who cares about yardages?!

[imtomtomim]

Starting to notice that I hit more greens if I don't try to get the exact yardage and instead I just try to imagine what club will give me the trajectory to the green. Anyone else find that they are more accurate without a number?

[Zeph]

Not at all, I suck at judging distances. It is of course possible to hit anything from a 4 iron to a 9 iron into a green if you know how to do it, but I'm not at that point yet.

Is this something you've tried once or twice on a course where you normally play and "know" somewhat what club to use, or have you taken it to other courses?

[imtomtomim]

well, I definitely noticed this because last year, I had trouble with my iron play, and yet ball striking is my niche in the game. I was trying to hit distances and re-gauge yardages by numbers and I was consistently missing. I remember when I first started playing 2 years ago, I kind of just said, oh, that looks like a 7 iron, and I'd hit it. Now, yes, my distances are probably double of when I first picked up that club, but I feel like I know what a 7 iron looks like and it helps me paint a picture for elevation variations much easier than re-figuring numbers. On a course I played only once last year, one of my worst rounds of the year, went back and tried not to get numbers, hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation.

Maybe I should trust my best play is in feel.

[deronsizemore]

Sure, I could make my way around the course guessing distances, but I'd feel much more comfortable using my rangefinder to get the exact distance.

[goblue107501]

I used to do it all the time when I was starting. The course wasn't very well marked so you had to rely on feel and sight most of the time. I use my rangefinder for just about every shot because I want to know the exact distance. It has improved my scores quite a bit.

I know what you are saying though. On many shots inside of 60 yards or so I take a look and try and dial up the feel for the distance. Sometimes it is better not to know, but for me, I would rather know the distance most of the time.

[Jonnydanger81]

Anything inside 100 I don't count off, I usually just go on feel. But outside that I like to know to 5 yards or so where I am.

[atrapasuenos]

I do care about yardages but... how to say it... I do not care about what club I need to hit. Let me explain myself, lets say I have 150 yards to cover, with normal conditions it would be a 9 iron, but depending on how I feel, and all the other factors wind, lie, etc, I can hit a 6 iron, I just try to cover that number.

Greetings!

[saevel25]

I play with a few guys who can just know how far there irons go and which club to play. I got to know a rough estimate of yardage, usually with in 5 yards of what it is. Then knowing that i pick my club and use the feel in my swing to get to an exact distance i want.

[Titleist_ProV1x]

Starting to notice that I hit more greens if I don't try to get the exact yardage and instead I just try to imagine what club will give me the trajectory to the green. Anyone else find that they are more accurate without a number?

Yea I do, right after I check my SkyCaddy and grab the right club, lol

[cory]

Although I feel rangefinders are very useful in some circumstances, inside 150yrds. is alot about feel and wind, air density, dryness of course, all seem to make big differences at the shorter distances.

[Scott_K]

I find I make cleaner contact and hit a better shot when i just trust my gut and put a good swing on the ball. Over analyzing everything gets you into too much trouble IMO. When I happen to pass a sprinkler head / yardage marker, I'll count a few steps to get a rough idea, but that's about it. Factor in the wind, lie, etc. and hit it. In the end it's just a guess.

[nuck81]

I like to know general yardage as it helps my club selection, but I'm not accurate or consistent enough to get any major benefit from a range finder.....

[Dr. Strangeclub]

On a course I know well, I don't need yardages. I know what I need to hit from where and have a good feel for what I have to do to put it on the green, given the wind, cold, whatever. On a strange course, it isn't so easy. There, it isn't always enough simply to know the yardages, since there can be uphill/downhill shots where you're guessing anyhow, even if you know the yardage to the inch.

[Quinn07]

I don't need to know the exact yardage, but I like to know the yardage to the Front, Middle and Back so I can have a rough idea of the yardage to the pin so I can play the iron that will get me to the right place on the green. I am not good enough to hit exact yardages, but a range of ten yards does help my game.

[RC]

When the next stroke is to the green, I walk up to the ball and start visualizing the shot -- the shape and trajectory, etc. I note the pin and what are the shortside dangers or collection areas, does the green have a false front, do contours demand something different, are the bunkers a serious challenge, etc. Then the most important information at this point is to know the exact yardage to the landing area I want (not the pin,) but then comes wind factors, elevation changes, and a host of sensory input, including how I feel I can hit a shot at that moment. Then a clear picture of the realistic shot shape and trajectory firms up (I may have changed my mind, but now I'm committed.) It is only then that the club selection process become important -- what club gives me the best chance of hitting the shot I want. So, yes, exact yardage is super important but it does not dictate the club selection -- it helps define the club needed for the shot that is envisioned.

[sean_miller]

Two rounds ago I was all about getting a general feeling of the distance. Now that I have a rangefinder, I appreciate knowing the exact distance to the front and back of the green, the pin, and the shelf it's on. Then I factor in wind, elevation, and how I'm hitting that day. Once I'm over the ball I can focus on aiming the clubface.

It's so much easier to "judge" distance once you have the exact number at your fingertips.

[tm22721]

I'll stop worrying about yardages when I can leave certain clubs out of my bag for a given golf course. That's what Hogan did. When asked why he didn't have a 7i in his bag at a particluar tournament he said "there is no 7i shot on this course".

[imtomtomim]

I'll stop worrying about yardages when I can leave certain clubs out of my bag for a given golf course. That's what Hogan did. When asked why he didn't have a 7i in his bag at a particluar tournament he said "there is no 7i shot on this course".

haha, I like that. But what happens when he screws up and then needs the 7i. Golf is all the missed shots right?