How would you play this shot, third edition

Tenputt

Well-known member
Albatross 2024 Club
Joined
Apr 15, 2017
Messages
18,137
Reaction score
23,968
Location
Utah
Handicap
GHIN 4.5
Ok, here is the third edition of what shot would you play. You have snap hooked your drive (ok, I snap hooked my drive, a fairly regular occurrence lately). Once again, you are behind a tree and about 170 out, but it is uphill and will play 185. I would have to hit a 6 iron. Unless you can launch the ball much higher than I, you have no chance of getting a mid iron over the tree, so, your options are to punch underneath and try to get a wedge close, hook it around the tree, but keep in mind that there will be a bunker guarding a ball coming in from the right side, or just say what the hell and try to hit through the tree, relying on the old saying “a tree is 80% air. What do you do?

537991D4-7894-4B72-A3F0-D08A426DDACF.jpeg
 
Is the lie uphill?

Also, is the green what we're seeing between the middle of the 5 trees, or to the right of them?
 
Is the lie uphill?

Also, is the green what we're seeing between the middle of the 5 trees, or to the right of them?

The lie is not uphill. The green is under the limbs that hang to the right. If you enlarge the photo, you can see the flagstick, but there is no way to punch it under the tree on the right side and get to the green 170 plus yards away, unless you are Tiger Woods.
 
Punch underneath and try to get a wedge close. Anything else would just about be guaranteed disaster.
 
punch a low 3h shot about 20-30'ish degrees right of the tree...i'd expect about 70'ish yards (probably a little more) and play an AW at the green.
 
I have drawn a circle around where the flag sits. This is hole 17 at my home course. I was struggling and sitting at 8 over. I wanted to break 80 (it’s a par 71). I didn’t think I could get a 6 iron over the tree, but I felt there were some openings in the branches, so I thought that if I punched under the tree, I almost certainly bogey the hole and wouldn’t break 80. I didn’t like the odds of hooking it around the tree, given that the green is guarded by a bunker. I decided to just make a good swing and try to go through the tree, hoping to miss branches. Luck was with me and I passed through the tree cleanly on line with the arrow in the photo. The other photo attached shows where my ball came to rest on the green. I made the putt to turn disaster into a birdie. Very lucky. I bogeyed 18 to shoot 8 over 79, reaching my goal, but only because I took a foolhardy chance here.

0C483114-D92B-45CE-A4F1-12513928F6B8.jpeg9A0C883B-804F-4CFD-95D9-C83A3ED3F036.jpeg968AFB99-29CE-4F35-8069-A371CA15E978.jpeg
 
I’ve not been known to make wise recovery decisions in the past, so old me would try to blast it through or play a low probability hook. New untested quarantine mindset me would punch and give myself an agreeable yardage in.
 
The lie is not uphill. The green is under the limbs that hang to the right. If you enlarge the photo, you can see the flagstick, but there is no way to punch it under the tree on the right side and get to the green 170 plus yards away, unless you are Tiger Woods.
I don't know. This one's tough - conflicting visual and descriptive information. Lol

It doesn't look 15 effective yards uphill, but that's just camera work. And knowing that, I just can't picture a situation where I'm not at least trying to make it to the front edge. I don't punch unless absolutely necessary, and if that's playing uphill I feel like if I can't launch a 6/7 through the upper circle, I can definitely sting a 4/5 through the lower one if the lie is decent.

20200425_221743.jpg

I generally prefer the over, and it feels like it has the higher floor here, but I'm going at it expecting to get there, and I'm no Tiger Woods.
 
Last edited:
Wedge over the tree to cut of distance to the green in half. I’ll be happy to walk away with a bogey.
 
I don't know. This one's tough - conflicting visual and descriptive information. Lol

It doesn't look 15 effective yards uphill, but that's just camera work. And knowing that, I just can't picture a situation where I'm not at least trying to make it to the front edge. I don't punch unless absolutely necessary, and if that's playing uphill I feel like if I can't launch a 6/7 through the upper circle, I can definitely sting a 4/5 through the lower one if the lie is decent. View attachment 8939525

I generally prefer the over, but I'm going at it expecting to get there, and I'm no Tiger Woods.

My post above shows that I did about what you are suggesting, got through the tree and ended up with a birdie.
 
I’m punching out from there and then taking a wedge to the green... especially now knowing you’ve already used up all the lucky airspace around that tree.
 
I have drawn a circle around where the flag sits. This is hole 17 at my home course. I was struggling and sitting at 8 over. I wanted to break 80 (it’s a par 71). I didn’t think I could get a 6 iron over the tree, but I felt there were some openings in the branches, so I thought that if I punched under the tree, I almost certainly bogey the hole and wouldn’t break 80. I didn’t like the odds of hooking it around the tree, given that the green is guarded by a bunker. I decided to just make a good swing and try to go through the tree, hoping to miss branches. Luck was with me and I passed through the tree cleanly on line with the arrow in the photo. The other photo attached shows where my ball came to rest on the green. I made the putt to turn disaster into a birdie. Very lucky. I bogeyed 18 to shoot 8 over 79, reaching my goal, but only because I took a foolhardy chance here.

View attachment 8939522View attachment 8939523View attachment 8939524
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the difference between a three point something and a seventeen point something! :LOL: Great shot!
 
I would take a 4 iron and hit a low shot under the branches or take a 6 iron and go over the tree, since the tree looks far enough to get over.
 
How far back from that tree?
 
How far back from that tree?

I don’t know the yardage, but I can tell you I am a fairly high launch player and I could not get a 6 iron over it.
 
I have drawn a circle around where the flag sits. This is hole 17 at my home course. I was struggling and sitting at 8 over. I wanted to break 80 (it’s a par 71). I didn’t think I could get a 6 iron over the tree, but I felt there were some openings in the branches, so I thought that if I punched under the tree, I almost certainly bogey the hole and wouldn’t break 80. I didn’t like the odds of hooking it around the tree, given that the green is guarded by a bunker. I decided to just make a good swing and try to go through the tree, hoping to miss branches. Luck was with me and I passed through the tree cleanly on line with the arrow in the photo. The other photo attached shows where my ball came to rest on the green. I made the putt to turn disaster into a birdie. Very lucky. I bogeyed 18 to shoot 8 over 79, reaching my goal, but only because I took a foolhardy chance here.

View attachment 8939522View attachment 8939523View attachment 8939524


who dares wins
 
Depending on the lie and wind I would either take my 2 iron and punch it under the tree and chase it up a close to the green as possible, or a mid iron over the top of the tree

Both options are entirely viable to me
 
If the fairway is rolling good and nothing is guarding the front, 4 iron with the ball back in the stance and about a 75% swing with a low finish to go under the tree. Or, 7 iron over and wedge to the green. Either way you win the hole after I score a double. 🤣🤣
 
Hit a 9 iron up and over and short of the green and bunkers. Try and rely on wedges to get up and down.
 
I would prob hit a super high hard draw 7 iron.
 
Time to take your medicine here IMO. I am aiming at the right side of that cart path with my hybrid and punching one 70 or so yards out to safety for a wedge approach. I don't have a hook in my arsenal so that's not an option for me.
 
I have drawn a circle around where the flag sits. This is hole 17 at my home course. I was struggling and sitting at 8 over. I wanted to break 80 (it’s a par 71). I didn’t think I could get a 6 iron over the tree, but I felt there were some openings in the branches, so I thought that if I punched under the tree, I almost certainly bogey the hole and wouldn’t break 80. I didn’t like the odds of hooking it around the tree, given that the green is guarded by a bunker. I decided to just make a good swing and try to go through the tree, hoping to miss branches. Luck was with me and I passed through the tree cleanly on line with the arrow in the photo. The other photo attached shows where my ball came to rest on the green. I made the putt to turn disaster into a birdie. Very lucky. I bogeyed 18 to shoot 8 over 79, reaching my goal, but only because I took a foolhardy chance here.

View attachment 8939522View attachment 8939523View attachment 8939524

I like the gamble. If I was just counting my score I wouldn't have done that, but if I was in a match or playing for skins I probably would have taken the same shot depending on the circumstances.
 
8i short, wedge tight, still two putt for bogey :p
 
8i short, wedge tight, still two putt for bogey :p

Naw, make the putt for an up and down par. I have seen you putt, James.
 
Back
Top