Perhaps no other hole in golf has produced as many memorable, crazy shots through the years as the 17th at St Andrews. Heck, just this past year it was Cameron Smith who two-putted around the Road Hole’s infamous pot bunker to clinch the claret jug. But it’s behind the green where things really get wild.
That’s where many people have ended up, either on a walking path or up against a stone wall that marks out-of-bounds. It’s a tricky spot that led to this bit of sorcery from Tommy Fleetwood last year, and most notably, this legendary bank shot by Miguel Angel Jimenez at the 2010 Open Championship:
But it turns out, the old bank shot at the Old Course isn’t as easy as it looks. And one regular hacker recently found that out.
Check it out as this golfer gives it two attempts, barely moving his golf ball on the first one. The second one seems to be going better, but the bounce and some spin cause it to head right back up against the wall – seriously, that wall is like a magnet – leading the poor guy to just pick up his ball.
Good try, good effort. We guess. Sort of.
Of course, the worst part for this guy is that if you do anything at St Andrews on the first, 17th or 18th holes, there’s going to be a crowd. And these days, that undoubtedly means someone will not only be watching, but videoing. From multiple angles.
At least he has a funny memory from his trip to the Home of Golf to watch. And be reminded about. Over and over (and over) again. In other words, if you’re planning on playing there anytime soon, you might want to brush up on your bank shots just in case.
