The groan echoes across the fairway as your playing partner’s ball takes an unfortunate bounce, settling squarely on the cart path beside the 17th green. “Take relief,” comes the immediate chorus from your group. Yet, as you survey the surrounding area—thick, rough to the right, a subtle slope to the left—you recall Phil Mickelson’s masterful cart path birdie in the 2021 WGC-Cadillac Championship. Sometimes, what appears to be misfortune can become an unexpected advantage in this grand game of golf.

The instinctive aversion to cart path shots stems from understandable concerns. Players worry about damaging their expensive clubs, fear the embarrassment of a mishit, and assume relief is always the safer choice. However, this concrete challenge presents a surprisingly advantageous scenario: a perfectly flat stance, zero interference between club and ball, and a lie so clean it rivals the pristine conditions of a tour-quality practice tee. In the strategic chess match of golf course management, these benefits frequently outweigh the apparent risks.

Technical mastery: The six-step approach

Think of the cart path shot as a specialized club fitting session—every detail matters. Your sand wedge, typically a reliable friend around the green, becomes your adversary here due to its high-bounce design. Instead, reach for your lob wedge or an appropriate club with less bounce that matches your required distance. Keep that clubface square to the target – any opening of the face risks a blade across the concrete.

Set yourself up for success by positioning the ball slightly back in your stance, much like you would for a chip from tight lies. Lean into your lead foot, choking down an inch on the grip for that added control. Here’s the crucial part that separates the great shots from the mishits: commit to the strike with the same confidence you’d have from a perfect fairway lie. Hesitation is your enemy on any shot, especially on the cart path.

The moment your club meets ball on that concrete surface creates a fascinating chain reaction. Unlike the cushioned interaction of turf, this firm surface launches the ball with noticeably more speed and less spin. Think of it as hitting off the world’s most challenging driving range mat—the ball will come out hot and low, with significantly more run than you’re used to.

These unique dynamics mean you must adjust your expectations and club selection. That comfortable gap wedge that typically flies 110 yards might suddenly want to scream past 120. Factor in the reduced spin, and you’re essentially playing links-style golf, where the ground game becomes your best friend.

Now that you’ve mastered the shot’s technical aspects, let’s explore perhaps the most crucial decision you’ll face: whether to play it at all. This is where understanding the rules becomes your secret weapon.

Playing by the rules: Making the smart choice

Golf’s rulebook treats cart paths with remarkable fairness, offering free relief when needed. But just like a skilled chess player, you need to think several moves ahead. That nearest point of relief might leave you staring down a gnarly lie in ankle-deep rough or, worse yet, blocked by an overhanging branch.

Course management becomes an exercise in risk assessment. Take Phil Mickelson‘s strategic brilliance in that 2021 WGC-Cadillac shot. Rather than accepting the seemingly obvious relief option, he recognized the cart path offered a perfect platform for a controlled shot to a tight pin. His successful birdie conversion wasn’t just skill; it was sa trategic genius born from understanding when to break from conventional wisdom.

Don’t let the unconventional nature of the cart path shot intimidate you away from what might be your best play. Take these insights to the practice area (with an old club, naturally), and build your confidence through repetition. Remember, golf rewards the creative problem solver, and mastering this shot adds another valuable tool to your competitive arsenal. Sometimes, the best path to the pin starts on the cart path.