Environmental Assessment (The REPAR System)
I have been a PGA member for over thirty years, and I have played in hundreds of Pro-Ams and scrambles. I have seen the same mistake thousands of times. A golfer flushes a mid-iron towards the green, watches it sail over the back into the scrub, and turns to me and says, Geez, that was unlucky.
It was not unlucky. Your execution was fine, but your decision-making process was horrendous. You failed to read the environment.
The reality of golf is that big scores come from bad spots. And bad spots come from bad guesses. Most amateurs think they are not good enough to worry about the wind or the lie, so they just zap the flag and hope for the best.
It is actually much harder to play well when hope is your only strategy.
THE ADOPTED PRO LESSON
I remember playing in a Holden Scramble at Pacific Harbour. We were 100 metres out, straight into a howling 50 kilometre per hour wind. One of the guys zaps the flag and pulls a pitching wedge because he hits it 100 metres.
I told him the shot was playing 140 metres. He hit the wedge anyway. It came up 40 metres short in the water.
I hit a three-quarter seven iron. I hit it soft so it would stay out of the wind and not spin as much. It landed pin high. It was not a better swing; it was a better piece of environment auditing.
THE THREE PILLARS OF ENVIRONMENT
If you want to stop the guessing, you need to ask three questions before you pull a club:
HOW IS THE LIE GOING TO AFFECT THIS? Healthy grass is 80 percent water. When grass gets between your club and the ball, it is like hydroplaning in a car. You lose friction, you lose spin, and the ball launches like a rocket. If you do not know your lie, you do not know your distance.
HOW IS THE WIND GOING TO AFFECT THIS? Stop guessing clubs and start guessing metres. Research from Ping proves that headwinds hurt you more than tailwinds help. If you have a wind into you, add more metres than you think. Do not just try to hit it harder.
WHAT IS THE BALL GOING TO DO WHEN IT LANDS? Is the ground rock hard? Is it going to kick and run? In summer at Emerald Lakes Golf Club, where I coach in person on the Gold Coast, the ground gets firm. If you hit a shot that carries to the flag, it is going to end up in the car park. You have to account for the bounce and roll.
THE DRIVING ANALOGY
Think of it like learning to drive. When my daughter first got behind the wheel, she was overwhelmed. She had to think about her feet, the steering, and the indicators. She could not look out the windscreen because it was too much thinking.
Now, she just drives. The awareness has become subconscious. Golf is the same. Right now, asking these questions feels slow. But eventually, they become the engine that drives your lower scores.
THE 5-ROUND CHALLENGE
For your next five rounds, I want you to pick just one thing: The Lie. Every single shot, tell me how that lie is going to affect the distance.
Ready to Break Your Bad Golf?
Stop guessing and start playing scoring golf.
If you are on the Gold Coast and ready for a real on-course diagnosis, come and see me at Emerald Lakes GC. We will stop the guessing and start breaking bad golf.
Right now is the ideal time to join our 9 Shots Lower in 9 Weeks program.
Why 9 Shots Lower Works
The 9 Shots Lower program is designed to do more than just give you great information. It’s built to lock in the right habits with:
A clear 9-week structure
Weekly feedback and accountability
Ongoing support so improvements actually stick
If you want faster, more reliable results — this is the program that delivers them.
Click here to learn more about my Breaking Bad Golf programs.
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The Gold Coast offers a range of options including Emerald Lakes, Palm Meadows, Hope Island, Southport, and Coolangatta-Tweed. Paul Williamson provides personalised on-course coaching that goes beyond traditional lessons, covering skills, strategy, and mental game in real playing conditions.
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One-hour lessons provide quick tips but rarely translate under course conditions. Paul’s on-course coaching uses 9-hole assessments to build a tailored plan that actually drops strokes from your scorecard.
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Paul Williamson, a PGA Professional with 30+ years’ experience, provides personalised on-course coaching at courses around Carrara, Hope Island, Robina, Southport, Coolangatta-Tweed, and the broader Gold Coast.
