Have you ever complained about how unfair the game of golf can be when faced with a bad lie? Thought that the golf gods had placed a curse on your game? Most of us have been there.
Bad lies are just as much a part of the game as pars and birdies.
It will do your golf game a world of good to concede the fact that you are not exempt from the occasional bad lie and figure out the best way to cope with them.
One thing for sure when you find yourself in a bad lie situation is that you've got to have both skill and imagination.
Every bad lie is a little different from anything you have ever dealt with before.
There is more or less grass behind the ball, the sand is a bit wet, the tree limb is hanging lower, the wind is blowing differently and the pin is in a different location.
To achieve your desired result you must recognize and adjust for all of the variable that come into play.
That is where my analytical mind is at its best.
And that is why I am better at these kinds of shots than many of the guys I play with.
That's no brag, it's a fact.
Once the situation has been assessed properly the next step is to determine what type of shot the lie requires and how to flight the ball to land it on target.
This is where you need to use your creative side.
You'll need to imagine the shot, how it will fly under that limb, over the lake or over the trap and onto the green close to the pin.
The knack for using your imagination is something each golfer has to develop for themselves.
I can't teach that.
Don't know if anyone can.
You've seen countless examples of this while watching the pros play.
Phil Mickelson's now famous shot from the woods with the ball lying on pine straw to the the 16th green on Sunday during his 2010 Master's win is one that quickly comes to my mind.
Who else would have both the imagination and courage to attempt that shot? The other key element for applying creativity to your bad golf situations is skill.
You need to know that you can handle the circumstances that makes this shot difficult.
Skill comes from having the knowledge of the proper technique or adjustments to apply to the shot and lie combination you are now faced with to create the desired outcome and the confidence of having done it before either on the course or the practice range.
Skill is just what "How to Conquer Golf's Trouble Shots" is all about.
It can teach you the specific skills required to play the wide variety of escape shots you might face.
Like finding your ball in a bad lie, when its windy or when your ball is found buried in a bunker.
You need specialized skills to handle those golf situations.
Skills you can learn when you read "How to Conquer Golf's Trouble Shots".
The next time you are facing one of those troublesome lies there will be no need to curse the golf gods.
Just turn on your creative mind and fashion just the kind of escape shot you need.
You'll be proud and your scores will shrink.