Ego epiphany...

Tiger

Tiger

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rub-of-the-green.blogspot.com
Long post warning...

So there I was on the 14th in our Club Champs reasonable card ticking along. Only about the nett comp for me. My tee shot had just stopped short of the bunker and I was 145 yards from the flag. Normally I'd have pulled out a 7 or 8 iron depending on the wind but I didn't fancy it. Ball above my feet not a great lie a forest of gorse left and right but no danger in front.

So I played the sensible shot a little running punch with my hybrid. The green has three gently sloped tiers. Flag on the first I hit my shot well but ran up to the middle tier. Judged the putt beautifully and it curled in for an unexpected birdie :)

I play a good tee shot on the 15th but have 180 yards to the flag. Green slopes up from the front so best miss is below the flag. After the last hole my initial thought is chip an 8 iron up the fairway, try and get close with your pitch and putt for par. No. Ego kicks in out comes the 5 iron. Massive hook lost ball. Do what I'd originally intended and putt just lips out. What could have been a 5 now a 7.

16th blocked by a tree ignore the hero shot play a sensible low runner to front of green and get up and down for par. 17th only 350 yards but inexplicably pull out the 3 wood massive slice and another unnecessary penalty.

After countless lost balls and frustrating years I've finally realised I need to put the ego in a lead lined box for all eternity. Apologies for the ramble but just needed to share - bit like group therapy I suppose. My name is Tiger and I'm a knob... ;)
 
Tiger said:
17th only 350 yards but inexplicably pull out the 3 wood massive slice and another unnecessary penalty.
Click to expand...

Yes, indeed, very unnecessary.
You should have pulled out the big stick and gone for it. What on earth were you doing laying up? :rofl:
 
It's a strange one isn't it, sometimes we think the Hollywood shot will give us more satisfaction, but actually a nailed on safe shot that takes us closer to the pin is far more rewarding, than a 5i out of bounds. Even if you do pull off the Hollywood shot, that individual shot may be the one you talk about, but you will also be thinking about the 4 or 5 ones you messed up out there, and it certainly takes the gloss of that one good one!!

So why do we always try to play outside of our / anyone's ability!??! :rofl:
 
I was stood on the 13th during club champs, reasonable card in my hand. Made a reasonable tee shot but left it behind the fir tree that is at 150 on every hole.

I picked a club for the yardage and wind. I have 154 that I need to fade round the fir tree, dropping hard down hill, over some branches on the right, over the water and onto the green.

EGO IS A KILLER!
 
Played a 36 hole comp yesterday, our "Masters" for comp winners over the last year. Wasn't hitting well and suddenly had a similar epiphany and suddenly decided to take one more club into the greens in the second round (having played my way out of contention in round one). Went to 39% GIR compared to 17% in the morning with no discernible improvement in my swing
 
Tiger said:
Long post warning...

So there I was on the 14th in our Club Champs reasonable card ticking along. Only about the nett comp for me. My tee shot had just stopped short of the bunker and I was 145 yards from the flag. Normally I'd have pulled out a 7 or 8 iron depending on the wind but I didn't fancy it. Ball above my feet not a great lie a forest of gorse left and right but no danger in front.

So I played the sensible shot a little running punch with my hybrid. The green has three gently sloped tiers. Flag on the first I hit my shot well but ran up to the middle tier. Judged the putt beautifully and it curled in for an unexpected birdie :)

I play a good tee shot on the 15th but have 180 yards to the flag. Green slopes up from the front so best miss is below the flag. After the last hole my initial thought is chip an 8 iron up the fairway, try and get close with your pitch and putt for par. No. Ego kicks in out comes the 5 iron. Massive hook lost ball. Do what I'd originally intended and putt just lips out. What could have been a 5 now a 7.

16th blocked by a tree ignore the hero shot play a sensible low runner to front of green and get up and down for par. 17th only 350 yards but inexplicably pull out the 3 wood massive slice and another unnecessary penalty.

After countless lost balls and frustrating years I've finally realised I need to put the ego in a lead lined box for all eternity. Apologies for the ramble but just needed to share - bit like group therapy I suppose. My name is Tiger and I'm a knob... ;)
Click to expand...

I don't think you did too much wrong to be honest.
Basically you hit a bad 5 iron and a bad 3 wood, neither were outrageous choices in the circumstances.

As long as you weigh up your options on each shot and play a realistic club, whatever happens after that just happens.

First tournament of this year I hit a 4 iron OOB off the tee on a Par 5, who's to know?
 
Absolutely! I long ago forgot about "well it's a 7 iron so it should be 150/160/170". I know I don't hit my irons as long as others (although my drives and fairways I do) so I just will tend to take an easier swing with a longer iron than trying to kill it with a shorter one. Same result as above. More GIR, straighter shots and lower scores. But you do have to work and convince yourself to do it.
 
Three said:
I don't think you did too much wrong to be honest.
Basically you hit a bad 5 iron and a bad 3 wood, neither were outrageous choices in the circumstances.

As long as you weigh up your options on each shot and play a realistic club, whatever happens after that just happens.

First tournament of this year I hit a 4 iron OOB off the tee on a Par 5, who's to know?
Click to expand...

For me it's about percentages. The 8 iron then wedge was no risk. The 5 iron could have gone out of bounds right, water hazard short or where it ended up lost in long rough left. 3 wood there's trouble all down the right hand side and my bad shot with that is a slice. No trouble left and my bad shot with my hybrid is a hook took the risk all for the sake of 25 yards max. Not worth it :)
 
Tiger said:
For me it's about percentages. The 8 iron then wedge was no risk. The 5 iron could have gone out of bounds right, water hazard short or where it ended up lost in long rough left. 3 wood there's trouble all down the right hand side and my bad shot with that is a slice. No trouble left and my bad shot with my hybrid is a hook took the risk all for the sake of 25 yards max. Not worth it :)
Click to expand...

You might want to include that info next time :D:D
 
On the other hand, there's nothing more frustrating in the game of golf than electing for the "safe" option and messing that up!

For example, going for a nice safe lay up with a 9 iron and duffing it, or pushing into the rough, or something else equally annoying.

I'd much rather have taken a bit more of a risk and it not worked out than mess it up attempting to play safe!
 
Canary_Yellow said:
On the other hand, there's nothing more frustrating in the game of golf than electing for the "safe" option and messing that up!

For example, going for a nice safe lay up with a 9 iron and duffing it, or pushing into the rough, or something else equally annoying.

I'd much rather have taken a bit more of a risk and it not worked out than mess it up attempting to play safe!
Click to expand...


Its a fine line hu! You dont want to play those non committed shots.
 
I think the vast majority of golfers go for every shot.
And chances are you do make a couple of them. Thats what keeps people coming back for more!
 
SugarPenguin said:
I think the vast majority of golfers go for every shot.
And chances are you do make a couple of them. Thats what keeps people coming back for more!
Click to expand...

I have to be honest and say I've grown tired of the hero shot simply because it's what is keeping me as a high handicap. I've got Game Golf now and had Scoresaver 2 in the past. Looked at my data through a slightly different lens recently and it woke me up.

I don't score many double bogeys. Two thirds of the time is birdie/par/bogey. Unfortunately 30% of the time it's a disaster score normally when a 'hero' shot hasn't come off. That's 5/6 holes a round where I do something stupid... weighing it up I'd be happier with a score in the 80s with no heroics :o
 
Tiger said:
I have to be honest and say I've grown tired of the hero shot simply because it's what is keeping me as a high handicap. I've got Game Golf now and had Scoresaver 2 in the past. Looked at my data through a slightly different lens recently and it woke me up.

I don't score many double bogeys. Two thirds of the time is birdie/par/bogey. Unfortunately 30% of the time it's a disaster score normally when a 'hero' shot hasn't come off. That's 5/6 holes a round where I do something stupid... weighing it up I'd be happier with a score in the 80s with no heroics :o
Click to expand...

An awesome, hero shot feels good, and is the best feeling ever when you pull it off, but the chances of success are low. Another great feeling is having a decent card in your hand, and in the bar, nobody cares about an awesome shot, but ears prick up when you tell them what you went around in :D

Unfortunately, ego plays a big role in golf. Like when someone is scared to tee off because the group in front are 400 yards down the fairway, and they don't want to hit them. With a lot of lads I know, it's like a manhood-measuring competition with who can hit the furthest distance with the shortest club. Listening to 28-handicappers talking about how they hit a 160 yard pitching-wedge is always good fun!
 
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