Most Valuable Part of Your Game

[mmoan2]

Originally Posted by mvmac

I voted for driver, answering the question as it relates to what I feel the strength of my game is.  I tend to hit a decent amount of fairways (except for the 16th hole at Tukwet Canyon lol), so I typically avoid big numbers and give myself opportunities for GIR's.

Driver for me as well. It's actually become the best club in my bag longer than an 8 iron. I'm obviously more accurate with a 7 iron, but my driver also goes 135 more yards and does a lot more for me.

And to all you short game disciples out there- here's an excerpt from the latest Golf Digest. Lee Trevino beat Nicklaus in a playoff at the U.S. Open at Merion in 1976(?), I think, because Jack made some poor pitch shots in the playoff. Lee said "Jack was never a good bunker player, and he had poor touch around the greens." Years later, Lee asked Jack why he never made more effort to be better with his wedges. Jack's reply (and I can see Jack saying it just like this): "I didn;t need to be. I just hit it in the fairway, then I hit it on the green." That about sums it up.

[clutchshot]

I voted chipping because it is the most valuable part of my game right now. It is something I can rely on and the most consistent part of my game. If the question is what I do I think is the most important, I would say Irons. Good struck irons can save you from bad drives, get you on the green early, and let you 2 putt for par.

[That is Good]

Originally Posted by mvmac

How many of those putts are tap in's?  Putting is not half the game.

On a real good day - a bunch of them!

If I'm left with a tap in that means my first putt was decently judged.

Putting is half the game, in relation to par.

It'd be sweet if it was half of my game. I'd be turning in some mid to high 50's on those good days.

Two of the courses I play were designed by Donald Ross.

The greens are huge, hilly and slick.

Two putting them is a true challenge.

[LuciusWooding]

Originally Posted by That is Good

Putting is half the game, in relation to par.

It'd be sweet if it was half of my game. I'd be turning in some mid to high 50's on those good days.

You'd need to hit about 14 greens in regulation to get mid to high 50s. And also have perfect scrambling, and one putt every green. It would require absolutely superb ballstriking to accomplish that feat. You can shoot in the 70s without hitting greens, but you absolutely cannot shoot in the 50s without hitting a lot of them, and fairly close to the hole at that. And if you make birdies any other way then it ain't your putting.

[thefinlex]

for me its putting all day long,in my youth I held down a 10 h'cap quite happily while flirting with single figures but now after life happened......... travel,work,wife and kids am at 14.The reason? its my driving! I spend most of my round getting out of the trouble my driver puts me in with my usually hot putter!! have recently been custom fitted for new driver so hopefully things will change soon and my scoring can reflect my general play and not my scrambling ability alone!

[NuclearMike]

I have a pretty dependable driver but suspect long and mid-iron ball-striking.  That makes driving and putting the most valuable parts of my game.

[NM Golf]

Originally Posted by mchichioco

To everyone that voted driver

Drive for show, putt for dough :)

That's a ridiculous statement. If you cannot drive the ball in position to hit greens it does not matter how well you putt. The best in the world make less than 50% from 8 feet.

Originally Posted by Mulligan Jeff

The game of golf is 100 yards and in - that's where you make it or break it.

Not if you are behind trees or in the rough with terrible lies. Or if you don't have the long game prowess to get inside 100 yards in the appropriate amount of strokes. GIR is where its at.

To answer the OP the most important part of my game is my Driving. I hit the ball a long way and I am decently straight. My distance gives me the ability to hit a lot of par 5's in two and with relatively short irons as well. A close second would be my irons. GIR is the name of my game. I average around 70%. My low scores come when I hit the driver well, because that means I have lots of good looks at greens. If I hit greens at a high rate, then birdies happen on their own.

[Joe Jordan]

I voted chipping. When I first starting playing in 09, I couldn't hit anything to save my life. That was until I learned the basics for chipping. Lots of times I set up situations so I can chip and get the ball close to the cup.

[rb224315]

"Most Valuable Part of Your Game" -- a good way to put the question since the most valuable part of *the* game is different for each player based on his/her progress toward improving their skills.

If a player can't drive the ball without slicing it off into the trees, he might consider driving to be most important.  On the other hand, the short game & putting would still save some strokes as he recovers from driving trouble.

If I'm able to drive the ball straight but find myself having to hit narrow targets, maybe I need to learn to work the ball a little.  Once I can do this, I can see my iron game becoming more important.

I played yesterday for the first time in 2 years.  I've been to the range several times and my full swing is good enough to keep me out of trouble off the tee 90% of the time.  Unfortunately, my shots from the fairway were pretty mediocre and my chipping & putting were atrocious.  Ended up with a bad score but I didn't come away discouraged because the thing I had been practicing--full shots from the tee--were acceptable.  Now I know that iron shots from imperfect lies and my short game need attention.  Besides that, it was a beautiful day.  No sense in letting my amateur golf swing ruin a nice day outside.

[Spyder]

I had to go with chipping because it is by far the most consistent part of my game. Regardless of how the rest of my game is going during that specific round, chipping is usually what saves me when I'm scrambling for bogey, have a bad drive/approach shot, or need a good chip to enable a legitimate birdie/par shot.