We have all been there. We have all gotten ourselves into tough situations where we may have hit the wrong shot or dwelled on a bad shot to the point where it affected multiple holes after the fact. Here are a few ways to recover from bad shots:
You want to determine how and why the bad shot came to be. It may be that you didn't commit to the shot, you picked the wrong club, picked the wrong shot or you were thinking a million thoughts during your swing. It's important to pinpoint where the shot went awry. Knowing what caused the bad shot will help you in coming up with a solution. It is easy to dwell on the past but that in turn does no good. In realization, assessing what happened can help ease your nerves and with a solution you can move forward into making better choices on the course.
Keeping a positive outlook during the round will always help golfers recover from bad shots.
“Out of sight, out of mind,” if you hit a wayward shot, access it and move on. There is no point in standing there and staying upset over something that already happened. There are a lot of shots played in one round of golf and you never know what is to come, so you might as well stay hopeful and optimistic for the entirety of the round.
Bad shots may lead you into some interesting situations on the course. You may find yourself behind a tree or up against a rock. The best way to recover from these shots is to hit the high percentage shot. Hitting a high percentage shot means hitting a shot that will put you back into position on the hole. This also means avoiding hitting a crazy shot that you have to maneuver over trees, over bunkers to a tucked pin. Keep your recovery shots simple and less damaging. Sometimes walking away with a bogey is the best you can do. This will also keep you from having any high scoring holes at the end of the day.
-Paige Lee
Professional Golfer
