You worst hole of the round, and...

[Fat Slice]

...how you would have played it differently (if at all).

I will start it off.

Yesterday, 491 yard par 5. I hit a good driver and a great 3 hybrid and I am sitting 12 yards off the green. I am downhill from the hole and the grass is tight and low to the green. I opt for an 8 iron to get it up just a little and end up blasting it and am now 15 feet above the hole. I misjudge the slope and mishit too and end up leaving a 5 footer, still downhill, which I slide by the hole. I tap in for a bogey. Pathetic.

What I would have done differently is used my putter instead of the 8-iron (a shot I rarely practice or use). I think the worst I would have done is 3-putted for a par, and I would have likely birdied the hole with a good lag and decent putt.

[edit: You r worst hole of the round....gah...I wish I could edit titles!]

[flopdarock]

there are soooo many... but my memory tends to block them out

[Fat Slice]

I do it not to beat up on myself, but to try and learn my mental mistakes and hopefully come up with a better strategy for the next time.

[myk]

I think we should talk about the best hole of the round. I've been told that I should try to keep positive thoughts in my head. What do you think?


Mike

[Fat Slice]

I think we should talk about the best hole of the round. I've been told that I should try to keep positive thoughts in my head. What do you think?

I would agree if I were on the golf course! I approach a shot thinking that I am going to nail it and try to remember the times I have done something similar, or focus on some good swings or putts I made earlier that day.

I think, though, when off the course, that's a good time to reflect on mental mistakes based on poor strategy and/or course management and try to get smarter in that regard. I think that neglecting to analyze your strategic faults will lead to you making the same mistakes over and over. (edit: and there's a "best shot of the week" topic that's really interesting here, btw)

[myk]

I see what your sayin'. It's just that my last few rounds have filled with "worst holes". I'll look for the "best shot of the week" thread you mentioned.


Mike

[Fraser]

Today it was a 7 on a 341yrd par 4. Took 3 iron off the tee, leaving me with a light 7 iron to the green. Managed to land it on the front of the two tiered green where the flag is but it rolled off the front into fluffy rough. Took a SW and pitched it up onto the green, then it rolled back to my feet. TWICE. Third time's a charm, then ended up missing the putt for 6.

Solution: Came home and found the 60* Vokey wedge I needed for the job on my doorstep having been delivered by the UPS guy

[zeg]

I had a tie between two last week. The obvious choice was the last (9th) hole that I took a 10 for. Not much to say about it-- after a so-so drive, my swing completely left me and I chunked about 4 straight iron shots. Hadn't happened to me in months, still not sure what happened. But I don't really count that hole because it was so bad that there's nothing to be learned from it strategically.

The real worst was the first hole. Drive was decent but sliced more than it faded and found the trees on the right. No hope of recovery to the green, but a good 4-iron punch chip put me squarely in the middle of the fairway. Iron shot (don't recall which iron, probably a 7) landed on the green in 3, leaving about a 25 foot putt for par. I proceeded to putt the first one past the hole to 5-8 feet. Return putt rolled just high of the hole, no more than half a cup-width high. Return return rolled over #$^@$#*^# exactly the same line back. Fourth putt finally dropped. I don't even remember my last #$@$ 4-putt.

Set the tone for the whole round. Score ended up about my (lousy) average, but it just felt awful because of the start. Clearly need to work on putting, although I think I wound up with 18 putts for the 9-hole round, even with 4 on the first hole.

[Shanks-a-lot]

Really short 266 yd par 4. Pretty good tee shot that faded a little on me and ended up just past pin high to the right of the green about 7yds or so off. Green was elevated so had to chip up with no bump and run available. Grabbed the trusty 60* caught it fat, hit just short of the green and rolled back to about 18" to the left of where I was previously. Get a little upset, but still feel ok step up to it again and hit the same chip with the ball rolling back to about 2 feet behind where I was. Finally, didn't even take a practice swing hit the ball just on and it stayed up. 2 putted for a wonderful double bogey on a 266 yd par 4...awesome.

I learned not to suck at chipping so much. Unfortunately, I couldn't have played the chip much differently. And would really rather be 7 yds off the green chipping than somewhere back in the fairway. Too bad it didn't work out this time.

[-BAMA-]

on sunday i only lost 3 balls.

all were on the same hole.

'nuff said.

the rest of the round was awesome though..

[michaeljames92]

Solution: Came home and found the 60* Vokey wedge I needed for the job on my doorstep having been delivered by the UPS guy

Hope the shaft wasn't snapped ;P

[Fraser]

Hope the shaft wasn't snapped ;P

The one square inch of bubble wrap around the head did its job!

[PiKapp23]

My 'home course' has a par 5 for the 9th hole. It's only about 475 yards or so from tips, but there is water at about 250 that has to be carried from there all the way to the green (about 200 yards). The green is narrow with a steep hillside behind it as well, so if going at teh green you have to hit a perfect shot to keep it on green and playable. There is a bailout fairway area to the left as well that takes water out of play (except water is still on the left the entire way and very far left is OB). I have probably played this hole 50 times and I would guess my average score for it is around a 7. No matter how perfectly I play the drive and even second shot I can't score on it. When I go for green I either end up short (in water) or long (on hillside chipping out of deep rough to narrow green with water on the other side of green). When I lay up I either slice it into water or pull it OB (or at least onto a knoll on the left). For those times when my layup is good I mess up the pitch, either putting it in water or on hillside or some other calamity. Then when I'm on green, it is 2 tiered (and not very big) and enevitably I am on wrong tier.

Many of my all time best scores have happened on this course, but even those best rounds I end up with a bogey or worse. My best score on regulation Par 72 course is 76, which happened at this course twice. One of those I had 7 on #9 and the other time I had an 8 on that d@mn hole. that hole is not that hard - it just seems to be in my head. It's only the #13 handicap hole on the course.

[9wood]

Worst hole of the week for me was on the 368 yd par four 18th hole. After hitting a good drive right down the middle of the fairway for 220 yds with my 3 wood, I then hit two fat shots in a row because I failed to keep my head down, so I was still not even on the green. So after getting on the green in four I then proceeded to 2 putt the hole for a double bogey on a hole which I should have gotten a birdie or at worst a par.

[GolfClubbas]

the worst shot i ever had was at meadow links...i hit a shot from one hole and it sliced sooo bad that it went on another hole. you see sometimes not only do i shank the ball but i slice it at the same time...but im workin on it

[Cupcakus]

My biggest hero shots are trying to get through trees, sometimes I pull it off, but most of the time it's just embarrassing.  Sliced a drive on monday into some trees, could have laid up back to the fairway, but I figure a 3 wood shot will make it through... bonk...  now I'm even worse in the trees, I can still make it out to the green ...rustle, rustle, splash... someday I'll stop trying this.

[Patch]

I am guilty of trying to hack my ball out of gnarly tall grasses. Happened to me the other day. What I should have done after putting myself in that mess, was to take an unplayable lie, took the drop, and penalty, and moved on. Would have saved me three strokes.

[rkim291968]

On a long par 4, I hit a bad drive to right and the ball is sitting above feet perched on a rough about 200 yards from green.  Once I hit the same shot with 3W, put it on green for a par.  I figure I hit the same miracle shot again.  Wrong.   I hit the 2nd shot about 50 yards into deep rough.   Ok, I can muscle this out and put it near green.  I've done it before although I don't remember how long ago it was.   I hit a 5i and hit into OB.   Eventually, it leads to 8.

How I should have done:

1) Instead of hitting 3w, hit a PW to move the ball up field about 100 yards.   Bogey is easy from there.

2) Let's say I don't do 1) above and hit 3w for 2nd shot into rough 50 yards up field.  Instead of hitting 5i, hit a SW to move the ball up field about 50 yards.   Double bogey is easy from there.