Golfer finds that No. 17 isn't as easy as it looks on TV

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One amateur golfer thought this shot looked easy -- until he tried it himself.

May. 3, 2010
By Richard Hatcher

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was one of the winning entries submitted by a reader for the LINKS Magazine Writing Contest.

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Ever since I first saw the 17th green at TPC Sawgrass, I thought the tee shot to the island green wasn't so hard. "These pros are choking," I would say to myself. "It's relatively short, and I hit my irons pretty well."

My chance to prove myself finally came on a hot, humid day in late May 2008. Like most golfers, I was absolutely determined to rise to the occasion of playing the best courses. On the 1st tee, I was filled with the excitement that every new round brings.

But it wasn't long before another emotion began to take hold: fear. The starter gave us some tips to guide us through our round -- until an ominous warning: "The 17th green is the biggest in square footage, but it looks the smallest." I had committed myself not to think about No. 17 until I got to that hole -- play one hole at a time, etc. But here was the starter, already filling my mind with negative vibes about the island green.

To tell the truth, most of the round was kind of a blur. TPC Sawgrass is a great course, but the 17th hole was the dominant topic of conversation for our foursome -- during the whole trip down, at dinner the night before, and on nearly every hole leading up to it.

So it was that we finally reached the hole I had so anxiously wanted to play for years. The hole played 135 yards that day to a hole location in the middle right of the green, and there was a gentle breeze from left to right.

I chose 8-iron, a club that I was relatively sure I could at least get in the air for a chance to hit -- the starter was right -- what looked like a postage stamp of a green.

I have been nervous on golf courses before, but I had never felt the pressure like this. My heart was pounding, my mouth was dry, my palms were sweaty, and my knees were weak. Somehow, I managed to put a pretty good move on the ball.

The shot wasn't pure, but it looked like it would hit the green -- until the ball hit a pylon in front of the green and splashed into the water.

As nervous as I was on the first attempt, I was many times more so for each of my subsequent shots -- yes, shots. Instead of walking to the drop area, I reloaded from the tee and skulled my second attempt.

Then, I sliced my third 30 yards right of the green. That was when I informed my playing partners that I was determined to knock one on the green, no matter how many attempts it took. My fourth try actually landed on the back of the green before bouncing over; I chunked the fifth.

By this time, the next foursome had pulled up to the tee. But I hit my sixth attempt on the screws, and the ball came to rest about eight feet left of the hole. I drained that putt for a 13.

As I staggered back to the cart like a punch-drunk fighter, I realized that I am a much better golfer while holding a TV remote. I might have been out there forever if I had to play that shot with all the pressure the tour pros face: a full house of fans, millions watching on television, Johnny Miller commentating on how badly you are choking.

No, thank you. I'll leave that to the pros who have earned the right to put themselves through the greatest pressure cooker in golf.