Relative Importance of Driving/Approach Shots, Short Game, Putting, etc. (LSW, Mark Broadie, Strokes Gained, etc.)

[freedrop]

The problem is that you either don't read or completely ignore all the evidence suggesting otherwise in this thread an others. You seem to just want attention by arguing something different just because you can, however irrational it may be.

Cipher...you then see things correctly and the likes of me and  Phil and Trevino don't.

[cipher]

Cipher...you then see things correctly and the likes of me and  Phil and Trevino don't.

I guess not because feel is real and they do exactly what they say they do as proven to you.

[iacas]

This speaks to what Pelz thinks.

[iacas]

Mark Broadie in "Every Shot Counts":

In 2004-2012, driving contributed 28% to the top 40 golfers' scoring advantage, putting contributed 15%, and all other shots accounted for 57%.

Also, "shots inside 100 yards excluding putting" is NOT the majority of that 57%, either…

[Astrath]

Hello gentlemen, I've just joined and there are a lot of useful and interesting articles on here. As someone that has a higher handicap, my view is that my long game is more important to sort than my short game. The last three rounds before christmas I played and scored 94, 94, 96 and my shots off the tee were costing me 10 shots per game. I needed to work on the quality of my ball striking. I have had a couple of lessons recently and the difference in my game has been significant. I shot 91 the other day but the main difference was that I had more chances to hit the green in regulation, my short game is usually reasonable but I hadn't played for three months so i was pretty happy. Looking ahead I feel quite optimistic about my chances to regularly shoot in the 80s regularly, mainly due to sorting my long game. My next planned games of golf will be at the belfry in two weeks, playing all three courses! I'll need to either play before then or get to the range Alex

[Lihu]

Hello gentlemen,

I've just joined and there are a lot of useful and interesting articles on here.

As someone that has a higher handicap, my view is that my long game is more important to sort than my short game.

The last three rounds before christmas I played and scored 94, 94, 96 and my shots off the tee were costing me 10 shots per game. I needed to work on the quality of my ball striking. I have had a couple of lessons recently and the difference in my game has been significant. I shot 91 the other day but the main difference was that I had more chances to hit the green in regulation, my short game is usually reasonable but I hadn't played for three months so i was pretty happy.

Looking ahead I feel quite optimistic about my chances to regularly shoot in the 80s regularly, mainly due to sorting my long game.

My next planned games of golf will be at the belfry in two weeks, playing all three courses! I'll need to either play before then or get to the range

Alex

Welcome to TST, Alex.

It looks like you're finding your way around here.

You've come to the right place for golf.

[Golfingdad]

Hello gentlemen,

I've just joined and there are a lot of useful and interesting articles on here.

As someone that has a higher handicap, my view is that my long game is more important to sort than my short game.

The last three rounds before christmas I played and scored 94, 94, 96 and my shots off the tee were costing me 10 shots per game. I needed to work on the quality of my ball striking. I have had a couple of lessons recently and the difference in my game has been significant. I shot 91 the other day but the main difference was that I had more chances to hit the green in regulation, my short game is usually reasonable but I hadn't played for three months so i was pretty happy.

Looking ahead I feel quite optimistic about my chances to regularly shoot in the 80s regularly, mainly due to sorting my long game.

My next planned games of golf will be at the belfry in two weeks, playing all three courses! I'll need to either play before then or get to the range

Alex

Welcome @Astrath !!!  You are going to find a lot of guys (including myself) that have very similar views to you.  In fact, here is a similar thread that you might like that discusses how to practice based on this theory.

Enjoy your time at the Belfry!!

[Jameson]

Interesting topic here… Just my two cents: I´m a 20 handicapper, and i´m struggle for playing better. All this time, I think I´ve been practising wrong, I´m not paying attention to my game off the tee, basically with my driver. So today, I am very good with my putt and on shots under 120 yards, but make really bad shots with my driver, short distance, and many times OB, or straight to a bunker, trees, whatever. Well, with this game is really hard for me to make a good result. Right now I´m practising the driver the most, so in a few months I´ll tell you how it goes. I get hardly 2 GIR at one round…but with my short game, a could still make some good results, and some pars…

I got the feeling that, in the moment i were able to putt he ball off the tee with my driver in the fairway, at 190 yards (…) my game will get ‘suddenly’ much better, and my hándicap will drop. So for me, now is definitely, more important the driver game, and the long irons game…

[Patch]

Most of my lower scores have come when I my long game was better than average. So with that in mind, I am going with the long game being more beneficial.

I figure it's because if my long game is on target, the rest of my game will be even better. I am hitting on all cylinders so to speak.

[14ledo81]

Most of my lower scores have come when I my long game was better than average. So with that in mind, I am going with the long game being more beneficial.

I figure it's because if my long game is on target, the rest of my game will be even better. I am hitting on all cylinders so to speak.

If your long game is on, you won't need the short game.  Or at least you won't be putting much pressure on your short game.

[AllSetGolfsport]

Magnus said it well. Half of the strokes recorded is in putting. This said it all.

Because everyone seemed to think short game is easily learnt - they spent less time on it.

Imagine a player hitting 400 yards in 2 strokes on or near the green, and another 2-3 strokes to hole it within 20 or even 5 yards ,  But that is commonly the result and which made golf interesting.

No one can deny hitting long is always the dream all player wishes.

But the saying is- the ability to hit long does not mean you will end up best.

So what is the secret to good golf?  Of course it rely on one's personal course management. Knowing your own ability by placing the ball for an easier next shot and keeping ball from entering any hazards, especially those with penalties.

That is not taught by the pros in a driving range.

[mvmac]

Magnus said it well. Half of the strokes recorded is in putting.

Yes and a lot of those strokes are tap-ins, so how much time do you need to practice those?

What separates a 5 handicap from a 15 handicap is their ball striking, not their short game.

[Osmond]

I don't consider myself a "lower handicap" (that's a scratch to about a 3 to me) but I really don't "chunk" shots very much at all or hit shots thin very much at all. Maybe a few times per year.

What I do plenty of is miss right or left (and usually left). Misses to the right are straight balls and misses to the left are normally draws or hooks.

Huh? Are you telling me you hit the ball clean pretty much all the time? My hcp would be a lot better if I didn't occasionally hit crappy shots. You say you hit a few heavy or thin shots a year - I play around a 100 rounds a year and I hit hundreds of thin and heavy shots.

[RFKFREAK]

Huh? Are you telling me you hit the ball clean pretty much all the time? My hcp would be a lot better if I didn't occasionally hit crappy shots. You say you hit a few heavy or thin shots a year - I play around a 100 rounds a year and I hit hundreds of thin and heavy shots.

Oh how I'd love to be able to do that.

[Phil McGleno]

Huh? Are you telling me you hit the ball clean pretty much all the time? My hcp would be a lot better if I didn't occasionally hit crappy shots. You say you hit a few heavy or thin shots a year - I play around a 100 rounds a year and I hit hundreds of thin and heavy shots.

No sense asking him.- @MS256 left this site after his manhood was challenged for saying he could hit a ball out of a foot of water. [CONTENTEMBED=/t/78113/the-ball-under-a-foot-of-water-challenge layout=inline]​[/CONTENTEMBED]

[RFKFREAK]

No sense asking him.-@MS256 left this site after his manhood was challenged for saying he could hit a ball out of a foot of water.

Maybe he'll make his triumphant return when he has video of himself getting the ball out of a foot of water!

[Lihu]

[QUOTE name="MS256" url="/t/14930/relative-importance-of-the-long-game-short-game-etc-mark-broadie-strokes-gained-etc/432#post_926961"]   I don't consider myself a "lower handicap" (that's a scratch to about a 3 to me) but I really don't "chunk" shots very much at all or hit shots thin very much at all . Maybe a few times per year. What I do plenty of is miss right or left (and usually left). Misses to the right are straight balls and misses to the left are normally draws or hooks. [/QUOTE] Huh? Are you telling me you hit the ball clean pretty much all the time? My hcp would be a lot better if I didn't occasionally hit crappy shots. You say you hit a few heavy or thin shots a year - I play around a 100 rounds a year and I hit hundreds of thin and heavy shots.

This makes me feel a bit better, because I do this almost every shot. I only get that one really clean shot every two holes or so? I easily lose a few yards either way on most shots. Those flush shots keep me coming back for more, though. :-)

[Osmond]

Oh how I'd love to be able to do that.

I played 180 rounds the previous year... We had a baby last April so I had to calm down a bit, thus only the 100 rounds :) I'll try to improve this year, don't worry.