Golf is a continual adventure of choices. Not matter what golf shot you plan to make, there are always choices. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly repeatedly comes to mind. And just because the situation forces you to make an ugly shot, does not mean it is not the correct course of action. Yet sometimes, I get excited about the possibilities success that guide me to make the wrong golf shot. It is a lesson I relearn from time to time, but less frequently with the more experience I gain by using my course management processes.

I remember playing in a tournament about 10 years ago. I pushed my ball into the right trees, but not too deep. I had a simple punch shot out to about 175 yards from the green on this longish par 4. I looked closely at the shot and thought if I could just shape my shot the right I could have a 150 yard shot into the green. But, this logic actually brought 6 or 7 into play if I failed to shape the shot. Of course, I hit the ball too hard and straight into the long grass across the fairway. After chopping it out of the fescue, I was…..you guessed it, 175 yards from the green. Talk about throwing a stroke away. After hitting the green and two putting, I walked off the green a bit relieved I only shot a double. My approach shot was fantastic as I landed on the green about 15 feet from the pin.

The above scenario is a perfect example of picking The Bad and The Ugly shot over The Good shot. Sometimes it is important to take my medicine and see if I can squeeze something out of the next shot. I also remember many years ago trying to hit a 5 wood out of a fairway bunker; the problem with the shot is I would never be able to hit the green even from the fairway with my 5 wood. My thinking was to have a 25 yard chip verses a 75 yard shot…..duh! I topped the ball and had a 225 hard third shot into the green. I took any possibility for birdie by choosing the wrong golf shot!

I could provide example after example where choosing the wrong golf shot leads to disaster. Rarely, does selecting the wrong shot for the situation actually result in something special. It does happen, but generally at the professional level. I am not suggesting that it is not fun to try those ‘hail Mary’ shots, but it really is situational dependent. As I continue to play at a higher lever, I really do to avoiding picking the wrong golf shot in order to shoot lower golf scores.

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