How to Avoid Blow Up Holes

We’ve all been there before – you’re playing great and on pace for a decent round and then, BOOM, the dreaded “blow up hole.” Whether it’s a water hazard, a messy fairway bunker, or even chunk shot from the rough…these are the holes that can throw all of your focus out the window.

To avoid a bad hole turning into a bad round it’s important that you keep the psychology of your game as simple as possible. Don’t over analyze your swing, the wind, or anything else.  When you struggle to maintain focus and over-think these aspects of your game, you subconsciously begin to lose that easy “driving-range” swing and suddenly change your mechanics.

From a more proactive perspective, it’s also important that you learn to play more conservative golf. Sure you may be able to crush your driver to just 40-50 yards from the green on a short par 4 but if you actually accomplish this feat (never mind all the issues that often come with “over-swinging”) what other hazards or obstacles are you also bringing into play? Ask yourself, what is the good in having to play your second shot from a bunker 40 yards out when you could have been in the fairway 100 yards out with a more simple tee shot? Instead, wouldn’t a conservative 3, 4, or 5 iron right down the middle of the fairway leaving yourself a clean 100-120 shot in for your second shot have been a better option? For more on this read our recent segment on scoring better through proper golf course management.

Remember that it’s also vital that you try to stay in the game mentally during your conservative play. If you hit a ball off the fairway behind a few trees, you may be tempted to try for that highlight reel shot over the tree to get it close. Don’t go for it! One tree branch and the entire hole could be ruined. Instead, do what it takes to pop the ball back out to the fairway and continue on with the hole. A bogey is not the end of the world – the pros even do it!

Again the key here is to make sure your head is in the game at all times and do not over think anything. Always have your goal be to have fun and maintain slow, relaxed tempo with conservative shots.

Try these simple changes next time you’re out on the course and you’ll notice some strokes disappearing. Most importantly, have fun out there, and remember that golf is suppose to be fun. That’s why we pay so much money and spend five hours out there to play it!