Would you rather........

[goblue107501]

The only times that I 'go for a green' is when there is no danger if I miss. e.g. no water, OB, sand 40 yards from the hole. I don't mind a greenside bunker, just the ones that are away from the hole. If I have 200 and in I am pretty confident I can fly a club to the green and the danger doesn't matter.

All that said, If I am 240+ out, I know I can't reach the green so I will lay up to anywhere from 75 to 95. That yardage covers my SW and GW and I am comfortable with both. I would rather be in that range than at 35-45.

[David in FL]

I'm a closer is almost always better kind of guy...... As has been said, the exception is when there's some sort of trouble in front and I want to ensure that I stay well short of it. Then I'll pick a yardage and hit to it. 100 yds even is my favorite for a nice smooth gap wedge.

[MiniMoe]

Every shot is a unique situation, and must be assessed at the time it has to be made.... however, I'm a go-for-it kind of guy. After all, the only thing I have to lose is a golf ball and a few bucks on a bet. When I'm playing with the guys, I try all kinds of shots to learn my capabilities so when I'm playing a tournament and faced with a difficult shot, I have probably hit it, so I know what to expect as far as possibilities of pulling it off.

[Mr3Putt]

Would you rather....lay up to a comfortable distance (120 yards in my case) or hit it closer to the green?

For me, bunkers/hazards and water aside, the closer the better. Always. That's akin to asking would you rather have a 5 foot putt or a 30 foot putt? I'll take 119 yards over 120 yards any day. (and 118 on down). My favorite wedge yardage is 77! But I'd rather be 76, or 66, or 56, etc.

[uttexas]

For me it depends on the design of the hole. As others have said I want a good lie, so I'll lay up to a flat spot instead of going at green and leaving myself a funky lie or in a bunker or the like. My ideal yardage is 75-105 (75%-90% 51* wedge). I am also pretty comfortable inside 25-30 yards, but on most holes I dislike the 40-65 yard shots because I have trouble controlling exact distance with that yardage.

ditto for me on the 40-70 yardage

[TN94z]

I used to hit it to 100-110 yards because that is a good distance with my GW. But recently I have just started hitting it as close as possible. I started doing this because I have been having issues with my chipping and I wanted to really work on it on the course. I have found that the closer the better IMO. It seems that the missed shots will end up closer to the stick that they would from 100 out.

[Eeryck]

Pelz looked at scoring averages for second shot layups vs. going for the green. He came to the conclusion much like what has been said here.

1. If the green is unprotected, get as close as possible. You have the best accuracy with the shortest shot (typically).

2. If the green is well protected, play to a comfortable lay up position that you know you can get on the green from. Better to leave yourself with a go-to 9 iron or PW shot that is 10-15 feet from the pin, than to make a 5-wood attempt at the green from 230y out and end up in water or the sand.

3. His idea behind the layup is that a easy layup and easy shot into the green has a higher percentage of producing a good score than you would have by hitting a lower percentage longer shot and perhaps and odd distance pitch into the green.

4. Pelz also suggests that the 9 o'clock swing is most repeatable / accurate for partial wedge swings for amatures and tour pros.

All of these points are based on the fact that you have developed some of the short game shots he is selling in the order he is selling them. He also mentions that most sand traps and water hazards are located near the green and the like.

Personally, I like the concept of playing to a particular distance, for me I have choosen a full 9-iron as it has given me the best results. It is a high confidence shot and while I still miss ocassionally, I like the results better than when I have gone for the green.

Regards,
-E