How many times have we complained about an unlucky bounce. About that time you had a great round going until something completely unexpected changed everything. Probably more times than when a good bounce lowered your golf score. Well, being a grateful golfer, I choose to remember the good bounce and whine about the bad. It is a mental approach that has really helped keep my game grounded over the years.

I remember chipping in on a par 5 for eagle in back to back rounds, but that is not really lucky, but skill. I have bounced my ball off a big rock on the 11th hole at Osprey Links that lead to a birdie. It was less skill but not really all that lucky.

The instance I remember happened a few years back that lead to an eagle! I was playing a par 5 hole of about 525 yards. I hit a great drive and was sitting on the left side of the fairway about 250 yards back from the middle of the green. This second shot’s distance was at the maximum range for me, but I decided to go for it anyway.

There was a creek that ran all along the front of the green about 20 yards back that I had to carry. Well, as expected, I tried to give it just a bit more than normal and pulled my ball left. I figured I was in the creek or the woods; actually, I was in both for a short time. Okay, follow the ping pong ball!

My ball hit the trees on the left; bounce right; hit a rock on my side of the creek; skipped over the 5 yard creek; hit a rock on the green side of the creek; bounced up and stopped 3 yards off the green on the left. I was sitting about 25 feet from the pin with lots of green to work with.

I pulled out my trusty 7 iron; hit a pitch and run; and watched my ball hit the flag and drop! That was the skill shot of the hole. 🙂 Yup, I turned an almost certain bogey into an eagle by hitting trees and rocks. I must say that this was one of my more lucky shots over the years and I still remember it fondly.

Good (lucky) bounces are a part of golf. Probably not as often as negative bounces, but part of golf nonetheless. It is those special shots that help lower your score for the hole and hopefully for the entire round. I know when these elusive shots shot up, I hope that I can make the most out of what lady luck offers.

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