You don’t need a pro’s swing to play smarter. You may however need to stop making pro-level decisions with an amateur’s swing.

Here’s the tell: you’re 150 out, over water, pin tucked back-right. A tour player pulls out a wedge and hits a high shot at the flag because he hits it that shot nine times out of ten. You don’t. If your seven iron makes it over the water and to the green it’s going over the back and off and into the rough. So why are you aiming at the flag too?

Smart course management isn’t about playing scared — it’s about playing the shot you actually have, not the one you wish you had. Take the fat part of the green. Lay up short of trouble instead of “going for it.” Miss on the side that leaves you a putt, not a penalty stroke.

A 80% chance at a bogey is a better bet than a 10% chance at a par. So play the boring shot, protect your scorecard, save yourself the frustration of another triple. The hero stuff can wait for when the risk factors are actually in your favor.