Today I had one of the most difficult rounds I have had lately.  I played a new course and before the round started I was feeling fine.  Then the round started and I just couldn’t put a hole together.

I kept trying a lot of things to get back on track and none of it was working.  Sure I hit a few great shots, but I just couldn’t string them together.  If I hit a great drive, I’d hit a poor approach.  It just wasn’t coming together.

The last 3 holes I figured something out, and during those 3 holes the game seemed really easy.  So easy that it was worlds away from the previous 16.

What I did was to not go for broke.  For example on the 17th hole I picked a spot, roughly 150 yards in front of me.  That was were I tried to land my drive.  So I swung, and hit it 90 yards past that spot and in great position for my layup on this par 5.  I only needed about 160 yds to lay up to about 75 yards.  I picked a spot about 120 yards in front of me to land my 8 iron.  I picked it cleanly and ended up in the perfect layup spot, about 50 yds from the green.  The green was on up on a hill maybe 15 ft above my feet.  I picked a spot, on the front of the green and hit my lob wedge to about 15 feet with an uphill putt left.  I two putted my for par and moved on.  18 was another par 5.  Again, I picked out a spot about 150 yards in front of me.  I smashed a perfect drive to the left side of the fairway just before it got to a big downslope.  I had about 220 yards to the green into the wind.  I picked out a spot about 100 yards in front of me and hit my 4 wood just short of the green.  I had 20 yards left to the pin.  I picked out a spot just in front of the green to land the ball to as the green sloped down from there.  Any further and it would have had a good chance of rolling by the hole.  My pitch ended up in that spot.  I putted from just off the green and it went in for birdie.

Those two holes just seemed so easy.

I think this put my mind at ease in a number of ways.  Instead of trying for a shot that I’m capable of, but may or may not pull off, I picked out a target well within reach.  This allowed to put some smooth swings on the ball which ensured solid contact and shots that actually went futher, straighter and were more solid than usual.  I know from my work on the range, that when I try to hit a driver 150, I can’t.  I always end up with a full but very smooth swing that sends the ball on a great flight way past the target.  The other thing that happened was I felt a certain amount of peace as if I would have been okay with the shot, if it had hit that target that was well within reach.  I was okay with the outcome and it led to well played shots.

It’s not easy to pick a target that is so within reach.  Certainly part of me wanted to bomb it as I am capable of doing.  When you start hitting it well, it’s easy to get greedy.  When you’re not hitting it well, it’s easy to try the miracle shot to get back on track.  It’s easy to start going for more than is smart.  But those last few hole sure remind me how easy the can be.  I want to spend more time playing like that!



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