The Lie Always Speaks the Truth
So, you broke down and hired me as your caddie for a day. That was a wise move on your part. You just might experience the round of your life today. Apparently, you seem to think that you need everything including the proverbial kitchen sink in your golf bag. No problem, I’ll manage to lug around this monster. Let’s go find your first tee shot. So, my friend, I thought I saw your ball take one hop into the rough. You really hit a nice opening drive, but were the victim of a bit of misfortune. Don’t worry about it. That’s golf! Accept it and move on. So, now let me do my job. I know you are infatuated with your range finder, but how about we make a deal. I know this course like the back of my hand and I am very well acquainted with the state of your game. So, no goofy golf binoculars are necessary and I get to hand you clubs with no talk of numbers. Trust me. I am going to save you a handful of shots over the next few hours.
Our goal for this morning is simple. There are some crucial elements involved in decision making when pulling a club from your bag. I want you to better understand the most important factors which you need to consider in this process. The most common mistake you make is apparently a universal problem. I witness it every single day. You have become so addicted to your laser yardage finder that you’ve been incorrectly programmed to think of distance first when you locate your golf ball. I don’t need your gadget to tell me what club I am going to have you swing for your second shot. I can clearly identify your golf ball in the rough. I don’t need to pick the ball up and announce that it is yours and then attempt to place the ball in a better position. Does that sound like a familiar routine? This may sound a wee bit harsh, but nonetheless I must say it. If you cannot obey the most basic and fundamental rule of this wonderful sport, then perhaps you should consider bowling! No offense meant to bowlers, I assure you. Please don’t touch the ball. Please don’t move the ball every time you don’t like what you see. You will feel better about that decision in the long run. I hear people attempt to rationalize their frequent use of foot wedges by saying, “I’m just out here to have fun.” That’s ridiculous. Who among you doesn’t play because of the very fact that golf can be incredibly fun? Reap what you sow and it will be more rewarding and satisfying. But, I digress for a moment, though not without a reason. This is heavy stuff. The rough, that is. Yes, it can be just as penalizing as hazards and trees. The number one factor which you must ponder when you arrive at your ball is the lie of the golf ball itself. It influences the quality of clubhead/ball contact you’ll potentially be able to make. Therefore, it influences the distance and trajectory of the ball as well. Yes, this means that it may very well affect your score on the hole itself. But, we can deal with this situation.
I see you glancing to locate the 150 yard marker. Yes, the hole location is on the back right of the green. That’s all well and good, but it is completely unrealistic to think that you can hit your “normal” iron shot from this lie. The lie always tells the truth. You can’t stand the truth at times because it is painful. I am here to make it easy for you. You are going to use this more lofted iron and swing smoothly. I have complete confidence that you will make sufficient enough contact to get the ball just short of the putting surface. This will leave you with a pretty lengthy pitch shot since the green itself is deep from front to back. I know how far it is to the front edge, so just hit the ball. You can give yourself a great opportunity to save par from in front.
Wonderful recovery from the rough! It rolled out a little more than we could have expected. Now, you definitely have a chance to get the ball up and down. If you had not hit the more lofted club I gave you, the chances would not have favored you making crisp enough contact to extricate the ball from the deep stuff. Some refer to this as playing conservatively. Others simply call it smart golf. It is knowing when your lie is not going to allow for you to be aggressive. Thus, this element of managing your own game, should be foremost in your mind at all times. If you choose not to factor in the lie of the ball as you prepare to hit a golf shot, you may pay a much greater penalty. There is no telling where your ball may end up. The wrong club, along with the incorrect mental approach, can certainly lead to a horrific approach shot. If you get a bad break, do not compound it by making a poor choice. The more times you choose wisely during your round, the more frequently you’ll be standing over makeable putts for bogeys, pars, and birdies, instead of those big numbers.
Hey, the wind is picking up and I think it’s going to rain. What an ideal setting, now, to continue teaching you about how to best deal with the ball as it sits awaiting your glorious blow with these ill-fitted sticks I’m carrying. Somebody once said, “Swing it easy, when it’s breezy!” That is always great advice. The harder you swing, the greater potential exists for a higher than desired ball flight. Particularly playing into the face of the breeze, you are always better off keeping the trajectory down. You don’t have to put the ball back a bit in your stance. You need not cut your follow through short. Just take more club than you normally would and swing it easy. Yes, it really is that simple. When the ground is damp, use the same thought process. Solid contact is your goal, not prize winning humungous divots. With your golf ball nearly bathing on wet turf, take one or two extra clubs and focus solely on making the most perfect swing you can. You can become a great “mudder” if you understand the importance of the lie. So, remember never to discount Mother Nature when it comes time for club selection. Your range finder doesn’t gauge wind speed or direction, does it? No, I didn’t think so. Your little gadget won’t be able to inform you if you have a “flier lie” in the rough, will it? No, it can’t help you there, either, I’m afraid. Neither is it capable of helping you determine just what to do from a lie that isn’t exactly flat. Undoubtedly, your ball will at times come to rest in a sloped fairway, maybe even in a divot, or perhaps, find a precarious spot on a mound covered with some gnarly grass. Side hill lies, uphill, or downhill lies present a set of circumstances that require you to pause and ponder prior to pulling a club. As your caddie, I can definitely come to your rescue in situations such as these. Before you look up to see if those tree limbs present a potential problem, before you look up and throw a few blades of grass in the air to attempt to figure out the wind, before you look up ahead to check out the hole location on the green, always look down. Not, down into your golf bag. Rather, look down to check your lie, because it never lies. The great deceiver is both the yardage in your head and the number on your club. Look down first, then up. Then play the high percentage shot based on the numerous variables you consider in the selection equation. So, you’ve got a decent lie, but it is in the rough. The rain has subsided, however, it has left its mark. Your ball is just slightly on an up slope. You can still feel a gentle breeze. It appears too be a helping wind. You are faced with a downhill shot, over a water hazard which fronts the green. Right of the green is Out of Bounds. You’ve got 131 yards to the middle with a difficult front hole location on a putting surface that slopes severely from back to front. How are you going to play this golf shot if you programmed only to think of numbers?
I know you watch a little professional golf on television. Why do you think it is that the on-course commentators are always asked, “What does the lie look like?”. Very simply, their fellow broadcasters in the booth know that the lie determines everything. If it is so crucial to the best players in the world, it should be important to you. Your 100% full attention is required when your ball is on a tight lie, a bare patch, pine needles, intermediate length grass, thick rough, or in wet grass, whatever its length. Oh, by the way, great round today. You shot 79 for the first time in your life. There is no charge. It was a privilege to watch you play.