Shinkwin, playing safe, ditching the woods

[njrose51]

Watching the Scottish yesterday, I was a bit puzzled as to why Shinkwin went for the green in two where as laying up for 2, chipping/pitch on for 3 and going for par would have won it. (think Faldo in the Open) Instead of the bogey leading to play off and ultimate loss. But hey ho, that's his choice and he'll learn from it I'm sure and its not for me to judge.

But it did get me thinking as to playing safe and playing to my strengths.

I have two matches to go in my Monthly League. Top 11 qualify for the grand final and I sit 7th. With my handicap and the way I play, if I can keep it on the fairway, then I have a good chance of a bogey or even par. So I have decided I will not be using the woods for the final two games - tee or fairway - as I am just not that confident that I will hit the fairway, have the risk of 3 off the tee or blobbing.

Bizarrely though it feels like a defeatist attitude! Part of me thinks I go for it like Shinkwin but part of me says play to my strengths and try to get a score that cements my position - ie safe like Faldo?

What would you do?

 

[duncan mackie]

I would spend more time practicing and post less (about this league)...

 

[guest100718]

id pull out my m2 and gun it down the middle .

 

[IanM]

Funny... the trip to Forest Pines got my 3 wood back in my hands as the sensible club... miles more reliable than my driver. Saturday in the comp I only hit driver 3 times... 10 shots better than pervious week... no brainer.... but sometimes I don't use my brain.

Skinkwin was driving so well, I am sure his stock was the "belt it down the left and let it happen," I suspect he also thought that with the second, he could reach easily so anything left of the pin (ie away from the burn) was a chip and two putts and "gimme the cup!" Sods law it finished in a tricky spot and he made a mess of it. (the caddy was clearly saying, go over there, anywhere on the green is good!)

That must hurt this morning..... but at least he is heading to Southport

 

[pool888]

Felt sorry for him as he'd played so well all day. Just nerves, adrenalin and the situation got to him at the last as it has done to many others over the years. Hit a great drive and I thought he might lay up but he went for it and was a bit unlucky, but he did take the hazards into play by going for the green whereas laying up should of left a straight forward pitch and two putts. Put him back in the same spot on the fairway today and he would get down in 4 all day long. Luck did play a big part on the last hole, looked certain Raffa was going to be in the hazard and Shinkwin was going to have a bigger cushion but Raffa got a nice break and made biride to put the pressure on.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Van der Velde made the same point over his meltdown. He had driven it well all day, why change your club just because it was the last hole? We will never know the answer to either situation if the had "played safe" but it depends how confident you are in your game. If you are in control with driver then use it. If it can be mischievous then leave the big dog out and follow Faldo. Faldo walked off with the trophy remember :cheers:

 

[Dasit]

No guarantee he makes a par from laying up either


He was unlucky he got a terrible lie, he still would get the ball in the hole in 3 shots from there 9 times out of 10, the pressure maybe got to him or it was the 1 in 10, who knows.

 

[TheDiablo]

He hit an iron for his 2nd into the 18th? Not many pros will ever lay up when they can reach the green with an iron.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

He hit an iron for his 2nd into the 18th? Not many pros will ever lay up when they can reach the green with an iron.

This is very true. I remember hearing a story once about someone who had temporarily caddied for Monty. He had a second shot to a green that was on the edge of his limit, a hazard was in front, could be water don't remember. Monty asked for yardage and the caddy said to the green or to lay up? Monty gave him the death stare and told him never to ask that question again. Always the green for these boys. We are not pro's though.

 

[Garush34]

Watching the Scottish yesterday, I was a bit puzzled as to why Shinkwin went for the green in two where as laying up for 2, chipping/pitch on for 3 and going for par would have won it. (think Faldo in the Open) Instead of the bogey leading to play off and ultimate loss. But hey ho, that's his choice and he'll learn from it I'm sure and its not for me to judge.

But it did get me thinking as to playing safe and playing to my strengths.

I have two matches to go in my Monthly League. Top 11 qualify for the grand final and I sit 7th. With my handicap and the way I play, if I can keep it on the fairway, then I have a good chance of a bogey or even par. So I have decided I will not be using the woods for the final two games - tee or fairway - as I am just not that confident that I will hit the fairway, have the risk of 3 off the tee or blobbing.

Bizarrely though it feels like a defeatist attitude! Part of me thinks I go for it like Shinkwin but part of me says play to my strengths and try to get a score that cements my position - ie safe like Faldo?

What would you do?

You should look at the course you are playing and see where driver and woods are the sensible play off the tee. Does say playing a hybrid off the tee, keep you away from all trouble but means you have a 6 iron in instead of a 9 iron if you hit the fairway? Or is driver an OK play but you just can't hit it well enough to hit the fairway?

I think it is more a case of re-evaluating the plays off the tee instead of always pulling driver. Play smart but not too safe, what happens if you only hit irons off the tee but you still miss the fairway, your still in trouble but just even further back, and hitting a 5 iron out of rough is harder than hitting a wedge or 9 iron.

I also agree with duncan, if you are that worried about qualifying for the final, get out a practice more. Playing the game freely will be better than trying to force a score.

 

[Hosel Fade]

I would have been extremely tempted by iron, iron, little wedge when the difference between 1st and 2nd is near enough 400k dollars.

First bunker on the right is 240 off that tee. Even after ripping the driver the layup can be hit so close to the green you can leave 70 without ever bothering the ditch.

Obviously very very unlucky to put two good swings on it and end up on the downslope behind the bunker twice

 

[Green Bay Hacker]

I took him at 6/1 before the final round and wish i'd cashed out before he took his second shot on 18 instead of after he'd taken his second shot on the play off hole.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Damned if you do.... It was a tough chip downhill and no surprise to see him duff it. However had he left 60-100 yards he could have duffed that or missed left or right. Personally I'd like to have seen him pitch right of the bunker and ensure he hit the green and trust the putter.

 

[HankMarvin]

if I was you and had all them shots I would go for it coz needing 19 shots I would expect the game would be long over by the time I struggled to the 18th hole.

 

[Ndw7]

Watching the Scottish yesterday, I was a bit puzzled as to why Shinkwin went for the green in two where as laying up for 2, chipping/pitch on for 3 and going for par would have won it. (think Faldo in the Open) Instead of the bogey leading to play off and ultimate loss. But hey ho, that's his choice and he'll learn from it I'm sure and its not for me to judge.

But it did get me thinking as to playing safe and playing to my strengths.

I have two matches to go in my Monthly League. Top 11 qualify for the grand final and I sit 7th. With my handicap and the way I play, if I can keep it on the fairway, then I have a good chance of a bogey or even par. So I have decided I will not be using the woods for the final two games - tee or fairway - as I am just not that confident that I will hit the fairway, have the risk of 3 off the tee or blobbing.

Bizarrely though it feels like a defeatist attitude! Part of me thinks I go for it like Shinkwin but part of me says play to my strengths and try to get a score that cements my position - ie safe like Faldo?

What would you do?

I thought exactly the same. I know he's a pro and has the 'I won't lay up if I can make it in two' mentality. But He clearly made the wrong choice in my opinion. Pros don't lay up in regulation play because they're hunting for birdies, and reaching par 5s in two are probably their best chance of making them. At the end of the day, the aim wasn't to birdie the hole, he needed to par it. Going for the green brings the ditch down the right into play, as well as the possibility of leaving a tricky chip from a Miss to the left. How close can these guys put it from 100 yards? Within 10 foot? Sounds like a no brainier to me. Obviously we'll never know. But I'd guess if he'd gone 8 iron, wedge. He'd have walked off with his first European tour win and £900,000.

 

[chrisd]

I followed him for a couple of holes at Walton Heath just over a year ago in US Open qualifying. I had never heard of him and he absolutely nutted the ball but on those couple of holes it was into the trees each time, that is obviously his game mindset - go for everything!

He did play well though in the Scottish

 

[MendieGK]

The mistake wasn't in his choice of second shot. It was a good miss! The mistake was in his 3rd, he was clearly in two minds about going for the pin, or chipping to thirty foot. He chose something in between.

also his two putts on the 18th green. Absolute cardinal errors

 

[Ndw7]

The mistake wasn't in his choice of second shot. It was a good miss! The mistake was in his 3rd, he was clearly in two minds about going for the pin, or chipping to thirty foot. He chose something in between.

also his two putts on the 18th green. Absolute cardinal errors

Yeah I guess so. Once he'd put himself in that position. The clear choice was to chip out right, and hopefully two putt. That last hole will play on his mind for a while I think

 

[UlyssesSky]

You should look at the course you are playing and see where driver and woods are the sensible play off the tee. Does say playing a hybrid off the tee, keep you away from all trouble but means you have a 6 iron in instead of a 9 iron if you hit the fairway? Or is driver an OK play but you just can't hit it well enough to hit the fairway?

I think it is more a case of re-evaluating the plays off the tee instead of always pulling driver. Play smart but not too safe, what happens if you only hit irons off the tee but you still miss the fairway, your still in trouble but just even further back, and hitting a 5 iron out of rough is harder than hitting a wedge or 9 iron.

I agree with this. Unless your handicap is the result of the mixture of the iron play & short game of a single handicapper combined with the driving of someone who can't break 100, the "safe route" may not be so safe...

You WILL duff/miss/whatever and suddenly find yourself fighting to save bogey. If there are tight holes with hazards/oob, where three off the tee is a realistic danger, hit an iron off the tee, but it doesn't make sense to leave the woods in the bag completely.

 

[OnTour]

He chipped from pretty much same spot in the play off, so why did the caddie get involved the first time? He wanted to play the same shot.

He got unlucky both times not sliding down the slope into the bunker, I guess fate. He looks solid no reason why he can't win or contend again soon.

Early open leader Thursday before he burns out 🏌