Obsession with distance

[TheNatural]

OK lets clear the air here. What kind of rough are you guys playing here?> I have only played ONE course where the rough was so think that it stopped my club on maybe 15% of my shots out of it. Otherwise, I hit better from the rough than I do the fairway on all but one course ive played on.

The one course was Bulle Rock in aberdeen, md.

The courses I play are 3-4inch roughs, but rarely 5 inch.


Again, its what i practice in my back yard, rough contact. Its not stick the green accurate, but im able to bump and run on from the rough or land the front and roll.

I PREFER to be in the rough as opposed to the fairway, the exception is Bulle Rock.

I have played 14 course in my life.


The only thing rough bothers me with is losing distance, unless its heading towards trouble.


I guess the course I play are just cut too low to affect the lie. ? I dunno

[goblue107501]

OK lets clear the air here. What kind of rough are you guys playing here?> I have only played ONE course where the rough was so think that it stopped my club on maybe 15% of my shots out of it.

That's a good point. I have only played a couple of courses I can think of where the rough was a huge issue. I would still rather be in the fairway, but being in the rough is not that big a deal. There can be tough spots or bad lies, but nothing that makes you fear it.

I hit the ball a pretty good ways but I can only remember losing two or three balls off the tee this year. If I am not in the fairway it is only a few yards left or right and rarely is it even on the other side of the cart path. I might not hit the 30 yard wide fairway every time , but I will be on the hole about 98% of the time.

[TheNatural]

If Im in the rough and not behind a tree or have no looks, I look at it as if I landed rough and lost roll or landed fairway and rolled off, meaning Im 230+ either way, granted I didnt top or duck hook. A look from the rough is as good as if not better than the fairway except at Bulle Rock

[SergioFan23]

I PREFER to be in the rough as opposed to the fairway

don't really understand this one.

[wedge player]

the rough at my courses wield better lies than the fairways.i understand where hes coming from.

[TheNatural]

I hit in my backyard more than anywhere. Its thicker than the rough on a course. Its what I have practiced the most. Learning the game I realize the sticking power diminshes in the rough, that and the extra yards of roll are the reason I like bbeing in the fairway.

[flopdarock]

i dont know about the courses some of you play... but my home course plays 7200 from the tips... the next teebox up(the ones i play) are only 300-350 shorter and the middle tees are a few hundred shorter than that... its a pretty long course... so distance is a big advantage... heck the easiest par3 (no forced carry) is 230... 215 from the tees i play from... im hitting 3w... hell when its windy enough i have to pull driver... on a frikken par3!!!
i love playing other courses when the tips play 6600-6900... i still cant drive the longball but all my other clubs can get me home... heck i leave the driver in the bag on shorter courses and it usually impresses whoever im playing with letting them think that the reason i dont hit driver is because id hit it too far... lol

another huge reason im obsessed with distance... is im really competitive with my brothers... the youngest is a bomber... he is a strong 3hcp and we gps'd one of his drives to a green... 310 into the wind... the other brother is pretty long but he has issues with his driver like i do... his 3w goes 250-260 so he is much longer than i am but much less accurate... he plays to about a 13-15 hcp and im still jealous of his distance...

i would be more than happy with a consistent 250

[envoy98]

205 with a 56* ?? thats just sick, not saying it cant be done. I deloft the club a good deal and that still makes me wonder.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that he could do that. Merely that it got to be such a running joke that when he was a ridiculous distance away we'd ask him if he was going to hit his 56. He can spank the ball on occasion, but he does deloft the club quite a bit, especially with his wedges. To the other poster who told me I need a new group of friends since they (this one) ridicules me for lack of distance....I kicked his arse by 5 shots yesterday. All the payback I need. Oh, and he had to buy the beers at the 19th hole.. :) I shot a 93 (about average for me, but I've never played the course and I can't hit an iron) but theres a whole 'nother thread on that. So I was pretty (very) happy.

[Zeph]

Prefering to play from the rough or fluffy lies can be understandable for a high handicapper which isn't making a clean downward contact on the ball. They find it easier because they can come under the ball, when you really aren't supposed to. Once you get that part of the swing in order, you'll never want to be in the rough.

[TheNatural]

Yea i like coming down on the ball a lot more for the sticking power (if Im hitting the green). It makes a huge difference in your scoring so I agree with the people that feel irons make the player better, but until steady decent distance with a driver can be attained, their improvement is limited.


From the rough I have sick power so when Im in the rough on a par 5 and need 240 to get home, I have done it with irons. I wont tell you which ones.

[enduro]

OK lets clear the air here. What kind of rough are you guys playing here?>

A lot of the courses around me have pretty short first cut. It really isn't a disadvantage except for the fact that trees often get started early into it and you may have a funny angle.

I prefer to be in the fairway but most roughs around here aren't too bad. And a lot of times you get a pretty decent lie. Bluegrass is nice like that. But once you start getting into a second cut it can become tricky. Also, a PGA event is played at one of the courses I frequent and you can play it as it is setup for them for a couple weeks after the event. After about a week when the trampled grass has gotten back up, that rough is hard and you're lucky if you get a good lie. It's a different rough that what is cut for us hackers on most courses. Also, some of the high end championship style courses (which I don't play often) have deeper roughs. But a typical rough around here is 2 inches tops and usually around 1.5 inches and bluegrass so the ball has a tendency to prop up.

[enduro]

I should also add, when you're playing from the championship tees at facing 625 yard par 5's and 480 par 4's, distance matters. In fact, I recently played a 630 yard par 5 that had a wide open driving area so accuracy really wasn't the objective. You could miss by quite a bit each side. But not getting it down 300 yards with roll left a really long second and third shot.

My cousin popped it over 300 (nice hook with a lot of roll) and I didn't have a great drive and went around 230 with roll. I hit a 3 wood for around 210 and still had a ways to go. So now I'm left with around 190-200 yards to a green guarded by bunkers and a hole that has thinned out. He had around 120 yards and could use a PW while I was hitting a 4 iron.

I got on in 4 and he was on in regulation. I 2-putted for a bogey I was quite happy with. He got a par. It's a lot easier to hit a PW onto a green than a 4-iron. Especially when there are bunkers around the green.

The point is I failed with my distance and paid for it because I couldn't get up and down. Really the hole was designed to test your bomb off the tee and then check your accuracy on approach with whatever fate your driver let you.

[wedge player]

Prefering to play from the rough or fluffy lies can be understandable for a high handicapper which isn't making a clean downward contact on the ball. They find it easier because they can come under the ball, when you really aren't supposed to. Once you get that part of the swing in order, you'll never want to be in the rough.

i can spin a ball more out of a good lie in 1-2 inch rough.

[Jesh]

I spin the ball out of the fairway great, out of the rough, I always aim short, I can't ever hit out of the rough.

Distance matters, but it doesn't matter if you can't do anything else right. A guy who hits 280 consistently, and can do everything else is always going to beat someone who hits 200 consistently, and can do everything else, as long as their "everything else" is about te same.

[Zeph]

i can spin a ball more out of a good lie in 1-2 inch rough.

Maybe because you hit it harder form the rough.

[prutkows]

These days I'm more concerned with hitting a consistent distance with each of my clubs. I'd rather hit driver 270 every single time than smash it 320 sometimes but others leave it at 220.

[enduro]

These days I'm more concerned with hitting a consistent distance with each of my clubs. I'd rather hit driver 270 every single time than smash it 320 sometimes but others leave it at 220.

Indeed. One thing pros do well is hit a club the same distance.

[prutkows]

Indeed. One thing pros do well is hit a club the same distance.

Yep. I've also only recently realized that hitting tee shots on par 4's and 5's and 2nd shots on par 5's isn't always about getting as close to the green as possible... Now that my yardages are more or less pretty consistent, I try to hit shots to a yardage that would fit a full swing with a given club in the bag.

Good tip (i think) to those of you trying to shave a few shots off your score! Trying to hit a 60 yard wedge isnt always easier than a 140 yard 8iron.