In an ideal world we would hit the middle of every fairway, stripe every fairway wood, rifle every iron to the heart of the green and hole every putt we look at.
But golf isn’t that game. It’s why we have bunkers, lakes, trees, gorse bushes and rough! And, sadly, we do not possess the recovery powers of Seve Ballesteros!
So where are some of the worst places you can find yourself on the course?
(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)
Out of Bounds
I hate out of bounds. I used to play regularly with a chap called Malcolm, who was the master of gamesmanship. I remember playing with him at Waldringfield GC in Suffolk. We stood on the 17th tee and he said: "There’s the out of bounds on the right but that won’t bother you because you never slice." And it was true. But guess what? Right on cue the ball went soaring off to the right, never to be seen again.
Greenside Bunkers
Why oh why do so many club golfers fall victim to greenside bunkers, especially those that protect the front of our greens? Why are we so reluctant to take enough club from the fairway? The penalty for finishing at the back of the green is almost always going to be less than if you end up in the sand.
Oh, and don’t forget footprints in the bunkers. My pet hate is the huge number of golfers who, for reasons known only to themselves, refuse to rake the sand after them. It’s right up there with golfers do not replace fairway divots!
Fairway Bunkers
We all stand on the tee and see fairway bunkers, but they are like magnets! Why? In most cases, it is little more or less than poor strategy. Pick a club that guarantees you will miss the sand.
Gorse Bushes
If there is a gorse bush, I will find it. Have you ever tried to recover a ball from a gorse bush? Have you ever tried to play a shot from a gorse bush? Aldeburgh is one of my favourite courses, but it is awash with gorse. If you don’t find the middle of fairways you won’t score.
Trees
Trees are allegedly 95% air. Poppycock! Trees are best to be avoided. My course has thousands of them, and I have played from the bases of the majority of them.
Lakes
When pros face a shot where they have to clear water I can pretty much guarantee that they don’t even see it. You and I, on the other hand, become anxious because it is in our heads. Rather than taking a nice, relaxed swing we lunge at the ball and….. kerplunk! It ends up in the drink!
Rough
I have played courses where the rough was so thick that the only chance you had of finding your ball was by standing on it - and then being faced with an impossible recovery.
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