Eliminate Blow-Up Holes: Playing Smart from Trouble

Keep double bogeys off the card by accepting the situation, pitching back to safety, and choosing the simplest shot that gets you playing the next one from grass you can trust. In Ireland’s wind and firm turf, smart trouble shots are often low, boring, and brilliantly effective.

Blow up holes rarely come from one bad swing. They come from the two decisions that follow it. At Saint Patrick’s Golf Club here in Downpatrick, I see it every week: a solid round gets hijacked by a single moment of frustration, then a heroic attempt, then a recovery that never quite recovers. The good news is that you can train a simple system for trouble that keeps scores tidy, even on the most demanding Irish links and parkland tests.

Why blow up holes happen in Ireland

Golf in Ireland has its own flavour of chaos. Wind that changes between shots, firm bounces that feed balls into awkward hollows, and rough that can be either wispy and playable or thick and grabby depending on the time of year. Add in pot bunkers, gorse, and tight run offs around greens, and the temptation to manufacture a miracle is strong.

On championship venues like Royal County Down, Portmarnock, Lahinch, and Ballybunion, you can feel that pressure building because the holes look so pure and so exacting. But even on your home course, the same principle applies: one poor swing does not demand a poor score, unless you keep choosing high risk shots from low probability lies.

The Saint Patrick’s trouble rule: stop the bleeding first

When you miss into trouble, your first job is not to make par. Your first job is to avoid worse than bogey. That shift sounds small, but it changes everything. Bogey golf is built on momentum and momentum is preserved by keeping the ball in play.

Ask yourself one question before you pick a club.

What is the easiest shot that guarantees I can hit the next one from a clean lie?

That might mean a wedge sideways, a punch back to the fairway, or even taking an unplayable drop early instead of wasting two swings trying to prove a point to the gorse.

Three decisions that create the snowball

1. Aiming at the flag from a compromised lie

From rough or a downslope, you rarely control spin or start line. The ball comes out hot, heavy, or both. In Irish conditions, that can mean a flyer over the green into a tight hollow, followed by another delicate shot in the wind.

2. Choosing height when you need certainty

High shots are beautiful when you have a perfect lie. From trouble, they bring big misses into play. A low punch with more predictable contact often wins.

3. Trying to win all the shots back at once

Players turn one mistake into three by thinking the hole owes them something. It does not. A smart bogey is an investment. It keeps the round alive.

The trouble ladder: a simple shot selection system

I coach this as a ladder of options. Start at the safest rung and only climb if the lie and gap genuinely allow it.

Rung 1: Get out
If you are behind trees, in thick rough, or in a fairway bunker with a high lip, the goal is simply to put the ball somewhere playable. A pitching wedge, 9 iron, or even a hybrid chip can be perfect. Take your medicine early and you often still have a wedge to the green.

Rung 2: Get forward
If you have a window and a clean lie, advance the ball with a punch. Grip down, ball slightly back, hands ahead, and keep the finish low. In crosswinds, this shot is pure gold because it takes the gusts out of the equation.

Rung 3: Get aggressive only when the consequences are small
Aggression is not banned. It is simply conditional. If the worst case is a greenside bunker or a straightforward chip, then have a go. If the worst case is gorse, out of bounds, or a deep pot bunker, step back down the ladder.

How to punch out like a links player

This is one of the most useful skills for Irish golf. It travels beautifully from Saint Patrick’s to the big names and back again.

Set up
Stand a touch closer, grip down an inch, and play the ball back of centre. Keep weight slightly favouring your lead side.

Swing thought
Three quarter backswing, then turn through with quiet hands. Feel like you are keeping the clubhead moving along the grass for a fraction longer. That helps you strike ball first and avoid the heavy contact that makes trouble worse.

Club choice
Many golfers default to a 5 iron. Often a 7 iron or even an 8 iron is better because it launches just enough to carry rough but still stays under the wind. Choose the club that keeps you below the branches, not the one that goes furthest on a perfect strike.

When to take an unplayable: the grown up move

Taking relief is not quitting. It is course management. If your ball is tangled in gorse or sat down so badly you cannot control contact, take the unplayable and move on.

Here is the key coaching point. Decide quickly. The longer you stare at the ball, the more you talk yourself into a miracle that is not there. One penalty stroke with a proper lie often beats two hacks and a penalty anyway.

Greenside trouble: the chip that saves the card

Most blow up holes finish around the green. A poor approach, then a fancy flop, then a thin one, and suddenly you are writing a number you do not want to say out loud.

In Irish wind, the highest percentage play is usually a low runner. Use a 9 iron or pitching wedge, stand the handle forward, and let the ball trickle. It is a brilliant option on firm summer turf, and it stays reliable when the breeze is swirling.

If you have to go high, make sure the lie is perfect and the landing spot is generous. If either is missing, keep it low.

A quick story from Downpatrick

Not long ago at Saint Patrick’s, a member found the right rough off the tee, then tried to thread a 3 wood through a narrow gap to reach a par 5 in two. The ball clipped a branch, dropped straight down, and the frustration arrived instantly. Next swing, same idea, same result. The hole turned into a scramble for damage control.

We replayed the moment afterwards. The best move was a simple punch to the fairway, wedge on, two putts, bogey, and walk to the next tee with a clear head. That is how good rounds are protected. Not by perfection, but by restraint.

Your three shot challenge for the next round

1. The one club punch
Next time you are in trouble, pick one club and commit to a punch back to safety. No hero lines. Just certainty.

2. The centre of the green rule
From any compromised lie, aim for the fattest part of the green, not the flag. On the great Irish courses, greens are designed to repel misses. Respect that design and you will score.

3. The calm bogey
When you make bogey after trouble, call it a win. That mindset stops the revenge swing on the next tee.

Final thought: smart is the new strong

The best golf I see, whether it is on Royal County Down in a stiff breeze, along the dunes at Lahinch, or on a testing day at Saint Patrick’s, has one thing in common. It is disciplined. Players who eliminate blow up holes are not always the longest or the flashiest. They are the ones who accept reality quickly and choose the shot that keeps the round moving forward.

Next time trouble shows up, do not try to erase it. Contain it. Punch out, pitch on, take your two putts, and keep your scorecard clean. That is how you start turning good days into great rounds in Ireland.