Decisions
Decisions make the round what it is. Like the cell to the body, all of the decisions combined make up the golf score. One error in judgement can cause catastrophe. So, the illustration represents that today. Now, subliminally all of you golf addicts when you saw the layout, your eyes zoomed in laser focus to the red line, and then checked the yardage of the red line, and then thought about the cushion in front of the red line and whether or not you could carry the distance. This is exactly what a golf course designer wants you to think. High risk, high reward, right?
Here is the factor you don’t think about. How good are you really? Sure, everyone wants that hero shot, but if you’ve sliced more golf balls than bread loaves, the red is not even a question for a right-handed golfer. Be realistic, that is a tough shot to execute. Failure to execute this shot will result in a deep rough second shot, perhaps trees in the way. It’s not worth the trouble if you fail.
So, then we look at the yellow. For most golfers who can break 90, this shot is doable, but it does have its trouble. That fairway bunker becomes a mental “Don’t go there,” to which the brain focuses in on that exact location and chances are, you are going to swing right to it. You didn’t think the course designer put that there by accident? It was exactly for target fixation. It is by design. Roughly 170 yards remain if you end up in that bunker, and it looks elevated to the pin, so no long iron is going to clear that lip. You’ll settle for bogey at best unless you hole out.
That leaves us with the green, certainly what no person with an ego would even accept, yet it is the shot that is the safest. The kicker here is that if you can make it there with a fairway wood or hybrid with accuracy, to attack the green you’ll have the exact same shot, minus the tee. Additionally, by the looks of the green, you have plenty of room to work with if you carry the front and the ball rolls to the back half of the green. Even if it stops midway, that’s a green in regulation, two putt for par and move on to the next hole. Even if you mishit, you have taken the fairway bunker out of play by your club selection.
Your golf score increases based off of 1) Decisions 2) Lack of Centeredness of Contact on the Clubface 3) The Wrong Club Face Angle & Club Path for the Desired Ball Flight
Strokes Gained for Tour Players IS based on distance remaining to the hole for the approach shot. Those players can also determine where their ball is going to go 99% of the time, hence why they are on Tour. You must play to your misses to improve. Golf heroes take less bogeys than they do more birdies. If you truly want to simplify golf: From the tee hit to the fairway, from the fairway get on the green, once on the green two putt on a par four. There’s 14 pars and a score of 56 with 4 holes to go-typically two par 3’s and two par 5’s. Triple bogey the par 3’s and bogey the par 5’s and you’ll end up with an 80.
-David