Distance over scores

mattyb0y

mattyb0y

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Anyone often think about their distances rather than score?

Really getting back playing after a long absence and hitting mid 80s but feel I am lacking distance...

Was playing the other evening and a comment got in my head, a par 3 about 145 carry over a ditch 160 to centre, hit a 6 iron after disclosing my club selection the response "really... A 6 you're longer than that I've made it with an 8"

Got in my head, unfortunately this was only the 3rd didn't have a good round at all...

Of which prompted going to range the following night during which I realised my ball flight was high but seemed to strike it well, but I'm thinking the trajectory and flight is too high..

posted a link below of those willing to advise hitting a 5 iron... Is it something to work on or do I just get new playing partners... Daft as it sound the comment has rocked my boat!:mad:


https://youtu.be/dhYbR4l5Q7w
 
160yds I'd be hitting 6i in normal conditions, I don't care what other people think I should be hitting. I've hit 5i from 130yds before, I've also hit wedge from the same distance depending on conditions. Golf is about scoring as low as you can and to do that you need to understand how far you hit each club, not how far everyone else says they hit it.
 
HawkeyeMS said:
160yds I'd be hitting 6i in normal conditions, I don't care what other people think I should be hitting. I've hit 5i from 130yds before, I've also hit wedge from the same distance depending on conditions. Golf is about scoring as low as you can and to do that you need to understand how far you hit each club, not how far everyone else says they hit it.
Click to expand...

Spot on. Hitting a green is much more important than hitting less club than your PP.
I use to play with a kid that would insist on hitting a 9i when the rest of us would be hitting 7/8i.
He'd give the 9 all he'd got & get in a right knot.
Idiot!
 
all folks will hit different distances, the important thing to know is how far (carry) folks hit their own ball at the level they are at the time of playing

depends on folks ability, technique & physicality as to how far they each hit a club

for sure distance with accuracy helps - but that's what the index is for, to reflect different playing abilities

game isn't purely about distance, you don't write how far you hit on the card but the # of strokes taken

{on the vid. just framing the club isn't going to give any real answers - shoot landscape not portrait then you don't get the black strips
but you gotta frame the whole golfer - dtl as well as face on view to begin to be able to see what's going down}

if the shot flight is over high
then there's a bunch of things that will be playing into why that's happening

first off would be checking the ball position isn't too far forwards

bunch of other factors would be how the clubhead is being delivered (path, AoA, dynamic loft, face angle) where the weight is coming into impact, what the body angles are, is the motion largely an arm swing with not a deal of rotation

but just saying blind. then generally - it's likely that the weight is probably too much to trailside with that the upper body could be leaning back some

for sure the clubhead will be beating the handle & the hands to impact so the static loft of the club is being increased as the shaft will either be around vertical to leaning backwards so there's a bunch of loft being added

club face also could be little ways open again adding loft some - so the angles, right arm, right hand in particular if they are being 'made' okay to the top are being lost some a little ways before impact.

could be that grip & set-up could be playing into part of the reason why - but the swing motion will be the other part of the equation

to hit a penetrating iron - first off the weight has to be (RH player) on the left before impact, the hands & handle have to be leading the shaft & clubhead into impact, so a forwards leaning shaft
 
Pin-seeker said:
Spot on. Hitting a green is much more important than hitting less club than your PP.
Click to expand...
I heard a story about Lee Trevino playing in a pro-am. On a par 3 he hit a 5i, while his amateur PP used a 6i. The PP then proceeded to crow about how he'd used less club. So Trevino lined up a load of balls and used every club in the bag from 3 wood down to 9i and plonked them all on the green, with the withering comment, "Doesn't matter what club you use".
 
The OP struck a chord with me because I have a PP who acts in a similar manner, expressing surprise at my club choice (all the while scoring lower than me on every occasion). I also had an interesting 'debate' with him about how to use a lob wedge when his own view contrasted with my pro - who my PP promptly advised me must be completely wrong.

Moral of the story - play golf your way, enjoy golf your way and live and let live.
 
I would definitely prefer the high ball flight, at least on the benign parkland courses I play on. I don't care what number it has on the bottom as long as it comes down vertical and stops where I want it to.
 
A few observations...
No two golfers will have the same physique and no two 6 irons will have the same loft, shaft length and flex.

Add to these variables the fact that the lie of your ball will be different to those of your playing partners' and you'll soon realise that its only what you see as the shot that matters.

What you PPs 'may' have done ain't worth a toss - play what you see as the percentage shot and smile at your score.
 
Score is what matters

It's irrelevant how far you hit the ball but what counts Is how many it take you to get the ball into the hole
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I used to listen to one of my pp for a period of time, because he was scoring better than me, and had quite a bit of experience. Was always going for the driver almost every hole, and it was just getting me into so much trouble. Once I started playing my own game and within my own limits, my scores have come tumbling down.
 
How far you hit it is NOT irrelevant

Hitting it further helps you score lower, it is pretty obvious

In general those hitting 240 yards v those hitting 220 yards will score better, SCORE V DISTANCE is never ONE V THE OTHER..
 
Similar to most i'm not interested in what other players have hit. Go with what you are comfortable with. If someone wants to try and be macho, let him be a tool and beat him on the scorecard.
 
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