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What's your strategy?

arwin

arwin

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On a good shot, I tend to hit a draw. On my misses, it'll be a big sweeping hook or the ball will start right and not really come back.

What would be your strategy on holes like this?

#1 Water is running down the left side of the fairway
- My thought would be to setup with my aim to the right with a square setup.
This way if I draw it, it will go back to the center and if I hit a big sweeping hook, then *maybe* it'll still be ok. If I starts right and doesn't come back, it'll be somewhere on the right rough.

#2 Water is running down the right side of the fairway
- For this one I'd just aim right down the middle of the fairway and if it draws, I'll be left side fairway and if it hooks, I'll be somewhere in the left rough. But if it starts right and doesn't come back, hopefully it didn't start too far right that it will end up in the water.

Is my logic flawed or should I have a different mentality?
 
Sounds good to me.

I will always start it at the left rough and let it come back. Hope I don't pull a double cross.
 
Take what ever more lofted club that you are comfy with and just put it in the short grass, repeat until you hit the green. Avoid the dreaded "other" and the water.
 
holehigh said:
Take what ever more lofted club that you are comfy with and just put it in the short grass, repeat until you hit the green. Avoid the dreaded "other" and the water.
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QFT

For example, fairway bunkers. I would always try to make "the shot" and would end up back in the bunker, or chunk it 15 yards. Now I take enough loft to get it out of the bunker, take my bogey and move on. An occasional par is a bonus.
 
I always tee it up on the side of the trouble and aim away from it.

I am like you and my misses are left.

For option #1 I would tee it up on the left side of the box aim right of center and make sure I'm taking the hazard out of play.

Option 2 I would tee it up on the side of the water and aim down the middle of the fairway (so same as you)
 
Why not just play do the middle in both scenarios. Don't play for the miss but play for the center of the fairway
 
Back when I had a consistent draw, I always aimed up the right side. My aim was intended to land somewhere safe in case the ball never came back to center at all. I did this even with water on the right side of the fairway, but I had a fair amount of confidence that my ball wouldn't fade and land in the water.

~Rock
 
Tadashi70 said:
Why not just play do the middle in both scenarios. Don't play for the miss but play for the center of the fairway
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Just the fear of the 'big miss'
 
Tadashi70 said:
Why not just play do the middle in both scenarios. Don't play for the miss but play for the center of the fairway
Click to expand...

my thought too. positive thinking over negative thoughts. if you are worried about hitting in a hazard you will hit it in the hazard.
 
On holes like these, I tee the ball on the side of the trouble and aim for the middle of the fairway.
 
Drumdog said:
On holes like these, I tee the ball on the side of the trouble and aim for the middle of the fairway.
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Yup.

I used to aim right to compensate for a draw, but I've been finding lately that when I'm striking it well, the ball goes pretty bloody straight with the long clubs. With water on the right, I might deliberately try to draw it though to make sure I don't go that way.
 
arwin said:
Just the fear of the 'big miss'
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If you fear it, fix it and then you have no reason to fear it. To fear it, makes it happen. Only positive thoughts in golf.
 
When you play for a miss you will often miss but far worse than normal. Tadashi is right. Plan for a straight shot or slight draw.
 
there is something interesting when discussing shots where water left or right needs to be avoided. I think generally speaking the higher the cap, the more the water becomes a magnet. Even if one normally hits the ball in the opposite direction away from the water they often still find themselves magically in it. I believe I read why this is often the case somewhere and I don't think its any new news to many of you but it always made perfect sense to me and its basically just a couple of simple things when you think about it. The mental part, and an understanding of swing path

Many people become concerned about the water along side a hole where as if it was just wooded area along side they don't. So that mental part is what starts the "poor" thoughts to begin with.
And than simply by default (just as I use to do) they tend to naturally want to swing away from the water via forcing the ball the other way. But by doing so they don't realize they simply ended up turning the ball right into it because of the basic physics of the opposite directed swing path. I have seen people who tend to normally slice the ball when not hitting well, and yet when water is left all of a sudden they draw or even hook right into it and often enough it van be due to what I mention.

This is why I am now so great and never get wet :) yea sure, right, ok, :( lol
 
I never think about a big miss. I worry more about where I am aimed and visualizing a good shot than about hitting a poor shot. Poor shots come when your brain is confused about where its target is. Thinking about the waster and looking at it before you swing is fatal as your brain thinks that's the target or at best is confused about where the target is.
Looking at a target that is easy to see is what you need to do as the last thing before you swing.
 
On holes like these, I prefer to hit toward the water and force cut or force draw away from it and towards the fairway. I may over cook the curve to find the opposite side of the fairway, but I'm definitely confident that I can turn the ball away from the water.
 
pick your target and hit the ball towards your target. sounds so simple until we let those thoughts of not hitting left or dont hook it etc etc. trust your swing will get you to your target
 
Seems good, but if you are striking it well hit the club you can hit the straightest and bomb it out there.


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