Golf Tips

Make the Smart Play - Golf Tips

Most golf fans are familiar with the finale of “Tin Cup,” the movie in which Kevin Costner puts five shots in a row into the water during the final hole, finally getting it into the cup on his last ball. He obviously didn’t win, but at least he went down swinging, right?

That is true, as long as Hollywood is writing the scripts of your golf rounds. But for most of us, the bottom line should be that Costner wound up with a 12 on the hole trying to make a shot he wasn’t really capable of doing.

Focus on How to Get Out of Trouble

When you find yourself in trouble on the golf course, your first step shouldn’t be to start thinking about what miracle golf shot will get you onto the putting green from the deep rough or out of the woods. Instead, focus on how to get out of trouble and back onto the fairway, accepting that stroke of punishment in exchange for a greater chance at salvaging the hole.

That’s not to say you should always play it safe. If you’re fortunate enough to play the Island Green at Sawgrass, by all means sacrifice a ball or two and go for the pin. That is a genuine special experience that is not to be missed. And if you are in a competition where you need to win the golf hole, or going for a personal best score that requires you to take a chance, that’s the time to roll the dice.

The Reason Pro Golfers are Pro Golfers

But most of us have watched enough golf on TV to have seen Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and the like drive golf balls off of tree roots and cart paths straight onto the putting green. That is why they make millions of dollars on the tour. But those golf shots are called low-percentage for a reason – when trying to hit a golf ball through a group of trees, for example, you are far more likely to find your golf ball bounding off a branch right back at you than you are to hit it at the exact right trajectory and speed that will land on the putting surface. Get your golf ball back in play and live to fight another day. A bogey, or even a double-bogey won’t kill a round. A snowman will.

Safely Obtain the Prize

Enjoy “Tin Cup.” Even appreciate where Roy McAvoy is coming from when he makes his decision not to lay up. But don’t forget that if he had played it safe on that golf hole the first three rounds, he would have won the tournament.