Another One for the Graveyard
A couple years ago, I wrote “The Golf Equipment Idea That Must Die” [read it HERE]. This lesson is a spiritual sequel as it discusses another concept I never want to hear again: “being punished for a good shot.” If this is a phrase you’ve said or thought, please read on to improve your game and spare us all your bellyaching.
This Article Is For You If:
Your good rounds regularly fall off the rails
Your game doesn’t travel
You whine about “bad breaks” on the course
Bad Luck vs. “Being Punished”
Before I get into this, I want to make an important distinction between “being punished for a good shot” – which isn’t a real thing – and getting a genuinely unlucky break. Bad luck does exist on the golf course. Bad luck would include: your ball landing on a sprinkler head, rake, or in a divot, animal interference, or the maintenance crew running over your ball. If any of those things happen, you have a right to a feel a bit cheated – though I’d remind you that being mad isn’t going to change anything. I’d also point out that these are very rare occurrences unless you play in an area with extremely bold wildlife.
A big gust of wind redirecting your ball is a borderline case. If it’s a truly extreme gust of wind, maybe we can call it bad luck, but more than likely the wind was already blowing, and you should have planned for it. Which gets me back to the main point:
You’re Not Being Punished
When people use the phrase “being punished for a good shot,” they’re likely talking about one of the following: hitting the ball into a hazard they didn’t see, getting an bad bounce or the ball not sticking where it landed, being forced into a tough lie or stance, or not having a direct line to the hole. None of these are bad luck, and none of them reflect that you hit a “good shot.”
What Is a Good Golf Shot?
A good golf shot requires several components. First, it’s well struck. That’s the part that most people think of initially, and perhaps solely, but it’s not the only requirement. A good golf shot also requires proper aim and alignment. Finally, it needs the right strategy and the right club for the situation at hand.
Let’s imagine some extreme examples to illustrate the importance of each piece. If I hit the longest drive of my life on a 98-yard par 3, that’s not a good shot. Hitting a beautifully flighted, 100 yard wedge isn’t a good shot if you’re aimed 45 degrees to the left of the flag. I can have perfect aim and make the best swing of my life, but hitting PW on a 210-yard par 3 isn’t a good shot, either.
Ignorance Is Not a Defense
It’s completely fine to say, “I didn’t know that was there.” Just don’t pair it with “I was punished for a good shot.” You’ve already told on yourself: you didn’t do your homework. There are dozens of free GPS apps for your phone. Many courses have yardage books or on-cart GPS units. You can check out a course on Google Earth or Shot Scope MyStrategy [review HERE] before you play.
Not knowing that a hazard exists is not “being punished for a good shot.” Your shot lacked the appropriate strategy or may have been the wrong club, hence it wasn’t a good shot. It may have been great contact, but it wasn’t a good shot.
The same thing is true when you’re put into a tough lie or don’t have a direct line to the hole. This is common on short par 4s, extreme dog legs, or holes that are full of trees or hazards. If you mash driver through the fairway and find your ball behind a tree, that’s on you. You had every opportunity to use your GPS or rangefinder to determine that driver wasn’t the right play, you just didn’t take advantage of it.
The “Bad Bounce”
Where I most frequently hear the “punished for a good shot” rant is on courses with firmer greens. A player will hit a shot that lands pin high and bounces over the green, then they will lament the cruelties of fate. Nonsense. The fact that you normally play golf on mushy dartboard greens doesn’t mean that firm greens “punished” you, it means that you don’t know how to adapt your game.
Things to Say Instead
This is a solution-oriented website, so while I’m attempting to erase one phrase from your vocabulary, I’ll offer some alternatives.
“I hit that well.”
If anyone ever asked my dad how he played, his answer was, “I hit some good shots.” He brought that same attitude with him during the round. If he struck the ball pure and it didn’t do what he wanted, he’d shrug and say, “I hit that well.” He didn’t whine about bounces or the ball traveling too far or not far enough, he enjoyed the quality of the strike and moved on.
“I don’t like this course.”
There are estimated to be around 16,000 golf courses in the US. Some are very straightforward, some are loaded with hidden danger. A course can favor target golf or the ground game, and it can favor a fade or a draw. All of these are perfectly fine, and you can like them or not. I don’t love courses that hide their hazards, but I won’t moan about “being punished”; I’ll just say I don’t care for the course and play somewhere else.
“Golf Is hard.”
It’s damned hard to hit a golf ball really well. When you layer on the difficulty of needing perfect aim, alignment, strategy, and club selection, you realize that truly excellent shots are rare. In the long run, golf is undefeated – no one consistently beats the game. Enjoy your wins and take your losses with good humor.
Editor In Chief at Plugged In Golf
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.