Layup distance

[Orikoru]

What a bizarre comment.

So, if a better player is 300 yards from the middle of the green and wants to leave themselves 100, you don’t think they are capable of;

1. Subtracting 100 from 300 to work out how far they need to hit it,

2. Knowing which club they can hit 200 yards, and

3. Executing the shot?

I accept a lot of handicap golfers won’t be able to hit it bang on 200 yards on demand but most have the ability to be in the ballpark.

But as for not being able to do basic maths? Really? Do you think everyone here is stupid?

Agreed, and it doesn't even need to be that precise either, it's just the difference between leaving a partial pitch shot or a full shot usually. They might intend to leave 100 yards and end up with 112 but be absolutely fine with that, it's only one club difference and still a full shot. I don't think anyone is claiming they can leave themselves exactly 107 yards each time.

 

[WorldHandicapSystem]

What a bizarre comment.

So, if a better player is 300 yards from the middle of the green and wants to leave themselves 100, you don’t think they are capable of;

1. Subtracting 100 from 300 to work out how far they need to hit it,

2. Knowing which club they can hit 200 yards, and

3. Executing the shot?

I accept a lot of handicap golfers won’t be able to hit it bang on 200 yards on demand but most have the ability to be in the ballpark.

But as for not being able to do basic maths? Really? Do you think everyone here is stupid?

Not everyone.

You mentioned better golfers can do these things. I mostly agree depending on what you consider a better golfer.

If only it was as simple as 1 2 3. A lot of handicap golfers hitting it 200 yards won’t be hitting fairways never mind their preferred distance.

But you have proven my point thanks.

Are the mods on here always so snarky? You seem easily offended by things that aren’t.
Next time you are playing. Try to lay up to exactly 100 yards to to the flag on every hole. Let us know how you get on.

 

[WorldHandicapSystem]

Agreed, and it doesn't even need to be that precise either, it's just the difference between leaving a partial pitch shot or a full shot usually. They might intend to leave 100 yards and end up with 112 but be absolutely fine with that, it's only one club difference and still a full shot. I don't think anyone is claiming they can leave themselves exactly 107 yards each time.

But then they haven’t laid up to their favourite distance or club.

 

[Billysboots]

Not everyone.

You mentioned better golfers can do these things. I mostly agree depending on what you consider a better golfer.

If only it was as simple as 1 2 3. A lot of handicap golfers hitting it 200 yards won’t be hitting fairways never mind their preferred distance.

But you have proven my point thanks.

Are the mods on here always so snarky? You seem easily offended by things that aren’t.
Next time you are playing. Try to lay up to exactly 100 yards to to the flag on every hole. Let us know how you get on.

I am neither snarky nor offended. Merely surprised that you seem to think most here can’t perform a simple subtraction.

EDIT: And why are you being so pedantic? Do you think the current world number one can leave himself an exact yardage? I’m willing to bet nobody on the planet can. But a lot can get within a few yards of it.

 

[bobmac]

Next time you are playing. Try to lay up to exactly 100 yards to to the flag on every hole. Let us know how you get on.

Ermmm...
I think he mentioned ballpark, not exact

 

[Imurg]

I don't think it's as easy as saying "always get as close as possible"..there's to many variables.
As has been said, potential hazards need to be taken into account but there's a couple of other things that many don't think of..
How well you're playing has a massive effect.
If you've hit a few decent full 9 irons into greens but messed up a couple of 40 yard pitches then you're going to feel better with the 9 in your hands - why leave a 40 harder when, today, the 120 yarder is proving more effective?
Plus....to get as close as you can to the green/flag you have to hit a longer shot than leaving, say, 100 yards.
The longer shot carries more risk of going wrong a d leaving you in trouble..ie a 200 yard 5 wood to leave 40 yards over a 150 yard iron to leave a wedge...
Absolutely not saying getting close to the green is a bad play but to just play as long as you can every time is short-sighted

 

[Orikoru]

I don't think it's as easy as saying "always get as close as possible"..there's to many variables.
As has been said, potential hazards need to be taken into account but there's a couple of other things that many don't think of..
How well you're playing has a massive effect.
If you've hit a few decent full 9 irons into greens but messed up a couple of 40 yard pitches then you're going to feel better with the 9 in your hands - why leave a 40 harder when, today, the 120 yarder is proving more effective?
Plus....to get as close as you can to the green/flag you have to hit a longer shot than leaving, say, 100 yards.
The longer shot carries more risk of going wrong a d leaving you in trouble..ie a 200 yard 5 wood to leave 40 yards over a 150 yard iron to leave a wedge...
Absolutely not saying getting close to the green is a bad play but to just play as long as you can every time is short-sighted

Not disagreeing, but I think the 'strokes gained' statistical argument is that the stats show you will always get closer to the target from a closer distance in. Even if you 'feel' like you are better from 120 than 40, if you tracked all of your shots from those distances, you'll be nearer the pin on average from 40. I think golfers allow themselves to influenced by the quality of the strike too, rather than a purely scientific look at the outcome - so you might strike the 120 shot pure, and end up 25 feet from the pin as it went a little long or whatever, or you can completely duff your 40 yard pitch but it luckily rolls onto the green to 20 feet. That's where you (not you, just the golfer in this scenario) might say "I'm better from 120" as you hit a nicer shot, but the stats say you got it closer from 40.

Sorry, ended up being a long-winded example but I hope it made sense.

 

[WorldHandicapSystem]

I am neither snarky nor offended. Merely surprised that you seem to think most here can’t perform a simple subtraction.

EDIT: And why are you being so pedantic? Do you think the current world number one can leave himself an exact yardage? I’m willing to bet nobody on the planet can. But a lot can get within a few yards of it.

Which I never said.

 

[WorldHandicapSystem]

Ermmm...
I think he mentioned ballpark, not exact

Thank you for clarifying

 

[KenL]

How on earth can people fall out on a thread like this?

Personally, I don’t have a favourite layup distance that I try to leave.

Unless there is a hazard or some other feature that makes a short chip tricky I would rather be as close to the green as I can get.

 

[Imurg]

On average.......
Which means sometimes you will, sometimes you won't....and there's many variables that can make you choose one over the other.
And you need to know how you're swinging before getting a longer club out and smacking it to get as far as you can down the hole..
And how your short game is.
Just this morning I tried 2 balls from 90 yards - smooth 52 wedge - vs 2 balls from 40.
Closest was the 2nd 52 wedge followed by the 1st 1/2 lob wedge...the other 2 were equidistant.
Small sample but.......

 

[Orikoru]

On average.......
Which means sometimes you will, sometimes you won't....and there's many variables that can make you choose one over the other.
And you need to know how you're swinging before getting a longer club out and smacking it to get as far as you can down the hole..
And how your short game is.
Just this morning I tried 2 balls from 90 yards - smooth 52 wedge - vs 2 balls from 40.
Closest was the 2nd 52 wedge followed by the 1st 1/2 lob wedge...the other 2 were equidistant.
Small sample but.......

Yeah, of course it's down to the individual and anyone can be an outlier to the stats, they're based on thousands and thousands of golfers' averages. I was just defining it the way that it makes sense to me.

One thing stats don't cover is your mental state and confidence at hitting certain shots. I duffed chip might get you closer to the hole, but maybe it shatters your confidence for the rest of the round, hence why you're happier hitting the full wedges.

 

[D-S]

The stats also don’t show how some people are substantially better at pitching than chipping. I have a mate who is mid single figures who I would trust to get it far closer from 40+ yards off the green than from around 10 yards from the green. His short chipping is by far the worst part of his game. Closer is not necessarily better for him.

 

[Billysboots]

Which I never said.

In which case can I ask you please to clarify the following;

“I’d go as far as to say most won’t even know how to calculate doing so properly.”

That has to involve some basic maths, surely?!

 

[Imurg]

The stats also don’t show how some people are substantially better at pitching than chipping. I have a mate who is mid single figures who I would trust to get it far closer from 40+ yards off the green than from around 10 yards from the green. His short chipping is by far the worst part of his game. Closer is not necessarily better for him.

But...but....the stats....

 

[Deleted member 35927]

The stats also don’t show how some people are substantially better at pitching than chipping. I have a mate who is mid single figures who I would trust to get it far closer from 40+ yards off the green than from around 10 yards from the green. His short chipping is by far the worst part of his game. Closer is not necessarily better for him.

Sounds like he needs a chipper

 

[WorldHandicapSystem]

In which case can I ask you please to clarify the following;

“I’d go as far as to say most won’t even know how to calculate doing so properly.”

That has to involve some basic maths, surely?!

Sorry I’ll be generous and say I can now see you have taken that so literally you thought I was meaning people can’t do simple maths.

But I did clarify in a later post.

factor in working out exactly where the pin is located, wind, temperature, elevation changes, the random ball they are using, slope etc. in order for them to pick a club to lay up with. How many people even begin to think about these things?

 

[D-S]

Sorry I’ll be generous and say I can now see you have taken that so literally you thought I was meaning people can’t do simple maths.

But I did clarify in a later post.

factor in working out exactly where the pin is located, wind, temperature, elevation changes, the random ball they are using, slope etc. in order for them to pick a club to lay up with. How many people even begin to think about these things?

Aren’t these all the exact same factors that players factor in when playing into every green, irrespective of the distance involved? So you are saying that they are unable to calculate these and don’t “even begin to think about these things”?

 

[Billysboots]

Sorry I’ll be generous and say I can now see you have taken that so literally you thought I was meaning people can’t do simple maths.

But I did clarify in a later post.

factor in working out exactly where the pin is located, wind, temperature, elevation changes, the random ball they are using, slope etc. in order for them to pick a club to lay up with. How many people even begin to think about these things?

Thanks.

I haven’t read every post, but having now done so it’s quite clear I wasn’t alone in my observation.

 

[D-S]

Sounds like he needs a chipper

He probably does but there are many many people who also do but for whatever reason don’t countenance having one. In his defence, playing off 5, he doesn’t need one as often as many others.