When should you be expected to hit greens?

[Andy]

You are doing something seriously wrong ......Exagerating.
Your ability to hit a driver further than top pros in just ten months.
Then being unable to hit a 9 iron 135 doesnt make any sense.
I await to be proved wrong.
Tims back

Haha

 

[Foxholer]

Thought for a minute or so I'd strayed onto GolfWRX!

I think you should be AIMING to hit every green in reg, but not expecting to do so. Indeed, that's why you are off 12!

I'm off 9, shot 1 under my handicap (2 if SSS taken into account) and hit 7 GIRs! Certainly an area I can improve on.

 

[Rob McBride]

again there seems to be a complete gulf between all of us that have responded. 135 yards is a wedge or 50 degree for me, depending on wind, an 8 iron is 150- 55 ish. I seem to be better at scrambling scores at the moment than hitting greens, and i have dropped 1.2 on my last comp, with one tomorrow as well. if you miss with your second but chip and putt with 3 & 4 (or 4 & 5) does it really matter. Isn't a birdie a gift or result of just getting the occasional one right? Should we get bent on distance or play the yards - this is my recurring inner argument at the mo!

 

[SAPCOR1]

Blimey, you're good.

Probably because he owns a pair of jeans

 

[CrapHacker]

Playing with my Uncle he said something that made me think... Players of my level should be hitting greens in regulation after a good drive EVERY time.

Is this really expected of a 12 handicapper?

No.

It's a ridiculous statement to make.

In my opinion.

Agreed.

If you hit a drive 270 yards, and hit every green,

And play off 12.

That means you are hitting 48 putts every round, doesn't it?

Hmmmmmmmmmm

 

[Macster]

Fella's - what does it matter if the OP hits a 7i 135yds, when most of us would take 9's ??
I played with a friend yesterday, both of us off 10, and he was 1 club less than me on most shots to greens, but I was the one who made buffer and he wasnt.............

Back on topic : In my opinion, if you're off 12, then t wouldnt be unreasonable to expect to hit greens pretty consistently, and very reliably with only 135yds left.
Sure, you might not be 10' from the Pin all of the time, but you'd be putting.

Sounds to me as though you have some seriously negative thoughts about the shot, and are perhaps 'phsyched out' at the possibility of thinning it over, rather than imagining the shot you want to play.

Read Bob Rotella perhaps, and get down to the practice area for some short iron/wedge practice ?

Just my thoughts.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

No.

It's a ridiculous statement to make.

In my opinion.

This. It's clearly made by someone who doesn't understand golf

 

[Smiffy]

I would reasonably expect to hit the green from 175 yards out. As long as the wind was reasonable.

Jeez. It must have been blowing a fecking gale at Woburn then

 

[Junior]

Thats the thing though. Its very much dependent on the green you're aiming at and which club is in your hand.

If I'm middle of the fairway with a nice lie and a 5 iron down I would expect to scare the group on the next tee.

 

[MadAdey]

It doesn't have to make sense but that's what happened on Friday.

I'm not saying that every drive goes 330 yards because it doesn't. But one of them did go that far on Saturday and I had some others that went close to 300 yards. The rest went 270-280.

I'm obviously losing a lot of power on my irons due to my inexperience but I'm sure it will get there.

I know I'm not 'exaggerating' and I wouldn't waste my time proving you wrong. Believe it or don't believe it, It makes no difference to me.

I am getting a gentle whiff of something round here......you may also get the same smell around a field that farmers keep bulls in.

So you are saying you hit the ball consistently 280 and sometimes in well in excess of 300 sometimes. Fair enough mate if that is what you are thinking. I can get the ball over 300 yards and I did it on Thursday on our 5th hole (340 par 4), got fined in the swindle for nearly hitting someone on the green. But lets look at it, I had about 2 or 3 clubs of wind up my back and I smoked it right out the centre of the club. So can you actually hit the ball that far or are you just looking at holes that have downhill fairways that play downwind?

People in dreamland rant over and back to the opening thread.

Look at it realisticly. If you could hit every green you had a chance to you would be a scratch golfer. Do you watch much golf on TV? How often do all the pros hit every green that they have a chance to? Sometimes they do and that is when they shoot in the low 60's. Take very hole as it comes. I know it is irritating when you hit your best drive of the day then miss the green but do not get too hung up on it, or it will wreck your scorecards.

 

[Smiffy]

I watched a video on YouTube this morning. All about Arnold Palmer and his "hit it as far as you can" swing with his driver. You know what??? He was putting it out there about 260. Feck me, go back in time 40 years and a 25 handicapper can belt it 80 yards further than a legend! Technology helps these days.

I think the longest drive so far at Augusta this year was 300 yards by Quiros.

I've linked it before, but I'll link it again (just in case you missed it the first 5 times)...
http://www.golf.com/video/feherty-300-drives?filters= type:article_video&solrsort=created desc

 

[Captainron]

Jeez. It must have been blowing a fecking gale at Woburn then

I was struggling to remain upright at times......

I would expect to hit the greens more often than not with a 7 iron in my hand. Just because it's from further out than most doesn't mean a damn thing.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I would reasonably expect to hit the green from 175 yards out. As long as the wind was reasonable.

I believe I can hit every green from 175yds, I believe I can hit every fairway, I believe I'll get up and down from the fringe every time and I believe I'll make every putt inside 10ft.

The fact is I don't and I don't expect to

 

[Captainron]

I expect to. That is all....

 

[HomerJSimpson]

There are a number of issues here

1) YOur uncle or whoever said you should hit every green off 12 doesn't understand golf. I play off that figure (after this weekends cut) and I wouldn't dream of saying that. In fact my GIR (all time) according to SS2 is 25% which equates to a 12 handicap. I try to hit every green when in a position to do so but won't succeed.

2) You clearly have no idea of your yardages. That makes club selection a lottery at best never mind if you have to then factor in wind speed as well. Get onto a field or practice ground with 10 balls (the type you use) and idealy a GPS device. Hit them with every club and take the average discounting any mis-hits and the shortest and longest couple. Write then down and keep them in your bag.

3) Yor course management sounds iffy at best and clearly you are attacking sucker pins. Most greens, even championship courses like Woburn don't have vast acreage and so if you play for the heart of every green you'll never leave that long a putt. Going for every green and pin is a sure way to lose shots ending up off the edge or in a deep bunker with a tight pin to fire at.

Off 12 and with shots why are you going for every green. I played Forest of Arden in the GM Centenary final and knew that every par 4 over 400 yards was a shot hole. For me at least, that is a good drive and perhaps still a 3 hybrid, 4 iron or 5 at best. The percentage of hitting those greens under the pressure of the event was low but I backed myself to leave 100 yards and get it close with a wedge. For the 6 holes over 400 yards I scored 11/12 (12 being par) and the dropped shot was a three putt where I mis-read the first effort, left three foot and missed the return

 

[PhilTheFragger]

All I know is that I have an opportunity at every hole, whether I take that opportunity or not is what distinguishes me from a professional

I can reasonably expect to be on or very near the green from 130 in and im miffed if I am not

at greater distances, the chance of error is increased, but that doesnt stop me going for it

 

[Revolt]

i only drive about 250 (mostly due to consistency) but thats a 9 iron all day for me........

 

[Revolt]

also i expect to hit every green with 6 iron and above (one can dream).... 7 iron and about im usually a pin seeker i rarely aim for the mid of the green

 

[vinny613]

now i know where im going wrong i cant hit the ball far enough

must be why i am still playing off 18

driver - 240
3 wood- 200
hybrids 180
170
160
6i 150
7i 140
8i 125
9i 115
pw 100-110
48w 90-100
52w 75-85

must send message to self belt it harder

 

[HomerJSimpson]

now i know where im going wrong i cant hit the ball far enough

must be why i am still playing off 18

driver - 240
3 wood- 200
hybrids 180
170
160
6i 150
7i 140
8i 125
9i 115
pw 100-110
48w 90-100
52w 75-85

must send message to self belt it harder

My yardages are pretty similar and so a lot of the really long par 4's are simply out of range a lot of the time and the risk doesn't outweigh the rewards and so I use my shots. Thats what being a handicap player is about. Anything from 150 yards and in I stand there and TRY and hit every green. Again as SS2 shows 25% (1 in fo 4) GIR is my handicap standard and so you can see that I do miss a few. Its getting better but I would never expect to hit every one and that is why you need (and I lack) a good short game