A Beginner's Guide to Smart Golf Shots at Cuero Municipal Golf Course

It Starts With the Right Equipment

Before heading out to the course, make sure you have the right clubs in your bag. For a beginner I recommend having the following clubs:

Driver
3 Wood
5 Wood
3 Iron
5 Iron
7 Iron
9 Iron
Pitching Wedge
Sand Wedge
Putter

As a beginner, the type of golf balls you use won't really matter until you develop your golf swing. There are many things to consider when choosing a ball such as spin and distance. First, you have to know what types of shots you produce before you commit to one type of ball. For now you can just buy a package of recycled balls, that way if you lose any, you won't be out too much money.

Golf shoes are another piece of equipment to consider. Once again, as a beginner they probably won't play much of a role at first however, if the course is wet then I would recommend wearing a pair, brand doesn't matter but most courses prefer soft spikes.



Accounting For Course Conditions

Wet?

One of the first things you want to know before heading to Cuero Municipal Golf Course is whether or not the ground will be wet or dry. If it rained the night before I would just assume the grass is wet, therefore, try and wear a pair of golf shoes if you can. It the grass is dry then regular tennis shoes will due.

(http://www.nebraskaweatherphotos.org/october2009photos.html)

Wind?

Next, you want to check out the wind conditions. If you are a beginning golfer then I would highly recommend not trying to play in moderate to heavy winds. You'll find it very difficult to control your ball flight and distances unless you have experience playing in this type of condition. Low to no wind is perfect and here's why.

Wind:

Tends to put more or less spin on the ball after impact depending on the direction.

Will shape your shot making it go higher, lower, left, or right, once again depending on the direction.

Will affect distance of ball flight making it go further or shorter depending on the direction.

Will even affect the speed and direction of your ball while you're putting on the green.

Can knock even a good player off balance in the middle of their swing.

Due to the openness of Cuero Golf Course, or lack of trees, your ball is more prone to be affected by even the slightest breeze.

Do everything you can to avoid having to play in heavy winds. Don't try any crazy shots, just aim straight.

Rough?

Another factor you want to consider is the length of the rough. Luckily, Cuero Golf Course does not have many places where the grass is tall but they do have a lot of places where there is no grass at all. Depending on how you want to play, you can move the ball to grass as long as you follow the USGA rules for lift-clean-and-place rules.




Fairways?

One last thing you want to know is the conditions of the fairways. Once again, Cuero Golf Course has a lot of areas where grass is absent, including in the fairways. Where this comes into play is whether or not you are going to play when the ground is wet. Then you would be facing muddy situations.

Move the ball if need be following the USGA rules.

(http://sugarcreekgolfcourse.blogspot.com/2011/08/interview-with-fairway.html)



Tee Shots

Once you're on the course one of the first shots you're going to encounter is the tee shot. This is probably the most popular shot with new players because its the first shot of a new hole. No matter how you did on the previous holes, standing on the tee box you feel a sense of renewed confidence in that your first shot counts as 1...even if your last score was 10. All jokes aside this is a very important first shot.

(http://www.thegolfswinggenius.com/golf-tee-shot.html)


When standing on the tee box you want to look out over the hole you are about to play and look for any hazards. Hazards are most likely referred to as water. This could be a small creek running down the fairway or even across it. The most popular types of hazards you'll come across are small ponds or lakes.

By knowing where the hazards are, you can plan to hit your shot far enough away from the hazard so not to bring it into play. This is where direction of ball flight is important. Aim away from hazards if they run along the fairway. It they cross the fairway then you need to decide if you are going to "lay up" or bomb one over. Make sure you know your distances before making your decision.

(http://www.worldgolf.com/photo-galleries/muang-kaew-golf-club-bangkok-thailand-10980.htm)

The most desirable ball placement is in the fairway. In the fairway your chances of facing any obstacles is pretty minimal. You want to stay out from behind trees, bushes, or boulders. These will ruin your next shot or make you have to play a more advanced and difficult type of shot. Remember, you are a beginner, these types of advanced shots don't exist in your bag just yet.

Just aim for the center of the fairway.



From the Fairway

Once you're on the fairway, hopefully, you need to be aware of your ball position. Is it above your feet, below your feet, or sitting in a divot? Depending on the type of lye you have, your ball flight will be affected.

When the ball is above your feet, like on the side of a hill, your ball is going to want to naturally go right or left depending on whether or not you are a lefty or a righty. The same goes if the ball is below your feet. It is also important to know if your ball is sitting in someone else's divot. This will make solid contact harder to accomplish.

(http://www.zoysiagolf.com/applications.htm)



From the Rough

If you happen to miss the fairway, which you might want to get used to just starting out, then chances are you are going to have to negotiate obstacles. Off of the fairway you could find yourself surrounded by trees. Depending on how close you are to one, you may have to alter your swing or ball direction to get you back out to the fairway.

In many instances you're going to have a choice. You'll either be able to hit over a tree or under the branches. This is where advanced shots come into play which you may not possess just yet. Play it safe and just do what you have to in order to get back out into the fairway.

Remember, hitting from taller grass is going to make judging how far your ball will go hard to do. Just get back out to the fairway unless you have a clear shot at the green.

(http://worldgolfemporium.com/5-free-golf-tips-for-playing-out-of-the-deep-rough.html/deep-rough-pitch-shot-video-tip/)




From a Sand Trap

Different golf courses use different types of sand to fill its sand traps. You'll find two different types of sands, most of the time. They'll either be course sand or fine sand. The worst type of sand you want to play from is wet sand. Luckily for you, there aren't any sand traps at Cuero Municipal Golf Course.

( http://www.outlaweagle.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=18265&sid=576bc13e1a4c86bf980016b0f7387cdd)



From the Fringe

Once you finally make it up to the green you could possibly be facing a putt or no putt situation. The fringe is the thicker patch of grass around the green that you find at most golf courses. Depending on the roughness of it, putting from the fringe may not be the thing to do. In fact, there are times where you will have to chip it onto the green to better your chances of getting it close to the hole.

If the ball is sitting close enough to the green or the fringe is smooth enough, few bumps, then you should try and putt it even though you are technically off the green. Chipping, also known as your short game, takes a lot of practice to master. Putting from off the fringe is a much safer play. In fact, for a beginner, I recommend putting from the fringe no matter what.

(http://www.pointpark.edu/Athletics/MensSports/MensGolf/GolfNews/MGolfNews57812)



On the Putting Surface

When your ball is sitting on the green, you're not out of the woods just yet. There are certain things you have to pay attention to before making your stroke. There is a scale that golf course attendants use to measure the firmness and speed of a green, it's called a stimpmeter. Unless you know how to read one it really doesn't matter. The only question you have to ask is whether or not the greens are fast or slow. What the speed refers to is how fast your ball will roll when struck by the putter. You'll have to adjust how hard you stroke the ball depending on the speed of the green.

The direction the grass lays is also important. You could look at this like as being the "grain" of the green. It will affect your ball speed and direction just slightly, but enough to make you miss the hole. This is an advanced reading that as a beginner you won't need to consider just yet.

You will however, need to learn to play the breaks in the green. Gravity does take over as soon as you're ball hits the putting surface. Hills in the green will make your ball want to go faster, slower, left, or right so be sure you pay attention to ridges. There is no way to tell you how to play the breaks, but practice makes perfect.

Shadows that are cast across the green also play a role in ball speed and direction, as silly as it sounds. Once again, this is an advanced reading that you don't need to worry about just yet.

(http://www.virginia-beach-vacations.com/Virginia-Beach-Golf-Courses.html)



Mindset

Before heading out to the course start preparing your mindset to focus on the challenges ahead. When you're on the course, your mind has to be on the course. Always analyze every situation before taking your shot. The more you know about your surroundings, the more likely you are to make better decisions on the course the more likely you are to make better golf shots.

Enjoy playing Cuero Municipal Golf Course.

Good luck!

(http://www.lidogolf.com/catering/golf.htm)






HOLE BY HOLE

Hole 1




From the tee box you can see the fairway has big trees on both sides of it. For shorter hitters, aim directly in between the trees. For longer hitters, aim just to the right of the big trees on the right. This tee shot will set you up perfectly for your approach shot.

Hole 2

On hole 2 if you find the fairway off the tee you'll be sitting nicely in the fairway for you approach shot. On the approach this green slopes from back to front all the way. You want to land your ball short of the hole regardless of pin placement. Anything above the hole will be a hard two putt, so aim short.

Hole 3
 

Hole 3 is a par 3. It has a tree that guards the left side of the green and water down the left that stops in front of the green on the left. The perfect target here is the center of the green. The pin is usually in this area so anywhere in the center is good. Avoid going left at all costs.

Hole 4
 

This tee shot is easy and very forgiving. Trees line the left side of the fairway so going left is bad. Anything straight or even to the right will still give you an open shot to the green. For your approach shot to the green the best target is the center of the green again. The green slopes from the back to the front but anything long is still okay.

Hole 5
 

Hole 5 is the only par 5 on the course. The tee shot is important because you have a cluster of trees on the right and one single tree on the left. The perfect tee shot is between the trees on the right and the tree on the left. This will put you in the center of the fairway. Once you're past these trees, the rest of the way to the green is pretty open.

Hole 6
 

The green on this hole has a small pond that runs down the left side and extends halfway in front of the green. Left is definitely bad while right is safe. Once again aim for the center of the green to avoid both trouble areas and to give yourself a decent putt for birdie or par.

Hole 7
 

The tee shot on hole 7 is a challenging one. The pond on the left extends all the way down the fairway to the green. If you aim down the right edge of the water you'll end up in the center of the fairway leaving yourself open to a clear shot of the green. The green is small and any ball that lands on the edges will roll off. This may seem like a pattern and it is...aim for the center of the green.

Hole 8
 

The front of this green has a steep slope so any balls that land short will roll off back into the fairway. Anything over the green is bad as well. Out of bounce is only 30 feet behind the green. Don't be afraid to aim straight at the pin here, no matter what the placement. It's a pretty safe green.

Hole 9

From the tee box you want to avoid the right side. OB and trees are present on the right side of this fairway. Any tee shot that gets away from you right will be no good. The fairway is pretty open and forgiving if you happen to find yourself going left. The green is small and pretty flat for the most part. Take dead aim at the pin and go for it.