To be quite honest, a wonderful tee-off always makes a good impression. Especially on your opponent while playing a match-play. But since I started, people told me that this is not the safe way to make points. Recently I experienced how true this is.

During a matchplay (which I unfortunately lost) my female opponent hit a tee-off of about 190 meters on a par 4 hole of 360 meters. I tried to give my best - of course - which always leads to the same results: about 30 meters??..Fortunately there are no ladies for ladies!
My second stroke covered an additional 30 meters - this time into the rough on the left and the third one 100 meters further onto the fairway. Here I am, after three strokes and still behind her tee-off!!!

Knowing that nothing matters anyway, I pull out my 5 wood and hit a wonderful stroke that lands right beside the water hazard. An impossible position; usually I would use a sandwedge to get out of it. But since she was so much closer to the green after two strokes than I was with my fourth, using a sandwedge would mean giving up. I do not like giving up, so in spite of everything I used a fairway wood for the next stroke - and the ball hits the green. My partner?s third stroke is a pitch, which is too short, so she has to chipp?So both our balls lie on the green with the fifth stroke!

Because I was so excited, I made some great putts and won the hole!

I will never again be impressed by a great tee-off!