Do you make your own luck?

[3-off-the-tee]

Is there such thing as a lucky player? Or do you think it comes down to making your own luck and using your skill/talent to get you out of a sticky situation?

I only ask because the chap I play with regularly appears to be the luckiest player I’ve ever seen. He is undoubtedly a good golfer and scrambles excellently on his bad holes but he always seems to catch a break on his bad shots. A few weeks ago for example he hit a horrendous drive on a blind tee shot down the right hand side of the fairway, clearly deep into trouble. Upon going over the brow of the hill he was met by a player who has hit onto the wrong fairway who witnessed his ball ricochet off a tree and nestle in the middle of the fairway, it appeared to have even rolled up hill to a flat spot in doing so.

Are some people just generally luckier or is it a case of as you improve as a golfer your bad shots aren’t as bad?

I’m not bitter about it at all... ?

 

[Ethan]

There is no such thing as luck. There is randomness and it doesn't always even out.

 

[Orikoru]

I don't think it's possible that one person can be luckier than another, when it comes to bouncing the right direction off trees and so on. It may be that they had a few lucky ones with witnesses and then the reputation sticks. People don't remember the bad luck quite as much - unless it's your own.

 

[Grant85]

Is there such thing as a lucky player? Or do you think it comes down to making your own luck and using your skill/talent to get you out of a sticky situation?

I only ask because the chap I play with regularly appears to be the luckiest player I’ve ever seen. He is undoubtedly a good golfer and scrambles excellently on his bad holes but he always seems to catch a break on his bad shots. A few weeks ago for example he hit a horrendous drive on a blind tee shot down the right hand side of the fairway, clearly deep into trouble. Upon going over the brow of the hill he was met by a player who has hit onto the wrong fairway who witnessed his ball ricochet off a tree and nestle in the middle of the fairway, it appeared to have even rolled up hill to a flat spot in doing so.

Are some people just generally luckier or is it a case of as you improve as a golfer your bad shots aren’t as bad?

I’m not bitter about it at all... ?

Luck, good and bad, evens out.

Some people will walk around a course bemoaning every lie that isn't perfect, every bounce that doesn't head towards the hole and every putt that breaks a fraction too late.

I guess for these people, bad luck is a self-fulfilling prophecy. They feel everything is against them and a few imperfect holes derail their concentration and their round.

Ultimately golf is largely a game of skill. If you can do things to raise your skill level you will effectively raise the floor as to how poor your bad days are, and put more and more good days together.

If you hole a 30 foot putt once every six months, you might put that down to luck. If you do it every 2 or 3 rounds, then there isn't much lucky about judging line and pace with a bit of consistency.

 

[stefanovic]

Make no mistake, the more you practice the luckier you will get.
Why it works, I don't know. Better to ask Gary Player.

 

[Siolag]

Is there such thing as a lucky player? Or do you think it comes down to making your own luck and using your skill/talent to get you out of a sticky situation?

I only ask because the chap I play with regularly appears to be the luckiest player I’ve ever seen. He is undoubtedly a good golfer and scrambles excellently on his bad holes but he always seems to catch a break on his bad shots. A few weeks ago for example he hit a horrendous drive on a blind tee shot down the right hand side of the fairway, clearly deep into trouble. Upon going over the brow of the hill he was met by a player who has hit onto the wrong fairway who witnessed his ball ricochet off a tree and nestle in the middle of the fairway, it appeared to have even rolled up hill to a flat spot in doing so.

Are some people just generally luckier or is it a case of as you improve as a golfer your bad shots aren’t as bad?

I’m not bitter about it at all... ?

If you are in a sticky situation, and you require “luck” for the next shot to be successful, you should probably re think the next shot.

 

[Pathetic Shark]

The better player will get more bad bounces because they are more likely to be on target for a fairway or a hole and have something take it away.
A lesser player would therefore get more bounces back on target.

Einstein told me that but I was giving him a shot a hole.

 

[3-off-the-tee]

If you are in a sticky situation, and you require “luck” for the next shot to be successful, you should probably re think the next shot.

That’s not really what I was asking but I agree with what you are saying. I was asking more in terms of getting a good bounce or lie when hitting a bad shot.

 

[jim8flog]

The better player will get more bad bounces because they are more likely to be on target for a fairway or a hole and have something take it away.
A lesser player would therefore get more bounces back on target.

Einstein told me that but I was giving him a shot a hole.

A skilled player who plays a straight ball and sees it bounce left would consider it bad luck.

A not so skilled player who has already hit a ball that is going left and goes even further left after bouncing would probably have no thoughts about luck.

Good luck or bad luck depends on your point of reference.

Now Newton that drops ball and sees it bounces will probably be annoyed that it bounced.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

People remember the outrageous bits of luck. You only need a person to get a couple of these and then suddenly they get a reputation. Do the same when no one is around and it is not noticed, soon forgotten.

I played my early golf on a links course where uneven bounces were common place. When you play well they seem to go your way. On a bad day you remember the one that bounces oob. It is psychological.

 

[Imurg]

There is no such thing as luck. There is randomness and it doesn't always even out.

In that case...Fragger is the most random golfer in the world.....

 

[davidy233]

People remember the outrageous bits of luck. You only need a person to get a couple of these and then suddenly they get a reputation. Do the same when no one is around and it is not noticed, soon forgotten.

I played my early golf on a links course where uneven bounces were common place. When you play well they seem to go your way. On a bad day you remember the one that bounces oob. It is psychological.

I play at links courses and I've never seen a well hit shot bounce out of bounds

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I play at links courses and I've never seen a well hit shot bounce out of bounds

Alnmouth Village Golf Club, Northumberland - go fill your boots .

It is quite raw land, common land in fact, not even, and when it is hard and dry the bounces can be feisty. I've played other links courses that are hard but smoother and so you don't get those bounce.

 

[davidy233]

Alnmouth Village Golf Club, Northumberland - go fill your boots .

It is quite raw land, common land in fact, not even, and when it is hard and dry the bounces can be feisty. I've played other links courses that are hard but smoother and so you don't get those bounce.

Take it you mean it could bounce out down by Gwen's ice cream van? Maybe but it's the exception if you can fire a shot down the middle of the fairway and end up out of bounds (in a bad place yep but not normally out).

My place was Tom Watson's first taste of links golf and the story goes (I've heard him tell it in person) is that he hit his first drive down the middle of the fairway and couldn't find the ball - after he finished the hole his ball was found 50 yards left in a bunker - (A) The only bunker there is just a few yards off the fairway and (B) There's no way his ball had bounced 50 yards left if hit down the middle of the fairway - in the rough yep - 50 yards nope.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Every round I aim above a gap in a cross-hedge. Sometimes I mishit low - sometimes I get through the gap and sometimes I don't. Just so happens that most times I play with John and hit it low I go through the gap. According to him I am a lucky golfer...I know the whole picture.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Take it you mean it could bounce out down by Gwen's ice cream van? Maybe but it's the exception if you can fire a shot down the middle of the fairway and end up out of bounds (in a bad place yep but not normally out).

My place was Tom Watson's first taste of links golf and the story goes (I've heard him tell it in person) is that he hit his first drive down the middle of the fairway and couldn't find the ball - after he finished the hole his ball was found 50 yards left in a bunker - (A) The only bunker there is just a few yards off the fairway and (B) There's no way his ball had bounced 50 yards left if hit down the middle of the fairway - in the rough yep - 50 yards nope.

Good old Gwen, she is still going strong. She is out there in all weathers, all 4 seasons.

All the holes going out, except the 1st, run close to the beach and if you are going straight or mildly right then a wicked bounce is possible. Not usual but possible. Do that during a dry spell and you are in trouble as it can go very bare and hard. Now you could aim further left but that is slightly defensive and also not ideal when golfers are coming towards you on the parallel fairways.

Absolutely it is an exception but it can and does happen due to the undulations of the land.

 

[chrisd]

A guy I used to play with regularly seemed to bounce back off the trees, to the fairway, so often that when he didn't he would say his pet squirrel was away on holiday - it could, of course, looked like he was more lucky than others, but, it could just have been he hit more shots towards the tree lines than anyone else !

 

[garyinderry]

Liverbirdie IS a jammy sod.

Play enough rounds with him and you will see.

It must have rubbed off on me as I'm labelled the lucky player in our group there days.

 

[Ross61]

If it wasn’t for bad luck I’d have no luck at all

 

[jim8flog]

If there is no such thing as luck who is that lady I have been praying to most of life.