The Decision Journal Practice Round
The Decision Journal Practice Round is a course strategy drill from The Adaptive Golfer. Record the reason for every aim point during a round, then grade each decision — targeting fewer than three strategy errors per 18 holes. It trains decision quality, and your result is measured as Practice Strokes Gained against your handicap band.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Here's the Decision Journal Practice Round. It turns your course management into something you can measure. Bring a small notebook or notes app and play one round. Before every tee shot and approach, write one sentence. The aim point you chose, and the reason. Which danger you're avoiding, which miss you're accounting for. Write it before you pull the trigger. Never after, based on what happened. That part is non-negotiable. After the round, mark each decision Good, Neutral, or Error. Aim for fewer than three strategy errors across eighteen holes. Log every round in The Adaptive Golfer.
How to do The Decision Journal Practice Round
- Bring a small notebook or notes app and play one round of golf.
- Before each tee shot and approach, write one sentence: the aim point chosen and the reason (which danger you are avoiding, which miss you are accounting for).
- After the round, mark each decision Good, Neutral, or Error.
- The benchmark is fewer than three strategy errors across the round.
Writing the decision after the shot based on what happened, rather than before based on the plan. Write before you pull the trigger — non-negotiable.
▲ LEVEL UP
Record the outcome alongside each decision and, over four rounds, compare how often strategy errors produced bad outcomes versus how often good decisions did.
How The Decision Journal Practice Round is scored
Score how often your felt verdict matches the actual outcome.
The book sets one standard for this drill rather than a table by handicap: fewer than 3 errors. Every level chases the same number.
Log each rep and see whether you are above, at, or below your band — not just the target.
The 5-pillar diagnosis tells you whether this drill is even the thing costing you strokes.
A four-week plan picks your drills and recalculates as your numbers move.
As seen in Chapter 25 — Drill 10 of The Adaptive Golfer. The drills, benchmarks, and plans in the app are built on the published methodology.
The Decision Journal Practice Round FAQ
Record the reason for every aim point during a round, then grade each decision — targeting fewer than three strategy errors per 18 holes.
It builds your course strategy, specifically decision quality.
Guides that use The Decision Journal Practice Round
Related drills
Practice choosing a safe target, not the flag, for your next round.
Hit ten shots into an aim corridor offset from the flag to break the pull of aim...
Log The Decision Journal Practice Round in The Adaptive Golfer and see your Practice Strokes Gained against your handicap band.
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