How to Speed Up Master Game Play

[An earlier version of this post first appeared on the APBA Between the Lines forum.]

Having completed 3 full tournaments and being well into two others, I’ve come up with a few strategies that may offer those who enjoy the choices made possible by APBA Golf’s Master Game rules (and its many innovations) a way to play faster. While use of the GC takes out most of the APBA-math and resolves player location calculations that slow down gameplay, that’s only about half of it.

The next step to a faster and more enjoyable gaming experience is to adopt strategies that avoid the more time-consuming trouble situations. The key to making that happen is to understand that planning the shot is not just about expecting a specific good result (W/I-number) but also includes accounting for a distribution of possible outcomes that includes bad ones, which then require resolving the game’s many time-consuming trouble situations.

Hit Conservative Tee Shots

Off the tee, that means avoiding water hazards and being stymied in the trees. For longer hitters, put away the driver and hit a long iron and aim accordingly. Use the Master Game option to choose an iron off the tee on par 4’s and 5’s, which allows you to change the Player Result Numbers (PRNs) on rolls of 14, 34, and 54 to the golfer’s Average W. That option alone reduces the number of high dispersion outcomes by about a third and turns them into good shots.

Shorter hitters may need to go with fairway woods. The reality is that modern players have enough length to reach the green in regulation on any hole as long as the opportunity is available. Don’t take it away off the tee. Keep a long iron in your bag, and stay out of the trees and away from water.

Play to the Center of the Green on Longer Shots

On longer W/I shots to the green, generally go to the center. From the fairway, use the Average W/I to choose distance. Add a club if in the regular rough. In a fairway bunker, good shots carry about the same as if in the fairway, while bad shots carry much less.

When in a fairway bunker or faced with a long sand trap shot, go for the center of the green. The same is true for other bad-lie situations. Center of the green here means carry and roll. Green roll for Irons 5 – 9 is typically between 0 – 10 yards. Don’t overthink it. Going for the center of the green maximizes the chances of avoiding a bogie.

Assess the Risk/Reward on Short Approaches

On shorter approaches, pin-seeking is a risk/reward choice in that the distribution may now include off-green hazards when the pin is close to them. Pin-seeking is about making birdies when on-target and accepting bogies when not. When seeking the pin, aim to that target with a good angle.

Working-the-ball (WTB) is an option for pins well-off the centerline (CL) but do so only with an A-rated WTB player. (B and C-rated WTB players overcook and double-cross these shots too often to justly the risk.) Otherwise, for pins + 5 yards to the CL, play to the Pin-CL.

While there are many in-between choices, fretting over them has little effect on the on the final result. Players are so good these days at getting up and down from anywhere on or close to the green, it just doesn’t matter that much on the scorecard.

Don’t Go-for-It When You Could Miss a Putt by 6 Feet or More

When putting in stroke play, go-for-it from 19 feet in. After that, avoid the three putt. For the better players, going for it beyond 20 feet may add 1 or 2 chances in 36 of making a one-putt. That favorable result must be weighed against missing by 6 or more feet, which is the knee of the curve on making short putts.

For a good putter, the chance of making a 5-footer is greater than 70 percent, a 6-footer just above 50 percent, and a 7-footer below 50 percent. Do the math. The chance of a 3-putt outweighs the chance of a one-putt for almost everyone going-for-it beyond 25 feet. In match play or at the end of a tournament, the situation may warrant the risk, however.

A bad putter should just play safe beyond 19 feet. Of course, every player has two or three outcomes that miss from close in. These outcomes are just the rub of the green and not worth worrying about.

When close to the hole in the fairway and less than one fully square to the green and with a good angle, putt don’t chip. The best players have about 2 in 36 chances of chipping in from 10 yards. The rules require the player in the fairway to putt from a distance computed as if on the green and then use the column to the right on the board equal to the number of squares away from the green. Any “putt” adjusted in this way to less than 20 feet offers several more chances for a hole-out and incurs only a small increase in the chance of getting down in 3.

Miscellaneous Advice to Speed Up Play

• Lay up well short of a hazard when there’s any possibility of reaching it (e.g., with PRNs of 31+).
• Stay in the fairway with a good angle. Position is everything when it comes to speed of play and to lower scores.
• Off the tee, lean into a drive-able dogleg (DL), by aiming 10 – 15 yards in the direction of the turn. Maybe choose an iron or fairway wood off the tee to stay short of the DL and aim to make sure you don’t get blocked by trees short of the turn.

Granted, exceptions abound, and these recommendations may not lead to the lowest possible score. Nevertheless, adopting them along with using the GC will make it possible to complete a round with four players in less time than it takes for you to play an actual round of golf (with or without a cart).