What shot do you dread?

[Slice of Life]

When you're on the course, what situation makes you cringe?

For me, I'd have to say fairway bunkers. I don't know what it is, but I don't think I've ever hit a good shot out of a fairway bunker. Greenside? No problem. Fairway? Game over. I can get it out, but just can't ever seem to hit a nice clean shot out of it.

Second place for me would probably be a 60 yard shot if there's trouble behind the green. A nice smooth lob wedge will get me there, but skull it a little...ouch...

[jetsknicks1]

50/90 yd shot to the green. 100 yds and out, not a real big deal because I can take a full swing. Close around the green, the wedge works pretty well. It's that in between yardage, the requires some real touch, that I continually struggle with.

[Dave2512]

Short side, ball sitting up on a downhill, side hill lie chip to a green sloping away from me. Out of fear of sliding the club all the way under the ball it's common for me to not hit it hard enough and leave it in the rough or skull it trying to flop it up. There's a couple of holes with hills behind greens at most of the courses I play and without fail that's where the doubles come. I've got to the point where if I look for a bailout it's a bunker.

[Slice of Life]

Originally Posted by jetsknicks1

50/90 yd shot to the green. 100 yds and out, not a real big deal because I can take a full swing. Close around the green, the wedge works pretty well. It's that in between yardage, the requires some real touch, that I continually struggle with.

Right there with ya bud.

Hell, my answer for "What shot do you dread?" should just be: Tee to green.

[boil3rmak3r]

50/90 yd shot to the green. 100 yds and out, not a real big deal because I can take a full swing. Close around the green, the wedge works pretty well. It's that in between yardage, the requires some real touch, that I continually struggle with.

Take a look in the READING threads and find the posts for Dave Pelz's short game bible. His recommendation of 7:30 and 9:00 finess swings have really worked for me. I used to be how to hit a 50 yd shot. Now, I am confident and know it's a 7:30 56* swing. Give it a try!

[Ernest Jones]

Ball below or above my feet, particularly below. Last time I had the ball below my feet I topped it 20 yards and then stuck an 8 iron to 2 feet. Bogey, but if I hadn't topped that 5 iron...

I have no problems (relatively speaking ) with one foot being higher than the other but man I hate having the ball below my feet.

[3putter]

80 yards in, and I sweat.

I drove a short par 4 to 70 yards in, and I made an 7 on that hole. Got cute and put in a bunker 20 yards from the hole, got cute again and left it in the bunker, got pissed and let it roll over the green, chipped on, 2 putt. The round went downhill from there. Needless to say I have work to do

[geauxforbroke]

A tee shot with water left.

[scrilla]

I hate the shots where I'm just far enough off the green that I can't hit a good lag putt, but close to the point where you really need nice touch on the wedge. I always seem to either get scared and tap it 2 yards or put too much mustard on it and end up same situation, other side of the green.

[Spyder]

Severe downhill putts with right-to-left break. I'm talking about the ones that you simply tap and watch them run 12 feet. Miss the hole short and you're in another crappy situation.

[TJBam]

Putts that are ridiculously uphill.  Like a big slope.  It is difficult for me to read which way the ball will take off after the uphill, and often results in a 3 or 4 putt.

Edit: allow me to clarify.  A flat green where I am to putt from a flat green up a "shelf-like" roll and onto a higher part of the green.  Bonus points if the pin is placed in the middle of an uphill slope (DOH).

[Ernest Jones]

Originally Posted by scrilla

I hate the shots where I'm just far enough off the green that I can't hit a good lag putt, but close to the point where you really need nice touch on the wedge. I always seem to either get scared and tap it 2 yards or put too much mustard on it and end up same situation, other side of the green.

I used to hate those but now I just putt them with an iron using the Rule of 12. Rule of twelve is subtracting the number on the iron from twelve to get your air-to-roll ratio ie: 9 iron is 12-9=3 so in theory the ball will roll 3 units for every 1 unit in the air. You gotta modify it to take into account slope and green speed but it generally works out pretty well for me. I only use this method when I want to be putting but have too much fringe or "other" to plow through. If I'm too far to putt I'll hit a standard chip or pitch.

[BostonBrew]

Originally Posted by geauxforbroke

A tee shot with water left.

This. Only put the water on the right.

[geauxforbroke]

Originally Posted by BostonBrew

This. Only put the water on the right.

Or only in a cooler by the tee box.

[boogielicious]

Downhill/sidehill lie and severe downhill lie.  I can make good contact but have trouble controlling the face and direction.

[SCfanatic35]

Hitting a bunker shot from a downhill lie.  These happen a lot at my course, because normal procedure is to leave the rakes in the bunkers.  Most people do not put them at the bottom of the traps, they leave them where they exit the bunker which is usually resulting in a downhill lie when the ball hits the rake.  Not sure why my club has that policy.  At first it didn't bother me, but now that I see the results of leaving them in the bunker I don't like it.  The easy solution is not to hit into them.

I honestly don't even know if I am hitting them correctly.  I open my club face a little more than a regular bunker shot and play it back further in my open stance and then swing hard.  Any suggestions?

[scrilla]

Originally Posted by Ernest Jones

I used to hate those but now I just putt them with an iron using the Rule of 12. Rule of twelve is subtracting the number on the iron from twelve to get your air-to-roll ratio ie: 9 iron is 12-9=3 so in theory the ball will roll 3 units for every 1 unit in the air. You gotta modify it to take into account slope and green speed but it generally works out pretty well for me. I only use this method when I want to be putting but have too much fringe or "other" to plow through. If I'm too far to putt I'll hit a standard chip or pitch.

Ok, this is an interesting little theory, will defenitly be trying it out next time out.

[Dev 0]

Side hill lies where the ball is above me. I can never seem to hit these well. Other way around, no problem.