Long drive or good short game?

[rgs]

Played yesterday and drove the ball so badly it was beyond a joke, my playing partners, 18,19 & 23 handicapper, all drove the ball better, the 19 handicapper only missed one faiway all day, yet i produced the best card of the four, mainly due to my better iron play, better chipping and especially better putting.

The question---Do you guys prefer the thrill of a long straight drive or the joy of chipping and putting to make a score?

 

[haplesshacker]

Good chips / putts.

Regardless whether the drive is good or bad, always good to finish a hole on a high note.

 

[Herbie]

rgs you have proved a point to yourself I think.

Its great to have a good long drive, the more often the better, but you can recover and make a great score from poor drives.

Try making a great score when your driving is brilliant and the rest is poor

Ive seen people with 18+ h/caps hit drive after drive 240+ down the middle all day long, yet they remain 18+ h/caps.

 

[TonyN]

Ive seen people with 18+ h/caps hit drive after drive 240+ down the middle all day long, yet they remain 18+ h/caps.

That would be me

Dont know why though, my short game is hot

O yeah its the middle bit

 

[bobmac]

Tony, have you ever had a playing lesson?

 

[PeterPumpkinEater]

Long straight drive for me.

Like you, my irons and short game are fine, but there is nothing like seeing that ball hit the centre of the fairway and measuring over 300yrds.

You can get yourself into so much trouble with the Driver, OOB, in the middle of trees etc.

 

[TonyN]

Tony, have you ever had a playing lesson?

Funny you should ask, I was thinking about having one yesterday. I was playing up the 16th and the pro was out teaching next to the 17th.

I was having a great round yesterday (9 pars) but a complete blow out (8 on a par 3) seen me well and trully off!

I went out 4 over, got to the 10th and tried being too cute in the bunker, 3 attempts to get out ended up with a 70 yard bunker shot well through the back!

 

[Del]

Iron game all the time,

Drive for Show, Putt for Dough.

Del

 

[bobmac]

I love giving playing lessons.
This is when you see the golfers 'real swing'
A range lesson is good for making swing changes, but watching a golfer playing the course is always an eye opener for me.
You're trying to hit a 3 wood from that lie?

 

[TonyN]

Haha, Actually, I played our 12th (about 450 yards) par 4 yesterday with a 3 wood into the green. I always try to miss the fairway left so I have a nice fluffy lie instead of off the bare deck.

It sailed into the middle of the green for an easy 2 putt. I bottled the birdie

I now seem to be finding it difficult to par our par 3's, and there are 5 of them.

 

[Macster]

While you cant deny the satisfaction anyone will get from a great drive, its from 100yds out that matters, and those time's when your 40yd pich stops in its tracks 6' from the hole, and you sink it for Par.

That is satisfying for me, when it happens.

 

[pro_slice]

good short game without a doubt

i had a total shocker yesterday, i did literally 3 straight hits from the tee. luckly my play around the greens and putting was good so i didnt get beat too bad

 

[USER1999]

I would go with long drive, as I already have a pretty reasonable short game.

 

[medwayjon]

Short game, definately 100%

I am already pretty decent off the tee with a driver or fairway wood.

When my short-game is hot I am a decent enough golfer to be honest (hence 52 points at gillingham last year) but my short game is only hot once in a blue moon.

 

[Mike_j_golf]

Hi,
I think u have to be able to drive well to get down to single figures if your driving is bad you are putting pressure on you short game all the time if you are hitting it well off the tee you should be hitting more greens and having to chip and pitch fewer times in a round if you are driving well and missing a lot of greens u need to get a lesson on iron play.
Mike

 

[EchtLoon]

The question---Do you guys prefer the thrill of a long straight drive or the joy of chipping and putting to make a score?

It's really two different questions. Which do I prefer - smashing a ball miles down the middle. Which is more important to be good at - chipping and putting well. It's not even a close run thing.

 

[Parmo]

Short game is where you produce the scores, its great to smash a ball 280+ but have nothing to back it up with, I would rather be driving 230 and on form with my short game than driving 270 and putting and chipping poorly.

 

[marmar]

Good short game for me (mind you my long game is woeful - now I'm playing regularly I find I get much more satisfaction from seeing one pull up in a make-able distance from the pin. Shows I've got the distance right, the aim right, the club choice right - much better feeling than seeing one fly down the middle for me.

 

[JustOne]

Long drive for me. I like hitting 9-iron/wedges into greens and you can't do that if you've only driven 250 on a 450 hole.

Courses are getting longer, if you're going to play them with any authority you need to be LONNNNNGGGGGGG.

Surely any ol' duffer can chip and putt? hehe

 

[User 105]

If you had have asked me a month ago I'd have said the drive every time.

Mainly because I was putting OK, but not really sinking many long putts.

I do get a big buzz from nailing a big drive right down the middle.

But sinking a long putt gets the old fist pumping. Closely followed by a 'get in there my son'

I don't get that kind of reaction from me for a long drive.