More Fun To Hit It Perfectly Or Score Well?

[PerfectStriking]

If you could hit every shot perfectly (within reason)  for example:

14 drives straight down the centre with perfect flight and your best yardage; 

18 perfect approach shots with perfect flight and middle of the green or straight at the pin.

Would you take this over scoring your best score? Obviously, putting would be the swinger here with those stats.

Would you take those stats and just walk off every green without putting and feel great, or would you feel let down without scoring?

What drives you to come back again and again?

Looking for a bit of psychological motivation.

[dennyjones]

Give me better ball striking any time.   The score will take care of itself.   

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[JxQx]

Striking the ball perfectly would lead to your best scores. It's the combination of both that brings people back. If you only care about ball striking and not scoring, you can just go to a driving range.  

[Cantankerish]

I'm really bad here, and totally in the first category.  I take my son with me if I have time to squeeze in 9 holes after work.  I hit the ball until it's on the green and then let him putt. I don't even track the score, really.

[gbogey]

There's a lot of elements to be discussed here but end of day I'm a competitive person and the goal of golf is to put the ball in the hole with the fewest strokes, so I'll take a lowest score over a great swing day. So yes, in your example if I 3 putted 4 times for 76, I'd rather have a less perfect round that shoots 74 - I can still it there and wonder what could have been if I had been swinging better. Yes there are those rounds where I don't appreciate a good score as much as I should due to poor ball striking, not denying that, but I know in the end I'm in a better mood with a good score.

For the record, I almost did your example once for 9 holes - 9 GIRs, 10-25 feet from the hole on every hole, 9 routine two putts, hit 6 of 7 fairways.  Missed the last fairway by less than 5 feet.  It felt great and was unique in that I've only done that once.  But I've been under par for 9 holes several times and I would prefer that every time.

[billchao]

Poll added.

I voted hit it perfectly. I've scored well in rounds where I had to grind it out, fighting my way around the course. Not fun. I'd gather hit the ball perfectly. Love that feeling.

[PerfectStriking]

11 minutes ago, gbogey said:

For the record, I almost did your example once for 9 holes - 9 GIRs, 10-25 feet from the hole on every hole, 9 routine two putts, hit 6 of 7 fairways.  Missed the last fairway by less than 5 feet.  It felt great and was unique in that I've only done that once.  But I've been under par for 9 holes several times and I would prefer that every time.

Hi gbogey, interesting that you have what I think is the same experience as most people, that it is more rare to achieve than lower scoring, you also seem to remember it in vivid detail which seems to suggest it is a great memory for you. Do you have the same vivid memory of your low scores? How did both make you feel now looking back on it would you trade the great shot making experience for one more low score or would you leave it in your memory?

[DaveP043]

When I play, I'm almost always competing against someone, and I'd rather win than lose.  That pushes me to say I prefer to score well, and that's the vote I made.  But scoring well almost always means striking the ball well.  There are rare occasions when I "steal" a score with exceptional short game and putting, but those are pretty rare.  Scoring comes largely from ballstriking.

[rehmwa]

I'm VERY happy after a day of good striking. 

(I score best on those days, also, but in the end, I remember the really great shots more than the final tally).

I've had days where I don't even bother scoring at all, and still recall them fondly because of the strikes.  I'll take a day of good/clean contact on approach shots every single time.

[Groucho Valentine]

If i hit every shot perfectly id probably shoot in the 50's every time i played.. 😂

Ballstriking isnt what the game is about to me. Guys like John Senden and Boo Weekly would win every tournament if golf was a ballstriking contest. If i advance the ball to the hole with a clear shot at the next one, im satisfied with it. Score is the only thing that matters. I don't care if i put on a stripe show or duff it all over the place, as long as i get the score.

[LMoore]

Striking perfectly happens rarely. I hit it well most of the time, but perfect.........line and distance.........not as much, in fact, rarely.

First hole in one, I was begging the ball to "get up". Over water, front pin, hit on the front of green and rolled in. Second one, I made the comment to buddies that "I can't hit it any better". One bounce, in. That feeling is more rare.

I'll take the score.

[Benit0]

I take good ball striking over better score, but those two are linked in some way. When I started playing and was playing over 100, what keep me going was the 1-2 pure shoot that I made during the round, it's such a good feeling. I think that as you improve your technique, the score becomes more important in some way. 

[Tiga Tiga Woods Yall]

Form follows function. 

[dennyjones]

17 minutes ago, LMoore said:

First hole in one, I was begging the ball to "get up". Over water, front pin, hit on the front of green and rolled in.

Our group calls that a pre-bitch!

[LMoore]

4 minutes ago, dennyjones said:

Our group calls that a pre-bitch!

[pganapathy]

You need to add another option.  For me it is two fold.  Perfect striking when I am playing a non-competition round.  In a competition I would prefer the lower score, irrespective of how I hit the ball.  Shank it , hit a tree and drop one inch from the pin is preferable to a perfect shot that is 10 feet away

[Vinsk]

1 hour ago, dennyjones said:

Give me better ball striking any time.   The score will take care of itself.   

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Totally agree here. I feel much better about an 84 where I putted awful. Missing 4’ birdie and par putts but hitting fairways and greens is much better than skulling a 50yd shot that hits the pin and drops, getting a good kick off a tree after shanking it and putting like a golden god. 

[chicub15]

I voted for strike it well, but I would add that if I'm competing give me the lower score every time. Yes I enjoy my round more if I'm striking it well when playing alone, but in competition I just want to add up fewer strokes at the end of round than the other guy(s).