Post Your "Death Shot" with Pics/Video

[CarlSpackler]

I've thought about creating this thread for a while and finally had the presence of mind to take a pic the other day. Here's the idea. If you are faced with a "death shot" with limited options and a high probability of failure, take a quick pic or video (please don't hold up play to do this) and post it here with a description of the play and results. Please use some sort of pic from game golf, but preferably one of the actual shot you faced to reduce the speculation aspect. The idea is that we all can learn with real world examples of recovery shots.

The other night, I blocked my second shot to the right in a spot that is just plain death. Going over the tree is not possible and though it is also not very good. It is thick and has really big branches. Pitching back to the fairway opens the door to putting it in the hazard. I played a punch with a 7i to keep it under the tree and clear the lip of the bunker. Unfortunately, it hit the lip and came back into the bunker. Fortunately, I saved bogey from there. I'm thinking an 8i would probably have been just right. @missitnoonan was there to witness.

Feel free to discuss this and please add your own "death shots".

[Bird E3]

How high is that tree. Full open face 58 wouldn't do it. If not I would do the same, try to run it in and over the bunker. You could also play it backwards out in the fairway.

[CarlSpackler]

How high is that tree. Full open face 58 wouldn't do it. If not I would do the same, try to run it in and over the bunker. You could also play it backwards out in the fairway.

It's a very tall, mature tree. I've gone over it from the other side of the cart path, but no chance from where I was. I don't even think Phil could clear that tree with enough distance to make it to the green.

[David in FL]

I'll post a pic if I remember next time that I play the course, but mine is pretty much the reverse of yours. 170 yards out. Bunker no more than 30 yards in front of the tall, mature tree. Just enough lip that it's extremely difficult to clear the lip without catching the overhanging branches and absolutely impossible to go high. If I'm anywhere near there, it was a BIG miss!

[saevel25]

Not from were you were. You'd probably end up in the bunker.

I don't think a small pitch shot would bring the water into play as you think. Even if you still have some of the bunker in your way, just on the the fairway would give you shot towards the pin.

[billchao]

@Carl Spackler I think the right play there was a lateral pitch into the fairway. There's a good chance you would have run through the green even if you did clear the bunker, so I think the green was a no-go in that situation. Great idea with the thread, though. Next time I'm out on the course, I'll gladly share one (or several) of the ridiculous situations I put myself in when I play.

[Mugs050]

I like your play sometimes you can catch the bunker and it will propel it out for a soft landing on the green. I think you had very limited options that wouldn't of given you any better of a chance to make par. If you played it sideways onto the fairway how would of that helped any more then being in the bunker? Unless your bunker play is awful I think you made the right choice.

PS. Nice looking tree

[missitnoonan]

Death shot huh?  My infamous Dorf on Golf shots from Oakland Hills comes to mind from last year. @CarlSpackler couldn't stop laughing at me.  When I go there this August, I will try to recreate said such terrible lie shot beside the 11th green from the bunker.  My ball was just out of the bunker but I had to stand in it to hit the ball.  The ball was almost chest high and I had to do a modified chest anchored wedge to try and hack it out of the 4" deep rough.  Then as fate would have it, I drew a very VERY similar lie on the next hole but much further away from the pin.  It was brutal I tell you.

[CarlSpackler]

Not from were you were. You'd probably end up in the bunker.

I don't think a small pitch shot would bring the water into play as you think. Even if you still have some of the bunker in your way, just on the the fairway would give you shot towards the pin.

I didn't want to risk a skull or even just hitting it too hard into the drink. The fairways are horrible there, so there wasn't much of an advantage to being in it over the rough. The most likely scenario of the shot I chose was that it would run through the green leaving me a chip back for par. That was my though process at least. I would have gone to the fairway if the pin was in the front, but being in the back, I took the route that would leave my ball as close to the hole as possible.

Death shot huh?  My infamous Dorf on Golf shots from Oakland Hills comes to mind from last year.  @CarlSpackler couldn't stop laughing at me.  When I go there this August, I will try to recreate said such terrible lie shot beside the 11th green from the bunker.  My ball was just out of the bunker but I had to stand in it to hit the ball.  The ball was almost chest high and I had to do a modified chest anchored wedge to try and hack it out of the 4" deep rough.  Then as fate would have it, I drew a very VERY similar lie on the next hole but much further away from the pin.  It was brutal I tell you.

You mean, when we go there. And you're right. I almost wet my self laughing.

[dsc123]

I would have played it just like you did.  But I my thought before hitting the shot would be that it HAS to get over the bunker, even if that means flying the green.  If you went too far you'd have a simplish chip shot, not much different than if you pitched back into the fairway instead.

[CarlSpackler]

I would have played it just like you did.  But I my thought before hitting the shot would be that it HAS to get over the bunker, even if that means flying the green.  If you went too far you'd have a simplish chip shot, not much different than if you pitched back into the fairway instead.

I think my biggest error was focusing on the loft I needed to clear the lip instead of what loft I needed to stay under the tree limbs. I probably could have kept a 9i under the branches. My thought processes have not been so great as of late.

[dsc123]

I think my biggest error was focusing on the loft I needed to clear the lip instead of what loft I needed to stay under the tree limbs. I probably could have kept a 9i under the branches. My thought processes have not been so great as of late.

I don't know...that's a pretty low hanging tree.  You hit the shot though, so you'd know better than me just looking at a picture.  I think I would have just smacked it, hoping it would stick but accepting that there was a good chance of flying the green.

[RichWW2]

@CarlSpackler - Holy crap! Is that the 9th hole on the Hawk course at Kittyhawk? No matter how fantastic my drive is on that hole, I'm ALWAYS behind that f'n tree.

[CarlSpackler]

@CarlSpackler - Holy crap! Is that the 9th hole on the Hawk course at Kittyhawk? No matter how fantastic my drive is on that hole, I'm ALWAYS behind that f'n tree.

Sure is. I'm gonna sneak out there some night and cut those things down.

Since your from Dayton, make sure you join us in the thread!

[RichWW2]

Sure is. I'm gonna sneak out there some night and cut those things down.

Since your from Dayton, make sure you join us in the ​ thread!

Let me know when you're going to cut those down.  There's a few other trees on that course I'd like to take care of while we're at it.  I will jump in the Dayton, OH thread.  Good to see a few other people from the area on here.

[MizunoPez]

This one back in 2013 is a highlight of mine. Made par after a high draw under these trees, about 175 to the green. 7 iron. Not a death shot per se but it was the only shot I could take if I wanted to get it close to the green.

[Strandly]

I've thought about creating this thread for a while and finally had the presence of mind to take a pic the other day. Here's the idea. If you are faced with a "death shot" with limited options and a high probability of failure, take a quick pic or video (please don't hold up play to do this) and post it here with a description of the play and results. Please use some sort of pic from game golf, but preferably one of the actual shot you faced to reduce the speculation aspect. The idea is that we all can learn with real world examples of recovery shots.

The other night, I blocked my second shot to the right in a spot that is just plain death. Going over the tree is not possible and though it is also not very good. It is thick and has really big branches. Pitching back to the fairway opens the door to putting it in the hazard. I played a punch with a 7i to keep it under the tree and clear the lip of the bunker. Unfortunately, it hit the lip and came back into the bunker. Fortunately, I saved bogey from there. I'm thinking an 8i would probably have been just right. @missitnoonan was there to witness.

Feel free to discuss this and please add your own "death shots".

I'd just knock it back onto the fairway and go from there.  You're not really gaining anything by being greedy and trying to shave the corner of the bunker.  In fact it sounds like you got burned trying to do exactly that.

[CarlSpackler]

I'd just knock it back onto the fairway and go from there.  You're not really gaining anything by being greedy and trying to shave the corner of the bunker.  In fact it sounds like you got burned trying to do exactly that.

I would have likely made the same score from the fairway. You can't tell from the photos, but this green is quite large and sloped significantly. Pitching back to the fairway will yield a bogey most of the time when the pin is back. You are right that I gambled and brought double into the picture had I not actually made the sand bogey save though.

I should have recreated this tonight and tried an 8i.