PGA Features

Part of employing good course management is to think not just about the shot you are going to hit but also the shot you are going to have left.

A galaxy of star names from film, television and sport enjoyed a close-up of some of golf's best players in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

The pro-am format attracted the usual mix of golf-loving celebrities including Sir Ian Botham, Aussie spin-king Shane Warne, Olympic rower Sir Steven Redgrave, Samuel L Jackson and Hugh Grant who clearly relished the opportunity to play alongside the likes of Harrington, Westwood, Karlsson and Casey.

And like most amateurs, the celebs served up the usual mixture of good and bad golf as they tackled to varying degrees of success, three of the world's finest links courses - St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns - which were made even tougher by some strong winds.

Mike Kinloch, a PGA professional at St Andrews Academy Golf Links, saw some of the action and highlights a few common faults the amateurs made and also comes up with a couple of useful tips for playing in tough links conditions.

The first mistake I often see with amateurs is the number who hit drivers off par 4 or par 5 tees without thinking about the way the hole is laid out. They automatically reach for the driver on every hole without seemingly paying any attention to what's ahead of them.

Even if using a driver will bring into play difficult bunkers or rough, many are still just happy to blaze away with the driver. Part of employing good course management is to think not just about the shot you are going to hit but also the shot you are going to have left.

A good example is if you're playing a long par 5 and you know you can't reach in two. If you know you're going to have to lay up anyway why risk hitting driver. The better play is take a three or five wood, make sure you hit the fairway and then put yourself in pole position to play a good second shot to set up your third shot approach.

Another point for amateurs to consider is that the difference in how far they hit a driver compared to a three wood is probably marginal.

They might be sacrificing 10 or 15 yards in distance by using a three wood but using a higher-lofted club will give them a much better chance of hitting the fairway.

And another thing...

I'm not sure if happened or not but there were certainly some high winds at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and if this is the case when you're playing, players need to be careful about grounding the putter behind the ball because if the ball moves when the putter is grounded it is going to be a penalty shot.

One thing many club players are not good at doing is taking their medicine if they get out of position. This happens a lot on links courses when faced with difficult bunker shots. The thing to remember is you don't always have to play forwards, especially with the kind of bunkers they were facing at St Andrews.

A lot of times if you're up against the lip or facing a six or seven foot high bunker, consider splashing out sideways or even backwards. Don't go for the impossible shot - take your penalty and get back in play, it's not worth the risk.

When playing in strong winds many amateurs try to combat the wind by hitting harder but this just puts more spin on the ball which sends it up into the air. The best thing to do is take more club and swing easier.

For example if you've got a seven iron yardage, try hitting a four or five iron with an easier swing. This will keep the ball lower, sending it through the wind and avoid the problems caused by trying to hit the ball too hard.

Mike Kinloch is a PGA professional at St Andrews Golf Academy Links. He can be contacted on 01334 466 606.