How good are your good shots?

[Fat Slice]

Two days ago I hit a 322 yard drive (yes), knocked a 50 deg wedge stiff, and rolled in a downhill big breaker.

Unfortunately, I didn't put those shots together on the same hole, and that's why I am not Tiger Woods.

Even a monkey can pure a shot once in a while. I mean a real monkey.

[adamgoodman]

My good shots are usually good.

[TheGeekGolfer]

Yes...my good / best shots are every bit as good as any tour player. I've hit 300 yd drives over the dogleg when I meant to (and even told my buddies that's what I was going to do). I hit a 205 yd. 4-iron with a slight draw to 5 ft. short of the pin just last week. I hit a 6-iron 175 yds uphill out of a greenside bunker to 12 ft and made the putt for birdie (both playing partners said it was 'the best shot they had ever seen') earlier this summer. I could go on...but you get the idea.

Of course, anyone who golfs on a regular basis has hit a shot that was 'pure' and just as good as any tour player. The difference is having 1) the guts to do it with 1,000s of people watching and 2) pulling it off (ie - Mickelson at the Masters this year from the pine straw over Ray's creek). That's what makes a good shot, GREAT!

[adamgoodman]

I would be quick to doubt that your pure shots mean that you have some untapped tour potential... But it's those shots that keep us coming back week after week.

[Stretch]

My good shots just make me feel worse about my bad shots.

[armandoartist]

  Deryck Griffith said:

I have a friend who doesn't hit it that long but his potential is SUPER high (went from a 18 to a 11 this year) because he is 1. realistic with his game and 2. honest with his swing and what he needs to do to get better.

I also went from 18 to 11 this year.... so I have high hopes. by 2011 I should be breaking 70 (fingers crossed)....

[armandoartist]

Scratch golfer is just more consistent.

I agree chilly.

[NCSU_MSE]

My good shots are probably minitour good. Unfortunately, I probably average less than 1 good shot per round.

[armandoartist]

I hit my worst shot and my best shot in the same hole about two rounds ago. It was a par 4 hole around 350 yards with a layup type gully ahead. I only needed about 200 yards for a perfect lay-up. I used a 5 iron and I just topped it and it rolled 100 yards :( yuk crap sh!t etc etc well now I have a 250 yard shot from semi rough to the hole over the gully. I could of layed-up with a 8 iron or so but I grabbed my 5 Wood swung the crap out of it and landed softly on the green then made a 30 foot putt for the best birdie of my life. That showed exactly where my skill level is 11.7 handicap, sometimes good sometimes bad.

[SpringBokVol]

My exceptional shots are the ones I don't feel. Just pure and because of this the result is normally not ideal because it probably means I have overshot my target by 10 yards.

On occasion I will hit a shot exactly how I want... flight, trajectory, distance, spin, etc... Those are the shots that make me feel like a tour player.

For example, I pulled a drive and ended up in the right rough and was stuck behind a tree about 170 yards out. I could go over the tree with a 9 iron but would be about 25 yards short of the green...maybe more. instead, I saw a shot that I could try and pull off. A massive hook with a 4 iron around the tree running up the green pin high. And I pulled it off. It was beautiful. The ball never went higher than 20 feet off the ground and hooked about 50 yards and had that sweet sound to it. It rolled up within 4 feet of the pin.

I proceeded to miss the putt and was catapulted back to earth. But I still think about that shot. It was perfect. And my playing partner was amazed.

[design]

I put my tee shot 3" from the hole on a 342 yard par 4 in May.

I went on to shoot my worst round of the year.

We all get lucky shots occasionally.

[vmsea]

It's pretty silly to compare yourself to a pro.

No Pro can chip in from 15 feet 100% of the time.. but all of us CAN, and probably have done so once in a while.
does that mean we're better than pro?

[Open-Faced Club Sandwedge]

Thanks for all the replies.

I'm totally aware that the pros choose a ball-flight, whereas I'm just working on getting the old high-straight-and-long flight to happen more consistently. But man, those high-straight-and-long shots, when they're good, oh man they're good.

What makes me very optimistic about my game, terrible though it may be overall, is that when I don't shank it, top it, or hit it fat, I get these gorgeous ball flights more and more often. I think my swing itself really shows promise, in that the head of the club is going through impact straight along the target line, hitting downward, and with a ton of speed. I would not trade it for an ultra-consistent weak fade, even though I'd score a lot better, because no matter how much you dial in your weak fade, it's never going to produce pro-caliber shots. The out-to-in, flipped-wrist, no-body-rotation, poor-weight-transfer swing cannot make that ball flight happen. So I feel like these shots, not because they're kinda good, but because they're too good to come from a bad swing, are something I can really build on.

-Andrew

[Leftygolfer]

My good shots are great. Sometimes, I think man, a pro couldn't have done better. But the difference is they do that every round, alot of times per round, and I might have five great shots a round if i'm playing well.

It is amazing how well I can hit it. The problem is that golfer only shows his face 1 out of every 20 shots.

[deronsizemore]

  Open-Faced Club Sandwedge said:

...I really doubt Tiger Woods (or substitute your favorite golfer if you want) hits his pitching wedge any better than those 2 shots were.

Whatever makes you feel better.

Seriously, go to a PGA Tour event in person and watch these guys. It's pretty eye opening.

[Shorty]

  Open-Faced Club Sandwedge said:

147 yard perfect ball flight with a pitching wedge! Granted, the S9 PW is a strong loft (44°), but I really doubt Tiger Woods (or substitute your favorite golfer if you want) hits his pitching wedge any better than those 2 shots were.

The fact that you were able to hit two pitching wedges well is proof that you have the potential to be an extraordinary player. Tiger Woods would probably hit one in six properly, but you hit two in a row, if I read your post correctly. Sounds like you are adept at shaping the ball too, and your divot was actually IN FRONT of the ball. Amazing. A successful career awaits you.

Now. .....just to prove that it wasn't a fluke, go to the driving range and do the following drill with every club in your bag: 1. High straight 2. Low straight 3. Medium height straight. 4. High fade 5. Low fade 6. Medium height fade 7. High draw 8. Low draw 9. Medium height draw Do it over and over again. After 10 minutes, when you have perfected this drill, change the amount of the fade and draw from, say 3 metres to 5 meters just to mix it up a bit. The other thing that impresses is me that you've got smart course management skills. Hitting a pitching wedge off the tee on a par 3 of 200 yards is smart golf. Distance is clearly no problem for uyou either. I think Tiger hits his PW 76 yards - and that's flat out.

[jetsknicks1]

My good shots are good enough to bring me back next weekend.

[Open-Faced Club Sandwedge]

  Shorty said:

The fact that you were able to hit two pitching wedges well is proof that you have the potential to be an extraordinary player. Tiger Woods would probably hit one in six properly, but you hit two in a row, if I read your post correctly. Sounds like you are adept at shaping the ball too, and your divot was actually IN FRONT of the ball. Amazing. A successful career awaits you.

Wow, a lot of people seem to think I said something other than what I actually said. Oh, the internet. Long on opinions, short on reading comprehension.

-Andrew