[okie]

Trying not to hit into a hazard tends to produce massive bailouts ! I select the spot I want to the ball to land and try to land it there. I always liked Johnny “the Mormon Mouth” Miller’s traffic light shot selection system. I think it terms of ABC. A - I can pull it off 20% of the time B - 60% C - 90%+

Story: I once watched a really good player hook three consecutive 5 irons out of bounds. The thing was it was a long par 4 and an especially tough driving hole. The idea was to play it like a par 41/2, or something. He proceeded to make three scared swings. Watching this implosion unfold before my eyes, I put my 2 iron back in the bag and laced my best drive of the day!

The key is not so much about moving it towards or away from trouble, but rather focusing on where you want the ball to land. If you like to hit a draw, you gotta start it right and visa versa I tend to drive the ball better on tree lined courses, as opposed to the links-type layouts. Why? My target is better defined for me. Scared golf is not much fun.

Maybe Hennybogan, or the other tour caddies could weigh in on this one