a kid, I remember hearing Arnold Palmer in an interview talk about having a "conservative strategy, but a cocky swing". I took that to heart. Defensive swings get you in trouble, so you always want to swing aggressively, even if your shot choice is a safe one.