Golf – Your Favorite Approach Shot

/ The Grateful Golfer

Sometimes when play, I relish the option to make a tough shot into the green. There is a sense of satisfaction when I execute a challenging shot with precision. Success happens more often than not these days, but in the past I would avoid any challenging shots because fear of failure ruled my shot selections.

There is no sage advice in this post, but I wanted to show you what I mean and wonder if you feel the same way.

The Garrison Golf Course in Kingston, Ontario

This is a difficult hole. You can see the pin on the back left. The entire green falls to the front of the green away from the pin. Usually, the wind is blowing briskly from left to right. The front of the green is 155 yards from the tee and the back is 185 yards. Where the pin is now, the shot is about 175 yards from the tee.

The difficulty on this hole presents itself by under clubbing or not making solid contact with the ball. I can guess you can figure out that either of those results in a ball landing in the hazard.

I have played this hole about 20 times over the years and have developed a plan (through trial and error) that results in at least a par 75% of the time. My solution to this success is to forget the pin and aim for the middle of the green. At 175 yards, I will use a 6 or 5 iron depending on the wind.

In my earlier rounds, I dreaded playing this hole. However, after realizing that I was placing too much pressure on myself, I now look forward to teeing it up. By going for the center of the green, I rely on my putter to either make birdie or par. If I had that option on every hole, I would take it in a heart beat.

So there you have it, playing difficult holes are fun. It is a matter of finding the shot that provides the best percentage for success. How would you play this amazing golf hole?

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

4 thoughts on “Golf – Your Favorite Approach Shot”

  1. The last hole at my home course is a par 5 that wraps 90 degrees around a lake. At the turn there’s a couple of 100+ foot tall trees which are around 150 yards out from the green.
    The questions from people start coming as soon as I pull my club for that hole. I hit a 3 or 4 iron depending on wind and tee position with a very occasional 3 wood but never my driver. I could have striped my driver all day, but I won’t hit it on that hole because it puts me too close to those trees. The thing is, everyone always thinks go for it on that hole.
    My choices are basically 3 wood 5 iron, 3-4 iron 3-4 iron to go at the green, or 3-4, 7, wedge to go around. And I almost always choose the latter. I put myself in the 80-100 range. Then I choose between the sand wedge, gap wedge or pitching wedge for the last shot in depending on pin position. The green is multi-tiered with some added bumps to add to the slopes and false fronts all around except the back which is a long thin sliver two levels up from the front.
    I choose between three wedges. A hard high sand wedge to make it stop where it lands if the flag is close. A 3/4 gap will give me a bounce or two and stick and the pitching wedge will bounce and roll out which is helpful for that upper tier or the middle left side.
    It’s one of the toughest greens on the course, yet one of my favorite holes. I’ve eagled it 3 times since December. That’s better than the club pro who gets there with driver 9 iron. So I guess I have to say that’s my favorite approach shot. 80-100 is definitely my favorite yardage.

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  2. Jim, your hole fits my eye and dominant ball flight pretty well. I would also play for the middle of the green and hopefully hit it straight or let my natural draw take it back in the direction of the flag. Where I get uncomfortable is if they’d position the pin back right.

    Thanks,

    Brian

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