re: Better decision making

For me, it comes down to knowing my game and my limitations. I've learned that a recovery shot doesn't need to be great to get me back into a good position. Often times just a good shot will do that, and many times it is simply setting up a manageable approach shot to the green. If I can get it in the fairway and advance it 50 yards, that's usually better than trying to be a hero and get it to the green which often results in disaster. And as someone else said above, that hole usually becomes me playing for bogey instead of par.

When I played more frequently, scrambling around the course was one of my best attributes. It'd drive my brother crazy that he'd hit every fairway while I hit maybe 50% of them, but we'd score around the same. My distance certainly helped with that though. I was usually around 30-40 yards longer than him off the tee.