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Impossible Shot at St. Andrews

• maruschak 572 Posts

  Thu, Sep 15 2011 8:05 AM

  Okay, I'm playing with starter clubs, i realize the difference in yardages compared to the other hi-end sticks as it were, but one thing in particular I wish to comment on is on the 6th hole at St. Andrews, with a head wind of even as low as 8mph, if I aim straight ahead, there's NO way I can reach the fairway , so I'm lying in rough with 30-40 % difficulty!

  I've got about  129 yds to the flag,.....no matter what club I use..even a 160 yd club with a "dinger" hit on the meter...my ball winds up in the large bunker directly ahead!  like the ball traveled but 84 yards!!!!  other courses....same rough,...same club,..that ball travels at least 130 yards! Not only that...no matter how far away I aim to avoid that trap,....( sometimes I ain like 40 yds left) the ball heads straight fot the bunker, now I even take into consideration the position of ball as below or above my feet!

  Now I know someone's gonna say..."get better clubs",...that is not the issue,..what Im saying is I cannot understand why the game allows a particular shot
  Never to be executed" no matter what!

• MBaggese 15,367 Posts

  Thu, Sep 15 2011 8:30 AM

  I thought that's the 7th?  Anyway, I know the hole you speak of though...

  When on the tee, take a look off to the left and you'll see another fairway, use it...you'll hav a longer approach shot, but you'll be hitting off the short stuff.

  One thing to keep in mind, you may win up with a monster putt, I used to use a longer club to clear everything, and chip or pitch back to try and save par, bogey at worse.

  Beats trying to hack out of the 40/50 with starter clubs.

• maruschak 572 Posts

  Thu, Sep 15 2011 8:41 AM

  Thanks MB,..UR right, it is the 7th,.....and I did find that other far left fairway and used it a couple of times successfully, but I do find it difficult to correctly aim there! And UR also correct, it is the way to go, and from now on I'm taking that approach, unless of course I have a strong enough wind at my back,...and then of course there's the danger of running one into the fairway bunker!!

   

  I thank U for the response and suggestion!!

• MBaggese 15,367 Posts

  Thu, Sep 15 2011 2:32 PM

  You're welcome!

• JaLaBar 1,254 Posts

  Sun, Sep 18 2011 10:03 PM

  *shrugs*  I always hit just short of the trap, regardless of the wind.  When I played from the TM tees I would aim for the pin with wind at my back, because it was better to be in rough from 50y than fairway from 90.  But from the Legend tees it is very difficult to hit past the trap at the pin, so I lay up short of the trap.  It's a shorter approach than if you aim for that left fairway.