E arly on in my coaching career, I had the good fortune of coaching Brandt Snedeker (Vanderbilt) and Gary Woodland (Kansas) during their col- legiate years. It was pretty incredible to see their development in that formative time of their lives. Over time, Brandt and Gary have become two of the best players in the world. It has taken hard work, competitiveness, determination, confidence and, obvious- ly, physical ability for them to get there. Both are elite competitors who love to work. They enjoy the difficult challeng- es that come up in golf, are constantly learning and rely on premier course man- agement that fits their personal games. While achieving similar results with very different strengths, both have had to properly manage their weaknesses. Course management, at which both Roy Edwards is the University of Colorado Head Men’s Golf Coach and Chairman of the Troon Saguaro Amateur Series. He played collegiate golf at Kansas University. UnderstandYourPersonalStrengthsBYROYEDWARDS excel, is again quite different for each. Brandt once told me that a goal of his on every hole is to have an uphill putt. Be- ing an elite putter, he knows that he has 1) a better chance to make an uphill putt and 2) less chance of having a costly three-putt. Both of those things will help the ever-important “strokes gained put- ting” stat. Not only does it help him make birdies and pars, it enables him to avoid costly bogeys or double bogeys when he makes a mistake on an approach shot. These very simple strategies have helped Brandt do what he needs to do to play his best. Gary, on the other hand, has tremen- dous length that can be a huge advan- tage on long par-4s and par-5s. As his statistics have proven (11th on the PGA Tour in 2016–17 in strokes gained tee to green), Gary focuses his practice and course management strategy on what he does best, and that is his ball-striking. Typically, a player like Gary may be more aggressive than his peers from tee to green, knowing that this is where he can create an advantage for himself. Because of this, Gary likely gains confidence in his putting from simply knowing he doesn’t have to putt great to be in contention. The point is that there is no “one-size-fits-all” course management style. The key is understanding what YOU do best and creating a plan to play to those strengths. To effectively track your strengths, there are many third-party op- tions out there, but you don’t necessarily need them to understand how to manage your game. Just make sure you have a strong sense of “course awareness”, both before, during and after your rounds and tournaments. COLLEGE COACHES’ CORNER CORE & ELITE CAMPS Boarding & Non-boarding options 2018 Summer Camp Dates June 3-9 July 1-7 June 10-16 July 8-14 June 17-23 July 15-21 June 24-31 July 22-28 July 29-Aug 4 2017 Winter Camp Dates December 20-23 December 27-30 January 2-5 30% Off Summer Camp Sale Ends December 31st ijga.com/summersale 843-264-7444 VISIT US ONLINE: IJGA.COM