Annbriar #18: The Two Best and Two Most Disappointing Shots of My Life

I’ve played a lot of golf in my life. I’ve played hundreds of golf courses all over the country. And I’ve hit hundreds of thousands of golf balls. But I don’t remember the names of many of these courses. And while I’ve hit many great shots in the past twenty five years, it’s much more difficult to remember those great shots that were hit consecutively.

But I can say without hesitation, that the best two shots that I’ve hit in my life, back-to-back, were on #18 at Annbriar Golf Course in Waterloo, IL. Thirteen years ago.

Annbriar is a beautiful 18-hole golf course built in 1991 and named after a young girl who was killed in an automobile accident one year earlier. After her death, her parents pursued her dream and named the course after her in her honor. It's a stunning golf course which sits on 226 acres of heavily wooded terrain with scenic views and elevation changes. I played here for the first time in 1997 and to this day it is still one of my favorite golf courses. It was the host for our Missouri Valley Conference tournament and the course where I would be completing my career as a collegiate athlete at Bradley University.

Leading up to the tournament, I felt like I had underperformed all year as one of the team’s best players. I don’t remember playing with anyone who hit the ball farther than I did. And I felt I was pretty strong with my short game, wedge and bunker play. My biggest problem was the mental side of the game and the inability to block out the negative thoughts that enter every golfers head. I’d play reasonably well during many rounds but then string together a couple of bad holes which inevitably leads you to a bunch of rounds in the mid to high 70s. Not good.

The 3-day conference tournament played out like so many others had earlier that year. The team fell out of competition early. And as I stood on the tee box of the 18th hole of my final round, I remember thinking to myself, "this is it". This would be my last hole as a college golfer. I told myself that I wasn't holding anything back and that'd I'd play this hole harder than any other hole my whole life.

The 18th hole is a bear. It's a long par 5 measuring 603 yards from our set of tees. The tee shot is slightly downhill at a grade of about 10-15 degrees. At about 340 - 360 yards off of the tee, the fairway splits and the hole begins to dogleg to the right and back uphill at a grade of probably 15-20 degrees. Massive oak trees line both sides of the hole.  It's one of those par 5s where I'd normally have to check my ego and commit to making it a 3 shot hole. In other words, playing it safe and putting yourself in position for an easy third shot somewhere between 80 and 120 yards. But not today.

I remember telling my 2 playing partners on the tee, "I'm getting there." Meaning, in 2 shots and not the normal 3 or 4 shots normally required for a hole this long and difficult.  I was going to swing as fast and hard as I possibly could to get to the green in 2 shots and hopefully give myself a chance to roll in a long putt or chip for an eagle (score of 3).

Prepared to swing faster than I ever have in my life, I teed it up. Boom! Absolutely crushing it right down the middle. Good start. I thought that I'd at least have a chance to get to the green on the next shot. At least that's what I thought before reaching my ball in the fairway. As I stood over my ball, I realized how much more difficult this second shot would be. While the tee shot was probably around 320 yards; I still had close to 280 yards to reach the green, I was still on the downslope of the fairway with my ball slightly above my feet, I had to hit a fade (left to right shot) to follow the contour of the dogleg, and the shot was uphill probably adding another 15-20 yards. But the most daunting part of this scenario was that I'd have to use my 8 degree driver to do it.  No way could I hit a 3wood that far uphill.  The margin of error was zero.

I went through my pre-shot routine remaining confident that I could pull it off.  I stood over the ball with the same determination to "get it there"; open the stance, open the club face slightly, place the ball a bit up to my left toe, set the club early with my wrists, and swing as hard as I possibly can. Boom! The contact was even more solid than the tee shot as the ball screamed off the club face. The ball hugged the left side of the fairway no more than 20 feet off the ground in the first 150 yards. Then like a jet taking off, the ball began to slowly rise and follow the shape of the dogleg just as I had envisioned. Being that the shot was uphill all the way to the green, the ball never did get more than 40-50 feet off of the ground. When the ball came to a stop, it was no more than 10 feet off the front of the green in the fairway. I did it.  I had gotten there in 2 shots and had given myself a chance to make that eagle 3.

The pin was cut in the middle, left-side portion of the green which left me about a 40-50 foot putt or chip depending on how I wanted to play it. I figured chipping an 8-iron would give me the best chance to hole the shot. I pull the club from my bag. Take a few practice swings. And then it happened...

I sarcastically thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be something if I only made par (score of 5)?"

I did it again. For that split second, I lost focus.

I make contact and the ball runs up the green close to the pin until stopping 7 feet short, right of the hole. Not a terrible shot. But the damage had already been done. And the self-doubt that had always crept into my brain was embedded. I missed the short putt for birdie (4). And there it was. A score of par (5).  I had virtually told myself what the outcome would be.

Truth be told, I wasn't all that disappointed that I missed the eagle chip. But what was demoralizing was the fact that I didn't at least make a birdie (4).  In large part because I let the same negative thinking that had peaked it's ugliness in my head so many times before, ruin my concentration for the shot at hand and hindered my ability to execute each shot.  The 2 best consecutive shots of my life were followed by probably the 2 most disappointing. And that hole, #18 at Annbriar, was a microcosm of my collegiate athletic career.

What if I could've had a tool with me that day at Annbriar? Just a little something to remind me as I stood over my 3rd and 4th shots to Enjoy The Momement, or to Trust Yourself, or to Believe In My Ability, or to simply Smile. Would that have resulted in a different outcome on the 18th hole?  Maybe not.  But what if it would have? I wish I could go back in time to find out.

Zach
Founder and Owner, PTR Labels
http://www.ptrlabels.com/