PLAY THE 90 SHOT (to get 100 of what you want)

For the vast majority of players, golf is a game best played with a strategy of mistake avoidance and risk management. It’s that 8, the dreaded snowman, that kills what otherwise was a good round.

Far too often players of all ability levels attempt difficult and risky shots that turn out bad. Players can recover from the loss of a single shot but pesky “trouble bogies” can never be redeemed.

Arguably the greatest golfer of the modern era, Jack Nicklaus, played with a very simple strategy of hitting shots that he considered having a 90% chance of successful execution. Whether it was a tee shot, approach shot, recovery shot or first putt, Jack always took the conservative approach and avoided self-destructing. It takes great self-discipline to play golf with this philosophy but the reward is a reduced number of blow-up holes, and good scores when you are not hitting the ball well. While it can be fun to occasionally pull off that miracle shot through the trees or over the water to the green, it seldom works out and we regret having made the attempt.

The goal of the game of golf is to shoot the lowest score possible. Use the strategy of the “90% success shot” and see if your scores don’t begin to trend down.

Andrew Tucker, PGA
Director of Instruction
Lakewood Country Club
Denver, Colorado
golfcoach@pga.com

(Andrew Tucker began playing golf at age seven, gained his PGA membership in 1991 and has taught golf for 20 years. During his career, Andrew has worked with hundreds of golfers and his ability to communicate with golfers is what makes him a superb teacher. His coaching centers on time-tested fundamentals of the game. Andrew is able to utilize state of the art V-1 digital video and has developed a methodology for teaching by breaking the game in to four (4) distinct categories: Ball Striking, Short Shots, Putting and Game Management.)

LEARN MORE ABOUT ANDREW TUCKER AND HIS VIDEO LESSON CAPABILITY—YOU CAN LIVE ANYWHERE THERE IS INTERNET AND GET A LESSON FROM HIM—CONTACT HIM AT (303) 549-0607 or golfcoach@pga.com.

THE RULING: Can I Borrow A Ball?

A player cannot borrow a club from another player playing on the course, but the rules do not prevent a player from borrowing other equipment (balls, towels, gloves, tees, etc.) from another player. USGA RULE 4-4a