2017 Open Revisited - Use Rules To Your Advantage

The next time you find yourself thinking "let's just hit it and get out of here", take a leaf out of Jordan Spieth's book and use the rules of golf to your advantage. 

On the final day of The Open last year, we all watched as Jordan Spieth took that drop after his wayward drive at the 13th. Spieth missed his tee shot right, hitting a spectator and bouncing onto a mound. In what seemed like ages of Spieth weighing up his options of how best to escape the hole without ruining his card, he declared the ball unplayable and proceeded to take a drop on the nearby driving range. And the rest is history. Spieth walked away from that hole with just a bogey, then finished his final five holes in 5-under par to win the Claret jug.

What Jordan Spieth chose to do at the 13th was simply a smart use of the rules. He had three options from where his ball finished- go back to the tee and reload, drop the ball within two club lengths, or drop as far as back as he liked in-line with the flag. By weighing up all of his available options, Spieth was able to limit the damage to his card to just a bogey.

How many times have you found your ball in a gnarly lie on the golf course and rushed into a decision about how to play the shot- desperate to get out of the situation as quickly as you can but proceeding to do the total opposite? We’ve all been there, in a bunker, trapped behind a tree, or even just that tiny tap-in that you never thought you’d miss. If only we took a bit more time to work out our options, then we’d all be a lot better off.

We’re not condoning slow play, in fact it’s quite opposite. What we’re saying is, don’t be afraid to use the rules of golf to your advantage and take your time; the time you ‘waste’ in working out the best shot to play or relief to take will almost always be quicker than the multiple shots that follow as a result of a bad decision.

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