Getting Out of Trouble!
Steve Atherton
GolfTEC Vice President of Research and Development
Certified Personal Coach
So you just missed the fairway wide right or snap-hooked one into some thick trees on the left. Now you have to make a tough decision about how to extricate yourself and salvage a decent score on the hole. What you must do in a situation like this is analyze both the trouble between you and the hole, and the lie in the rough. Those two things will dictate the type of shot you should play, and the likelihood of pulling off an aggressive recovery shot. If you honestly believe that you could pull off the shot you are facing four out of five times, then go for it. If not, then you should pitch the ball back out to the fairway and give yourself a chance at getting up and down for par. You will take double bogey or worse out of the equation and salvage some strokes.
Deciding to pull off a recovery shot from the trees requires two key things that will help you execute a successful shot. First, work hard to visualize the shot in your head clearly. Make sure you can precisely see the line the ball needs to start on, the trajectory, and the curvature of the shot. Once you are confident that you can see the shot in your mind, the second thing you have to do is COMMIT to the shot. The tendency of the average golfer when facing a tough recovery shot is to be tentative or even flinch through impact because they're scared of hitting the tree, fence, rock or other obstacle in front of them. You must stay committed to the shot in order to pull it off!
So remember these keys for recovery shots:
- If you are confident you can pull it off four out of five times then go for it!
- See the shot clearly in your mind
- Commit to your swing and rip it!
