Driver vs Putter

[nickjdavis]

If you three putt the first green for bogey, could that affect your mood on your next tee shot?
If you one putt the first green for bogey, could that affect your mood on your next tee shot?
If you one putt for birdie could that affect your mood on your next tee shot?

Take the point but we are always being told that golf is a game of "now" by coaches....and that we need to put what has just happened or what might happen in a hole or twos time, out of our minds.

...your mood could be affected in both ways....a great last shot could cause you to get overexcited for the next shot....a crap previous shot might make you more focused.....it works both ways.

 

[jim8flog]

3 off the tee = a 3 putt
300 yard drive = a 1 putt

It is not how, it is how many.

I know I get more upset about a bad putt than I do a bad drive I expect the latter but used to reckon my short would make up for it.

 

[G1z1]

I have noticed now if i score well it’s because my putting has been good not my driving. Had a game last week and must of hit the driver the best and most consistent I’ve ever hit it and scored the worst I’ve scored in about two months.

 

[BiMGuy]

I think people need to stop thinking in terms of driver and think in terms of driving.

Hit it further off the tee and your scores will improve even without your putting improving.

Hit it further off the tee and hit more fairways then your scores will drop significantly without any improvement in putting.

Better driving makes approach shots easier. Now this is where the real gains are made.

 

[CountLippe]

What makes a good putting round? I'd say holing everything within 3 feet and not 3 putting.
What makes a good driving round? I'd say being able to play whatever shot you choose for your second shot.
I'd say the latter is harder than the former.

 

[Blue in Munich]

Define the parameters; this is a binary response answer to a question that is anything but binary.

Slightly missing a fairway on certain of our holes costs me nothing; I can actually think of one par five where a flyer from the first cut makes it easier to hit the green in two than being on the fairway.

My best scores have always come from from putting the lights out, not from splitting fairways. You can miss fairways and keep a round going with one putt pars; split every fairway and three putt every green and you’re winning nothing.

 

[sweaty sock]

My best rounds always come with a good putting round during a spell of good driving...

A spell of good driving always lowers my handicap faster than a spell of good putting...

However, Brodie et al take their conclusions from datasets of hundreds of thousands of shots, which makes them statistically significant. It doesnt make them immutable truths for every round...

 

[bobmac]

First player drives it down the middle of the first fairway, hits his second shot to 10 feet and 3 putts for a bogey 5.
His playing companion hits his drive out of bounds, hits his second ball down the middle, wedges it to 10 feet and holes the putt for a bogey 5. Who is happier 2 minutes later on the second tee?

 

[sweaty sock]

Whos more likely to bogey the second?

As i said... its a conclusion from hundreds if thousands of holes, not a rule for every hole ever played....

 

[2blue]

On a 'bad driving day', the Driver can be swopped for a 3-wood/rescue/4-iron...... but the putter........ ????

 

[SurreyGolfer]

For me, I take about 2 putts a hole on average.....but I'm often putting for 5, 6, 7, 8 because I struggle to keep the ball in play off the tee, hence my handicap is over 30. I'm starting to hit a hybrid consistently and keep it in play ~180-200yards off the tee. This I feel right now is making more of an impact (less balls lost, shorter irons for 2nd/3rd shots, etc) and will result in lower scores in the short term than improving my putting

 

[BiMGuy]

First player drives it down the middle of the first fairway, hits his second shot to 10 feet and 3 putts for a bogey 5.
His playing companion hits his drive out of bounds, hits his second ball down the middle, wedges it to 10 feet and holes the putt for a bogey 5. Who is happier 2 minutes later on the second tee?

Player 1. Player 2 is now thinking about how not to hit the same massive miss on the second tee.

 

[SteveW86]

This question has too many variables and will always go round in circles.

I'd say its harder to be a very good driver of the ball than it is to be very good at putting. I'd rather be average with the driver and very good at putting. Playing from the first cut of rough doesnt affect you too much if you can always 2 putt, or even make the odd long one. If you are always 3 putting, then that is a lot of extra shots.

My best rounds have always been when the putts have dropped, but our course is very forgiving off the tee.

 

[chrisd]

For me there's no doubt. When my driver goes well I score well

 

[timd77]

I think it depends what level you’re at. I’m off 18, my best rounds have been when I’ve putted well, zero 3 putts and a couple of nice 1 putts. I’m not wild off the tee usually, my bad shot will still be in play somewhere and just require a chip out or lay up, 2 putts for my bogey and I’m happy, and if I manage to 1 putt I’m over the moon.

Saying that, when things go wrong and everything’s off, not being able to keep my tee shot in play would probably affect my enjoyment more than not being able to putt.

 

[BiMGuy]

On a 'bad driving day', the Driver can be swopped for a 3-wood/rescue/4-iron...... but the putter........ ????

But, now you are further away from the hole and probably still hitting it into trouble.

Amateur golfers generally aren’t anymore accurate off the tee with long irons or a 3 wood.

 

[SteveW86]

How many people have had a driver fitting and/or a lesson with the driver?

How many people have had a putter fitting and/or a lesson with the putter?

 

[nickjdavis]

No. bad tee shots/drives are those that simply offer no sensible opportunity to hit green in reg.

This question has too many variables and will always go round in circles.

I'd say its harder to be a very good driver of the ball than it is to be very good at putting. I'd rather be average with the driver and very good at putting. Playing from the first cut of rough doesnt affect you too much if you can always 2 putt, or even make the odd long one. If you are always 3 putting, then that is a lot of extra shots.

My best rounds have always been when the putts have dropped, but our course is very forgiving off the tee.

I guess a lot depends on what your interpretation/definition of a bad "drive" is. For me a bad "drive" is a tee shot (whether played with driver or 3 wood or hybrid) that prevents me from making a reasonable attempt at hitting green in regulation....it is not about splitting the fairway...or even finding the fairway...a shot in the rough may offer a perfectly acceptable opportunity to find the green.

 

[sweaty sock]

On a 'bad driving day', the Driver can be swopped for a 3-wood/rescue/4-iron...... but the putter........ ????

Strictly , hitting 3 wood, rescue, 4 iron off the tee would always be a 'bad driving day' given how much yardage youd be giving up.

And before anyone says 'I hit my 4 iron the same distance as my driver" well maybe you should ask yourself that question

And "I hit the fairway all the time with my 3 wood/hybrid/ 4 iron". No you don’t.

 

[nickjdavis]

How many people have had a driver fitting and/or a lesson with the driver?

How many people have had a putter fitting and/or a lesson with the putter?

Yes to both.