This tip is based on one of those wise, old sayings that we seem to forget when we get to the first tee. Most low handicappers will tell you, "Play with the game you've got."
My old boss and mentor, the great Ken Venturi, took that advice a few steps further. It is something I pass on to all my students. "Mr. V" wanted golfers to get out of the gate and play fairway to green with no OB or water or sand in between.
Enjoy the game again,
--Steve