Now some of these questions are a little outlandish and will never happen on the golf course - but take these questions in stride and have FUN with them.

For example how would you answer if I asked you this question:

Would you rather hit your pitching wedge from 50 yards away to an island green surrounded by water that is:

Only 5 yards in depth (front to back) and 40 yards wide (left to right)

Or

To a green that is 40 yards in depth and only 5 yards wide?

I believe most Golfers would take the first one - the 40 yard wide green.  What should this tell you if you picked it?  It tells you that you're too concerned with direction and not on how much harder it is to control your distance.

For example - there isn't a Player in the world that could land that ball and stop it on that green more than 3 out of 10 times.  Imagine how many times you would come short of the green or fly over a green that is only 5 yards in depth?  And the times you did land on it - how many times would you have enough spin on the ball to stop it from bouncing over the back edge?

Though a Player could land safely on the 40 yard long green at least 7 out of 10 times (being off on direction only 3 times).  Direction is important - though it's easier for every level of Golfer (from the 72 Golfer to the 120 Golfer) to come closer in direction than it is to come closer in distance.  Again, just think how many times you'd come short of that green if it was only 5 yards front to back.

Meaning, you won't be more than 7.5 feet to the left or the right of the middle of the target as many times as you would be 7.5 feet short or long of the middle of the target!

So for your wedge shots on the golf course - are you more concerned with being more than 5 yards off to the left or to the right OR are you more concerned with being 5 yards off short or long.  If you're like 7 out of 8 Monkeys, you're too concerned with direction!

So here are the questions:

Would you rather: 

Hit your best, most solid, perfect shot from 155 yards to the flag - watch as your ball flies perfectly straight at your target - a perfectly struck ball going directly at the flag - yet flies over the green by 5 yards

Or

Hit a half topped, line drive, ugly looking shot from 155 yards to the flag that lands 35 yards short of the green, but continues to roll up onto the green and ends up 12 feet from the hole

Would you rather:

Hit 14 solid, perfect Drives that carry 275 yards down the fairway.  Drives that your playing partners can't stop talking about how beautful a shot it is as you watch it soar through the air.  Yet all 14 Drives get a terrible bounce that knocks the ball 40 yards to the right into the trees which leaves you only one option of hitting straight back out to the fairway without advancing the ball 1 yard closer to the hole

Or

Hit 14 Drives that slice 15 yards and go about 190 yards, but each Drive lands in the fairway leaving you with a 5 iron and a perfect angle to the green

Would you rather:

Hit all 18 greens in regulation and 3 putt each one of them for a Bogey

Or

Miss all 18 greens in regulation and hit one wedge shot and two putts to make Bogey on the first 17 holes, and then hit one wedge shot and one putt to make Par on the 18th hole

Would you rather:

Be known as an Excellent Ball Striker that can't break 90

Or

Be known as an Inconsistent Ball Striker that never scores higher than 89

Would you rather:

Play 18 holes today and 18 holes tommorow and score 80 today (and be very happy) and 100 tomorrow (and be increadibly frustrated because you scored 20 strokes lower the day before)

Or

Score 90 both days

In a scramble tournament - would you rather:

Be the Golfer in the group that gets chosen to hit their tee shot last in the group because you're "The Bomber" (once someone else in your group is safe in the fairway) so you can try to bomb a ball as far as you can

Or

Would you rather be the Golfer picked to putt last in your group because you're known as the best putter and you could watch every body putt so that you can read their putts and have a better idea of what the ball is going to do

Players will pick the second answer in each question because they don't mind being called "Lucky" as long as they consistently have the lowest score

Go ahead - Be a Player!

Regards,

Marc Solomon - Your Instructor For Life