Don't fall for the sucker pin, Golf (Video) - by Pete Styles
Don't fall for the sucker pin, Golf (Video) - by Pete Styles

Here's some advice about not falling for a sucker pin. Now, you might not have heard of the sucker pin, but for me, the sucker pin is called a sucker pin, two reasons: It sucks you in and makes you try and go for it and only a sucker does go for it. So, a sucker pin might be a pin that's just over the back of a greenside bunker and you say, "Oh, I could just chip this really close to that flag," but then you miss it could go in the bunker.

Another sucker pin might be sort of on the back corner of the green over the water and you're looking for that glamorous shot that you see on the TV that draws in over the water, lands really close, and looks fantastic, but it's sucking you in and the bad shot lands on the bank and rolls down into the water.

So, you can only really go for these flags if you're feeling very confident or you're in a position in your match or your game where you have to be aggressive and you can't defend but you've got to go for every single shot, maybe a match played game where you're three down and three to play. You think, well, I've got to make some birdies and go for these. Every other time, avoid the sucker pins. Look for where the middle of the green is, play to the fat of the green.

So, if you've got that flag that's short and the bunker is just in front of it, don't play to land it short and roll it up to the flag, throw the ball all the way through the air, to and even beyond the flag, take one extra club if you need to, play beyond the flag and put back. If the flag is tucked into the corner and there's water down the side, don't try and draw the ball into the top of the flag there. It's a very difficult shot.

Play to the center of the green, take the flag out to your mind's eye, good quality iron shot, middle of the green and then putter up. So remember, a sucker pin is trying to draw you in, but only a sucker plays for it.

 2013-01-17

Here's some advice about not falling for a sucker pin. Now, you might not have heard of the sucker pin, but for me, the sucker pin is called a sucker pin, two reasons: It sucks you in and makes you try and go for it and only a sucker does go for it. So, a sucker pin might be a pin that's just over the back of a greenside bunker and you say, “Oh, I could just chip this really close to that flag,” but then you miss it could go in the bunker.

Another sucker pin might be sort of on the back corner of the green over the water and you're looking for that glamorous shot that you see on the TV that draws in over the water, lands really close, and looks fantastic, but it's sucking you in and the bad shot lands on the bank and rolls down into the water.

So, you can only really go for these flags if you're feeling very confident or you're in a position in your match or your game where you have to be aggressive and you can't defend but you've got to go for every single shot, maybe a match played game where you're three down and three to play. You think, well, I've got to make some birdies and go for these. Every other time, avoid the sucker pins. Look for where the middle of the green is, play to the fat of the green.

So, if you've got that flag that's short and the bunker is just in front of it, don't play to land it short and roll it up to the flag, throw the ball all the way through the air, to and even beyond the flag, take one extra club if you need to, play beyond the flag and put back. If the flag is tucked into the corner and there's water down the side, don't try and draw the ball into the top of the flag there. It's a very difficult shot.

Play to the center of the green, take the flag out to your mind's eye, good quality iron shot, middle of the green and then putter up. So remember, a sucker pin is trying to draw you in, but only a sucker plays for it.