88. Poor golfers are continually trying to not hit the shot they do not want

It has been mentioned on many occasions that Severiano Ballesteros hits his best shots when recovering from trouble. If he has to drill a low shot under a branch or bend the ball 50yds round a forest, it is “ no problemo”. However, put him in the middle of the fairway with the ball sat up and it is a different matter for him.

To the average player, this scenario may seem absolutely ridiculous but I first heard of this dreadful affliction back in the late 70s with a promising young player from Merseyside. This lad was beginning to make a big impression on the North Region Pga scene with some very good tournaments and finishing high on the order of merit. It was half way through one season though when he suddenly became noticeable by his absence. We were to learn that it was for the very same reason as Ballesteros many years later. I remember hearing one of his close friends say that if he managed to get it on the fairway, he hoped and prayed that it was in a divot hole just so he would not have to attempt to put a good swing on it. He would have felt much happier manufacturing a punch shot out of the bad lie.

There are two points well worth highlighting here that are central to this bizarre situation. One reason they are able to hit the “get out of trouble shots” is for the same reason why you must always be wary of the ailing golfer. Having a bad lie or a bad back gives you a ready made excuse in case the shot does not come off, so reducing the pressure that accompanies the expectation of any given shot. Reduce the pressure and you have a greater chance of success. Compare it with the ball sat well in the middle of the fairway or the player saying, “I have never felt better”, and the expectation and consequently the pressure goes up. There is now no safety net for your self- esteem and pride.

The second point is simply this. When the ball is in trouble, let’s say behind trees, you only see the route to get back in to play, the shot is therefore of a “Positive” nature and you see it crystal clear. When the ball is in a great position, be it on the tee or fairway, we now see an alternative shot to the positive one and this is, yes you guessed, the shot that can go wrong.

It is this that ultimately separates the successful player from his less fortunate fellow players. Good players attract good shots because they are the ones they focus on as opposed to the majority that focus on everything that can go wrong. They become caught up in the struggle of “trying to not hit the shot they do not want” and subsequently end up hitting it.