Hello golf fans and welcome to this week’s blog from Classic Swing Golf School in Myrtle Beach South Carolina with blogger Dan DeFreest.
“Ninety percent of the game is half mental.” Yogi Berra may have been talking about baseball, but as any golfer will tell you, the same applies to golf….whatever it means.
The frustrating thing about golf is that once you think you’ve figured out one problem, another one pops up. Then there are those days when everything seems to be going right, and then it all falls apart. When that happens, don’t feel bad, just consider some of the epic fails in golf history.
Jean Van de Velde was in position to be the first French golfer in history to win the British Open in 1999 when he arrived at the 18th tee with a 3-shot lead in the final round. Hitting his drive into the rough, Van de Velde decided to go for the green but his second shot flew into the grandstand area and bounded into the weeds along a stream. He hacked at his next shot which dropped into the stream. After taking a drop, he sent his next shot into a greenside bunker, from there he got up and down for a triple bogey. Van de Velde lost the Open in a playoff.
Who can ever forget Greg Norman’s classic collapse at the Masters in 1996? Beginning the final round with a 6 shot lead, Norman went on to shoot a 78, finishing five shots behind Nick Faldo. Norman was gracious in defeat but never again was a serious contender in a major.
But, the most memorable final-round meltdown was in 1966 by the King, Arnold Palmer. At the turn in the final round of the US Open, Palmer had a 7 shot lead with 9 holes left to play. Arnold shot a 39 on the back nine, ending the tournament in a tie with Billy Casper. Casper won the following day in an 18-hole playoff.
Most of golf’s famous fails occur due to poor decisions, if you want to improve your game above the shoulders, as well as below them, come and see our professionals at Classic Swing Golf School.