The Hole That Always Ruins The Card

Most golfers have one.

Not always the hardest hole on the course. Just the one that seems to get in your head before the tee shot has even been played.

You remember what happened last time.

You start looking at the trouble.

And before long, an ordinary hole starts to feel much bigger than it really is.

That is often where the damage begins.

What usually goes wrong

The problem is not always the hole itself.

It is what we carry onto the tee.

A bad memory.

A bit of bruised pride.

A picture in the head of where the ball must not go.

That is a lot to take into one shot.

Plenty of bad holes start before the club has even moved.

Give the hole a smaller job

These days, I try to make that sort of hole simpler.

Not beat it.

Not make up for last time.

Not prove I can still take it on the way I used to.

Just get the ball in play, choose the part of the hole that gives me most room, and leave myself a next shot I am happy to play.

That usually helps more than I expect.

Ask a better question on the tee

When I get to one of those holes now, I try to ask:

What is the easiest version of this hole?

That might mean:

• choosing the side that gives you more room
• aiming away from the trouble instead of flirting with it
• accepting the wider, less exciting route
• leaving yourself a next shot you are comfortable with

There is nothing glamorous about any of that.

But there can be a lot of steadier golf in it.

Some holes are better managed than challenged

That is something you tend to learn with time.

A hole does not need to be attacked to be played well.

Some are simply better managed.

That is not negative golf.

It is just recognising what the hole is asking and choosing not to make it harder than it already is.

Over 18 holes, that usually works better than turning every awkward hole into a personal argument.

Think about the next shot

If you have a hole like this at your course, try looking at it a little differently.

Stand on the tee and forget the scorecard for a moment.

Ask yourself:

Where is the easiest place to put the first shot?

Then:

Where would I like to play the next one from?

That changes the picture.

Instead of trying to beat the hole from the tee, you start playing it one job at a time.

If it still goes wrong

Of course, sometimes you can do all of that and still make a mess of it.

That happens.

The important bit is not letting one poor shot turn into three.

If the tee shot finds trouble, the next job is simply to make the hole manageable again.

Get back somewhere useful.

Accept the extra shot if that is what the hole has given you.

Then move on.

The hole has already taken enough without giving it the next mistake as well.

The real aim

The aim is not to conquer the hole.

It is to keep it ordinary.

That is often enough.

And that sort of thinking usually suits the game you have now much better than trying to replay the game you had years ago.

If that sounds familiar, Play To Your Strengths With The Game You Have Now carries the same idea into the rest of the round.