Ace Mentality

[AceALot]

$300 long aces and $150 short aces at my local league, I've hit 4 long and 3 short which include 1 long & 1 short this year, my mentality is if I don't get it someone else will

If my buds and I are playing a 2nd round somewhere, and in the first round I throw a nice 275ft hole stall shot thru a gap with a champ banshee and it lands 8 feet right pin high, I'm adjusting my line by that much in the second round and boom, or if a bud throws a nice putter line on a slight downhill tree protected hole 200ft that hits chains but spits out, I will copy his line in the next round and boom,

I love the challenge of saving birdie on a failed ace run...I have 25 aces since I started 10/08...most were intentioned, the others obviously were luck

 

[DiscinFiend]

I don't agree. I was never confident with putting, and yet if I saw a line I thought I could hit, I went for it.

Maybe I just think more about my shots than most people. Sounds like you just play more recklessly than I would if I wasn't confident in my putting. I'm not saying you shouldn't go for aces b/c there's ways to do it without causing a lot of risk for a long two attempt that will most likely be a three. If your just throwing a laser straight at the hole & your not confident in your putting that is reckless & likely to make you gain strokes most of the time accept when you get the ace. The number of times you get an ace on a laser line shot is dramatically less than the number of twos you could get by just playing it safe, if you go for a laser line ace run most of the time you will have a very long two which will likely be a 3. If you're going for an ace on a spike hyzer, skip shot, overhand ect. then you are more likely to have a closer putt for two than a laser line shot. I'm not trying to tell you how to throw or anything like that I'm just saying that if your not confident in your putting it's better to go for "safer" ace attempts.

 

[simpletwist]

Maybe I just think more about my shots than most people. Sounds like you just play more recklessly than I would if I wasn't confident in my putting. I'm not saying you shouldn't go for aces b/c there's ways to do it without causing a lot of risk for a long two attempt that will most likely be a three. If your just throwing a laser straight at the hole & your not confident in your putting that is reckless & likely to make you gain strokes most of the time accept when you get the ace. The number of times you get an ace on a laser line shot is dramatically less than the number of twos you could get by just playing it safe, if you go for a laser line ace run most of the time you will have a very long two which will likely be a 3. If you're going for an ace on a spike hyzer, skip shot, overhand ect. then you are more likely to have a closer putt for two than a laser line shot. I'm not trying to tell you how to throw or anything like that I'm just saying that if your not confident in your putting it's better to go for "safer" ace attempts.

I hear you. I understand too. Maybe it's the sailor in me. Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead! When I see the line and I know I've made that throw before, I'm going for it. My scores show it. I win some,lose many. I'm not not saying it's the smartest mindset, but that's the way I play. If I'm on it's an easy 2. If not... Fortunately, that mentality carries into my trouble shots.

 

[Kodachrome]

i will say one thing - i am much more likely to try and run a field ace, perhaps because of my confidence in my approach.

 

[AcidRain]

my last tournament ace was a 225ft hole with an ESP Nuke. It was so perfect it barely made a sound.

You ace alot with nukes.

 

[crusadersounds]

Well, I don't know that I'm qualified to answer this like some on here, but with 17 aces, I think I can speak to it a little bit. When I was first playing, I thought about aces a lot...and never hit them. My first ace was a TERRIBLE shot shanked WAY right that the wind picked up and threw back into the basket. I can say that of the other 16, all 16 I have been running for an ace. One I even called before I threw it. As a general rule though, I evaluate the situation before I decide whether or not to run it.

Where am I at in the round? Is it my first shot of the day? Do I need to make up a stroke? (If yes, then I go for the birdie as it will more likely yield a better score)

What is the risk on this shot? 2 holes at my home course are always ace runs for me because they have something behind them to prevent me from missing by much. One is a hill and the other is a building. With these two, the risk is lower creating a more friendly ace shot.

What kind of line do I have? Is it a nominal line? Is the ace run line my best option? Playing hole 16 at Century DGC in SC, an ace run was the best line available, so I ran it and hit it. Probably would have been less likely if the ace line were the more dangerous line.

How am I playing today Is my putting pretty good inside of 30'? If so, I feel more confident if I miss and run past it a little bit.

Will it ruin my round if I miss? We've all been there. You're +3 through 7 holes, but having a great time. OR you're -1 through the front 9, but you're just feeling like your game sucks today. If I will be more frustrated if I miss than if I will be if I just take the deuce, then I don't run it.

So, that's a sampling of thoughts that run through my head when I'm looking at a shot. In reality, there are a lot more. Basically, it boils down to these two thoughts:

1) How confident are you that you have a GOOD (I would say 60% or better) chance of throwing a line that will either hit the basket or come very close?

2) How will it affect your enjoyment of the game? Obviously, we ALL love to see our tee shots crash the chains, but what if you miss? Steady Ed said, "He who has the most fun wins!"