Almost every single golf shot choice comes down to two possibilities; risk or reward. But which should you choose? This is a question that many golfers will ask themselves during a round and the answer is always clearer with hindsight.
Throughout the decades there has always been a golfer that stands out as the ultimate risk taker, playing shots that are seemingly self-destructive, but when they come off they inevitable result in a tournament victory or a slice of golfing history that will live long in the memory of the millions of fans across the world.
A perfect example of a risk taker is the great Phil Mickleson who has produced shots of pure brilliance when the “correct” shot would have been deemed a chip back into the fairway to leave a chance of salvaging par, but Mickleson had belief and knowledge on his side as well and it is here where the debate of risk and reward come to a head. If you have an immense amount of skill, and as Mickleson has admitted, actually practiced the type of seemingly disastrous shots, then the risk is greatly reduced, so is it a risky shot? Yes, it is, but the fact that you know that you are capable of pulling it off, increases confidence and reduces the element of risk. If in hindsight it seems as though it was a reckless choice of shot, the risk-taker can put it down to not executing the shot as well as they had hoped, rather than putting it down to stupidity.
On the other side of that coin is the golfer that always plays the percentages, one that springs to mind is Nick Faldo, considered at his best almost robotic. He seemingly always made the correct decision and was praised for his course management.
As an amateur the risk on most unusual shots far outweighs the reward, why? Simple; because the amateur is unlikely to have practiced the escape shot with any regularity or indeed approach the shot with anything other than a huge dose of doubt.
I believe that there is no risk involved in any shot, if we correctly plan it and play within our own strengths, the risk comes when we try to do something that is outside of our ability or comfort zone. As an amateur the reward comes from executing the shot correctly and having a chance of birdie or the feeling of “that felt great”. If we take on a risky shot, and we do not achieve the desired result, we deem it to be the risky decision, with hind sight. Pull it off and the outlook is different.
Risk, for an amateur is rarely rewarding, so play within yourself and keep those big numbers of the card.
Recent Comments