fbpx
What makes the 17th at Sawgrass so intimidating?

What makes the 17th at Sawgrass so intimidating?

Former European Tour pro turned coach Markus Westerberg discusses the psychological barrier of conquering tricky par-3 holes
 

TPC Sawgrass is an amazing golf course. Some holes provide you with opportunities, but every hole will challenge you. Some holes will have you face your demons. Nowhere is this as true as on the famous 17th. Here, you need to be emotionally intelligent.

The imperative skill of emotional intelligence 

In sport, it is often said that the team or player who has nothing to lose is dangerous, and it somewhat holds true. But have you thought of what  having nothing to lose means you’re out of contention? It’s a comfortable feeling, but is that really what you want?

The ability to accept your emotions and to understand what your emotions represent is a part of your emotional intelligence.

In order to perform under pressure, you need to be emotionally intelligent.

Club golfers and tour professionals alike fall for the trap of comfort – what feels good is good. It rarely is. Imagine you’re standing on the 17th tee at Sawgrass. Would you like to have the chance of blowing a great score or would you want to feel comfortable because you had a bad day? Before the round or tournament, you would say, “Of course I would like to play well.” But then you would have to face all of yourself on this famous tee shot.

How to conquer the 17th at Sawgrass

The 17th at Sawgrass is actually a good birdie opportunity. It plays a mere 130 yards and pros are deadly at this distance, but the 17th can also be a bottomless pit – you can get stuck at the tee.

Normally a bad shot puts you in a bad position and you risk making a bogey. It’s annoying, but not more than that. At 17, you can get stuck at the tee. You have to hit grass or sand or you need to play the shot again. Every player knows this and they think about it well ahead of the Players.

But do the pros really experience these emotions? The foremost artists of their profession who has hit hundreds of thousands of balls and are as much in control of the golf ball as any on the planet? Let me assure you, they do. Because they are human.

This is how you handle your demons

The short par-3 late in the round provides a “negative challenge”. It means that you need to only not hit a bad shot. The key word here is “not”. You only need to not play a bad shot.

This is reality, but you can’t think this way. Even though you know this is reality, you need to put your mind to what you want to have happen. This is the key to performance psychology and, even more so, it is the key to playing the 17th at Sawgrass.

At the tee, you need to pick your target – most often the middle of the green – then visualise your ball going there. The more you have practiced this mindset, the better you get at it.

The challenge is to keep up this practice when your inner is in turmoil, when you feel your pulse at your temples, your mouth dries out, and breathing becomes difficult.

This is where your emotional intelligence is key to your success. The emotionally intelligent golfer accepts his emotions and focuses on what he wants to have happen.

The less emotionally intelligent golfer fears his anxiety or sees it as a sign of weakness. It’s not. Your anxiety means that you are on the verge of opportunity. And in the case of the Sunday leader at the Players, it means that he has a chance to win.

Markus’s picks for the Players

Besides the given favourites of Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau, I would like to give a heads up for Sawgrass local Lanto Griffin. He knows the course well, is mentored by the legend Vijay Singh, and he has established himself in the top 100 in the world.

Griffin also comes from a steady string of tournaments where he is waiting for the cap on the crown. He is hungry for more and, for me, the Players might just be his week.

About The Golfer’s Sixth Sense

If you want to know more about emotional intelligence in golf and the mental interplay between your emotions and your performance on the golf course, you can buy Markus’s book, The Golfer’s Sixth Sense on Amazon

Subscribe to NCG

Latest Posts

scottie scheffler players championship

The 50th Players

‘That’s why I kept playing’: Scheffler ignored pain in the neck to conquer Sawgrass

Read full article - ‘That’s why I kept playing’: Scheffler ignored pain in the neck to conquer Sawgrass
players championship final round

The 50th Players

Scottie Scheffler makes Players Championship history with comeback victory

Read full article - Scottie Scheffler makes Players Championship history with comeback victory
tpc sawgrass drink prices

The 50th Players

How much is a beer at TPC Sawgrass?

Read full article - How much is a beer at TPC Sawgrass?
the players championship

The 50th Players

The Players Championship: Everything you need to know

Read full article - The Players Championship: Everything you need to know
players championship third round

The 50th Players

Xander Schauffele turns tables at Players Championship with third-round rampage

Read full article - Xander Schauffele turns tables at Players Championship with third-round rampage
sawgrass 17th hole

The 50th Players

‘He hit that fat!’ Absorbing the waffle and wonders of 17 at TPC Sawgrass

Read full article - ‘He hit that fat!’ Absorbing the waffle and wonders of 17 at TPC Sawgrass
pga tour slow play

The 50th Players

‘We need to play faster on the PGA Tour’: Darkness halts play twice at The Players

Read full article - ‘We need to play faster on the PGA Tour’: Darkness halts play twice at The Players
quiz the players winners

The 50th Players

Quiz: Winners of The Players Championship

Read full article - Quiz: Winners of The Players Championship
players championship tee times

The 50th Players

Players Championship tee times for Round 4

Read full article - Players Championship tee times for Round 4