Most Stressful Shot for You

[bkuehn1952]

Some may never experience any stress on the golf course but most of us probably deal with certain situations that create some stress or anxiety.  Of course, few of us face paralyzing fear over a shot.  Still circumstances at times are such that our heart rate kicks up a notch. For me, it probably is a tie between making a long carry over a cross hazard and the tee shot when playing through.

I am not the greatest or most consistent ball striker for my index range (7-10).  A lot of my scoring is just grinding and playing smart.  So when faced with a long carry, my tendency is to look for a safer route or choice.  Sometimes, however, there are no good alternatives and I have to go for it.  Playing through gets under my skin a bit because one does not want to hit a terrible shot at the moment you are allowed to pass a slower group.

What about the rest of you?

[Club Rat]

I've never had a lot of stressful moments playing in Competition over the years. Maybe a few anxious times, but never any jitters or such.

As @iacas once stated "one must learn to enjoy the pressure"

An area which I'm been recently struggling, has been making a darn easy putt to tie or win a hole in matches.

[dennyjones]

I believe for me, it is playing through a group.   I've found that I tend to rush to get out of their way.  

[9wood]

The shot that is most stressful for me mainly because it's the most difficult one for me to execute is when I have 175 -200 yards left to go to the green. My percentage of properly executing that shot is not that high.

[DrvFrShow]

A 200 yd shot to the green is very difficult because it involves a 5W, a club I use maybe once a round given the proper lie. That length of approach shot usually means something went wrong previously and I'm playing catch up.

[mvmac]

I voted for first tee shot. Logically I know it doesn't make much sense, it's just one shot among many that day but it is the one shot where I noticeably feel a little nervous. It's also different than the "stress" of having to hit a solid shot to finish off a good round/win a match. To me that's enjoyable pressure.

[Patch]

I put no pressure on myself when I play. I just have fun, and the shots I hit either worked or they didn't. Even a poor shot in a terrible spot has it's own rewards while trying to get the ball to a better scoring position. 

Even when I play with players much better than myself, I stay with in my own game. If anything I might pay more attention to the better player's game while hoping to learn something. 

However, for sake of the topic question, I would go with long carries over water hazards. If I miss, I have lost a ball, and gained a penalty stroke. A double whammy if you will.

[Golfingdad]

2 minutes ago, mvmac said:

I voted for first tee shot. Logically I know it doesn't make much sense, it's just one shot among many that day but it is the one shot where I noticeably feel a little nervous. It's also different than the "stress" of having to hit a solid shot to finish off a good round/win a match. To me that's enjoyable pressure.

Similarly, I voted first shot at a tournament.  You'd think that as we get better we wouldn't really let that one shot get to us, but somehow it still does,

Although I've noticed lately that the nerves are way worse several minutes before I actually hit the shot.  Once I'm on the tee and have a club and ball in my hand, I'm then able to look at the other guys in my group, or I may have also been able to watch the group ahead, and realize "hey, they're just humans like me."  It might also help if somebody else hits a mediocre shot too.  Reminds me that I'm not out of my league, which in turn, calms the nerves.

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A close second vote for me would be "something else, please describe."  And I would say any shot that I have to hit right after I screwed up the same shot.  So, for example, a tee shot on a hole with OB left immediately after I hooked my previous tee shot way left.  Or a pitch over a bunker immediately after dumping the last one in a bunker.  Those will produce a little extra anxiety.

[mchepp]

I would say on the average it is @mvmac's earlier comment about the first hole tee shot. For me it is not only the nerves, but also it is the first hole to get into the groove of the round. I have found that when I play the first hole at the my home club and my previous home club as for example the 14th hole, I often destroy it. I have birdied both those holes so many times when playing them in shotgun, where they aren't the first hole I play, but as my first hole I often struggle with them. Mostly likely mental, but it is not something I have found a way around.

A close second for toughest shot is on a hole late in the back nine where I have been struggling with a tee shot and I have a really good round going. At my current club it is the 18th hole. I have struggled in the past and the memories on that hole are not good, if I have a good round going that hole brings on some extra anxiety. 

[DrvFrShow]

@mvmac I agree, the first tee shot has always been my nemesis, and I've always had this horrible tendency to block the shot way right with my driver, followed by a nearly disastrous provisional. The first one usually results in a lost ball, and the second one from trying to kill the ball. Nothing like starting out with a S&D penalty and a lousy provisional. I didn't mention it because I decided the best route was to sacrifice the 30 yds, hit a solid 4 iron from the first tee and at least put the ball in the fairway where I could find it. I'll hit 6 iron instead of 8 iron for my second shot. Big deal. Lowest Score Wins, right? We have to not only take into account distance but penalty strokes.

By the second hole, the jitters are worn off and I can hit the driver.

[Vinchenzo561]

The opening shot always gets me worked up a bit.  No matter who I am playing with there is something about standing on the first tee hoping to just hit a decent shot to start the round. 

[Marty2019]

The most stressful shot for me is a 4 foot putt for bogey.   Because at that point, I'm steamed about screwing up the hole to the point where I'm trying to save a bogey with a 4 foot putt. 

[DaveP043]

I chose other.  The most stressful is the second swing on the tee of  a long par-3, after I've shanked my 4 or 5 iron OB and have to swing it again right away.  

[DrvFrShow]

@DaveP043 Call it a provisional, because you don't know for certain it's out of bounds until you confirm it. This way if you blast that one OB, you can hit another provisional. 

[nevets88]

19 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

I chose other.  The most stressful is the second swing on the tee of  a long par-3, after I've shanked my 4 or 5 iron OB and have to swing it again right away.  

Add to that if shank territory is the tee area of the next or another hole. Is there such a thing as a pre-emptive potential shank fore? Because those might come in very useful for some.

[freshmanUTA]

To me it's anything over water. I always get anxious on my first shot so I usually hit an iron so I know I'm safe, bring the big stick out on the next hole. Water sucks because I can't really play over water it's just always in my mind and causes bad shots.

 

mix first tee and water = FML.

[Wally Fairway]

34 minutes ago, Marty2019 said:

The most stressful shot for me is a 4 foot putt for bogey.   Because at that point, I'm steamed about screwing up the hole to the point where I'm trying to save a bogey with a 4 foot putt. 

Mine is the shot that likely sets up that 4 foot bogey putt - likely I've missed the green and I feel the pressure to hit it close to save my par. I've battled the chipchunks off and on (directly related to how much I play/practice). But that pitch or chip to set up a par save is my pressure point.

[SavvySwede]

You all have it wrong. It's the long blast out of trees, the only shot where there is a chance you could die.