Mental Hazards

[Dan Herrmann]

New Treehouse member Ross Tuddenham mentioned "mental hazards" in another thread, and I thought it deserved its own discussion.

What makes a great mental hazard?  Does the mental hazard need to be a bunker or water hazard, or can it be another element such as a swale, a mound, or a tree?

Conversely, what mental hazards have you seen that don't work, and why?

[Ted Kramer]

One of the toughest mental hazards that I've encountered is the throng of golfers hanging around the 1st tee at Bethpage Black at around 8a on a beautiful morning. You walk to the tee, read "the sign", and then realize that there are a lot of pretty good players about to watch you do your thing. . .

Pretty intimidating situation for me.

And I'll admit this . . .
I've played a bunch of golf at the Black, and generally hit pretty decent shots off the 1st tee. Buuuuuuuuuuuuut, During my last round out there I basically missed the ball, barely topping it, the ball rolled VERY SLOWLY halfway down the hill in front of the tee. I played my sencond shot about 20 feet from the tee on with an awful downhill lie . . .


-Ted

[Mark Bourgeois]

It seems semantically that a "mental hazard" must be distinct from a physical hazard.  Trying to carry the ball over a chasm 150 yards presents a mental hazard, but the fear is based on physical reality.

Short grass around greens is sort of a mental hazard for better golfers, but it's based upon physical experience: the problem is not completely in their minds.

So....

Examples of mental hazards:
1. lots and lots of options, such that the golfer suffers analysis paralysis
2. "looks hard, plays easy"

Mark

[Jamie Barber]

ha-ha - an audience is the best mental hazard. How often have you been called through when catching a group in front only to duff your shot as they watch!

I like mental hazards which trick distance judgement, like false fronts on greens, or where the slopes are used to hide the bottom of the flag on the approach.

The mental hazards I dislike are where tee boxes are positioned slightly offline, and so you sub-conciously line up on tee and hence aim in the wrong place.

[Anthony Gray]

  Let me nominate Pebble Beach hole 8. That secound shot psyches me out. The hazard is very avoidable but it is ginormous in my mind. Have never taken a smooth swing from the fairway.

  Anthony

[Ross Tuddenham]

I think a mental hazard is probably the culmination of all the shots played on a course.  It is the state of mind a player ends up in during their round because of how the features of the course have affected their play.  In a way it way link back to the discussion on what PENAL could be defined as, if you perceive there to be PENAL features out on the course immediately your state of mind changes compared with having the confidence to swing with freedom.

But as pointed out it can also be a feature that should not come into play but still causes you to think about it.  Or what about a difficult shot or hole that you dread reaching that you think about from the first tee.  It may put pressure to score earlier to guard against a potential disaster later on.

[Bill_McBride]

I think a mental hazard is also when there is a physical hazard so terrifying on one side that you play so far away from it that you get in trouble on the other side!

A good example would be when you are on the 18th tee at Pebble, terrified of that pull you've been fighting all day and the ocean waves left, and block one OB right!  It's a long way to that OB but a lot closer when the mental hazard of the ocean frightens you into playing way too far away from it.

[Anthony Gray]

    I have a buddy that can barely even take the club back when the beer chick pulls up. Now that is a mental hazard.

  Anthony

[Mark_Fine]

Dan,
One of my favorite types of hazards.  Forrest and I call them psychological hazards and dedicated a whole chapter to the topic.  We used a quote from Tom Doak that is worth repeating:

"Hazards on golf courses exist in two dimensions - physically on the ground, and in the player's mind.  Of the two, I am convinced that the latter has far more effect on the play of the average golfer.  Take a simple pond immediately in front of a tee.  How often would we top the ball if the hazard were not there?  And how often do we, because we have worried about embarrassing ourselves?"  

[Matt_Davenport]

Anthony,
You forgot to mention that your buddy didn't hit it past the forward tee on the previous hole and he was obliged to let it all hang out when the beer chick pulled up

[BCrosby]

A mental hazard is anything that makes you think.

Or as Pete Dye put it, if you can get the pros to think, they are cooked.

Good hazards do that.

Bob

[Eric Smith]

OB stakes down the right side...

[Anthony Gray]

Anthony,
You forgot to mention that your buddy didn't hit it past the forward tee on the previous hole and he was obliged to let it all hang out when the beer chick pulled up

  Matt,

  Been there done that

  Anthony

[Anthony Gray]

 


   Cliffs down the left.

  Garland

[Jim_Kennedy]

As seen on many a Sunday,  Tiger, Jack, Arnie, Ben, Lee, Tom, etc...

[Wade Whitehead]

Tobacco Road is a 150-acre mental hazard.

WW

[Dave Givnish]

1st Tee on The Old Course even though you're hitting to what is the widest (combined) fairway known to man.

[Peter Ferlicca]

False Front on a severly sloping green

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