Play Smart Golf
If you are a player who prides himself on crushing the ball off the tee, then you should be able to identify that this is not always the best strategy. Sure, those that are watching may be impressed with those monster hits, but are they consistently landing in the middle of the fairway? Long and wide is not always as good as short and straight. Here are a couple of examples of when to play smart, that I am sure we all encounter during any round of golf.
Your ball has landed in no mans land...tall, thick and unmanageable grass. In fact, you have been lucky to have even found it. This condition of higher, thicker grass will reap havoc on your club. The grass will wrap around the hosel and turn your clubhead before it even has a chance to reach the ball. All the strength in the world will not prevent this from happening. This is a circumstance where you need to play smart golf. Do not attempt to hit this ball for distance. You objective needs to be simply to get the ball back into play. Take a wedge and strike down on the ball as if it were burried in the sand. Striking down hard on the ball will lift it up into the air and place it back into the fairway. The striking down motion will help the club avoid contact with the grass until it enters near the top of the ball. Sure, this may not produce the 150 yards you need to get to the hole, but the 10 or 20 yards you get out of this shot to put you into the fairway is guaranteed to produce better results for that hole...play smart golf. Remember to strike down hard and follow through on your swing because if you have no follow through, your ball will remain at your feet.
The second tip is the ball has landed in the "beach". The old plugged ball in the sandtrap will require a swing as described above. The ball that is sitting on top of the sand will require a bit more delicate approach. The objective here will be to lift it gently off the sand. By taking a smooth, controlled swing with an open stance and clubface, strike behind the ball by about two inches. By keeping impact at about a two inch distance you will be able to land the ball softly on the green and avoid hitting the ball thin and have it fly out of the bunker into the bunker on the otherside costing you yet another stroke. Play smart golf.