If you play a certain golf course frequently, you must know its ins and outs. You must know the best way to maneuver the ball around each hole. That gives you the best chance of shooting a low score because you’ll be choosing the right shot.

On a well-designed hole, your ideal landing spot off the tee won’t be obvious. Find it as you walk down the fairway by stopping where you’d like your tee shot to land and line it up with the tee on one side and a landmark on the other. Note that this place could mean that you would not play games with your driver.

On par 3s, mark where your tee shot landed, what club you used, and where the tee markers were that day. After a while, you’ll know which stick will get you closer to any pin position.

Learn where everything is.

• If there is water, can you reach it from the tee? Same for fairway bunkers?
• On dogleg holes, how far is it to the corner and how far is it before a straight shot crosses the fairway?
• Are there holes where one side of the fairway gives you a better view of the green?
• On each green, where is it okay to miss and where should you avoid missing at all costs?
• What pin locations can you see ahead of time as you make your way through the field?

On par 5s, find out how far from the green certain landmarks are in the area where your drives typically land. Sprinkler heads are usually not marked that far. (One course I play has a sprinkler about 300 yards from the green on a par 5 labeled Dreamer.) To get the ball in position for your third shot to the green, it’s good to know where it is as you plan your second shot.

Each course has its own personality in the sense that it asks you to take certain shots that other courses don’t. For example, the typical height of grass around the putting green might be close-cut grass on one course and full-blown rough on another. To play those two courses, you have to know both shots.

On some courses, you will hit entering most greens. In others, you will be collaborating most of the time. However, you can play at whatever distances you want instead of what the architect wants you to play.

Learn how pin positions dictate where you aim your approach shot. It might be easy to two-putt down from position A, but nearly impossible from position B. And another day, with a different pin position, B might be ideal and A might be bad news.

If this is your first time playing a course, try to get as much information as possible so that the second time you play you will be fully informed.

Golf is not just about hitting shots. It’s also about planning your run around the course and choosing the shots that allow you to execute that plan. The more you know about the courses you play, the more you will be able to attack them and give yourself a chance to get the score your skills deserve.