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Most Stressful Shot for You


bkuehn1952
Note: This thread is 2950 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

What is the one shot that you encounter that creates the most stress?  

63 members have voted

  1. 1. What is the one shot that you encounter that creates the most stress?

    • First shot, first tee
      12
    • First shot when playing with 3 people you do not know
      4
    • Any shot over water
      6
    • A shot with significant carry over a cross hazard
      4
    • Any sand shot
      1
    • Very difficult sand shot
      1
    • Tee shot when playing through a group
      8
    • Any shot where there are a lot of people hanging around and/or watching
      3
    • First shot at a tournament
      7
    • Shot coming down the stretch where a personal best, win, significant score is involved
      3
    • First shot with someone significant (boss, in-law, girl/boy friend, etc...)
      1
    • Something else (please describe)
      19


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Darn near any of the above can cause me problems.

My answer was any shot over water because I've had more problems for less good reason when water is in the picture. The shot over water could be as simple as a pitch shot over a hazard with a great lie and I'll still chop some of them into the H20. 

 

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For me, the most difficult shot is the tee shot on any hole after I've put together a string of good holes.  For me, a string of good holes is 3 or more at par or better.  Once I start realizing that I'm playing 'well'... I put more pressure on myself to keep it going.  This almost always results in a horrible tee shot (more often than not into a hazard or out of bounds) and a complete breakdown in my game for a few holes.  

The next most difficult shot for me is any shot to a green where there is a hazard immediately to either side of it.  I threw away 4 strokes in a 3 round tournament last year on a hole.  On day 2, I hit a perfect layup and left myself about 80 yards to the hole.  There was a hazard immediately to the left of the green... and I tugged it in there.  My 'sure thing' par turned into a double that day.  On day 3, I was in almost the EXACT same position.  The pin was closer to the hazard, and I purposely aimed away from it but still tugged it into the hazard and turned in a triple that day.  

Basically... if there is a hazard within 5 yards of a green... I'm more likely than not to find it.

CY

Career Bests
- 18 Holes - 72 (+1) - Par 71 - Pine Island Country Club - 6/25/2022
- 9 Holes - 36 (E) - Par 36 - Pine Island Country Club - 6/25/2022

 

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20 hours ago, Fairway_CY said:

For me, the most difficult shot is the tee shot on any hole after I've put together a string of good holes.  For me, a string of good holes is 3 or more at par or better.  Once I start realizing that I'm playing 'well'... I put more pressure on myself to keep it going.  This almost always results in a horrible tee shot (more often than not into a hazard or out of bounds) and a complete breakdown in my game for a few holes.  



CY

That's a good one.   I'm the same way.   If I start out with a good set of holes, I start thinking this might be the day, and that does bring some extra pressure.  

The last round I played, I was 1 over par through the the first 5 holes.  I started thinking, I've turned the corner, this is going to be a record low round for me, and inevitably I yanked a tee shot into the left woods. and wound up shooting the same old 86 I always shoot.  

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For me, playing through.

I don't mind playing with strangers, initial tee shots, etc. No big nerves (not that I play in any competitions or anything).  But when it's appropriate to play through a group, the rhythm of everything gets thrown off. Our group seems to speed up in how we cycle through each player off the tee, we hustle off to the ball faster, we might let them hit their tee shot as we find our balls, and then we hit our next shots more quickly.... somehow just knowing that the hole will be a bit rushed and a tad awkward gets to me. I need to just put it out of my mind and tell myself I play PLENTY fast enough already. The problem is with the slow group I'm passing, not with me, so we should just play normally and be good.

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I almost voted for the first shot of a tourney but the most stressful shot for me is the first putt of a tourney. The last 2 years during my clubs championship I was fine off the first tee but that forst putt had my hands shaking each year. I remember on hole one last year I was a wreck over a downhill one and a half footer. Luckily I made it but the nerves stayed with me on the greens for 3 or 4 holes.

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I voted for the first shot with strangers.  I don't mind playing with strangers, but that 1st shot is like making a 1st impression.  The last thing I want to do is top it 30 yards in front of the tee box, especially after they all knock their shots 250 yds and very playable!

DJ

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I've played enough rounds in various situations, so I do not have any "stressful shots".  That does not mean I don't get butterflies during tournaments or the first tee shot.  It's just that I actually enjoy the adrenaline rush.

Don

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This is a great topic.  I haven't had time to read through them all, but I will.

I picked the shot coming down the stretch, but I could also chose an other.  I find it stressful, when playing in a scramble as the A player (last to hit) and the previous 3 guys all dumped their shots out of play.  Man that sucks.  You grind for every stroke you can gain against par and then have to hit a "safe" shot to avoid major disaster.  Part stressful, part just plain sucks!

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As stated above, the first shot that you have to play with the group you have overtaken and they have waved you through.  You wish to do well to convince them that the letting through is deserved and required. You tend to speed up to get out of their way and disaster follows.  You imagine they are saying nasty things and wondering why they ever decided to wave you through. Other than that, it is a huge relief to get by them and get into place between them and the new foursome ahead of you.

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Mine is the first round of a singles tournament where it's just me. This past year I played 2 tournaments that had 2 rounds each. Three of those four rounds I thinned my first tee shot that only went about 150 yards. I ended up with par on that hole 3 times and birdied it once which came after one of those thin shots. I have come a long way with pressure as I ended up winning one of the tournaments which helped with the confidence. I know it will just take more tournaments to just get used to the pressure again and how I respond, once I do it won't be an issue!

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I put "first shot at a tournament".  But if some poor soul has already dribbled one off the tee before I get my chance, then that stress is pretty much gone.

Randal

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For me it is a drive off the tee with a very narrow fairway with a hazard or woods on either side. My driver is still a bit wild. If it's a long hole, I will be forced to use driver as my 3 wood isn't any more accurate.

Scott

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22 hours ago, RandallT said:

For me, playing through.

I don't mind playing with strangers, initial tee shots, etc. No big nerves (not that I play in any competitions or anything).  But when it's appropriate to play through a group, the rhythm of everything gets thrown off. Our group seems to speed up in how we cycle through each player off the tee, we hustle off to the ball faster, we might let them hit their tee shot as we find our balls, and then we hit our next shots more quickly.... somehow just knowing that the hole will be a bit rushed and a tad awkward gets to me. I need to just put it out of my mind and tell myself I play PLENTY fast enough already. The problem is with the slow group I'm passing, not with me, so we should just play normally and be good.

That situation gets me a lot too! I can be playing great and then when i go thru ill start hitting it all over the place. But it sure beats getting slow played.

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I have to say a straight steep downhill putt of about 8 to 10 feet on a fast poa green. I will read that thing from about a dozen different angles to make sure there is no break, to see where the grain changes, to see where the spike marks are, to see where my miss will be. And tap the ball and watch it barely miss the cup and lazily roll slow enough to where you can read the brand name of the ball another 8 feet before it comes to rest against a spike mark. 

Or an uphill putt on a green that is fast enough to where if you don't get it in the hole or past the hole, the ball will roll back down the hill past the point from where you putted. This is usually when you're on the lower level of double tiered green and the hole is on the upper tier near the lip.

Julia

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Something Else.

For me it's not just a shot over water, but a long carry over water off the tee.  Cape holes make me very nervous because they tempt one to try and carry farther than is sensible.  That or I aim safely, but then my subconscious pushes or pulls the shot out of the safe zone.

Add to that a hole with water down the right side and a fairway with even a slight slope to the edge of the water so that when my fade lands in the center, it just keeps working down toward the hazard.  

Rick

"He who has the fastest cart will never have a bad lie."

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I'll go a different route, for me, the most pressure shot is when expectations are high, but I have difficulty getting the job done.  i.e. shots from 170-210 are relatively low expectation shots anyways, ditto, shots from the trees etc.  No, my pressure shot is middle of the fairway, 50-80 yards away.  Usually after a great drive and you think, gotta knock this stiff!  and I end up sculling a LW or chuncking a PW.  I'm starting to acid reflux just talking about it.

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