Lesson 4 of 5
What To Do
JJ's fourth strategy is to play to a scoring plan: decide where the course invites an aggressive choice and where a conservative target better supports the round. Good course management is not about always playing safe. It is about knowing when the odds are on your side.
A simple test is the two-out-of-three rule. Before you go for a risky shot, ask yourself, "Would I pull this off at least two out of three times?" If the honest answer is yes, go for it with full commitment. If not, take the safer play and commit to that just as fully. Either decision can be right. Half committing to either one is always wrong.
How To Do It
Step 1: Ask the two-out-of-three question
Picture hitting the shot three times. Would two of them come off? Answer based on what you actually do in practice, not your best day.
Step 2: Weigh the cost of a miss
Going for a par 5 in two with water short is different from going for it with a bunker short. Ask what the worst realistic result is. If it is a penalty stroke or a double, the reward has to be big.
Step 3: Check the situation
Where you are in the round and what you need matter. A match where you are down 2 with 3 to play is different from a medal round where every stroke counts.
Step 4: Decide, then commit
Once the choice is made, play it like it was the only option. A confident layup beats a tentative hero shot every time. JJ's line holds here too: be 100% committed.
Step 5: Review the decision, not just the result
After the round, JJ says to separate good decisions with bad outcomes from bad decisions. Only one of those needs fixing.
Review your decisions after each round
Everything you save here is stored in My Playbook.
When To Use It
- Going for par 5s in two
- Hitting over water or bunkers
- Recovery shots from trees
- Any time a shot feels exciting but uncertain
Common Mistakes
- Taking the hero shot because playing partners are watching
- Making the decision based on your best shot ever
- Choosing safe, then making a timid swing
- Judging a decision only by how it turned out
Practical Exercise
Decision Breath
Use this when you are stuck between going for it and laying up. Breathe in for 4 and picture the shot three times. Hold for 4 and count how many come off. Breathe out for 4 and choose. Hold for 4 and commit.
Pattern: 4-4-4-4 seconds, 2 cycles. The voice counts each second for you.
Ready
Takeaways
- Play to a scoring plan
- Two out of three or take the smart play
- Weigh the cost of a miss, not just the reward
- Commit fully to whichever choice you make
- Review decisions, not just scores
Reflect
Use It Next Round
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