What Are Your Trouble Spots?

[Patch]

"Trouble Spots". Those places we don't want to be in. Places we don't want to hit from while trying to reach our intended targets.targets. Mine are probably the same as everyone else's for the most part..

However, the two that cause me the most grief, are being too short, or too long on fairway doglegs. Both have me trying to figure out how to save the probable extra stroke, my poor, ball position has caused me. 

Do I try to cut, and fly over the dogleg?. Try and hit through the vegetation? Or, do I just take my medicine, and just punch the ball out to where I have a clear path to the green, while hoping for a one putt green. 

Too much roll after the carry, or my ball impact was a little bit on the fat side. Both can rob me of a clear path to the green. 

Fortunately, these two issues don't happen to me very often. 

 

[klineka]

A trouble spot for me is one where I have no other choice but to draw/hook the ball.

My stock shot shape is a slight fade, and I am decently proficient at adding more cut/slice if need be, but I have no ability to intentionally move the ball right to left 

[ShawnSum]

For me it's probably the approach shot that doesn't make it to the green that leaves me either right or left off the green, in a lie that I'm not comfortable with, and at the absolute worst...very little green to work with..and a bunker or something else in the way making the ideal place to land the ball really difficult for a casual individual to pull off.

For me this tends to either be a duffed/chunked swoof right under the ball or a bladed bullet, both suck. I think I have a hard time deciding if I want to pick the ball or strike down on it during these shots and pick the wrong choice or think about it too much sometimes and just make a poor swing all together. For me pulling these recovery/scrambling type shots off feels really good!

[Cantankerish]

1 hour ago, ShawnSum said:

For me it's probably the approach shot that doesn't make it to the green that leaves me either right or left off the green, in a lie that I'm not comfortable with, and at the absolute worst...very little green to work with..and a bunker or something else in the way making the ideal place to land the ball really difficult for a casual individual to pull off.

For me this tends to either be a duffed/chunked swoof right under the ball or a bladed bullet, both suck. I think I have a hard time deciding if I want to pick the ball or strike down on it during these shots and pick the wrong choice or think about it too much sometimes and just make a poor swing all together. For me pulling these recovery/scrambling type shots off feels really good!

If I am understanding your issue, there may be a simple solution for you:

If there is a particular reason you need a high loft club, use it to get over the bunker or something.  But if there are no obstacles, I suggest you go with the lowest loft club that will first hit the ground beyond the fringe.  If you are unsure, you may need to investigate.  For me, the standard is pitching wedge.  It chips about half in the air and half roll.  If you have a lot of green between ball and the flag, maybe go to 7-iron because there is room for the roll.  It is an easier shot (no swoof) and  a bladed strike is less dissimilar to the intended trajectory.

[bkuehn1952]

As I have aged, my ability to hit a ball high AND reach the green is a trouble spot.  At this point, anything more than 150-160 yards is a struggle when I can't play a bit of a run up shot.  When I have a 170+ yards with bunkers across the front of the green (or a penalty area), my shot typically will be lower and "hotter" than necessary to hold the green.  If the hole is in the back, it is not such a big deal.  When we have a front hole location and lots of slope, it tests my chipping/putting.

[NJpatbee]

I struggle with an uphill lie, especially in the rough.  

[Piz]

Same as most, I suspect.  It's landing the ball in the worst possible position relative to the pin.  

[BC-to-MI]

On 7/29/2019 at 11:54 AM, klineka said:

A trouble spot for me is one where I have no other choice but to draw/hook the ball.

My stock shot shape is a slight fade, and I am decently proficient at adding more cut/slice if need be, but I have no ability to intentionally move the ball right to left 

Can definitely relate here. As my comfort with my swing has improved, I've gotten better at making my fade more pronounced if needed to, but I am hopeless if a shot requires right-to-left flight other than a total hook.

The other one that really gets me is side lies. I don't mind up/down hill lies too much as long as the ball is relatively level with my feet, but I have terrible time with the ball well above or below my feet and tend to double cross it a ton.

[p1n9183]

Greenside rough/fairway with /softwet ground, almost mud, and not much green to work with over a bunker. That spot put double into play. 

One time just in a practice round i faced that shot like it was in the sand, i hit a really nice flop shot for a gimmie par. Do i have the guts to do it in tournament play? don´t know..   

[mcanadiens]

It would probably be easier to list what a good spot is.

The bad spots:

- Basically any par 4 or 5 hole with a narrow fairway is a problem.

- Any dog-leg left demanding length of more than 200 yards won't happen.

- Bunker shots out of my home course's dodgy sand (dirt) traps. Tends to be a lot better when I'm somewhere that actually puts sand in the traps.

- Anything asking for 170-190 yards is a chasm. Theoretically my 3- and 4-iron can get those distances, but only when I actually hit the ball solidly.

- Anything off an uneven lie. If my feet are much above the ball, forget about it.

- Any place where the green speeds are conventionally fast. 

I'm sure I'm forgetting about half a dozen other things, but these are top of mind.

Edited July 30, 2019 by mcanadiens

[shooter]

Trouble spots, yes got those.

I develop a second a chin after a weekend of drinking and eating pub food. Must be the salty diet plus beer making me look bloated.

Such a pain, that requires a 5 mile run to swear off the water...

Ohhh, on the golf course. There is no trouble spots. Unless a bad swing causes me trouble. 

Dog-leg, short  or long. Water or whatever. Bunkers,  Dont bother me.

Just dont get me started on slow play.

Golf needs to played with CONDIFENCE and if your stepping toward a shot that you perceive to be a potential "trouble spot".

Its game over. 

Ask rory about the 10th tee at Augusta. What year was that again....

Folded like a cheap lawn chair.

 

 

 

[DennisMiller]

My height, (I'm 6'7"), and I sweat...

The latter is the bigger problem. Here in the heat and humidity of Miami nearly all year long, there are times when the massive heat index makes me feel like I'm trying to walk through hot Jello. It begins to prey on my mind and I can't concentrate.

Tat affects nearly every part of my game.

[DrvFrShow]

Bunkers

Side lies with the ball below my feet.

Heat + slow play

[Bonvivant]

On 7/29/2019 at 11:34 AM, Patch said:

"Trouble Spots". Those places we don't want to be in. Places we don't want to hit from while trying to reach our intended targets.targets. Mine are probably the same as everyone else's for the most part..

However, the two that cause me the most grief, are being too short, or too long on fairway doglegs. Both have me trying to figure out how to save the probable extra stroke, my poor, ball position has caused me. 

Do I try to cut, and fly over the dogleg?. Try and hit through the vegetation? Or, do I just take my medicine, and just punch the ball out to where I have a clear path to the green, while hoping for a one putt green. 

Too much roll after the carry, or my ball impact was a little bit on the fat side. Both can rob me of a clear path to the green. 

Fortunately, these two issues don't happen to me very often. 

 

I'm confused. Do you not play to the fat spot at the turn of the dogleg? Sounds like you are either unsure of your distance to it, or you are shooting to cut part of it off. If you were to take medicine, I would say that playing dead straight off the tee box to the right distance would be the medicine to take.

Easy for me to say, because my "trouble spots" are anything that involves hitting longer than 170-180 carry. Also anything between 30 and 80 yards is a problem. If I think I can't get to the front of the green, I'll take 2 wedges in from 210+. Chipping is fine, pitching needs work here. 

[phillyk]

8ft birdie putts that are flat/straight but feel they should break a little bit. I hate it. At least they are in my head right now. A more realistic trouble spot is a severe uphill fairway/tight lie where you have to pitch it 50yds. They usually occur from those little mounds near greens. I can’t get myself to make clean contact. 

[Patch]

1 hour ago, Bonvivant said:

I'm confused. Do you not play to the fat spot at the turn of the dogleg? Sounds like you are either unsure of your distance to it, or you are shooting to cut part of it off. If you were to take medicine, I would say that playing dead straight off the tee box to the right distance would be the medicine to take.

Easy for me to say, because my "trouble spots" are anything that involves hitting longer than 170-180 carry. Also anything between 30 and 80 yards is a problem. If I think I can't get to the front of the green, I'll take 2 wedges in from 210+. Chipping is fine, pitching needs work here. 

Oh, I aim properly, and I usually know my distance to my target area.

However,  like I said in my original post. Sometimes I mis hit the ball, or maybe the fairways are offering up more, or less roll after the carry than I anticipated. Also, these short/long issues don't happen very often, which is a good thing. ..

[freshmanUTA]

I absolutely despise hitting my wedges out of digits. My distance control is messy with my wedges as it is, but put me in a divot and it’s over.

Another trouble spot is really short bunker shots.. I always flub them and land on the lip or hit them way too far.

Putts in the 12-20 foot range, i always tend to roll 5 or more feet past and put pressure on myself to make a return putt. 

Driving holes where you can’t miss to either side, a decent percent of the time I end up trying to take a shorter club to keep the ball in play then just hitting a terrible shot out of play either direction anyway.

The 80-100 yard range with my wedges sucks.

[DennisMiller]

Secondary to what I wrote above, there are two other things that come to mind.

Where I play most, the course wsa built on the cheap. It has 4 different types of grasses on the various greens and sometimes a mix. Most greens don't break as much as they look like they will, but I find it so hard to make myself hit a putt for less break. I know it sounds silly, but I just have days when I can't do it.

The other thing is my memory, maybe part of that being my ego. I was a very good player in my youth. Golf paid for my college and I was an assistant pro at a club after college. (Until I realized I had stars in my eyes)

I'm now 70 and I simply can't make my body do what I once could do with a golf ball. Hitting shots from behind trees or out of other impossible lies is simply not something I can do anymore. I can no longer think like I'm Arnie or Seve. Unfortunately, sometimes I forget and I still try the impossible. More unfortunately is, sometimes I get away with it and reinforce my own idiocy.