Drive for show, putt for dough - True or False?

[MashieNiblick]

I think this saying is rooted in the pro ranks where to win consistently you have to be nailing 8-15 foot putts, knocking in a fair few longer than that, never 3 putting and never missing short ones.

Yes I think that's right. I think it is only really true if most drives hit the fairway and you are talking about the difference between holing for birdies rather than pars. At that level a mediocre driver and a great putter will win more than a great driver and mediocre putter. It is about the marginal gains once you are at a certain level. I think a tour pro would rather have a great putting round than a great driving round.

Less true at club level where errant drives go in deep doo-doo or OOB and a "good" putter is still taking 32 putts.

On the other hand I'll more likely find that can I drive well and score badly but less often find I putt well and score badly. A few good putts can rescue a bad round in a way that that a few great drives can't.

 

[MadAdey]

Always found this to be a strange statement as it is such a general sweeping statement. If your driving is bad enough that it is meaning last balls and re-loads, then it is certainly costing you big time, then putting is not going to save your game.

But look at it another way, if you hit every green in regulation, because you've hit every fairway with a monster drive, then 2 putt every green you will shoot level par. But if I miss 5 fairways and still get it to the green and only have 28 putts I can easily be a couple under par. So in that example then putting is the key to having a good score.

I think the statement is really aimed at the club golfer. Because they will go to the range twice a week whacking golf balls, but never think about practising their putting. Also in days gone by people would putt for years with any old lump of crap they could find, but would happily spend a weeks wages on a new driver every year.

 

[Father_Ted]

True for me

I can tone down or ramp up driving according to how well driver is performing

I cant ramp up putting and if putter is not performing it hurts

 

[Fish]

Drive & Putt for show, chip & short game for dough, especially inside 100yds.

I can get more decent drives away than not, I rarely 3-putt but, I don't hit enough greens with my 2nd shot so its a tentative chip or bunker shot and with a mandatory 2-putts = bogey