Never playing safe again...

[Doc]

Played in rd2 of our wednesday cup yesterday.

Had a great round going with 6 shots to spare stood on the last in difficult conditions.

Our 18th is a good par 5 with OB right off the tee, water left @ 200 yds, bunkers right @ 230 yds.

Decided to hit 3 iron instead of driver as i only needed to bogey the hole to come in with a really special round.

Hit it 220 yds into the water left, shanked my 3rd OB right, Duffed my 5th about 60 yds,

Came off with an 11....

NEVER PLAYING SAFE TO PROTECT A GOOD CARD EVER AGAIN...

Cheers

Steve...

 

[Alex1975]

Gutted Doc, I guess you changed your game plan on the last hole and your body was not up for it!

 

[Jay1]

Ouch, been there done that.

Out of interest, how far do you usually hit your 3 iron?

 

[Imurg]

And how do you normally play the hole...?

 

[tallpaul]

Played safe on two holes in last nights medal. Both were lay-ups to ditches protecting tight greens. I normally go for both with perhaps a 50% success rate overall - last night fluffed both chips in to the water. Proof that I'm statistically better off going for it. That or I need to learn to chip.

 

[Birchy]

How many times have you tried playing that hole that way before? I find when i change from the normal way i play the hole i balls it right up. Maybe on practice rounds playing holes different ways will help? I might give that a try. Maybe some better players than me will have a better idea

 

[CMAC]

we've all done it..........

stood on 18th 1 over gross and shot a 12!
3 days later on 18th 4 over and shot an 11, at least I was getting better

 

[Lawrence22]

The second best round I have ever recorded finished with a 10. I try not to add up scores as I go now, but when you are having a good day you always seem to be aware of it.

 

[Curls]

Gutted for you Doc, took me right back to doing the same thing myself reading that! It might be like the guys say if you're not used to playing the hole in that fashion you can easily come a cropper, but I wonder too if you were living in the future a little bit? I only ask cos you say "I only needed a bogey for a special round"

I used to do that a lot, start thinking about how great it was going to be to tell everyone about my great round, the wife would nod and smile, the boys would buy me a beer, why is my ball in the water? Better get it safe oh its in the trees, they will say Im a great golfer, why am I behind the tree? Who put this tree here? What a stupid place to put a tree. ARRGGHH!! Its human nature and difficult if not impossible to avoid but having read Zen Golf I'm able to now catch myself doing it and snap back to the present, if you take your mind out of the present at all (dwelling on that lipped out putt two holes ago or revelling in the glory down the pub later) you're doomed.

Doomed I say!

So was it was playing it safe that did it, playing the hole in an unfamiliar way, or the excitement of a great round taking your mind off the task at hand? If it was the former two then it's a lesson learned, next time you're playing well you'll attack the last as you do when you're playing for fun, if its the later, get the book, its the best £5 you could spend on your golf game

 

[Region3]

As long as the water at 200 wasn't more than about 20yds long I'd go driver all day long as I'd rather be in the bunker than wet.

For me, choosing the club off the tee isn't about reliability (I'm equally as likely to hit any club off line) but about distance. Choose the distance I want off the tee then choose the club to suit.

The problem with 'playing safe' to protect a score is that you're using a club you wouldn't have used very often before in that situation, and heap the pressure on yourself. Recipe for fail imo.

 

[Dave3498]

You've fallen into the trap of counting the score before playing the hole. I agree, you shouldn't have played safe, but just played the hole as you normally do.

 

[Doc]

Jay, 3i for me is normally 200yds max with a prevailing wind and good temperature.

Wind was hard into from the left so was really playing a 180 yd shot, expecting the wind to bring the ball to right edge of fairway.

Had previously sliced my drive on 17th 50 yds right so did not want to risk driver and ensuing OB.

Imurg,

Hole is always a three shot to the green for me, either drive, 6i & wedge or 4i, 6i, 6i with the latter being the option for days with a L to R wind.

I took the 3i as it was hard into my face, expecting 180 yd shot.

Live and learn lol...

Steve...

 

[bladeplayer]

Feel your pain doc we have all done it , at least the 11 will become a 7 for h,cap puroses so you prob get a cut at least

 

[Jay1]

That's very harsh then mate. I was initialy wondering if your course management was a little off, and although thinking you were playing safe were actually taking a club that bought the water well in play. But by the sounds of things that wasn't the case and you'd already worked out that the water was out of reach.

Sounds like you got a bit of adrenaline going in that t-shot. I suppose take the positives out of it, you hit a career best long iron , (you just didn't want to at the time)

 

[A1ex]

Playing safe actually increases the pressure for most players. You know by laying up or taking the lesser club, you have to hit a decent shot. That then causes tension which can result in woeful results.

Taking a 3 iron off the tee was a poor decision, not playing safe. A nice 5 iron would've got the hole going OK. Then depending on the hole, either another iron or maybe a 3 wood/hybrid.

 

[bobmac]

Aim for the water, you're bound to miss
But even if your in.....drop out, lay up for 3, on for 4, 5 or a 6 at worst.

Anyone want to buy any hindsight?

 

[Heidi]

oh you poor thing!
prob with playing safe is that you really really dont want to play safe so dont commit to the shot
never mind - you might be down to single figures for that hole next week

 

[MarkA]

At least you got yourself in the position in the first place. Next time you'll just stroll on the tee flush your 3 iron and come off with a par!

 

[Doc]

5 iron not an option on this tee shot as there is also a water hazard in front of the tee at 170yds

 

[SGC001]

Bob Rotella wrote of conversative strategy cocky swing, was your swing confident (did you fully commit to the play) or your strategy conservative enough?

It doesn't sound like the play was conservative enough (difficult to tell without knowing the hole, but you didn't take the water out of play).

It's in situations like these that having a goto shot or swing can help, or when been able to take either left / right of the equation can help you when playing safe.

It's your game so it's what is safest or the best option for you when under pressure (you sem to have put some on yourself), understanding what parts of you game will stand up can help you make beter decsions and commit to them.