Mental preparation for certain hole...

ok...not sure if this is the correct forum to post on but i have a question concerning mind preparation for a "bothersome" hole....

on my local course i have one hole that gives me fits everytime i play it....a par 5....woods all the way down the right hand side of the fairway and a pond on the left....everytime i get to this hole i dead pull my drive ....straight as an arrow belined for the water....i can hit the fairway on every drive but this one kills me...

what i'm looking for is any kind of idea as to how i can mentally get myself focused on the fairway and forget about the water or the woods....this hole has ruined some good scores for me this year

pass along some ideas to me....anything will help right now....

tks

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When the going gets tough.....the weak step aside !!

Have you tried making it a 3 shot par 5? Or a 4 shot par 5? Play an iron off the tee? Hit 5 iron, 5 iron, 5 iron (or 5,5,7; or whatever)

Is it possible to hit short of the pond, then play from there?

I'm with Lowpost for the tactical change until you've worked out what it is that makes your ball find the magnetic lake.

Even the best have this mental failing from time to time.

Take Corey Pavin in the 1986 Masters. On both the 3rd and 4th days he eagled 15 only to stick his tee shot in the water on 16.

He spoke to Bob Rotella about it and confessed that he really tried to focus on his target, but at the last second his awareness focused on not hitting it in the lake and, hey presto, H2O.

I must say that his shot on day 4 was horrid (I have the DVD)! It landed in the pond a good 15 yards shot of the bank! Nice strike Corey!

It'll take time to get around your brain box on this one. If you really want to be able to bisect two hazards like trees on one side and water on the other (sounds like our 3rd hole at my course) you're gonna have to learn how to let go of your watery thoughts. Perhaps even purposefully aim in the trees to begin with. Learn what it feels like to hit to that side of the fairway and take it from there.

If your hole is anything like our one, the tee lines up to aim you at the lake, so aiming across at the trees takes some effort!

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Luke: I don't believe it!
Yoda: That is why you fail.

your thoughts has been a possibility in my mind when i play.....cant put the tee shot in front of water as about 150 yards from there is a big ole oak tree....

teeing off with a 5 iron could be the answer.....put it down the fairway about 160 or 170 yards and then come back with a 3-wood to setup for the wedge into the green....

this hole plays about 500 yards...but a good long tee shot can reach a big hill and the roll can take you down to where you could easily have a shot of gettin on in two...which could lead to something i just thought of...maybe i'm playing the hole as if i could be putting for an eagle and overswingin to get that 250 or so yard drive....

i'll probably be playing in a day or two and try the 5 iron off the tee and maybe come back with a five iron...but ususally the 2nd-3rd shot are fine...just the initial tee off shot it has that eye for the water....

very good advise....will definately make another post if all seems to go fine..

tks

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When the going gets tough.....the weak step aside !!