Greatest Shot Ever Played

[lm0159]

During our respective golfing careers I guess we will hit many hundreds of thousands of shots, and in fact many of us will have already hit many more than that!

My question is what is the shot each of you remember most - which you hit yourself - and why?

[mongrel]

It was the summer of 1959 and my father and I were playing the Queens course at Gleneagles. We were paired with a father and son from Australia. I was 12 years old. Years later I realized that the Aussies were and became the richest men Down Under. Anyway we had these old Scottish caddies and on a par 4, I had about 100 yards to an uphill green so elevated that I couldn't even see the top of the flag stick. So the caddie held the stick aloft so I could see the flag. I took my 8 iron and put a real good swing on it. After the ball landed, my father called up to the caddie questioning where my ball had ended up. The caddie, who had replace the stick after my ball left the 8 iron clubface, spread his hands about 6 incles apart. I made the putt. I forget what my score was on that hole but what that shot so significant was the look of astonishment on the old man's face when the caddie spread his hands apart the length of the average male erection.

[Horseballs]

I have a couple that stand out. My first memory of a good shot happened when I first started playing, back when I was around 21 years old. I had played a bit of golf, but never really bothered with trying to improve or even play by the rules. I used to work maintenance during the summers at a country club, and they would let us play on Monday evenings when the course was closed. Number 16 is the signature hole, 380 with water short and right by the green. I hit a perfect drive, then hit a perfect 6 iron to about 2 feet and made the putt. Probably my first birdie that wasn't luck.
The second is my longest hole out. 170 yards on the toughest hole at the SPCC. I went birdie, eagle, birdie for my best 3 hole stretch.

[lm0159]

Good times!

I was out with a friend of mine, and my Old Man A Few weeks back, and thought I'd holed my tee shot at the first at my home course - it's 201 yard par 3. You can see the whole green from the tee, but the shot was right down the stick, and disappeared behind the flag - I thought it was in, and to my absolute shame proceeded to execute what could only be described as a fairy jump, and let out some kind of yelp - the like of which I have been unable to produce since I was about 14.

Anyway suffice to say the ball wasn't in the hole, it was six inches behind it, and made me look like a queer - I still haven't heard the end of the noise I made from my buddy and my Dad.

Not a bad dig though.

[NiftyNiblick]

Great idea for a thread, and I'm coming up empty.

Fifty-plus years means a lot of shots from which to pick, and a shot can be memorable for so many different reasons.

Hopefully, this means that my most memorable shot is in front of me. (But don't bet the farm on it.)

I'll go with my albatross two on the 16th at Wentworth by the Sea in New Castle. It didn't especially mean anything in terms of competition, but since so few of my shots do or did, I'll choose it for its prettiness. It was a Ginty from the rough after cutting off a monster piece of the inlet with my drive. If you don't know what a Ginty is, I doubt that you care, either.

My only holes in one were on executive courses and thus are unofficial.

[famousdavis]

I've hit so many great shots throughout the years that no one in particular stands out. However, I have to tell you about a shot I hit on Friday. My partner and I were up one against our opponents on the 18th tee. The 18th is a long Par 5 and it was against the wind. I hit a weak fade to the right side of the fairway and then my 3 wood hit a tree and fell down about 50 yards behind a large oak. I was faced with 210 to the green and I had to hit a fade to get it just to pass by the left side of the oak tree. I flushed my 18 degree hybrid and it missed the tree by an inch or two. The ball sailed straight at the flag and landed 5 feet from the hole. I made the birdie putt, ensured victory for my team and one $4 in dots for that hole.

SSSSShhhhhwwwiiinnnngggggg!!!

[hubijerk]

When I was in High School I was playing a match when it began to rain heavily, we played a few holes, then got to this downhill dogleg left... I hit my 2nd shot into theright green side bunker and as it had been raining and this was a low green, quite a bit of water had collected in this bunker... as we were walking up to the green, it is now absolutely dumping rain with stupid wind, my coach drives up on the cart and says match is over, bring it in, then drives off... my group agrees to play this hole, then the hole leading back up to the clubhouse because, frankly, we were having a blast, the weather was like that scene with the priest in Caddy Shack... I get to my ball and the whole bunker is under water by a few inches... knowing I can drop I elect to play it anyway, I took a swing with the lob wedge and then the biggest splash ever... ball dropped out of the sky inches from the hole, slowly lipped the edge and I tapped it in for my 1st and only underwater sand save... i don't know if that's the best shot I've ever hit, but it's the one that stands out the most in my mind...

[lm0159]

I had an epic fail once at The Ailsa at Turnberry - we weren't allowed to play from the Championship tees, but figured at close to $300 for the round, we were unlikely to be repeating the trip any time soon, so took the risk on the 10th - the Championship tee is next to the lighthouse.

I hit Driver, four iron, into 8 feet - the putt was straight up the hill, and I left it 8 inches short.

I still have sleepless nights over it.

[Pky6471]

My best shot was when I picked up a girl on a par-5, we went in a bush for a quickie....

just kidding... I wish

[lorenzoinoc]

This is an easy one. I was in a father son event at my club maybe six or seven years ago. My kid was already pretty good and I was playing a lot of golf, often with him.

We'd arranged our turns by trying to predict who'd be teeing of on par 5-s, though it rarely works, it seems to help with team focus. But on this day coming around the turn after starting on the back, we came to the first par 5 on the front, longish for our distances, with him on the tee as we'd hoped.

We were both red hot and figured we were in the driver's seat, particularly in a gross event. He nailed his drive which hit the fairway and drew around the slightly doglegging left edge.

There I stood calculating my normal 3 wood would land me in a bunker twenty yards in front of the green. Worse yet, there was a wind coming at me. No matter, this was my kid, I wanted to set an example. I swung and found my best rythym, feeling a nice pause before unwinding and it was absolutely the tits. I could only feel a slight divot after impact, not the ball.

It ended up three feet, brought cheers from competing twosomes on the next tee and was deposited by junior for eagle. We won and he still talks about that shot.

[NiftyNiblick]

Not hard to figure why you'd remember that one, L.

[lm0159]

This is an easy one. I was in a father son event at my club maybe six or seven years ago. My kid was already pretty good and I was playing a lot of golf, often with him.

We'd arranged our turns by trying to predict who'd be teeing of on par 5-s, though it rarely works, it seems to help with team focus. But on this day coming around the turn after starting on the back, we came to the first par 5 on the front, longish for our distances, with him on the tee as we'd hoped.

We were both red hot and figured we were in the driver's seat, particularly in a gross event. He nailed his drive which hit the fairway and drew around the slightly doglegging left edge.

There I stood calculating my normal 3 wood would land me in a bunker twenty yards in front of the green. Worse yet, there was a wind coming at me. No matter, this was my kid, I wanted to set an example. I swung and found my best rythym, feeling a nice pause before unwinding and it was absolutely the tits. I could only feel a slight divot after impact, not the ball.

It ended up three feet, brought cheers from competing twosomes on the next tee and was deposited by junior for eagle. We won and he still talks about that shot.

Lorenzo, dear boy - that brought a tear to my eye, I defy the man who isn't inspired by that tale.

[SoonerBS]

I don't have a certain "one" that stands out. Even my one albatross doesn't really stand out because It was a blind shot to the green from the fairway and I didn't get to see my second ball roll in on the Par 5.

My favorite "shots" though, are the ones where I am behind a tree or some kind of obstruction and have to shape the ball with a fade or draw to get it on the green. I am pulling more and more of these kinds of shots off and it is very satisfying.

[divotman]

The 2 that come to mind resulted in Eagles.

The first was a 2nd shot on a par-5. I hit a 270 yd drive to the top of the dogleg. There was a tree about 80 yds in front between my ball and the green. I just was hoping a 5-wood would clear the tree and get somewhere close to the green. When I hit it and saw it clear the tree I felt it would be close. It was. It stopped 8 inches in front of the hole. I made the putt for my 1st Eagle.

The next great shot I remember was the 3rd on a par 5. Pin was back left. I hit a draw with my 6-iron and we saw it go in. This one was special because my son was playing with me and witnessed it go in.

[Not a hacker]

Dont really recall a best ever but I can say I hit some super shots today. My swing changes of the last couple months seemed to come together. It was a practice round with nobody else on the course so I was hitting multiple balls. I took my dci gold knock offs out today and was absolutelt striping the 3i. Hit the driver suoer too. My shots actially sounded different today, the driver had a real crack to it. I could see and hear a difference with thw 3i too, you could hear it fizzing off the club. I was putting some hurt on that ball out there today.

[Fluffy]

Mine there is 3 or 4 that stand out.

1.First when I was 13 I played golf the saterday and sunday.Holed out my 3rd shot from +-100m on a par5, The next day on the same hole I holed the exact same shot.

2.My longest drives beyond 350meters, twice.Once when I was 14 hit it 370m on a downhill par5,and the most recent longest one 375m on a local par4 stroke 4 a few weeks ago.

3.Holing out my 3rd shot(after messing up my 2nd) on a stroke 1 from +-100m at age 13,par 4

4.A +-4inch short of a hole in one straigh to the hole after selecting SW to hit it 150m

5. my Par5 finishing hole when I was 15,playing provincial golf and hitting 3iron,6iron,chip to green to make birdie

[lm0159]

This is great boys I read about your triumph, and some of my own shots come flooding back. I'd venture that we have possibly all hit better shots in our time than those which we immediately remember - it's those which count for whatever reason which give us most joy.

I once had a sublime two putt from about 30 feet in a county team match, which took my partner and I, 2 up with 3 to play, and effectively sealed the deal for us as a pairing. The other guy was just inside me on the same line, and learned nothing from my putt, the dooshbag 3 jabbed, and I rolled in my tricky 3 footer in.

I still smile about it, and given it was on the 15th green in the first match of 5 ties in the overall match, no-one else really remembers, or understood the significance of that two putt, but I knew, and still know that that green gave us the impetus as a pairing to go on and win our match, but also news of our victory resonated around the course, and we started to hear news of guys who were a one or two down finding another gear - we won by 1 and a half points.

Glorious, and thanks for sharing, I am finding this reminiscence thoroughly uplifting.

[Not a hacker]

My best moment on a golf course was in a pennant natch. We were the last grouping on the course and were all square in our game and the match heading down 18. I hit a nad drive and scratched it our of the rough up near the green then chipped to about 20 feet. The other team were in the hole for par and my partner was out of business. It all came down to my putt, for the half and to square the match. It was an uphiller with about 2 cups of left to right break, and as we were the last group there about 50 people surrounding the green. My putt was as pure as any I've ever struck and the ball dove in the hole like it had eyes. That was the moment I figured out I was a better match player than stroke player. The 90 minute bus ride back to our course was pretty enjoyable.

[Horseballs]

My most satisfying round came in the finals of a year long partner event. Starting at about the 10th tee, a gallery of people who played earlier started following our match. We were 3 down standing on the 13th tee. Both of my competitors were getting a handicap stroke, and I was not. My partner is stroking too, but effectively eliminates himself on the tee shot. Both opponents hit great drives, I hit a weak shot into the trees on the right, with absolutely no shot to the green. My only shot even back to fairway is a flopped lob wedge to 150. One of my opponents hits a shot from 200 that is going straight for the pin. I hit a great third to about 8 feet. Opponent is short and chips up to 4 feet. I make, he misses, we somehow tie. I birdie the next two holes, dodging a stroke on one, to get to one down after 15. My partner gets a natural birdie on 16 to square the match. We lose 17 to be one down. Par 3 18th is a bit of a joke finishing hole, but it's a pretty great hole to finish on, due to the proximity to the clubhouse. By now, there are probably 60 people standing around the green to watch. One of my opponents hits the green to about 15 feet, the other chopper hits a bad shot. My partner (about a 13 cap) hits a shank that almost kills a guy standing on the tee. I hit to 5 feet and make the birdie to extend the match.
A bit of let down on the 19th hole, as our opponents basically choked, but we won.

[wofat]

I have two shots that really stick out, both from my childhood.

I was 16 and playing in the annual caddy tournament at the course where I caddied. My partner and I ended up in a sudden death playoff with one other team. Hole 1 (and first of the playoff) was a 385 yd par 4, dogleg right, with a significant uphill rise to the green.

There were only about 16 groups total, but of course everyone has come out to drink beer, heckle, and watch the play off. 3 of us hit the fairway, with my partner in decent shape in the rough on the left side. I put my drive right on the inside corner of the dogleg leaving about 105 uphill to the green.

Second shots saw my partner in the greenside bunker, one of their team short, and one on the green about 15 feet. I was last to go.

I hit one of my best ever wedge shots. Landed about 2' behind the pin and backed up to 3". Game over. Won't ever forget that shot.

The second that sticks with me is probably the first great shot i ever hit. I think I was 11 or 12 and about 155 out on a long par 5, but on the wrong side of the trees lining the fairway (some things never change). To get to the green I had to hit a big, high draw to get over the pines. I think it was the first time that I just totally executed the perfect shot that I had in my head. Just PURED a 7 iron, draw was just right, stuck it 3 feet to the left of the pin. Absolutely amped! Made the putt too!

[Not a hacker]

Hey Wofat, were there guys crowding you on that last hole saying stuff like "you dont got it today wofat" and "w w w w wofat! aahhhhhhhh!"?

[Not a hacker]

Hey Wofat, were there guys crowding you on that last hole saying stuff like "you dont got it today wofat" and "w w w w wofat! aahhhhhhhh!" as you were standing over the putt?