Is the short game all it's cracked up to be?

**jfrain2004** · July 25, 2008

Was out with a guy at the wknd, 6 handicapper in a Stableford competition.
Could not understand how he was even remotely close to a 6 handicap by the way he played. I was past him on all but one or 2 drives and was hitting my irons fair to good. Meanwhile he just whacked and hacked( with a lot of swearing inbetween ) his way to the green but invaribly chipped right up to the hole for a tap in almost everytime. Result was he was scoring 3 - 4 on half the holes and had at least 3 dings. I was getting my 2 each time with the occasional 3 or a 1 and finished with 38.
He mentioned in passing ( It was fairly obvious ) that stableford/matchplay were his games as he could never score near his handicap in stroke ( the real golf game if you ask me )
Are there many golfers out there like this who cannot compete in stroke play because "That killer hole or 2" just costs them way too many shots in stroke but they can just write it off in another game format?
The way I see it is a decent allround game means your are far more likely to cut it at stroke play and thus can be taken more seriously as a golfer as a result?

**michaeljames92** · July 25, 2008

mate thats where comps like Par don't allow for really bad holes whereas in stroke every shot counts.

**pjsnyc** · July 25, 2008

Check out this thread - http://thesandtrap.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14930

Link is in there to this guy's research on how the long game is more important for high handicappers.

krb · July 25, 2008

Our handicaps are based on stroke play (adjusted), I assume yours are too, so if he's honest his 6 is a stroke play handicap. Perhaps his comment is a way to get you into a wager

BTW I don't consider match play any more or less Real Golf then stroke play. Different, sure, but I enjoy both contests.

**GaijinGolfer** · July 25, 2008

You obviously need a decent full swing in order to score well, but IMO short game is very important.
Lets say you have 2 golfers. One of them crushes a 300-yard tee shot, then misses his approache to the green, has to chip on and then 3-putts.
Then, the other golfer hits a 230-yard tee shot, hits the green with his approach and 2-putts.
IMO, big drives are great, but being good with chipping, pitching and putting is whats most important. Its like they say, "drive for show, putt for dough."
As far as stroke play being unfair for some golfers because they have the occasional blow-up hole that ruins their score, I can see the truth in that. If you do match play and lets say that 7 out of 9 holes you do great, chances are that you will win the match.
However, I dont consider match play to be any more, "real golf" than stroke play. Golf is golf. No matter how you score it, its all about hittin a little white ball in yonder hole in as few strokes as possible.

**King Cobra II** · July 26, 2008

I'd say my game is much better suited for match play. I'll par four or five in a row then get like an 8 or 9 because I lose my tee shot and get flustered, and once I'm hitting 5 or 6 I'm mentally done with the hole.

**Three Putt** · July 26, 2008

everyone has a chance at match play. I do really well against better golfers than me.

That being said the short game is doing well for the past 2 months (because iv'e been playing more).

Still below average on putting which is keeping from a 3 or 4 hcap. Too dominant with the right hand, trying to work it out.

**Stacey_E** · July 26, 2008

One of the greatest ironys in golf is that a 3 foot putt counts the same as a 300 yard drive. The only, repeat only, way to save a stroke is to hit your shot so close to the pin that you hole the next one. I've been outdriven by many players only to watch them yank an iron, dump a chip, hit a hot chip and 3 putt. I think the short game is what a beginer should concentrate on the most, but until they can get the ball in the air on a stright line consistantly all is moot anyway.

And I'm all about stroke play as well. Over the course of 18 holes the better golfer will emerge victorious.

**Three Putt** · July 26, 2008

One of the greatest ironys in golf is that a 3 foot putt counts the same as a 300 yard drive. The only, repeat only, way to save a stroke is to hit your shot so close to the pin that you hole the next one. I've been outdriven by many players only to watch them yank an iron, dump a chip, hit a hot chip and 3 putt. I think the short game is what a beginer should concentrate on the most, but until they can get the ball in the air on a stright line consistantly all is moot anyway.

That's a fact, good post.

**sabram** · July 26, 2008

I've seen as many or more players have blow up holes due to bad chipping and pitching as I have as a result of a bad long game. I've seen palyers skull short shots across greens coming and going and hitting from one greenside bunker to another and then 3 putting. So whether its match play or stroke play the short game can help or hurt you as much or more than a bad long game. Every player can improve on different aspects of his/her game to reduce the number of blow up holes and index.

**Richie3Jack** · July 26, 2008

Usually in order to go from being a good player to a great player comes with the short game. And if you have good short game technique, you usually wind up doing enough things right in the golf swing to allow you to hit the ball pretty well. Plus, I find "ballstrikers" to be overrated because there's only so well you can hit the ball and if the conditions are bad, it actually makes things worse for the ballstriker. This last British Open was a perfect example. In conditions like that, you're not going to hit 14-15 greens and shoot a couple under par. Instead, you're happy to hit 9-10 greens and putt your way to a good score. It's really not a coincidence that both Norman and Harrington, two known GREAT putters wound up doing so well. If they weren't great putters, I doubt they would've fared well.

3JACK

**mruseless** · July 26, 2008

It is interesting to me that I am most likely to 3-putt when I have also had other problems on the hole, like a poor drive, fat iron shot, or poor chip.

That's definitely a part of the mental game I'm working on. Don't let a bad swing ruin more swings.

**mruseless** · July 26, 2008

I've seen as many or more players have blow up holes due to bad chipping and pitching as I have as a result of a bad long game. I've seen palyers skull short shots across greens coming and going and hitting from one greenside bunker to another and then 3 putting. So whether its match play or stroke play the short game can help or hurt you as much or more than a bad long game. Every player can improve on different aspects of his/her game to reduce the number of blow up holes and index.

Some of what you described is poor course management. For example, if I'm in a greenside bunker and there is a bunker on the other side of the hole, I aim away from the other bunker (usually to the fattest part of the green). I might have a longer putt, but my misses won't put me in another bunker either.

**jfrain2004** · July 28, 2008

That was a good link from psync.

"If, for example, a PGA Tour player were available to hit shots for an amateur from 100 yards and in, or available to hit all the shots leading to the 100-yard mark, Broadie says the amateur would benefit the most from having the PGA player hit the long shots, not the short ones. "

I defo think a beginner would benefit more from a good long game and then to go from an 18 to single digits requires a good short game. If you get to <50 from hole in yrds in 2 shots you have a chance on a hole no matter how bad your short game is, if it takes you 4 shots to get inside that range then just pick your ball up, Tiger woods' short game will not rescue the hole for you.

To sum up I think the short game is much more important for stroke play as a hole is never 'over' till the ball is in the hole. While a good long game is more benifical to stableford or matchplay.

**Jack_2251** · July 28, 2008

Our handicaps are based on stroke play (adjusted), I assume yours are too, so if he's honest his 6 is a stroke play handicap. Perhaps his comment is a way to get you into a wager

Man, the American HCP is way different to our system.

Our system only works on comp rounds, and stableford is like stroke, except you stop playing when you score more than 1 over your handicap for the hole. And you wouldn't normally play for a wager if you were playing with a random in a comp... They aren't really that social.

**clemsontiger** · July 28, 2008

I think that short game can help you out of a lot of situations, but not to make you a 3 or 4 handicap.

That would be ludacris. I have a fairly good short game, but not good enough to give me a 3 or 4 handicap and I actually strike the ball really well.

**YogiTKE** · July 28, 2008

I think that short game can help you out of a lot of situations, but not to make you a 3 or 4 handicap.

Right on. It can bail you out of tough situations and help you get up and down for par, but to really score you need to be an all-around good ball striker to set up the scoring shots. i.e. 80-120 yard wedges.

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Is the short game all it's cracked up to be?

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