For years in many locker rooms and clubhouses, one of the main topics of
discussion has been, "What is the most important shot in golf?" One side
of the argument is for the tee shot, and the other side is for the putt.
One of the strongest proponents for the tee shot was Ben Hogan. In the
early 1960's, while a teaching pro at The Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth,
Texas, I discussed this with Ben, and he felt strongly that a players tee
shot was THE most important shot.
It was Ben's fervent belief, that from a mental standpoint, one's whole
round depended on the initial tee shot. He claimed to have rarely witnessed or
been part of a great round that started with an errant tee shot. He believed
that when you begin with an excellent tee shot, your mental attitude would
carry forward on all successive shots.
On the other side, many argue that the putt is the most important. One
such advocate was the legendary teaching pro Harvey Penick, who strongly
believed that the short game, around the green, was the essence of scoring well.
He contended that a two foot putt counted just as much as a tee shot.
This argument did not hold water with Ben. Adamantly he stated, "If you
are trying to make a two foot putt for a seven, due to an errant tee shot, who
in the hell cares? After all, a missed two foot putt will generally only
cost you one shot, whereas a missed tee shot can easily cost you two or more
shots."
After listening to Ben's logic, I calmly explained, that in my humble
opinion, I thought both sides were wrong. This definitely got Ben's attention. I
hurriedly added, that while both sides had made good arguments, I
considered Willie Ogg's, the original teaching professional selected and respected by
the membership of the PGA to conduct business school teaching seminars, to
have been the best. You see he told us that the most important shot in golf
is always "the next one."
Hogan laughed out loud and completely agreed. (And some of you thought he
was always "the wee ice-man.") So the next time you overhear the discussion
about the most important shot in golf, just sit back and laugh to yourself
because you already know the Real Truth.
Sincerely, a friend to any golfer. Pat Dolan Golf Pro
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