Luke 'the short hitter'

[Tiger]

Well Luke, who was apparently too short to achieve anything significant on tour has just ripped it up to finish as #1 in the US Tour money list. If you've not seen it yet, his piece in this month's GM on scoring more birdies is brilliant. And the key word: control.

McIlroy may hit it a country mile, but the three days he dominated at Augusta and his mesmerising performance at the US Open was really down to the sublime control of his iron play.

Snelly raised an interesting point in his thread about custom fit and the marketing machine of major manufacturers. Now I wonder, if Luke cements his status with a Major or two next year, whether golf companies will start to 'sell' us more control. We'll be looking for fewer yards in terms of dispersion instead of more distance. And to help achieve this they start to increase loft so a pitching wedge really is a pitching wedge rather than a nine or even eight iron!

NB the author recognises that Mr Donald still caresses the ball a bloody long way!

Thoughts please.

 

[MashieNiblick]

Fantastic performance by Luke.

I think you are right that for years manufacturers have sold us distance, distance, distance. Big hitters - Jack Nicklaus, John Daly, Bubba Watson have always seemed more glamorous than the precision players like Faldo, Langer and Luke

Maybe the time has come to remind people that although the club makers are selling you the idea of being "Bubba long" it's better to be "Luke accurate".

 

[chris661]

It doesn't matter what club makers want to sell it all comes down to what the public want to buy. Not many club golfers will buy control when they can buy distance. That's why lofts are getting stronger and shafts are getting longer.

 

[Tiger]

Ah but Chris that's my point. Are club golfers going to look at Donald's success, hear his interviews, read his tips and think I want to be more accurate. If you look at the last thirty years they have been dominated by swashbucklers like Tiger and Seve who would thrash it left and right of centre and then play the most amazing recovery shots. Dull as it may be I want to play Donald golf!

 

[chris661]

Are club golfers going to look at Donald's success, hear his interviews, read his tips and think I want to be more accurate.

Nope, I really don't think the majority will. "We" have been conditioned that distance is king and in a way that is correct but controlled distance is really important, you really need both to be a very good golfer.

 

[Tommo21]

It doesn't matter what club makers want to sell it all comes down to what the public want to buy. Not many club golfers will buy control when they can buy distance. That's why lofts are getting stronger and shafts are getting longer.

Most club golfers dont know what control is, you cannot buy it, you have to play it.

 

[Ethan]

Depends on the course. There are courses where Luke is at a disadvantage, but if his short game is really sharp he can still win. McIlroy's sublime iron play at the US Open was helped by having 2 clubs less into the green than some other players. Nobody wins with just one facet of the game. All these guys are very good at all the parts.

 

[chris661]

Most club golfers dont know what control is, you cannot buy it, you have to play it.

I know that, but the question was will manufacturers start "selling" control now with the way Luke plays. The same way they "sell" us distance with Bubba, Tiger and Dustin etc.

 

[One Planer]

Why not a compromise and have "Controlled distance"??













Sorry, It's early and I haven't mad my morrning medicine (coffee)

 

[Khamelion]

I would happily give up 20 or 30yds off my drive if a club was going to offer more control and keep me on the short stuff, alas I don't think there is any club out there, past, present or future that can offer that.

As someone above has written, control is something you learn not something you can buy.

However if by control you are referrring to get the ball to do what you want it to on approach to the green, chips, pitches, flops etc... and getting the ball to stop or spin back, then yes I agree with the OP, that should a shortish hitter***, like Luke Donald, win a major or two next year then one of the big club manufacturers will bring out a control set of clubs.

Someone mentioned bring lofts back into the realms of reality where a pitching wedge is actually a pitching wedge and not an 8 or 9 iron. My clubs are 43yrs old my 9 plays like my playing partners 10yr old PW maybe even SW. Last time at the DR I gave my 7 to a club pro, when he hit it, he was a good 20 to 30yds shorter than his club, the point being over the years as has also been written above, distance has been the stick which has beaten the club player into thinking they have to go long to be a good player.

Hit the ball 30-50yds longer with brand X, then brand Y jumps on the band wagon and what you knew as a 5 iron suddenly hits the ball as far as brand X's 4 iron. It's all got a bit silly, but that's marketing and product promotion for you.

Everyone wants distance, everyone want to be long, but getting back to the OP's question, again, should Luke win a couple of majors, there may just be a shift in the way club manufacturers think and we may just get 'control' clubs

***Footnote - People call Luke a short hitter as is the title to this thread, however at Disney these past 4 days Luke Donald's average driving distance was in order of rounds 281, 270, 278, 286 for and average of 279 which isn't to shabby, that said compare that to Retief Goosen 292, 294, 277, 306 avg 292, but Reteif only finished T44, perhaps distance isn't the be all and end all.

Cheers
Dave

 

[pokerjoke]

Looking at Lukes average distance for the four rounds,he not that short.
People say they would give up 30 yrds to be deadly accurate and find the fairways.
Well thats exactly what Lukes doing.
He can, and he has hit drives over 300 yrds,but its obvious hes giving up distance
for accuracy.
His rythm is fantastic,but he could hit hit harder and further if he wanted.
So to answer the op question,my answer is no they wont.
Players want distance because they are not as long as pros,the only difference
is the ability to control.

 

[BTatHome]

I assume some manufacturer will bring out the "control" clubs ... unfortunately for us they will be the same as last years models with new "control" graphics, and we still won't be able to use them like Luke does !

But I'm sure they will sell well

 

[Khamelion]

Looking at Lukes average distance for the four rounds,he not that short.
People say they would give up 30 yrds to be deadly accurate and find the fairways.
Well thats exactly what Lukes doing.
He can, and he has hit drives over 300 yrds,but its obvious hes giving up distance
for accuracy.
His rythm is fantastic,but he could hit hit harder and further if he wanted.
So to answer the op question,my answer is no they wont.
Players want distance because they are not as long as pros,the only difference
is the ability to control.

That is a very good point, it's not that he can't clout a ball 300yds plus down the fairway, it's the fact he chooses not to.

Control and accuracy, over Distance and power.

As the tyre maker Pirelli said in their tyes adverts, Power is nothing without control, same applies here.

 

[StrangelyBrown]

Dull as it may be I want to play Donald golf!

Did you see Luke on Friday..? He was hitting it sideways off of the tee. I mean, missing fairways by miles.

 

[richart]

I am sure I heard that he is something like 140th in driving distance and 60th in accuracy on the USPGA tour. He is not as accurate off the tee as many think, but he is a good long iron player, great short iron player, and most importantly has a superb short game, surely the best in the world by some way at the moment.

 

[Monty_Brown]

I've read a number of comments from Luke in which he admitted to being seduced by pursuit of more distance a couple of years ago. Everyone was telling him he needed a longer game to make it to the next level, so he hit the gym and worked on swing chnages to increase distance. In the last year or two he realised it wasn't necessary and went back to his strengths. Luke is as long as he needs to be - simple.

Regarding accuracy, I agree this is a bit of a fallacy about his game. He was spraying it all over the place off the tee at the PGA champs at Wentworth this year. But then playing awesome recovery shots... that's the difference.

 

[richart]

His brother on Sky yesterday, said that when he was younger he was small for his age, and would take three or four to get near the green, and would then chip in or make a long putt. All the practice on his short game is certainly paying off, and a lesson to the amateur golfer who wants to improve their scoring.

 

[fundy]

http://www.pgatour.com/players/r/?/02/39/83/stats

his stats page makes some interesting reading

huge emphasis on short game, especially putting in them

 

[G1BB0]

nice find fundy, interesting. definitely emphasises short game imprortance to Luke. A lot of his stats are pretty average middle of the pack upwards

 

[RGDave]

I don't follow much golf, not on sky anyway....

Did I read correctly that Loooke had a 6 birdie run to prove he's no Mickey Mouse golfer?

I guess that makes him a Donald (Duck) golfer.

Sounds amazing....full credit to the man!!