Course Strategy
Scoring is a math problem your data already solved.
In plain English
Most strokes are lost before the swing: wrong target, wrong club, hero shots. Playing to the fat side and taking enough club saves more shots than any swing change.
Going deeper
Strategy = your dispersion + the hole's punishment map. Off the tee: the club that keeps the WHOLE pattern in play. Into greens: center-biased targets and one extra club beat pin-hunting for every handicap.
The advanced view
Expected strokes thinking: every target has a distribution of outcomes given YOUR ovals. The Shot Caddie runs this math live — your job on course shrinks to commit-and-swing, which itself tightens dispersion.
Why it matters for scoring
It's 2–5 shots a round for most amateurs, available immediately, with the swing you already have.
How it shows up in launch monitor data
Everything feeds it: carries, dispersion, shape, and the Caddie's three plans (Safe/Balanced/Aggressive) are this concept executed.
Symptoms
- Doubles from 'one bad hole'
- Short game blamed for approach mistakes
- Driver on every par 4
Common causes
- Ego distances (best-ever carries as planning numbers)
- Pin magnetism
- No pre-round plan
How to improve it
- Plan tee shots with the Caddie BEFORE the round
- Use P20 reliable carry, not best carry, for every approach
- Track penalties per round — watch them halve
Drills that train this
Related concepts
- 🎯 DispersionYour REAL accuracy is a pattern, not your best shot.
- ↪️ Shot ShapeOwning ONE reliable curve beats chasing straight.
- 🧠 Pressure & Mental GameWhy your range swing disappears on the first tee — and how to keep it.
Ask the ShotIQ coach
Questions this concept answers about your data, one tap away in the app:
- “Build a strategy for my next round”
- “When should I lay up?”