Troon Golf's Black Diamond

I recently had the good fortune to play at our Troon Golf sister property, Black Diamond in Florida with a good friend and Lake of Isles member Paul Slosberg.  Black Diamond is a spectacular facility consisting of 45 holes of golf set inside a private gated community in central Florida.  One of the nines is built around an old quarry and provides some spectacular views as well as demanding some precise shot making.

This was the first time I had played the course and thus I wasn't always certain of the shot to hit and more importantly the yardage i had to my target.  I have always stepped out yardages for every shot using the markings on sprinkler heads, used a yardage book for green depth and pin placement and then chosen the club from there.  But on too many occasions when I compared what I had paced with the distance my playing partners had shot using a laser I was out by a full club.

This raises two very important points to consider when you are playing a course for the first time:

1. Get an accurate yardage for every shot you are going to play.  GPS systems and lasers are ideal for getting the most accurate yardages for every shot.  If you don't have access to either of those, consider using the courses yardage book if they offer one, and be sure to factor in where the flag is located on the green which can be sometimes mean adding or subtracting a full club.

2. Once you have an accurate yardage, trust it.  Make a definite decision that you are going to commit to the club that will hit the ball the distance you have measured, and then go ahead and swing positively with faith in the fact you have chosen the correct club.

I hope you will have to opportunity to travel and play some golf this winter.  If you do, remember to get accurate yardages for your shots, choose the club carefully, and the commit to the shot.