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Last Saturday was first round of my Club's annual Knock Out match play "President's Trophy". According to those I've asked, it is keenly contested. So I was happy that I qualified.
Anyway, the shot I want to tell you about was my second shot on the 9th hole of my match. I was just 1 up in the match at this point, my opponent had won the last 2 holes to come back from 3 down through 6.
Our 9th hole is a par 4 of some 350m with a dog leg right. I had put my tee shot into the trees on the right side just short of the apex of the dog leg, about 160m from the hole. My opponent, after having himself found the trees off the tee had recovered to the centre of the fairway and was lying only some 60m short of the green for 2.
I was standing behind my ball, thinking should I or shouldn't I.
Option 1 was to chop out back to the fairway, try to hit the green and play for a bogey, maybe get lucky for a par and hope my opponent made no better than 4 or 5 as well. He was 2 under the card for the last 3 holes and his short game was apparently on song.
Option 2 was to "have a crack!" using my Grandfather's venacular. I had bit of a gap in the tree line's canopy that I thought I could attempt to find a path through should I wish to. The logic for me was I'm 1 up, worse case is I lose the hole and go to 10 all square with the luxury of getting strokes on 3 holes around the back. Not a bad position to be in really.
So I settled on having a crack. Taking 6 iron I went through my routine, addressed the ball and thinking "swing easy" pulled the trigger...
Contact was so sweet, with no sensation of ball on club at impact at all. The ball flew straight for the gap in the canopy and through, appearing to draw just a little. It was on its way. From where I hit the ball I couldn't see the green, so I run left out into the fairway to survey the result. Looking to the green from 170m or so away I spot what seems to be my ball on the green.
On arriving at the green my ball is sitting comfortably about 8 feet from the flag, pin high left. Its pitch mark only some 2 feet or so away.
I had gambled and won. My opponent Pitched on to outside my ball, missed his par attempt and I conceded his 2 footer for his bogey, leaving me to 2 putt from 8 foot for the win. I didn't even think of holing the birdie putt as I was still thinking about the 6 iron I hit to get here.
I rolled the birdie attempt just by the hole on the high side and left it about 3 inches past. My opponent conceded the tap in and we went to 10 with me 2 up and grinning from ear to ear......
Cheers
Anyway, the shot I want to tell you about was my second shot on the 9th hole of my match. I was just 1 up in the match at this point, my opponent had won the last 2 holes to come back from 3 down through 6.
Our 9th hole is a par 4 of some 350m with a dog leg right. I had put my tee shot into the trees on the right side just short of the apex of the dog leg, about 160m from the hole. My opponent, after having himself found the trees off the tee had recovered to the centre of the fairway and was lying only some 60m short of the green for 2.
I was standing behind my ball, thinking should I or shouldn't I.
Option 1 was to chop out back to the fairway, try to hit the green and play for a bogey, maybe get lucky for a par and hope my opponent made no better than 4 or 5 as well. He was 2 under the card for the last 3 holes and his short game was apparently on song.
Option 2 was to "have a crack!" using my Grandfather's venacular. I had bit of a gap in the tree line's canopy that I thought I could attempt to find a path through should I wish to. The logic for me was I'm 1 up, worse case is I lose the hole and go to 10 all square with the luxury of getting strokes on 3 holes around the back. Not a bad position to be in really.
So I settled on having a crack. Taking 6 iron I went through my routine, addressed the ball and thinking "swing easy" pulled the trigger...
Contact was so sweet, with no sensation of ball on club at impact at all. The ball flew straight for the gap in the canopy and through, appearing to draw just a little. It was on its way. From where I hit the ball I couldn't see the green, so I run left out into the fairway to survey the result. Looking to the green from 170m or so away I spot what seems to be my ball on the green.
On arriving at the green my ball is sitting comfortably about 8 feet from the flag, pin high left. Its pitch mark only some 2 feet or so away.
I had gambled and won. My opponent Pitched on to outside my ball, missed his par attempt and I conceded his 2 footer for his bogey, leaving me to 2 putt from 8 foot for the win. I didn't even think of holing the birdie putt as I was still thinking about the 6 iron I hit to get here.
I rolled the birdie attempt just by the hole on the high side and left it about 3 inches past. My opponent conceded the tap in and we went to 10 with me 2 up and grinning from ear to ear......
Cheers
I get to my ball and try to fashion a fade of sorts with a 5 iron around the tree, to find the fairway. Strike it well, but, I overdo the fade bit and the ball runs into the right rough again and hits another tree, this time about 250m or so away, this time too close to the tree to do anything but go sideways.
that when that happens…!!!) and off the ball sailed rifle straight along my intended target line, clearing the tree I had picked out by seemingly only inches. I was hopeful that I’d find it had finished somewhere close-ish to the green when I got there and that I was a chance to get up and down for 6, maybe chip in for 5 and put some pressure back on him and see what might happen……
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