The Greatest Shot Ever Hit
Day 6 Rereading “Harvey Penick's Little Red Book"
The Golf Book Club: Every day, we share a mental game lesson inspired by great golf books—stories and strategies to help you think better so you can play better.
An impossible question.
What’s the greatest shot ever hit?
That question is impossible to answer. There are too many factors, too many champions, too many shots.
But Harvey chose one. And that might be important for a couple of reasons.
Harvey saw more great players hit more shots than anyone. Plus, he defined greatness as a teacher so the shot was educational. And that makes sense, because the shot he chose was made by golf’s greatest amateur and student, Bobby Jones.
When Bobby was most like you and me.
From 1923 to 1930, Bobby won 13 out of the 21 majors he entered. He never missed a cut. Every time he lost, it was considered an upset. Some tournaments engraved his name on the trophy before he teed off. In 1930, he came, saw and conquered the first Grand Slam.
You’d think Harvey would pick a shot from those major moments. Instead, he chose a tournament from 1927 when Bobby Jones was most like you and me.
That year, he entered law school, so he was busy with his career. His wife gave birth to their second child, so he was busy with family. He had little time to play and less time to practice.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Hailstones on the green.
That year, Bobby entered the Southern Open. A young Harvey Penick competed in the same event. It was a cold February and the weather turned nasty.
Harvey says, “I was playing in the group behind Bobby and had a clear view. On the 7th hole there’s a big canyon to the right of the green with a grassy hollow at the bottom.”
Bobby misfired and sent the ball into the canyon. Suddenly, the weather shifted and turned a difficult recovery shot into an impossible one.
Harvey says, “Hailstones as big as marbles began falling. The whole green was covered with hailstones.”
Bobby accepted everything with a tough smile. He climbed down into the hollow, took a moment, and focused on the shot.
Harvey says, “He pitched to the crown of the hill where he could hardly tell a golf ball from a hailstone. Then he chipped the ball among the hailstones and it rolled into the cup for a par.”
The psychologist Jordan Peterson said, “What you aim at determines what you see.”
Harvey doesn’t tell us which shot was the greatest. Was it getting up out of the hollow as hail pounded down? Or was it chipping through a carpet of hailstones into the cup? I think he meant both. Because it wasn’t the shot that mattered. It was Bobby’s attitude.
Harvey said, “Bobby had a way of doing whatever was necessary.” He didn’t complain. He didn’t get negative. He accepted whatever lay in his path, considered his options, then simply did what he could do. That’s called mental toughness, and it changes everything from your game to your life.
That’s all for now. Until next time, keep imagining what’s possible.
GOLF PHOTO OF THE DAY
Golf-de-Chantilly, France (Hole #16)
