There comes a time on the golf course when you are left with a clear choice. Do you take the attacking shot, which if played well will leave you with a great chance of making a birdie or even an eagle? Or do you play a more conservative shot, keeping the ball safe but resulting in a par?
This is known as risk/reward and you will probably have come across the term before when playing or watching golf.
A good example of a risk/reward hole is a par-4 which is driveable to the green. In other words, you can take a driver on the tee and hit the ball the full distance of the hole, so it reaches the green in one shot. This will give you a great chance of making an eagle and almost certainly guarantees a birdie.
However, between you and the green, there is a hazard of some kind, which if you try and reach the green in one shot, will come into play. Get the shot slightly wrong and your ball will end up in the water, resulting in a dropped shot.
Thankfully, there is an alternative route to the hole, which takes the hazard out of play completely. By taking this route, your ball will be safe, even if you do not connect with it perfectly but you will require a second shot to reach the green. This will severely reduce your chances of making a birdie and eliminate the chance of anything lower.
So, the question is, what do you do in this situation?
Firstly, look at the distance to the front of the green. Can you comfortably carry the ball to this area without it dropping short and into the hazard? Be honest with yourself, if you know it is out of reach for you, why take it on? If other players in your group can hit the ball further than you, do not bow to the pressure and try and follow suit.
If you know you can comfortably reach the front of the green, you can take on the risky shot and potentially reap the rewards.
The next thing to take into consideration is the weather. If the wind is driving towards you, this will have a big impact on ball flight. Therefore, in this instance, the best bet would be to play the safer route.
Check where the flag is positioned on the green. If it is near the front edge and you are using a driver to reach the green how are you going to get the ball to stop near the flag? It will be impossible and the ball is likely to run away from the hole. Think about how close you can get to the hole and if you can stop the ball on the green.
Finally, if you are playing in a tournament, think about the score before playing a risk/reward hole. If you have a good lead, why take the risk of dropping shots when you don’t need to? On the other hand, if you are behind and holes are running out, then it makes sense to take it on and try and close the gap on the leaderboard.
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