Ball-striking or putting?

[The Recreational Golfer]

Dave Pelz has a chart on page 3 of his Putting Bible that lists the golfers who are, in his opinion, the greatest ball-strikers of all time and the greatest putters of all time.

The greatest ball-strikers have as a group, 391 career professional wins including 34 majors, and the greatest putters have 293 career professional wins as a group, including 8 majors.

This makes sense to me, in that you're going to make more birdies if you stick your approach (a) to makable distances, (b) more often, which is what better ball-strikers do.

Whenever I have gone low, it was because my swing was atypically working shot after shot. My best putting days have never made up for my typical ball-striking to send my score as low. Not saying that putting isn't important, but ball-striking seems to be the key to low scoring.

Thoughts?

[Zeph]

How do you make birdies? Primarily by getting the ball within reasonable putting range. If you are off the green, chances of birdie are very small. There is of course a combination here, but you can't score low without hitting the greens.

With good ball striking, you can have shorter putts, most of the time only two putt for par. With bad ball striking, your short game and bunker play has to be good, or you'll end up with a lot of bogies. It is no secret that the best players are excellent putters, but if they are not within putting range, they won't score low. Also, their misses are often small. Hitting 70% of the greens doesn't mean you have 30% bunker shots or flop shots. Most balls are just off the green and within range for a relatively easy (for them) up and down.

Ultimately, scoring low is a combination of everything. You got bunker shots, chipping, flop shots, tee shots, faiirway shots etc. I am a firm believer that to break single digit handicap, you need to hit greens, set up for birdies or pars. If you keep missing greens, you'll have to struggle just for a par. Huge difference there.

[Fatphil]

an interesting thing I've noticed about getting better at ball striking. As it improves my hndcp doesn't drop...hmm. seems I miss greens in more difficult places which forces harder flop shots.. Once again shows a big difference btw somebody who shoots 78-82 vs. 72-76.

30' off the green in fluffy crap is harder than 90' short in the fairway.

[squaddie]

...Not saying that putting isn't important, but ball-striking seems to be the key to low scoring.

I believe putting ability is more important to low scoring than ball-striking. It's very difficult to make a consistent approach shot where a short-range putt is guaranteed.

Even if the approach shot lands at 3 feet a 1-putt is not automatic. Referring to Pelz's putting bible, on page 7, figure 1.4.1, the diagram indicates tour pros make 3 foot putts only 90% of the time (as of statistics up to year 2000), and only make half their putts at 6 feet. If your ball-striking off the tee is consistently good, in that you typically have the correct clubface angle and swingpath angle to hit the ball straight or shape your shots, then you should end up in the fairways. As the distance to the hole gets into a Par-3 range then being able to consistently land on the green is important, as within 200 yards one can overshoot the green with the wrong club, or end up in any hazards surrounding the green. But with a putting stroke there is less margin of error as there is with a full swing. In putting the target is very small, and more variables (per Pelz) can affect the ball's path to the hole, such as green-reading ability, slopes in the green (uphill, downhill, multiple elevation changes), speed of the green, direction and grain of the grass, wind, any imperfections on or inside the ball, putting stroke, aim and alignment, etc. With a full-stroke to the fairway or green there are less variables involved, such as lie, swing angle, club-face angle, and wind, and distance management on the approach shots, and the focus is landing in a target area consistently rather than a particular spot (though the cup is the primary target).

[ks8829]

One variable you have to keep in mind with the Pro's compared to weekend golfers is that all of them putt better than most average golfers, thats why they are on tour. So, if you are asking if the average golfer is better off being a better ball striker or a better putter, its hands down better putter.

I played with my son yesterday and missed my drive and he was at least 150 yards ahead of me, I hit my 3 wood within 40 yards from the hole and he hit his approach above the hole about 30 feet. I had an average chip below the hole about 12 feet and sunk my putt to save par and my son three putted for a boogie.

putt for dough and drive for show.

[Zeph]

These two are of course related. If you don't hit any greens, you'll never have a chance to show how good you putt. If you hit 2 of 18 greens, most of the time you will hopefully be able to chip the ball within a few yards every time. Some putts you make, but most you maybe two-putt, depending on how close you are to the pin. It's first when you hit the greens in regulation that good putting really comes into play. Getting those 30-40 feet putts within 3 feet and making the 6-10 feet putts for birdie.

It's not about putting or ball-striking, it's both! The pros are better than us at everything, putting included. To play par on a course, you must strike the ball well and putt well, to shoot 65, you must strike the ball very well, and putt very well.

There is no one secret to the golf swing, there is no ultimate training aid, there is no ultimate drill, there is no part of the game being more important than the other. Play to your strengths and work on your weaknesses. Don't try to play par by only practicing putting, if you don't hit the green, you won't benefit of it in any case.

[ohiolefty]

I'm in the middle of a gigantic swing change.

When I put together what I'm trying to do...it's great. I'm working the ball, spinning it, firing at a pin when I need to and putting it in the middle of the green when I need to.

When it's not, I'm pitching out and doing all kinds of crazy shite because I'm behind a tree or I'm hitting a flop shot over a hazard or whatever.

Still, once I'm on the green...it's imperitive consistently stroke putts. Otherwise a potential 4 is a 5, a 5 is a 6, a potential 3 can be a 5, etc. etc. etc.

All scoring is inter-related.

I think what isn't being talked about here, and should be, is the mental aspect - ESPECIALLY one's ability NOT to let their ball-striking issues affect their short game and vice versa . That's the key thing to making scores that are (for you and your game) solid. If you can keep your brain under control, you can score solidly when you're not putting great or not striking the ball as you'd like. I do, however, think it's hard to score when you're putting awfully. 3-putts make the numbers go up QUICKLY.

[Zeph]

I find that I don't care that much and lose focus when I play bad. If I'm on the green on 4 at a par 4, the hole is a failure. I still do my routine and putt like I always do, but my focus is a bit off, which affects my speed.
Other way around is not really a problem. I know I can putt well, so I won't be set off my a 3-putt on a GIR hole. I know I did everything right up to that putt. Long game is also where my problems are, so when I get that part right, I'm full of inspiration and consentration. Being a mid handicapper, I will make mistakes and I will hit bad putts, but I still keep my focus.

When I play well, I putt well too, no doubt about that. My focus on each shot gets better when playing well. I keep my score and check it after every hole, but am still able to focus on the next shot only at the following tee. I know I'm playing well, so I only have positive thoughts on how I should do things right. If I'm coming off a double bogey where I sliced the tee shot and chunked the approach, my focus will be on not doing those things.

On a seminar, we were told a story about a father and son on a boat. It was the boys first time and he was allowed to drive the boat into the bay. He had to get the boat between two others, so the father explained him 6 ways he should not do it, and one way he should do it. The boy crashed the boat into the next one. How can you expect him to get it right when 6/7 things you've told him is how not to do it? Same with golf. If you think about what you should not do, avoid the water, don't swing too hard, don't look up too early etc., you will do exactly those things. Think about a shot you had earlier where you nailed the drive, try to recreate that thought. Have only one swing thought, specifically how do that one thing correct, not what you should avoid doing.

If your problem is swinging with the arms, take some practice swings where you feel the smooth rhythm with the hips leading. Keep that thought and feeling when you swing.

[Fourputt]

Dave Pelz has a chart on page 3 of his Putting Bible that lists the golfers who are, in his opinion, the greatest ball-strikers of all time and the greatest putters of all time.

Seems logical to me. The difference between the best putter and the 100th best putter is a fraction of a stroke. When they are that closely matched on the green, then the ability to keep the ball in play in play, to work the ball on a consistent basis, to hit more fairways and more greens in regulation would be the deciding factor in lower scoring.

[Fatphil]

I don't see a correlation btw putts and improved ball striking..actually the opposite. If you are getting better and hitting more greens you may be on the green but 40' away..vs if you dubbed your second and you are chipping from 50' away...even if you miss the putt it's still 2 putt...but a 40' is real easy to 3 putt....also if you're striking the ball better your misses will be in more difficult locations...ie bunker, fluffy lie short side, etc,,,once again if you dubb your second and you are in the fairway 90' away,,,a much easier up and down.

I play with many guys that are horrible ball strikers, at best 2-3 GIR but routinely go around in 28-32 putts. Does that equate to PGA level putting,,,hell no, they just make a bunch of 3 footers for bogeys & pars.

[DavidFehertysBike]

The two work hand in hard, but i think generally good putting will take you further than good ballstriking alone. There is a tour player, Senden i think, that leads every tee to green state just about every season but never contends because he cant get the ball into the hole. You have to be able to putt, no matter how good of a ballstriker you are.

[nike_golf]

Personally, my HCP went lower as my ball striking got better and more consistent.

It seems putting can come and go sometimes, but being good at ball striking is something that is always there. I believe you can have a bad day of putting but a good day of striking it and still have a good day overall.

If you have a good putting day, but a bad striking day, you probably had a bad day of golf.

[DavidFehertysBike]

I tend to lean towards the opposite. When im not hitting the ball very good, i save alot of pars with my putter and just plod along. I will admit that when i am hitting the ball well and not taking advantage with the putter, those rounds are far more deflating.

[Elvisliveson]

I tend to lean towards the opposite. When im not hitting the ball very good, i save alot of pars with my putter and just plod along. I will admit that when i am hitting the ball well and not taking advantage with the putter, those rounds are far more deflating.

It's the same for me too. I have saved many a poor-ballstriking round with good putting and wrecked many a good ball-striking round with poor putting. I think anyone who truly takes putting seriously, putts everything out and therefore sees it for the black art it truly is, would agree. Problem is there are a lot of amateurs who are only concerned with the full swing and adopt the "it's close enough" approach to putting.

[Fatphil]

The two work hand in hand,

I agree...for the most part if you play and practice to an 8 you'll putt like an 8 if you play and practice to a 3 you will putt like a 3. You'll seldom see a guy with a horrible swing have a Tiger esque or Steve Stricker putting stroke. Yeah they're out there..but those are not the norm.