Picking the single greatest shot in golf history is a classic sports debate, one that sparks countless arguments in clubhouses around the globe. While naming just one is nearly impossible, the discussion itself is fantastic, because it forces us to remember the moments of brilliance that define this game. This article will break down some of the strongest contenders for the title, looking at not just the shot itself, but the pressure, the difficulty, and the legacy it left behind.
Before we jump into the contenders, we need a common language. What exactly elevates a golf shot from just "great" to a contender for the "greatest of all time"? As a coach, I find it boils down to four main factors. When a single shot fires on all four of these cylinders, it becomes legendary.
With this framework in mind, let's look at a few shots that stand up to the test.
For an entire generation of golfers, this is the shot. It’s hard to imagine a moment with more drama, more perfect execution, or more commercial-ready theatrics.
Tiger Woods held a one-shot lead over his playing partner, Chris DiMarco, on the 16th hole at Augusta National on Sunday. After a poor tee shot, he found himself with an almost impossible up-and-down. His ball was nestled in the second cut of rough, long and left of the green, leaving him a chip onto a surface that sloped aggressively away from him toward the water.
From this lie, getting the ball to stop anywhere near the hole seemed out of the question. A traditional chip would have sent the ball rocketing down the slope and possibly into the pond. Playing it "safe" by landing it short would leave a treacherous downhill putt. Tiger needed a miracle to make par, and bogey seemed the most likely outcome, which would drop him into a tie for the lead.
Tiger chose to play a high-risk, high-reward shot. Instead of chipping into the green, he aimed his landing spot far up the slope, on a piece of fringe about 25 feet left of the hole. His goal was to use the immense slope as a brake. He had to calculate the perfect line and speed, knowing that a fraction too much pace and the ball was gone, a fraction too little and it would never reach the hole.
He clipped it perfectly. The ball landed on his spot, checked up, and then began its slow, dramatic descent toward the cup, breaking about 18 feet. It tracked, and tracked, and then, in a moment of pure golf theater, it paused on the lip for a full second - perfectly displaying the Nike swoosh - before tumbling in for an improbable birdie.
Coach's Takeaway: What we can all learn from Tiger’s chip is the power of creative problem-solving. When faced with a seemingly impossible shot, don't just see the obstacle, look for the "backboard." Tiger used the slope, a feature that made the shot difficult, as the very thing that made it possible. On your course, this might mean using a bank to feed a ball onto the green or hitting a putt way outside the hole to use a slope. Always look for creative solutions.
If Tiger’s shot was about meticulous control, Phil’s was pure, unadulterated heroism. It was a shot that captured the essence of Phil Mickelson: brilliant, audacious, and executed with unbelievable skill.
Phil was on the 13th hole on Sunday at Augusta, clinging to a narrow lead. His drive flew right and settled in the pine straw under the trees, 207 yards from the hole. In front of him was Rae’s Creek, guarding the green. The prudent play was to punch out sideways, leave himself a wedge into the green, and secure a par. But that’s not Phil.
From the pinestraw, he had a clean lie, but there was a narrow gap between two trees he had to thread his ball through to get to the green. It was a 6-iron shot, from an uneven lie, with a creek waiting to swallow any miss-hit. His caddie, Jim "Bones" Mackay, tried to talk him into laying up, but Phil was adamant. He saw the shot.
This shot wasn't about complex mechanics but about supreme confidence and commitment. Pulling a 6-iron in that situation requires complete conviction. He aimed for a small target, trusted his swing, and unleashed a ferocious cut that threaded the needle between the trees. The ball flew true, carried the creek, and settled four feet from the hole. The ensuing birdie propelled him to his third green jacket.
Coach's Takeaway: Phil's shot teaches us the importance of knowing your strengths and weaknesses. While the "layup" was the sensible shot for most players, Phil is a master with his long irons and felt more confident going for it than playing a delicate third shot wedge. Assess your own game honestly. Sometimes, the riskier play is actually safer if it aligns with what you do best. If you have full confidence in a shot, give yourself permission to try it.
Modern golf is often criticized for being a "bomb and gouge" game with little artistry. Bubba Watson's shot on the second playoff hole proved that shot-making is alive and well.
Bubba was tied with Louis Oosthuizen in a sudden-death playoff. On the 10th hole, his tee shot sailed deep into the woods on the right. His ball came to rest on a bed of pine straw, completely blocked by a wall of trees and spectators. A direct line to the green was impossible. At best, he seemed destined to punch out and hope to salvage a par to extend the playoff.
The green was 155 yards away, but to get there, a right-handed player would need to hit a massive, sweeping hook - starting the ball almost 90 degrees left of the target and curving it back. He had to execute this with a lofted wedge to get the ball up quickly and control the spin when it landed. This is not a shot you practice on the range, it's pure improvisation.
Using a gap wedge, Bubba took a closed, aggressive stance and swung hard, snapping his wrists through impact to impart maximum hook spin. The ball started out over the gallery, seemingly headed for the 18th fairway, then began a miraculous curve back toward the 10th green. It bent nearly 40 yards from left to right, landing on the green and skidding to about 15 feet from the pin. After Oosthuizen failed to get up and down, Bubba two-putted for the win.
Coach's Takeaway: Bubba's shot is an extreme example, but the lesson is about shot-shaping. You don't always need a perfectly clear path to the green. Learning how to hit a small cut or draw can open up new possibilities when you're in trouble. Practice this on the range: try taking a 7-iron and seeing how much you can make it move right and left. It’s a fun way to improve your feel for the clubface and a skill that will save you strokes.
This is the shot that put the Masters Tournament on the map and remains arguably the single most impactful golf shot ever hit.
Way back in the second-ever Masters Tournament, Gene Sarazen was trailing Craig Wood by three shots with just four holes to play. He stood in the 15th fairway, 235 yards from the hole on the par-5.
In 1935, 235 yards was a monumental distance, typically requiring three shots for even the best players. Going for the green in two was an immense risk, requiring exceptional power and precision with the era's notoriously difficult persimmon woods. A small pond guarded the front of the green.
Sarazen pulled out his new "4-wood," a club he had helped design. He made a perfect swing, sending the ball soaring toward the distant green. As the story goes, the few spectators around the green let out a roar so loud it was heard across the course. The ball not only reached the green but found the bottom of the cup for a double eagle, an "albatross." In one swing, Sarazen had erased the entire three-shot deficit. He would go on to win the tournament in a playoff the next day.
Coach's Takeaway: Technology changes, but courage is timeless. Sarazen's shot demonstrates a key principle of course management: know when to be aggressive. He recognized it was a do-or-die moment and chose aggression over safety. In your own rounds, identify the pivotal moments where a single, committed, aggressive shot can fundamentally change the outcome of your hole, or even your match.
From Sarazen’s history-making albatross to Tiger's theatrical chip-in, the greatest shots are a blend of pressure, difficulty, and perfect execution. While we can argue forever about which one deserves the top spot, they all remind us of the incredible possibilities that exist in this great game.
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