Every amateur player envisions hitting that “hero shot” when they’re in trouble, saving them from shooting bogey or worse. Problem is, when a mid-to-high handicapper attempts doing so, it often ends in more damage to the scorecard, with added strokes piled on due to sheer foolishness.
Suddenly, a hole that could’ve simply been bogeyed ends up much worse, all due to lack of strategy, preparation, and execution.
Sure, being aggressive is good every so often, but it must be done within reason — and that’s not when you’re trying to make up for a bad drive that ends up in the rough blocked by a tree!
Remember, you’re going to make mistakes on the golf course. But understanding how to avoid having a small error turn into three or four can make all the difference to your scorecard.
So how can you better respond to trouble? With the right golf plan; according to GOLF Top 100 Teacher Trillium Rose.
In the video above, Rose walks through what her plan would be for a very difficult shot from the rough, with a large tree with big branches just in front of her and a patch of bunkers protecting the left side of the putting surface.
“I’ve got a tree in front of me, low branches, and I’ve got bunkers on the left side of the green,” she explains. “One thing we want to make sure of is that we plan out the shot so that we don’t go from a bad situation to a worse one.”
This type of trouble is common for amateur players; especially on a difficult golf course. So Rose suggests clubbing up and keeping the shot low to avoid the tree branches, along with aiming further right — which helps protect from a possible mishit.
“I’m going to aim at the right-third of the green, because if I miss it left, I’m still on the green [and not in the bunkers],” she says. “If I miss it right, I’m fine, and the ball’s going to trickle right down [toward the green] anyway.”
Finally, Rose reminds players that this is not the time to be aggressive and aim directly at the flag. Sure, it might be tempting to go for it and try to hit that “hero shot” we all dream of, but if you’re not perfect, all of a sudden the hole’s score can balloon on you.
Instead, make a solid golf plan to be a bit more conservative with your approach, which will limit the amount of strokes on your scorecard.
“What I’m not going to do is aim at the flag and take my normal club, because I might hit the tree, and I might miss it a little left and end up in the bunker,” she adds. “So when you’re in trouble, don’t get into more trouble; simply plan out your shot and it’ll be a lot easier for yourself.”
