OC Golf Course

I just saw Phil Mickelson's blowup at the 13th hole US Open and it is a little hard to watch! To see a tour pro struggle with such a short shot shows us just how hard golf really is.

At the 13th par 5, Phil was faced with a short shot to a uphill green where the pin location is extremely close to the front pin. Since it was already his 3rd shot and he wanted a birdie badly, he chose to try hitting the ball very close. Unfortunately for him, the ball hit 5 yards in front of the green, bounced twice and then spun back and down the hill about 40 yards. Without thinking smart, he tried to play aggressively to hit the front of the green. Again, same result. I'm not sure if he's stubborn or what but he did this again. Finally, he did the smart thing and played for the middle of the green and at least got it up there. Check out the video below of his whole round to see it for yourself.

It's always unfortunate to see something like this but seeing this reminds me of a good course management tip - If you want to lower your scores, learn how to minimize your risks!

Phil is very good at golf and he plays Torrey Pines 2 times a week. If he can waste 4 shots playing aggressively, doesn't that suggest to you that sometimes it's just better to play it safe?

Often times, we are faced with shots that we might be able to pull off but most likely won't. Like those 200+ yard shots over water on a par 5 or 180 yard shot over a tree. If the risks are high, maybe we should play for the safe shot.

The key of course is to think about the risks and rewards on every shot. If we can measure that against our skill level and play for the likely outcome, I'm sure scores will be lower!