Clue: Spot runs up, circling one, barks briefly – not what golfer wants (4)
Answer: YIPS
Explanation: Definition: barks briefly
I in reverse of SPY (a bit of a blemish that SPY is also used in the wordplay of 2a, which intersects with this), and two definitions: short cries or barks, and "a nervous twitching caused by tension before making a shot"