How often do you "go for it"

[GaijinGolfer]

It depends upon the shot.  If there is water I will usually play it safe but if there isnt much of a penalty for not hitting the shot perfect, why not?  Youre never going to get better if you arent pushing yourself.

[rustyredcab]

IF you have hit a good drive or two before arriving on the forth tee, and IF your misses are not always left, and IF you think you can do it, then go for it.

The first hole on my course has a shortcut over junk that makes the green potentially drivable on the otherwise 300 yard par four. The safe alternative for me is a 5-iron down the fairway and a short iron to a tough-putting green. I've made six doing it both ways. I've only made two by going for it.

[JayMc]

I was at Bay Hill last fall playing with a forecaddie.  I had 210 in on a par 5, but it was a very tight shot.  The caddie called me out by asking "did you come to Bay Hill to lay up". I went for it and hit the green with a big 4i.  Felt d@mn good and that's been a good swing thought for me since.

If I'm playing in a low dollar money round or for fun I'll usually go for it.  If it's competitive it all depends on how I'm feeling and the situation, but more often than not I'm playing safe and hoping to stick a wedge close.

[Spyder]

It really depends on a ton of variables for me. If I'm playing solo or a casual round, I'll usually take a high risk shot depending on what the circumstances are. If the shot's risk factor is, for example, I may not stick the green and simply roll out beyond it, I'll go for it. If the shot has water involved and I know I'd only execute the shot 2/10 times, I probably won't risk losing a $4 ball to show off if I'm using a Pro V or something similar.

If we're head to head and I'm on, I'll probably try to apply even more pressure if I'm comfortably ahead. If we're neck and neck, I'll be conservative and focus on my own game - while letting the other guy rely on himself to keep up, rather than me giving him unnecessary breaks.

Over all, I'll go for it to have something to talk about in the club house as long as nothing major is on the line, or I'll needlessly lose a tour caliber ball.

[mdl]

I'm fairly long, but I still don't play any courses regularly with driveable (for me) par 4s.  On short par 4s whether I'll hit driver depends on how my driver feels and how open it is.  If there's a wide fairway or my driver's really feeling hot that day (some days it's the best club in my bag), I'll try to drive it up to pitching distance.  Though recently I've been hitting 2h or 3i off those tees more often and just take a full SW or 3/4 PW to the green.

On par 5s, I pretty much always tee off with driver.  My long irons are inconsistent enough that I feel better hitting driver, low to mid-iron, wedge than 3i, 3i, wedge.  If I can reach the green in 2, I almost always go for it, as I tend not to be accurate enough with my scoring irons to get super easy birdie putts on par very many par 4s, and I like to have a birdie or two in a round, and my most frequent birdies are those where I reach a par 5 green in 2 and 2-putt.

[GJBenn85]

I have had a tendency to go for it even though it generally does not go as planned.  Problem is the course I generally play has a lot of holes that play over marshes and I have a very fine knack for losing my balls to the marshes.  On those courses, I have no choice but to go for it because there really is no way to play them safely.

My best scores still come from playing conservatively and planning my approach shot to guarantee hitting the green.  I'm making a real effort to practice wise course management which does not really involve "going for it" since my short game is quite a bit better than my long.

[BuckeyeNut]

"going for it" has a lot of meanings.  I often go for it and play aggressively when it makes sense, but I also play a course strategy game too.  I tend to club conservatively from the tee when it makes sense.  IE..... I'll target the wide landing areas rather than try to attack narrow gaps with a driver when big trouble comes into play further out.

One of the biggest things I notice in higher HC players is they tend to hit driver irregardless of what lies ahead of them.   It may be a short/medium length par4 with a 45yd wide fairway, but it pinches in to 20yds surrounded by hazards where their driver lands, and they hit driver without ever thinking twice.  splash...in the junk it goes. count on it!!. Had they chosen 3wood or hybrid/lofted wood instead, their ball would still be in play

When it comes to trouble shots....I tend to play the percentages.  Get the ball BACK IN PLAY....avoid the huge disaster!!  When I get in trouble, I tend to play for bogey with a par option.  On the other hand, I tend to play par5s very aggressively when I can get home in 2.

[clarkgriswold]

In this particular scenario I would go 6 iron to the fairway almost everytime.   I have a 290 yard Par 4 on my home course and it's 6 iron-PW for me everytime.  Sure, I tug the 2nd shot more often than I should...but it's better than hacking out with my second.

[BuckeyeNut]

Originally Posted by clarkgriswold

In this particular scenario I would go 6 iron to the fairway almost everytime.   I have a 290 yard Par 4 on my home course and it's 6 iron-PW for me everytime.  Sure, I tug the 2nd shot more often than I should...but it's better than hacking out with my second.

I can relate......

My home course has a short 320yd par4 surrounded by trouble.  A lake protects the entire left side of the hole and there is a U shaped ravine short of the green that protects short/left/right at the green.  There is 1 fairway bunker on the right that begins a sliver inside the 100yd marker.  I'm a lefty that hits a draw....I'll aim left center/fairway and draw the ball towards that bunker like it's a magnet, and  I make damn sure to choose an iron from the tee that won't reach that bunker..... wedge on.  Easy Peasy.......

[sean_miller]

I tend to err on the side of caution. My cautious shot might be someone elses risky shot and vise versa.

[Spyder]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

I tend to err on the side of caution. My cautious shot might be someone elses risky shot and vise versa.

This ^

In a casual round with friends though, I'll most definitely take some crazy risks if I have a scuffed up ball that's about to be retired, or one that I found. I'll take that occasional shot that Buckeye was talking about. At the course I most frequently play on, there's a 306 yard par 4 that has a lake completely surrounding the green, with the exception of an 80 yard long, by 45 yard wide strip of fairway leading to the green. The water on each side of the fairway begins around 220 out. If I'm in a situation where money is on the line, or in a scramble and 2 guys went water, I'll most definitely just lay up with my 6 or 7i. However, if it's just me and some buddies or again, in a scramble where we already have a safe option, I'm nutting up with the driver and going for the glory. On this particular hole that I'm talking about, I did actually come within 10ft of the fringe on 2 different occasions.

Situations like this hole are so tempting too. The wind is almost always at your back and the fairway is literally sloping right down to the green. Even a high loft player such as myself can get some roll out on a well hit shot and set up for an ideal birdie putt. The problem is, that birdie is only maybe 3 outta 10 attempts. It sure as hell is nice when you can go for it and be relaxed though.

This is definitely why Scrambles are my preferred type of play with a little money on the line. I can go last, relax and take high-risk shots with no consequences - so long as we have a safe option laying out there already.

[Paradox]

Just depends on the situation for me.  I guess I "go for it" more than not, though.  I know my distances and I know my usual misses so if I feel good about those two things, then its on.

[cruzthepug]

Well, I hit driver on #4 this morning, almost didn't, temp was 36 when we started and I wasn't warmed up yet. Didn't catch it real good, hit it a bit on the toe but it stayed in play and I had about a 40 yd pitch shot. Made par and moved on. I'll probably try it again tomorrow.

[zipazoid]

I never hit a low percentage shot, just doesn't make sense.

So how often do I 'go for it?'

When I determine the risk is worth the reward & I have a decent chance of pulling the shot off, I do it. But if I got 240 of water to clear & I know the only way it's getting across is skipping it across, I'll never do it. Never. That's just stupid golf.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by zipazoid

I never hit a low percentage shot, just doesn't make sense.

So how often do I 'go for it?'

When I determine the risk is worth the reward & I have a decent chance of pulling the shot off, I do it. But if I got 240 of water to clear & I know the only way it's getting across is skipping it across, I'll never do it. Never. That's just stupid golf.

Not sure attempting a forced carry longer than you can hit the ball is the type of "going for it" the OP was talking about.

[cruzthepug]

Hit driver again today, pulled it left and was lucky to stay inbounds. Not knowing for sure I hit a provisional and hit it good right at the green, still came up short probably because it was so cold this morning. After finding my ball, punched out then went on to 3 putt for double. Experiment over. Back to hitting 5 iron off the tee.

[darkhunter139]

It depends how my rounds going.  If I have a chance to shoot a decent score I will usually play it smart, otherwise I just go for it for fun.

The other day I was having a pretty bad round  then I got up to a 240 yard par 3.  The only way I have a chance to hit this is by taking an unreasonably hard cut with a huge backswing.  I decided to go for it and wound up just left of the green.  I bet 9 times out of 10 I would shank it off into the woods with a swing like that though :)

[DoGolf Jonathan]

It definitely depends on how I am playing that day, but I would say a majority of the time, I usually "go for it".

A water hazard about 250 yards out?  - go for it.

Bunkers all around the front of a 175 yard par 3? - go for it.

A dog-leg right hole through some tall trees?  go for it!

haha...