Calling My Shot

While at lunch yesterday, one of my friends Mark said, "You know, your name always comes up whenever Lance and  I play golf."  How's that, I asked?  "We have a shot named after you."  Oh really?

"Yes, whenever we are in the woods, or faced with a choice of hitting a safe shot, or a daring shot, we ask, are you going to go for it, or are you going to Turley it?"

"I think I'm going to Turley it and chip it back in the fairway instead of trying to hit the risky shot"

I didn't know what to think at my being a golf topic when I was not even playing.  My own shot?  Had I risen, or sunk, to the level of T.C. Chen, or Mulligan himself?  What to make of this newly discovered association?

All golf wisdom much necessarily start with the great teachers of the game.  I have been fortunate to know many of them in my years.  In the Little Red Book, Harvey Penick speaks frequently on the subject of confidence:

Take Dead Aim  - "forget about how your swing may look and concentrate instead of where you want the ball to go."

Hit a Full Approach - when in between clubs, take the lesser club and hit it harder

His pupil, Davis Love, Jr., father of Davis Love III, told me that he told his son:  You should think of swinging your driver like you swing your 7 iron."   He knew that even a great player felt better swinging a 7 iron.

Jack Nicklaus in Golf My Way, says that the hardest shot in golf in the first shot off the first tee.  Therefore you should hit the shortest club that you have confidence that you can hit well off that first tee.  The confidence will carry over in the round.

Charlie Epps, who is the instructor of Angel Cabrera, Masters and US Open Champion told me, "Hit  a shorter club for your second shot on a par 5.  It will increase your confidence, and likely give you a better chance for the 3rd shot.

Dr. Bob Rotella, sports psychologist to Davis Love III says in Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect, "Hit the shot you know you can hit, not the shot that Arnold Palmer would hit, nor even the shot you think you ought to be able to hit".  He tells the story of Palmer's famously driving the green on number 1 at Cherry Hills.  He also notes that Palmer's score on the hole the other 3 days were par, bogey, double.

His protege, Dr. David Cook in Golf's Sacred Journey, references this in his chapters on Conviction (believing that your way is the right way for you) and Shadow Casting (having control of your emotions)

Butch Harmon in The Four Cornerstones of Winning Golf says to play to your strengths -
"if you want to shot the lower score, you should not visualize a miracle shot."

So what would these great say about the "Turley" - they would agree that it is smart course management, keeping a high confidence level, and putting yourself in position for the best possible score.

That's a trait I'm happy to put my stamp on.