AS A HIGH-HANDICAP golfer, I have come to accept that I will never be able to produce perfect shots with the same regularity as a tour professional. However, over the course of the last couple of years, I have learned that thinking like one is a way to improve my scores.

Let me be clear about this, when I say thinking like a professional, I do not mean trying to take on Bubba Watson-style draws or Seve Ballesteros-esq escapes. These sort of shots require a level of skill most people (and especially me) can only dream about.

No, I'm talking about far more basic course management, which is all about knowing and accepting your own limits.

For example, say I am faced with a par-four measuring more than 400 yards. Assuming I manage to hit my best possible drive (which is a fairly big assumption most of the time), I'll still probably have at least 150 yards, a six-iron at best, for my second shot.

The chances of me hitting two consecutively excellent shots to hit the green are pretty remote, with the odds of at least one of them resulting in a duffed shot or a trip to the trees much higher.

Generally speaking, I'm much more likely to hit the ball in the general direction of where I want it to go by hitting a seven-iron.

If I was to take a seven-iron for my first two shots, I'd probably leave myself with an approach of about 120 yards, a distance from which I'd be fairly confident of putting my ball on the green.

If I played the same hole 10 times using both approaches, I'd probably hit the green in two once or twice taking driver off the tee. I'd probably get on in three on three or four occasions, assuming I was driving the ball well.

However, using only irons, I'd expect to get my ball on the green in three five or six times out of 10, so it really isn't a bad option, especially if my driver is letting me down.

The chances are that my mistakes would also be less costly using clubs with more loft, so it's a tactic I'm trying to give more and more consideration to.

The moral of the story is to know your limits. It may just make you a better player.