10 Golf Myths

sjw said:
Yes, that's probably correct.



The point I was getting at is there is no way I'm happy with a putt left short from 5 foot, no matter how small my dispersion circle is. I'm never going to say, "oh well, at least I have a 6 inch putt now rather than being a foot past!"

For me, for every level of putting ability I think there must be a point at which your mindset has to switch to getting it to the hole and putting that bit more aggressively. Not in the sense of hitting it artificially harder though.
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I guess I'm not saying I'm happy about it either, but I just accept it as a byproduct of having a decent dispersion - I'm equally unhappy if I hit it too hard and steamroll it two or three feet past. That to me isn't any better because it "had a chance" - for me it's just a putt that was too hard, just as leaving it short means it was too soft - and it's added jeopardy because it's now missable. And if it was the correct speed but missed left or right, then again it's just a missed putt because you got the line wrong. It's not really better or worse because it "could have" gone in. That's just hypothetical - factually, it did not go in.
 
Lord Tyrion said:
The weather might be bad but it isn't quite bad enough for us to go down that particular rabbit hole again :eek:
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irip said:
I’m thinking about asking if I should tuck my shirt in before playing but don’t want to be blamed for breaking the internet
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Lucifer MorningStar said:
If you ask that I’ll ask who gets offended by the fact I wear my hats backwards 😉

The devil in me wants to play 😂
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I'm primed and ready, let's go there!
 
Lucifer MorningStar said:
Right let’s do it!!!

Old fashioned dress codes are not indicative of bringing a better class of member to a club and I like to wear shirts that are designed to be untucked and my cap backwards

@Imurg beat me to it. But the pin has officially been pulled 😎
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Agreed. I happily wear golf clothing and have amassed quite a collection. But I see no reason why someone shouldn't be allowed to wear regular sports clothing, such as sports leggings and ordinary sports t-shirts. Golf polos are made of the same material nowadays, they just have a collar added. Being able to afford a polo shirt doesn't make you a better class of person, that's all outdated rubbish. If someone wants to wear jeans, I have no idea why as it seems impractical to me, but it's also their lookout and only them that really suffers, so why not let them crack on?

I also don't tuck my shirt in as I find it less comfortable, and I like to be comfortable when playing my favourite sport - but thankfully I think less and less clubs care about this - I honestly can't remember the last time anyone called me up on it.

I do genuinely believe dress codes are being softened all over the country though. I think in our lifetimes we will see more and more clubs relaxing these rules, particularly as the older generations die out.

In fact, whenever my wife plays, she does wear sports leggings and she's never once been denied access to a course because of it. Double standards! Oh wait, that's a whole other grenade. :LOL:
 
Orikoru said:
You obviously don't understand the concept and that's fine. The wider view is that lower scores are achieved by making fewer doubles, not more birdies, ultimately. Three-putts are score-killers. I find it a little weird that you associate holing putts with smacking it firmly, but that's an old-school association you've been brain-washed into. I am always trying to hole putts, I just don't differentiate missing short as being worse or better than missing long - they are both just misses. Hitting it too hard is just as bad as leaving it short, to my mind, they're both poor putts.

If I become as you suggest, hitting it more firmly to get past the hole, I will knock some putts 5 and 6 feet past at times, and I will subsequently three-putt more. That is not fear, it's simply a fact. I'd maybe hole one more putt that luckily hit the hole head-on, but I might three putt two or three more times. That's not a good exchange, that equates to a higher score.
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It is clear you are more concerned about not 3 putting than you are about single putting which is very negative but your choice. As I stated earlier, good players will get the ball to the hole much more often and convert more birdie chances. All it takes is practice, you don’t need any physical attributes to be a good putter. SJW clearly understands the point I’m trying to make.
 
Golf is fun said:
The never up, never in line of thinking comes from the same school of thought that if the last 10 flips of a coin has come up heads then tails is now overdue on the next flip.

For any given target distance, half your shots will be short and half will be long, the exact amount will depend on your skill level and starting distance of the putt. For the purposes of discussion say your dispersion is a 3 foot radius circle.

1. If you target exactly the distance to the centre of the hole half your misses will be short and half long. The longest putt you will have left will be 3 foot and assuming a somewhat normal distribution around your target something like 40% would be in the mythical 18" past zone.

2. If you target exactly 18" past the hole, then all your misses will be long, half within 3 feet, the furthest up to 6 feet away and half within the 18" zone.

3. If you target so the shortest putt you hit is 18" past, then about 20% of your putts will be within 3 feet, a tiny fraction will be in the 18" past zone, and your furthest return putt will 7 1/2 feet.

I think most would agree option 3 is the worst choice. Options 1 and 2 are much closer, but hitting it harder you're only getting 10% more putts in the 18" zone traded off for 50% of your putts left being up to 3 feet longer. At tour level the make rate from 3 foot is 99% dropping to 91% at 4', 81% at 5' and 70% at 6', for amateurs the rate is obviously lower. I wouldn't trade off the chance of 10% (in reality it's less because it's only the online misses) of my misses dropping for this reduced rate of making the follow up putt, but each to their own.
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Sorry but your maths is all over the place.

Option 2: if you target 18" past the hole and assume your normal distribution from option 1, then:
- 10% will be 0 - 1.5 feet short of the hole
- 40% will be 0 - 1.5 feet past the hole
- 40% will be 1.5 - 3 feet past the hole
- 10% will be 3 - 4.5 feet past the hole

On this basis, 90% of your putts have a chance of going in. 90% finish within 3 feet (99% make level on tour). Only 10% finish outside 3 feet, but no more than 4.5 feet, and the putt is coming back so you have already seen the line.

With option 1, only 50% of your putts have a chance of going in.

I would choose option 2.
 
Lucifer MorningStar said:
Right let’s do it!!!

Old fashioned dress codes are not indicative of bringing a better class of member to a club and I like to wear shirts that are designed to be untucked and my cap backwards

@Imurg beat me to it. But the pin has officially been pulled 😎
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Nope....I always leave it in. Cue another argument about in/out.
 
3 jabber said:
It is clear you are more concerned about not 3 putting than you are about single putting which is very negative but your choice. As I stated earlier, good players will get the ball to the hole much more often and convert more birdie chances. All it takes is practice, you don’t need any physical attributes to be a good putter. SJW clearly understands the point I’m trying to make.
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It's not negative, it's sensible and logical. There aren't very many occasions that I, an 11 handicap, have a really makeable first putt. It's normally going to be 10 foot+ so three-putt avoidance is crucial to my score.
 
Lord Tyrion said:
Why can't I wear a hat in the bar? No reason whatsoever 🤷

🫣🤭
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It does grate me a bit - perhaps my uniform days has bred a ‘ hat discipline’ into me but what does wind me up is men ( not females) wearing a hat whilst eating at a table with knife and fork. I am not looking to start an argument just merely stating my views.
And while I’m at it, I don’t mind shirts not being tucked in. Our club has the tucked in Bye Law and I’m supposed to help enforce it, but I’m not very diligent in that area.

Wrong thread , I know. 🤷🏼‍♂️
 
Orikoru said:
Agreed. I happily wear golf clothing and have amassed quite a collection. But I see no reason why someone shouldn't be allowed to wear regular sports clothing, such as sports leggings and ordinary sports t-shirts. Golf polos are made of the same material nowadays, they just have a collar added. Being able to afford a polo shirt doesn't make you a better class of person, that's all outdated rubbish. If someone wants to wear jeans, I have no idea why as it seems impractical to me, but it's also their lookout and only them that really suffers, so why not let them crack on?

I also don't tuck my shirt in as I find it less comfortable, and I like to be comfortable when playing my favourite sport - but thankfully I think less and less clubs care about this - I honestly can't remember the last time anyone called me up on it.

I do genuinely believe dress codes are being softened all over the country though. I think in our lifetimes we will see more and more clubs relaxing these rules, particularly as the older generations die out.

In fact, whenever my wife plays, she does wear sports leggings and she's never once been denied access to a course because of it. Double standards! Oh wait, that's a whole other grenade. :LOL:
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I agree with absolutely every word of that, l would still wear the same attire I do now as I find comfortable , the only thing I wouldn’t wanna see in a golf course is a football shirt but that’s because I think that grown men that wear them outside of football matches look like knobs 😂

Jeans wouldn’t be comfy either can’t stand doing anything in them. But I’d happily wear a decent pair of walking trousers on a golf course.

My wife the same we ply together and she wears sports leggings and a 3/4 zip gym top nobody bats an eye lid.
 
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