I love asking golfers what they are thinking before they hit a shot.
As a former professional golfer, I still find it interesting how fast the mindset can shift. A player gets a tough lie and instead of thinking, “Just get this on the green”, the thought turns into, “Maybe I can hole this or pull off something special.”
That is what stood out to me watching Cameron Young talk through difficult lies in a recent Titleist video. He is one of the best players in the world and even he is quick to accept when a lie has taken certain shots off the table. He is not trying to force something heroic. He is solving the problem in front of him.
That is the part most golfers get wrong.
1. He accepts the lie before he tries to fix it
Young does not walk into these shots acting like every bad lie still allows for a perfect result. He is quick to admit when he has made a mistake, when the shot is difficult and when the best realistic outcome is simply leaving himself a makeable putt.
That sounds simple but most golfers get this wrong. They see a short-sided lie or a brutal downslope and still think in terms of getting it close (or in).
Sometimes, the smartest thing you can do is admit the lie has already taken options away from you.
2. His first priority is strike, not the perfect-looking shot
A lot of amateurs get obsessed with what the shot should look like. Visualization is important but in situations where the lie is less than ideal, you need to prioritize contact.
From the downslope, from the divot and even from the nastier rough, Young’s focus is on producing the cleanest strike the lie will allow.
Bad lies are not the time to chase style points. They are the time to make sure the club gets to the ball the right way. If the contact is poor, none of the rest matters.
3. He plays for the next-best miss, not the flag
Young is also thinking about what happens if he does not pull off the shot. On one bunker shot, he talks through why being a little long is fine because there is a backstop while leaving it short brings another bunker shot into play.
On the tricky downslope early in the video, the first goal is simply getting the ball over the bunker and onto the green.
Most golfers see just the hole. Young seems to see the trouble first. He wants to remove the miss that leads to a double bogey. If more amateur golfers thought that way, they would save a lot of shots without changing anything about their swing.
4. He trusts one familiar club instead of trying to invent every shot
From the divot lie, Young mentions that he would still reach for the wedge he practices with the most because that is the club he trusts for strike quality. He even says amateur golfers do not need to know every short-game shot. If you can consistently strike one club and understand what it will do, you can make a lot of situations manageable.
That is a much more helpful message than the usual short-game advice that makes golfers feel like they need six different shots from 40 yards and in. Most players would score better if they got very good with one club and one stock motion instead of trying to become creative from every lie.
When you have one shot down, go ahead and expand your skill set.
5. Sometimes the right shot is ugly on purpose
This was my favorite takeaway from the video.
On one especially bad lie, Young more or less describes the shot as a controlled mess. He talks about trying to chunk it a little, using speed, opening the face and relying on the bounce to get the club through the ground. He even calls it a calculated poor shot and later refers to it as a purpose chunk.
That is such a useful reminder for everyday golfers. Better players are not always pulling off miracle shots from impossible lies. Sometimes, they are just better at choosing the least damaging option. The shot may not look pretty but if it gets the ball back in play and gives you a chance to save par or make a stress-free bogey, it did its job.
Final thought
The mindset Cameron Young uses is something we all can copy. You may never reach his skill level but if you can start to think more like him, it’s bound to have a positive effect on your short game.
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