What is your greatest recovery story?

patricks148

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What is your greatest recovery story on the golf course?

Was it to win a hole in match play or salvage a par in a medal?


Was playing against Kilmarnock Barassie last year, I topped my tee shot off the 539 yard par 5, 8th into deep heather in front of the tee, it barley made it past the ladies tee. Wedged out 3 wood to the corner of the dogleg 5 iron left side of the green. My opponent was just short of the green in 3. he then duffed his chip, but still had a 15 footer for par, while I had a 60+ foot down hill double breaker also for par. The ball never looked anywhere other than in the hole from the moment I hit it. His par put lipped out, he could not believe it and neither could I.

I had a good one last Saturday as well in our Dornoch match.

One up, shanked if off the 11th tee of the 156 yard par 3. The ball ended up in the middle of the 10th fairway 90 yards away from the green. while my opposition was short of the green but still had 20 foot put for birdies

wedged it to 10 feet and sank the put, while my oppo 3 putted.

Its never over till the ball is in the hole;)
 
junior inter-club matchplay.
I was told about 15mins before that I was needed to play. My Dad raced me up to the club (an away match).
I was playing a renowned local player, so that was pressure enough, and I sliced my opening tee shot OOB onto a railway line, as was shaky as hell for about 4 holes.
Eventually I settled down and started to play my best ever golf, including 2 chip in's and a couple of other birdies. But I was still playing catchup. Got to the last hole and it was getting dark, I managed to get on the front edge of the green in regulation and was so far away I could barely see the pin in that light.
I then managed to sink about a 60 footer for birdie and the match, and it turned out the overall match was hanging on that result.
 
Playing in a monthly medal, scoring well, way below my handicap

15th tee 300 yard par 4, though very narrow fairway oob right trees left.
Sliced my drive out of bounds, second tee shot down the middle, holed the wedge for par.
 
This is a great thread, although I don't have too many myself.

Last month, started off with a triple bogey 7 after hitting the first GIR and then 5-putting :eek: Played the next 17 in +2 :)

In terms of a single hole, I was going well in medal last year but had just made a mess of 12 (triple bogey 6), when my approach to our short par 4 13th missed long and right. Felt like I needed to get up and down to get the round back on the rails, but proceeded to fluff the pitch about a foot in front of me, whereupon it settled down into the long grass. Holed the next one for par and managed to get home a couple under h/c and a nice wee cut.
 
1 down with 2 to play in matchplay against an oppo who'd mullered me all the way round but just couldnt finish me off. Power faded my tee shot on the 17th onto a footpath. Then power faded a 7 iron into a bunker 40 yards short and left of the green. My oppo stuck his 2nd to 15ft.

I then hit the most beautiful floating bunker shot that landed pin high about 12 feet right of the hole and released downhill in slow motion. The thing just kept rolling, seemingly against the laws of physics. When it dropped into the hole, I turned to look at him and it was like all the air had been punched from his lungs. He missed the putt and handed me the 18th on a plate with his first tee shot stinker of the day.....

It's why matchplay is the best...... Anyway, I've told this story a few times on here so Im now officially retiring it.....yeah right...
 
4BBB, 2 down with 3 to play against a 2 and 4 h/cappers.

we drove into the trees on 16, opponents down the middle
we get to about 30yds from green, they both have birdie putts
they 3 putt, I hole a 15yd putt for par-1 down:lol:

They both miss the 17th par 3
I just creep on leaving huge putt
they chip to 3 feet
I hole the tramliner putt for a 2- all square:lol:

18th, partner OOB, my drive pull hooked into trees and blocked out
opponents down the middle and one hit the GIR, 1 in bunker
closed the face on a 6 iron off the back foot, and duck hooked it under and round the trees to the front edge
chipped to 4 feet
opponents took 3 more to get in
I holed the 4 footer
result- happiness:whoo:

that was my first outing for a mallet putter:thup:
 
I don't have a great recovery story, but I do have a humiliating collapse story.
Last year my wife & I were playing in a mixed foursomes match.
We were three up with three to play, but ended up losing on the nineteenth hole.
It was my fault - my game just crumbled from 16 onwards.
Unnecessarily going for the green on 17 and dumping it in a pond on the right (after our opponents duffed their tee shot) was my worst infraction. I clearly need to learn more about matchplay strategy.
The wife was not best pleased. Amazingly she has agreed to play with me again in the same competition this year!
 
Fairly short story

Played a new course for the first time & scored 7 points, totally beaten up with loads of three-off-the-tee starts to numerous holes

Few rounds in-between getting to know the place....

Played it on my birthday about 5 months after first game and scored 40 points, no blobs, nearly greetin' on way back to clubhouse!
 
Winter League, Par 4 13th, dogleg left.

I hit my drive too straight (unbelievably) and ended up with a very risky 150yard shot through the trees and over water to the green. My opponent, who is a friend of mine, hit the best shot I've ever seen him play, with a big hook around some trees to the right edge of the very tricky green.

I decided to take my medicine and chip out to 100 yards. Knocked a shot right over the flag to 10 ft.

He putts to about 5 ft. I roll in the 10ft for a par. He misses the 5ft.

Win hole :)
 
Playing in club matchplay last year, just lost the 11th to go 1 down.

12th is a par 3, and I sclaffed my tee shot with a hybrid onto an astroturf path next to the forward tees.

Then hit the same club onto the back of the green and holed about a 40ft putt for par.

Opponent 3 putted from about 8ft after a lovely tee shot :)
 
Maybe not an amazing recovery but a great matchplay moment......

In the final of our club (handicap) matchplay I had a decent lead after 11 holes but lost the 12th. Opponent hits the pin on the par 3 13th and I follow that by pushing my tee shot and missing the green right.

Get to the green and she's got inches to go - one handed tap in at worst so I concede the putt. I'm about two feet off the green looking at about a 20 feet putt with maybe two or three feet of break. I know if I lose this hole the match gets tight and the momentum is all against me. Anyway, needless to say, the putt goes right in the middle of the hole.

Best thing though was the crestfallen look on her face - I could tell she'd already mentally given herself the hole. Momentum was back with me and only one winner from then on!

Similar has happened to me in reverse (more than once!) - ALWAYS assume your opponent will hole the chip or putt!
 
Me & my ex in our club Mixed Foursommes Knockout. the first year we got to the 1/4s, the following year we got to the semis followed a year later by losing in the final. We thought it was our turn when we reached the final again, but losing the 15th with a shot to go 2 down with 3 to play had us resigned to defeat again, especially when my opponent almost drove the green on 16. I put my partner in the rough, but she hit a miracle shot to about 15ft. The opposing lady duffed her chip and then he did the same. 1 down, 2 to play. My partner put it to 25ft on the 170 yd 17th and I sunk the putt for birdie. All square. 2 good drives up 18, both girls hit nicely on to the green. Their guy rolled his putt to gimme range for par leaving me 30ft away on a lower level with a breaking left to righter. Believe me, I was more amazed than anyone when I holed it for a birdie, birdie finish to win the match.
 
Played in a mixed foursomes knockout and we were 4 down at the turn. Opponents were quite happy with their performance over the front nine and were really quite 'chatty' about it on the way up the 10th. It was like a red rag to a bull as far as I was concerned.

We ended up winning the match on the 17th after a a really stunning back nine. Our opponents were less than impressed and we probably triggered a major domestic situation by beating them that day, there were certainly some rather serious glares between the pair as we left them after a drink in the bar afterwards ;)
 
Played a knockout match at a previous club, came off the 12th green 5 down with 6 to play. Had 4 birdies in the last 6 holes including driving the par 4 last to take it to extra holes and then birdied the 20th. Never seen a guy take so long to get from the 2nd green to the clubhouse of a golf course, he was utterly broken
 
Playing a Calcutta matchplay singles. The opponent starts x many holes up based on half the handicap difference but the match is then played off level. I'm stood on the 1st tee 7 down and its a following wind on the front 9 - it was always going to be tough. Reached the turn still 7 down but then turned into the wind... and won 2 up.
 
Scratch team match against Royal Winchester, playing foursomes. 7 down at the turn (obviously my partners fault :whistle: ) but we bounced back to win the match on the 18th.

Even better that we won the match overall :whoo:
 
Favourite was the junior knockout final (1st and only year it was played!) I was about 13 at the time playing off 36 and getting 19 shots off my opponent (back when all matched were 3/4 difference) - anyway was 5 down though 9 by the time we got to the 18th tee it was all square cue opponent slicing 3 drives OOB and me only hitting it 150yards with a good driver but always straight down the middle and it was game over!

Got major plaudits from a lot of the full members for beating him as he was a renowned obnoxious git!
 
Not too sure if it counts as it was a bounce game but it was played in the snow...

I was playing our 18th. I pulled my drive which meant that I had overhanging branches blocking my second and the lake had now come into play. Normally this means that my shot ends up in the lake...

I hit a hooded six iron that clipped the branches and I feared the worst...

As I walked up to the green my ball was 10 foot from the flag!

My birdie putt lipped out! :swing:
 
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