Most golfers bite of more than they can chew and end up paying for it in the end. The urge to out drive your partners should be replaced by sensible shots that will end up in the fairway. Take a thoughtful strategy instead of going for it on every tee shot.
This doesn't mean that you should keep your driver in the bag all day but when your facing a long par 4 with a wide fairway, and you don't have any other hazards in play, using your driver is reasonable. But if you change the scenario and you have water in play and you have trees on both sides, you should be thinking about playing a hybrid or fairway wood. Keeping the ball in play is always the best strategy.
Look at the Big Picture
The best way to improve your scores is the ability to navigate through each hole in the smartest way. You need to know your strengths and weaknesses, creating the best result while eliminating the greatest degree of risk. Knowing how to identify the safe side should be a big part of your strategy. Playing away from trouble will always eliminate those inflated numbers.
Always remind yourself to break each hole into steps. There are times when your looking at a 300 yard shot, and you reach for a 3 wood and say that you can get there. Your goal at this point should be to get the ball into position for your approach shot. Giving yourself the best possible approach will permit you to get closer to the pin and in turn you will have more chances at birdie.
Play the Safe Shot
While we all realize that there is still the occasional miracle shots, the moment you get into one remind yourself to play conservative. In these situations, it almost always is the smarter choice to get the ball back in play. If the last few attempts have been unsuccessful, chances are that others will have the same outcome.
Good strategy in most circumstances, ucdm better results than taking constant risks. Think of it as giving up one stroke to save two. Sure there is the time that you hit a rocket 4 iron out of the trees, and onto the green. The majority of the time, taking the riskier shot will end up in disaster.
Course management
It is vital for you to obtain the basic skills to play golf well. Intelligent course management is also very important. To observe the benefit of these principles, play some rounds by yourself. Without others present, you will feel less pressured to take risky shots. At this point you will be able to experience conservative, consistent play. Doing this enough times will permit you to be more relaxed and the next round that you play with your regular foursome will be the most beneficial.
