The great drive for dough putt for show debate thread.

[Voyager EMH]

Club championship 2019, 36 holes off scratch, I was in a position to challenge for the title.
Final 9 holes tee shots were iffy and I hit 3 greens in regulation.
I did those final 9 in level par with 12 putts. Two of those were from off the green - I holed one of them for a par.
I won.
I won by putting.

"Drive for show and putt for dough" as a comment, contains no mention of length of drive. It is a comment about "winning".

If I remove all comments about comparative length of drives from above posts, there is not much to read.

Whatever your handicap and length off the tee, over your years of golfing, you are likely to win comps by putting well on the day.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

As a teenage Pro and old caddy once told me that 'you seldom three putt from the middle of the green.'
Shots to the green are generally associated with good or low putting.
Most low handicap players are good putters.

 

[Voyager EMH]

As a teenage Pro and old caddy once told me that 'you seldom three putt from the middle of the green.'
Shots to the green are generally associated with good or low putting.
Most low handicap players are good putters.

I agree.
Shots to the green are very important, particularly those from two yards off the green, when the previous shot to the green was not very good.

 

[upsidedown]

I think some of you guys would learn a lot from watching some high level amateur seniors events. Lots of those guys don't hit the ball any distance at all but they play to very low handicaps. The English seniors balloted out at 3 last year, the British Seniors was +0.4 I think. Not bad for guys that hit the ball 230-240 yards.

.

Remember Seniors start at 55 and those guys do get it out there. I made the ballot and a lot of us over 60's still aim to shift it past 250

 

[Newtonuti]

Remember Seniors start at 55 and those guys do get it out there. I made the ballot and a lot of us over 60's still aim to shift it past 250

Alright Bryson, calm down

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Strokes Gained is the best measure.
You can improve it, mainly through improved distance control and avoiding of missable second putts. But you can never make it good enough to make up for a poor long game. There just isnt enough scope in putting, and it isnt controllable enough.

I get that. I just don’t think the people who think putting will somehow mask a poor long game do.

 

[Bdill93]

I reckon they're all as important as each other for the average joe to be honest.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

I get that. I just don’t think the people who think putting will somehow mask a poor long game do.

It doesn't mask a poor long game. But it can hide an off day.

 

[sweaty sock]

I'd advise everyone to go to the PGA tour stats page, look at the list of best putters, then look at the best tee-to-green.

One compares very closely to the OWGR, one doesnt....

 

[Orikoru]

It’s all relative to your ability.

The low single figure and better golfer will already have a solid long and short game or they wouldn’t be there, getting the chips n pitches closer to the hole will result in shorter putts = lower scores.

The high handicapper needs to keep their drives in play, not mess up their second shot and aim for the centre of the green, basically just get on the green in 2 under your net.

They are different ball games

Definitely this. My best mate is off 28. If he drives well he could shoot 92, if he doesn't it could be 106. The difference between putting well and putting badly is not that great. Best and worst putting days are probably more like 6 or 7 shots apart.

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Definitely this. My best mate is off 28. If he drives well he could shoot 92, if he doesn't it could be 106. The difference between putting well and putting badly is not that great. Best and worst putting days are probably more like 6 or 7 shots apart.

The difference between those 6 or 7 shots putting could be down to random factors such as a bobble off a pitch mark or lipping out.

Gaining distance will have a greater cumulative effect on scoring over the longer term.

I’m still interested in hearing what goo putting looks like and how one becomes consistently good enough at it that putting makes up for deficiency in other areas.

Taking the micro view. In my last 5 rounds I’ve had 2 with the same number of putts. In one I shot 83, the other 75. I had 31 putts in both rounds.

I’d like to know how I improved my putting to save those 8 shots!

 

[Bdill93]

The difference between those 6 or 7 shots putting could be down to random factors such as a bobble off a pitch mark or lipping out.

Gaining distance will have a greater cumulative effect on scoring over the longer term.

I’m still interested in hearing what goo putting looks like and how one becomes consistently good enough at it that putting makes up for deficiency in other areas.

Taking the micro view. In my last 5 rounds I’ve had 2 with the same number of putts. In one I shot 83, the other 75. I had 31 putts in both rounds.

I’d like to know how I improved my putting to save those 8 shots!

To be fair, without other data its hard to say. You could have made 3 20+ footers in the one round but 3 2 footers in the other.

 

[D-S]

I don't think you can just isolate putting, it very often goes with the short game in general. If you can't chip well you will have long putts which by definition have a low make percentage, no matter how good a putter you are.
Most amateurs miss more greens in regulation than they hit so the 30 yard and in game is incredibly important to scoring - this 30 yard and in also applies to the shorter hitters who are not reaching the longer par 4s in reg.
If you change the mantra to Drive for Show, Short Game for Dough most should agree.

 

[King Julian]

I don't think you can just isolate putting, it very often goes with the short game in general. If you can't chip well you will have long putts which by definition have a low make percentage, no matter how good a putter you are.
Most amateurs miss more greens in regulation than they hit so the 30 yard and in game is incredibly important to scoring - this 30 yard and in also applies to the shorter hitters who are not reaching the longer par 4s in reg.
If you change the mantra to Drive for Show, Short Game for Dough most should agree.

King Julian does not agree. Short game, short game , short game , is just another out of date maxim of golf.

 

[King Julian]

I'd advise everyone to go to the PGA tour stats page, look at the list of best putters, then look at the best tee-to-green.

One compares very closely to the OWGR, one doesnt....

King Julian says that you are missing the point.

 

[sweaty sock]

King Julian says that you are missing the point.

Whats the point?

 

[rudebhoy]

King Julian says that you are missing the point.

King Julian's posting style is getting very tedious very quickly.

 

[Jimaroid]

King Julian needs to check the forum rules.

• Multiple ID/Accounts - 4 Points, Expires 60 days
  Another self Explanatory one

 

[Deleted member 31467]

King Julian notes that like so many others in this thread weewullie has completely failed to grasp the point being made. It's not about hitting the ball a long way but simply improving your overall distance will brings gains for many.

I'm really not interested in what King Julian thinks as long as he continues to post like a child.

 

[Neilds]

As you putt about 30-40 times in a round and probably only drive about 12-14, it should be simple to see where you can cut more shots by practising