Shot that required the most guts?

[TheMackDaddy]

Whats yours?

Title says it all, what was the single "gutsiest" shot you have ever hit in your life.
Mine was in a tournement a few years ago. I needed a par to shoot 79 and get solo second. The conditions were awful, and it was a strong field. On the 18th hole, my drive plugged in mud INSIDE the water hazard, so i couldn't lift clean and cheat.... I mean place. So about one quarter of the ball was visible, and the shot was all carry over water, slightly uphill. I didn't feel like taking a drop, so i grabbed my 9 iron and hacked. Thankfully, I hit it thin. It went over the 120+ yards of water, hit into the bank and shot forward. It rolled onto the green and I two putted for par, and second place. I like sharing stories.:clapping:

[baseballfrk8998]

Right now all of my tee shots require guts. I NEVER know what's going to happen.

[avrag]

Last year in a 4-ball better ball stroke play competition. Last hole, par 4, green surrounded by water short and right, OB (clubhouse terrace) just over the green and a 3 meter deep pot bunker short left. We were up by 2 shots, my partner had hit his tee shot OB and his 2nd tee shot into deep rough and hacked out his 4th onto the fairway, but too far from the green for him to attempt to reach the green over a water hazard, so he layed up short of the water in 5. Our opponents each hit their approaches over the water, did not hit the green, but were not far away and had the (outside) chance of a chip-in birdie. So I had to make sure of making par, and I had about 140 meters over the water, 155 to the pin, with a 20 km/h wind hurting from the left. Hit a six iron to the middle of the green and had the feeling that my knees were rubber just after the ball stopped about 5 meters from the hole. It has to be said that my partner acted like the perfect caddy just before the shot. He asked me what I would normally hit and I said "7". He said "Take the six, make a smooth swing and don't worry."
After both opponents only managed to chip onto to the green, but not in, I knew I had 3 putts to win, so that was easy then.
In the next round of this competition, when I had completely botched up the 16th hole, my partner made an impossible chip from behind a green that was fiercely sloping towards a water hazard, somehow managed to stop the ball on the green and made an 8 meter putt for a double bogey that kept us in front by 4 shots with two holes to play (we had been up by six before that and thought we were cruising to victory). It also led to the opponent miss his birdie putt. I would not have fancied that chip at all, and it just shows how things in a team event even out with time.

[Albatros]

Any tee shot that requires a draw with a longer club. I have to alter my swing to draw the ball and it doesn't always work. Plus its never a start right and comeback draw. Its always more of a pull draw. I play a narrow tree-lined course a lot that has 3-4 holes like this. I'd say I usually pull it off on 1 or 2 holes, but I've never pulled it off on all 4 holes in one round.

[larrybud]

Probably in 2004 or 2005. Tournament, playing out of my mind at the time (8 handicap, only 2 over par through 16 holes). 17th hole is about 190 yards completely over water, with really no bailout. I took out a 3 iron (which I carried at the time) and just said to myself "commit". Drilled it about 15 feet past the flag. Finished par, par, and won the tourney.

[SpinMill75]

Downhill, tight lie with a wedge to a green sloping away from you with trouble ( water, bunker) behind green.

Yikes.

[flaun]

First round of a tourney a couple months ago. Last hole of the day was the 2nd most difficult on the course. After a bailout punch 3 wood still had a very difficult approach shot. Dead into a stiff wind, 178 yards to a severly elevated green with the pin only 5 paces from the front. Only club that would have the distance was my 3 iron, but I normally hit it fairly low. Decided to hit a cut to try and get the ball up, my normal shot is a low hook. No real room to bailout without being 30 yards out. Trusted my shot and pured the best high 3 iron I've ever hit. Middle of the green dead over the pin. 2 putt par and took the low round of the day and the honey-pot !!!

[Boots McRae]

Not sure this qualifies for the question but here goes.... Setting the stage: My sophomore year in HS I was the number 5 guy on our team. I had been struggling for the first 5 or 6 tournaments. It was so bad a couple of the guys on the team went to the coach and asked that he bump me from the top 5. The coach decided against it but my confidence was crushed. Next tournament was against our HS rival and a couple of other teams that were average golfers. I get to the 18th hole and I am even par. It's a par 4 dogleg right. I smoke a drive with a slight fade and it just trickles into the rough. One of the guys walks up to me and asks what I am. I tell him I am even and he says well you need to birdie. I survey the shot and I do notice there is a overhanging branch in front of me but I don't think there is anyway it will give me trouble. Its a 90 yard shot with a 56 degree wedge. Everyone is watching the hole because we are the last group on the course. I didn't find this out until afterwards but my dad looked to the player that came out and talked to me and said he is going to hit that branch. Sure enough I hit it square and left myself a 75 yrd shot for the birdie. You could feel the disappointment. The pin is on a ridge that falls off left and right and its about 15 yards from the front edge. I get over the ball and hit a perfect shot at which point I kinda said to myself "you can't hit it any better than that." The coach for the rival school looked at our coach and said thats got a chance. It took 2 bounces short of the green and rolled perfectly into the hole. Best shot I ever hit considering the pressure and everything else involved. We went to a playoff because my birdie only tied them (I was under the impression it would have won the tournament) and we lost on the second playoff hole. I am not sure if this counts as a gutsy shot BUT it felt like I was going to puke my guts out when I hit it.

[RookieBlue7]

Mine has to be turning a right handed club upside down and hitting it in the cup from the greenside bunker for a birdie to close my match play opponent out on the last hole in out annual Ryder Cup style event a few years ago. Didn't have a choice, a tree had fallen into the bunker the night before and it was right against it so I couldn't swing conventionally.

[RedskinsGolfer]

HS Tournament this year. No one on my team was playing well...(Including me). My coach came up to me on the 17th hole and said i had to finish strong. 17 was a par five and i knew i had to make a birdie. After my second shot I was 260 out, and I had a 5 wood. I had a lot of time to think about it because in the group in front of me a guy lost his ball, so i was standing over that shot for a good 15 minutes. I was scared to death because there was OB left and water right. Anyway i told myself just swing and I ended up hitting on the green. Made birdie and we one regionals and went to states!

[northgolf]

Any steep side hill putt from above the hole on 18 to win. You have to hit it firm to hold the line and any miss means you are toast. Just takes courageous temerity to hit that shot - guts as it were.