The Key to Avoiding Big Numbers

 

It seems like at least once a round (usually a few times if I’m honest) I find myself standing over a shot staring down a 7 or 8 on a hole that par, or even birdie, should have been a real possibility. It’s incredibly frustrating, and I’m sure most of you can relate. So what gets us in these types of situations? And how can we avoid them? I’m glad you asked, because I think there’s one thing that is causing a lot of people to shoot worse scores than they should, and it has nothing to do with their swing. I think people are missing their shots in the wrong places.

Let me explain what I mean. Sometimes the reason that people can’t seem to lower their scores isn’t because there is anything wrong with their swing technically. I’ve played with guys who have a good, sound swing, but couldn’t make a par to save their lives. Sometimes the hurdle to jump over on the way to better scoring is mental and is more about how you strategically attack a hole than it is technically how you hit the ball. If you hit shots into places that make your next shot difficult, you are going to hurt your game. 

The pros know this, and you’ll often hear them talk about “picking their miss.” What they mean by that is simply that they know they are going to eventually hit poor shots (yes, they are human too), but they prepare for when they do by knowing where to “miss” their shots in a place that still gives them a chance to score with their next shot. Sure, they might miss a fairway. But they will miss it on the side that gives them a good angle to approach the green. Yeah, they might miss a green. But they miss it in a spot that gives them an easy, straightforward chip. 

Missing it in the right spot ensures that you don’t compound your mistake and end up with a big number by making sure your next shot still gives you a good look. So next time you go around the course, make note of the spots that are “dangerous” spots to avoid, and look around for the spots that are better misses. That way whenever you do hit a poor shot, you won’t put yourself in a situation that brings a big number into play.