Driver vs Putter

[SteveW86]

I don't get why people are hung up on distance.

400 yard hole. Driver off the tee into the trees at 200 yards followed by a chip out sideways means 200 yards to go after 2 shots.
Or 5 iron 150 yards down the fairway followed by another 150 yard 5 iron leaves 100 yards to go after 2 shots
OK, very simplistic but you get my drift.

who on this forum only hits a 5 iron 150 yards?

There is definitely something to be said for course management though

 

[Blue in Munich]

I'm in the driving camp..
At my course you need to get as close to the greens as you can.
They are, generally, firm and quite undulating.
You need to be able to hit a high shot with buckets of spin to get the ball to stop.
If I'm hitting a 6 iron in then I might get enough grab...but with a 9 iron I'm going to get more like the stopping I need.
So I need to keep the ball, if not on the fairway, at least in play, even if its 1st or 2nd cut - some fairways are virtually impossible to stay on.
I've always been a 30/32 putts a round player - never kept proper stats for long but when I have thats been the number.
Not the best stat to keep but its all I've got.
I suspect my number of putts has gone up due to the difficulty of our greens. Probably 35/37
But my scoring has stayed around a similar number....because I'm driving better and keeping the ball in play.
They say it takes 3 or 4 years to get used to the greens at Ellesborough - well I'm playing enough that I've got the hang of them after less than 2 so I'm expecting scores to come down next season as long as the driving stays where it is.
Driving is key for me.
If I drive well I score well.

And there's another variable. You place more emphasis on driving because of your course layout. Others may view it differently because of their course layout. Somewhere with particularly large greens might lead you to believe that putting is more important.

 

[Leftitshort]

Can I say both? When is it ever an either/or? This sounds like Rick Shiels, golf monthly clic bait nonsense

 

[Backache]

who on this forum only hits a 5 iron 150 yards?

Dunno but I sure as hell don't guarantee hitting a fairway with my five iron and actually am probably straighter with my driver.

 

[Imurg]

And there's another variable. You place more emphasis on driving because of your course layout. Others may view it differently because of their course layout. Somewhere with particularly large greens might lead you to believe that putting is more important.

Can't argue with that Big Guy.....

 

[Blue in Munich]

Can't argue with that Big Guy.....

Someone will

 

[Blue in Munich]

Thinking back, I once received a cut for a card returned in a 5 club challenge;

2 iron
5 iron
8 iron
Sand wedge
Putter

Not a driver to be seen.

 

[Jimaroid]

Having said that Broadie in his very elegant statistical analysis of where shots were gained and lost including the types of shots demonstrated that taking groups as a whole, better golfers were more distinctly better in their driving than less good golfers than in their putting at all levels, whether the comparisons were made between professionals and amateurs, high handicappers and low handicappers or elite tour players compared with average tour players.

Broadies analysis was done with verified ShotLink data that was accurate to inches. I don’t think people shpuld automatically make the same conclusions from ShotScope data as it is not equivalently reliable.

It’d be nice if ShotScope made their data available for more scrutiny.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

who on this forum only hits a 5 iron 150 yards?

I believe DaveR is very old, so it’s more than likely in his case ?

 

[Deleted member 29109]

In 50 years playing golf I've never seen anyone lose a ball or put themselves in trouble off every tee.

God you’re tiring. I never said anyone would. I was making an equally ridiculous counter point to your statement about 3 putting every green.

You’ve clearly got nothing sensible to add to the debate, so why are you bothering?

 

[SteveW86]

Dunno but I sure as hell don't guarantee hitting a fairway with my five iron and actually am probably straighter with my driver.

How far do you hit driver roughly? Genuine question

 

[Leftitshort]

God you’re tiring. I never said anyone would. I was making an equally ridiculous counter point to your statement about 3 putting every green.

You’ve clearly got nothing sensible to add to the debate, so why are you bothering?

It’s a ridiculous debate, therefore by definition every point made is nonsense.
It’s never a choice between the 2. They’re not even linked. You don’t have to sacrifice one for the other, so why ask the question.

 

[Deleted member 3432]

To give myself a chance to score well at my track it is imperative to hit the fairway, to actually make the good score putting then becomes the key.

 

[Leftitshort]

To give myself a chance to score well at my track it is imperative to hit the fairway, to actually make the good score putting then becomes the key.

Yes to score well at my place, I have to hit it off the tee, then hit an iron into the green. Then I have to use my putter. That’s important too!!
Some times I have to use the shiny pointy uppy one to hit it out of bunkers or long grass. If I do this well….I score well. Well done me

 

[Backache]

Broadies analysis was done with verified ShotLink data that was accurate to inches. I don’t think people shpuld automatically make the same conclusions from ShotScope data as it is not equivalently reliable.

It’d be nice if ShotScope made their data available for more scrutiny.

From reading his book Broadie actually did his original analysis before Shot link data was available, getting many amateurs to record their shots for him. Listening to him on podcasts he actually took several years to persuade the PGA to release the shotlink data to him that confirmed his findings for professionals.
He has distributed his own app for amateurs subsequently which has I believe confirmed his original findings.

 

[Backache]

How far do you hit driver roughly? Genuine question

Obviously highly dependant on conditions but 200 yds is probably in the right ball park.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I always score better on a day when I putt better ?‍

A number of times a single putt has rescued a poor drive

 

[Voyager EMH]

who on this forum only hits a 5 iron 150 yards?

There is definitely something to be said for course management though

Me, with my beautiful 1961 Forgan Powerpakt irons. Very happy if I hit it that distance considering its loft and shaft length.

 

[CountLippe]

Another slant is to say, you can be a 5 handicapper and an average putter. No chance you can get to 5 handicap with average driving and good putting

 

[SteveW86]

Another slant is to say, you can be a 5 handicapper and an average putter. No chance you can get to 5 handicap with average driving and good putting

I’ve seen a few people off 5 who I would say are average off the tee, but good putters.