[Amol Yajnik]

I played Spyglass earlier this year and easily played one of my worst rounds of the year.  The lowlight was standing on the 3rd tee, admiring the view of the green with the Pacific Ocean in the distance, and proceeding to hit a hosel rocket that ended up on the 4th tee.  Luckily the group in front of us had already departed the 4th tee otherwise I probably would have hit one of those guys on the fly with my ball.  That hole came after I had chunked my tee ball so badly on the 2nd tee that it maybe went 30 yards on my way to making a 7 on that hole.  It was not a good day.

[mike_beene]

OB left on 1 at The Old Course. It can't be beat. They threw my ball back. The starter thought I desecrated the grounds with a Mulligan. The caddie advised all in earshot that it was my third shot. (After fat 8 iron went twenty feet I managed an 8 but shot front in 40. Those people on the fence would never believe that result.)

[Mark Chaplin]

This summer parts of the 1st fairway on TOC were stimping at 10, to be honest it’s pretty easy for a long hitter aiming at the gorse bush to get close to the OOB.


We were walking down The Links on day and an errant drive on 18 smashed an Audi windscreen, the marshal on Grannies Clark’s Wynd said he was the second golfer in that group to hit a car off 18.

[Tom Birkert]

Unfortunately I have plenty to choose from...


There was one trip in particular almost a decade ago where I was fortunate enough to be playing Shinnecock, Merion, Pine Valley and Oakmont. What a time to get the full swing yips! It was so bad. I mean like mentally tortuous and draining. I was genuinely scared to swing at the golf ball because I knew it was going either left or right. It kept me awake at night before the rounds because I knew I was going to embarrass myself.


One shot in particular comes to mind though. I'd been hacking it around Pine Valley in a scandalous way, hugely embarrassing myself and my host. We got to the 12th tee and - as a left hander - I hit a vicious, sniping snap hook that ended up in the bunkers to the right of the 7th green. That was probably the lowest of the low points.

[Michael Wolf]

Cold top off the 5th at Seminole, playing with Bob Ford and a recent PGA Tour winner in the group. The ball rolled into a footprint, and from there it was just one 20yd explosion shot after another that kept plugging into more cart and footprints. My host, Mr. Ford, and Mr Tour Pro were all waiting on birdie putts within 15ft of the pin as I slashed over and over to advance my ball VERY slowly towards the green.  No idea why I didn’t take an unplayable on the tee. I still get a pit in my stomach whenever someone suggests returning to the days of unmanicured hazards.


On a somewhat happier note, I once went 6-4-5 on 14-15-16 at Cypress after hitting balls into the water off the tee on all 3 holes. Then I birdied 17.


MW

[Drew Groeger]

Worst shot was at the par 3 12th at Whistling Straits. The folks at the clubhouse had been kind enough to bring my wife out to join us and walk along the rest of the way. We had just arrived at the 12th tee when she got there. I proceeded to pure shank one into Lake Michigan. Caddy tosses me another ball for my 3rd shot and, with exacting accuracy and consistency, I reproduce the same shank into the lake. Hi honey!


Not the worst shot in the world but perhaps my most embarrassing was on the 7th hole at Dunbar. I had somehow skirted the wall along the right with my drive and made it around the corner, setting myself up for a clear shot at the green from the right side of the fairway. Proceeded to jerk my 9 iron high and left, clanking off the roof of the halfway house between the 7th green and 15th tee (guessing I'm not the first to do that!). The group on the 15th tee jumped in shock as the ball bounced towards them. I slinked up the fairway slowly as I didn't want to get to my ball while they were still teeing off. And by the way, that's a peach of a shot from behind the halfway house to a back pin!

[V_Halyard]

I will reference the shot documented by Adam Lawrence who will tell me to stop whining about it! But it was most amusing. Hit the drive   50 Yards embarrassingly far right. A loooong slice onto the pile of dirt the for the new #7 Fairway at Royal Dornoch. From atop that 30 foot elevated pile, I was lucky enough to strike one cleanly, back towards the green, up and down for par. Without that saving dirt pile, my ball would have been in Oslo.

[Sam Krume]

An absolute flat out bullet shank off the 1st at NBWL. You know the one, didn't get above say 15 feet, travelling at 1000 mph, clattered the fence and just dropped down say 3 inches in bound. Wasn't sure what end of the club to hold for about the first 4-5 holes (quite a big one the night before ) but pulled it back with some respectability on the way home!!!

[Kevin Neary]

I played at Engineers over the summer and shot my worst round. On the par 5 4th, I made triple from the fairway, and was fuming heading to the fifth. I recall being a bit downwind, and must’ve hit a 350 yard drive to the just short of the bunker guarding the green. I chipped to about 3’, and proceeded to four putt. I had never been more embarrassed, the round somewhat stabilized after that, but I couldn’t recover from that four putt.

[Tal Oz]

Three shots immediately come to mind. For context I'm left handed

1. first time out at Riviera with the sun setting behind us on Halloween day/club championship Sunday. 18th fairway and I cold shank one into (supposedly) Larry David's backyard.

2. this summer at Deal. First tee shot and I duck hook a hybrid into the parking lot. Apparently hit a car and the secretary's window! To make matters worse, I had to sulk my way back to the pro shop to grab a scorecard as I forgot to grab one on the way to the tee.

3. this one is a little more amusing. First tee shot at Chicago Golf. Topped and hooked a driver some 50 yards into the thick fescue. Couldn't find it with all the caddies searching. Coming up 18 my partner slices one to the same spot. Finds my ball WITH MY NAME ON IT.

[Matthew Petersen]

#6 at Pebble Beach is my offering on this topic. 


Distracted by the beauty of the ocean, birds, sea life... I think I completely forgot about playing golf and proceeded to shank my 2nd shot directly into Stillwater Cove.  I don't remember being all that upset with the shank (the only one that day) because I was able to take a lifetime worth of memories from my one (and only) round at Pebble Beach.

I recounted my foibles at Pebble, but the same day (I've only had one round there) I was paired with a guy who I would guess is a reasonable player, but who was simply having an awful round on the worst possible day. The poor guy had a nice swing and was good natured about his struggles but from the first tee shot (off the toe and skidding into the thick wet rough not 50 yards off the tee) on, he was an absolute mess. He was in the ocean on 5, 6, 7, and 8, as well as 18. His wedge on 7 was a dead shank that was a danger to marine life. It was just brutal. Poor guy.


I'd been afraid I was in for that kind of day, actually, on the range. My dad and I had played Spyglass the day before and I had played quite well. We stayed at the Inn at SB that night (I was with my wife and our then 16-month old son) and the fire alarm went off twice in the night. It was brutal. We had an early tee time at Pebble so with little sleep and a roaring migraine I was on the range in the cold and fog and I could barely make contact with the ball. Couldn't stay down, or when I did I was way over the top. I genuinely didn't hit a single good, solid shot on the range before the round. It was extremely disheartening to head back down the hill to the first tee feeling like I had no chance.


But, the guys we were paired with teed off first. The first guy hit a decent ball and then the second guy, who I described above, hit his worm burner, which took a bit of pressure off. I hit a 3 wood and it was not a great swing but it found the fairway and the walk and the adrenaline kicked in and the morning warmed up and all was well enough. Until the tenth, anyway.


But I've always really felt for the guy we were paired with. We all have days on the course where you just don't have it at all. To have that day at Pebble is a nightmare scenario.

[Matthew Essig]

Cold-topped the opening tee shot on Pacific Dunes cause I was a messy mix of excited and nervous to play my first round at any of the Bandon courses. My father understood. The starter on the other-hand... I don't want to know!

[Pete_Pittock]

Cold-topped the opening tee shot on Pacific Dunes cause I was a messy mix of excited and nervous to play my first round at any of the Bandon courses. My father understood. The starter on the other-hand... I don't want to know!

That was a much better option than a flared slice. I'd guess the right side is about 300% clearer tan original.

[Joe_Tucholski]

Cold-topped the opening tee shot on Pacific Dunes cause I was a messy mix of excited and nervous to play my first round at any of the Bandon courses. My father understood. The starter on the other-hand... I don't want to know!

I did the same...thing is it rolled and rolled so turned out ok.


My first time playing in an open comp in the UK was at Royal St. Davids.  Not a terrible shot but lost the first tee shot left.  The real gaff was loosing the scorecard of my playing companion somewhere on the 18th hole.

[Rich Goodale]

I've never been able to drive the 1st green at Dornoch from the tips, but in a competition 10-15 years ago I melted one to about 10 yards short, took out my putter for safety, then proceeded to lift my head and push it into the front right bunker.  It all went downhill from there .........

[Pete Lavallee]

I was playing the Monterrey CC Dunes Course with Bob Huntley and 3 other GCA'ers; of course there was a Wolf game in progress. We get to the par 3 14th on the back nine; the one just over 17 Mile Drive with dozens of tourists at the adjacent Lookout Point. Its 180 into the wind so I decide to punch a 3 wood. As I take the club back it collides with a broken tee on the ground. Usually I would back off. But in a moment where time just seemed to stop I thought"you're playing with Bob, don't hold up play" so I foolishly continued the swing. Of course it came out low and hit a rock in Monterrey Bay and came screaming back at us and missed Bob's right ear by less than 2 inches; the tourists all seeemed strangely amuzed? Thank goodnes it missed or I would have had to go into the Witness Protection Program!

[Mark Fedeli]

Sliced my tee shot into a train on #1 at Prestwick.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Its okay if you have a quick quip, such as my near whiff on the first tee at some famous course, where i had the presence of mind to say, "They were right....this IS a TOUGH course!"    Play it for laughs and they never really know if you hit it bad or wanted to be a bad comedian.

[James Brown]

OB left on 1 at The Old Course. It can't be beat. They threw my ball back. The starter thought I desecrated the grounds with a Mulligan. The caddie advised all in earshot that it was my third shot. (After fat 8 iron went twenty feet I managed an 8 but shot front in 40. Those people on the fence would never believe that result.)

I’ll believe it. Played the day after the Senior British and that tee shot was twice as terrifying for that reason.

[Mike Schott]

Ruined a well played round at Pasatiempo on the 16th tee. This was about 20 years ago, well before the restoration. Frankly, I got to the tee and had no idea where to hit my tee shot. I finally found an aim point and proceeded to duck hook it OB. Then on 17 another tee shot was hit OB. At least I parred the short 18th.

[Steve Kohler]

Finally a golf topic I am a qualified expert on: desecrating classic courses with bad golf.


My most embarrassing shot has to be at Inverness Club.  From the 10th tee box the clubhouse is immediately to the left of the tee and the 18th green is a little further down on the left.  I had been battling a bad swing on the front nine and stepped to the 10th with driver in hand.  It was a busy summer day and there were many people around, including several that stopped to watch my group's tee shots. I proceed to violently swing at the ball, almost missing it, and produce a nasty smothered snap hook that caused one spectator to jump out of the way before ricocheting off the brick clubhouse and squirting into the rough immediately behind the 18th green.  To add to the ignominy, I could not initially find where my ball ended up and two players putting on 18 green had to help locate it.   I was about ready to turn around and walk straight to the parking lot.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Easy for me:


1st tee shot in my first round at the Old Course. We were the first group off on the first saturday not playing on mats..

Not my shot, but I was in a group where another gca hooked it over to the beach from 18 tee.  He had played about 17 straight slices, was determined not to hit into the crowd in front of Old Tom's, aimed way left.....and then double crossed it.  Classic caddie response - "Never seen that before, but I have only worked here 42 years....."

[Steve Wilson]

So bad that I don't remember the course or even the outing.  I'm thinking it may have been a Dixie Cup or one of Jim Sherma's Central Pennsylvania outings.  I tried to muscle up a long iron to get to the 18th green and pulled it so far left it landed on the roof of the pool house and from there ran into the pool itself.  A "nice" young man delivered the ball to me ("I think this is yours.") as I was standing on the 18th green, head down, as the members of my party finished the hole and the round.  I say "nice" because he was polite, but I suspect someone put him up to it. 


 

[Chris Roselle]

A cold-topped 3 wood off the first tee at Merion a few years back on a really busy weekday afternoon.  Tried to blame it on slick grips to absolutely no avail...

[Ryan Hillenbrand]

#14 at Pebble Beach, first time there. I hit a weak drive, a decent 3 wood and had about 180 left to hole with the pin on the bottom right.

I take 3 iron and cold shank it dead right, heading right for the window on a mansion that probably cost $25 million dollars. By the grace of God it hits the railing on the deck. I almost puked.

I drop where I think it crossed the OB stake, and proceed to hole out a pitching wedge. It wasn't really a par because I didn't hit from the original spot, but took stroke and distance because I was too paranoid of doing the same thing. I put down a 5 anyway.

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