Aim small, miss small

I remember my first time at The Players Championship as if it were yesterday. Warm, humid conditions with some wind and the odd thunderstorm greeted golfers that week. Not unusual for Florida in May. 

The host venue, TPC Sawgrass, is a world-renowned golf course, mostly because of the dramatic closing stretch. No. 16, 17, and 18 are three of the most daunting finishing holes in golf. All have water involved, but none more intimidating than at the island green par-3 17th. 

During my first practice round, I rounded the corner of the dogleg on the par-five 16th, and caught my first glimpse of it. As I kept walking, 17 came fully into view. There it was in all its glory. Water, water, and more water, encircled a green oasis. 

After finishing up reconnaissance of 16, I walked across to the 17th tee, looked up and thought...

"Actually, this doesn’t look too bad. It's just a short iron.”

The green looked plenty big enough, and so I duly knocked a wedge smack in the middle of the putting surface. No big deal.

Then, in the first round, as I walked off the back of 16 green again, I began to realize why the 70-meter or so walk from there to the tee is one of the most daunting in golf. My eyes started wandering over to the green, which was a mistake, because I saw things I didn’t want to see. 

The wind was swirling, and the water was moving about all over the place, lapping into the sides of the wooden sleepers that reinforce the surrounds of the putting surface. The dry land 130m away I’d seen the day before suddenly appeared much smaller. I decided to keep my head down and stare at the ground the rest of the way. Once on the tee, I looked up again.

“What the hell,” I thought. “Did somebody shrink the green overnight, and why is it moving?”

The choppy water made it look like it was swaying from side to side. I’d had a tough day already, and standing there at three over par, it seemed as though it was about to get much worse. I had to get a grip, and fast! 

In these moments, I’ve always been good at turning negatives into positives. The trick is to focus on what you need to do, rather than (obviously) what you don't want to happen. 

“Aim small, miss small” I said to myself.

I knew if I just tried to 'hit the green' I'd probably end up wet. I had to get very specific with my target to increase the chances of staying dry. 

In the crowd beyond the green was a spectator wearing a bright red shirt, exactly where I wanted to start my ball. So, I locked in on him as I stepped up to the ball, went through my routine, and let the shot go. It wasn’t exactly where I was aiming, but because I had such a small, precise target, my ball landed safely on the putting surface. Relief was an understatement.

A two-putt par followed by a bogey up 18 meant a four-over 76 to begin my Players campaign. The next day however, I lit the place up, firing a seven-under 65 to make the cut by a couple of strokes.

That round was my best ever at Sawgrass, and I never really threatened at the tournament in the ensuing years. I thought the course would suit my game, but each year going in, my form wasn’t at its best, so middle of the field was a typical finish. 

But every time I stepped onto the 17th tee, my recurring thought was always the same… aim small, miss small. 

I played the hole, about 20 times in all, and my ball has never been wet. And given the hole’s history, that feels like a victory in itself 😉