Most Underrated Part of Golf?

[Leftygolfer]

I'll vote for course management and decision making. I don't think the casual golfer understands how you have to play this game and score a decent round. Putting, short game, and ball striking everybody understands are really important. But it isn't just how you hit it in good situations, but recovering is a huge deal. For me this really changes my rounds. I make so many doubles or triples by hitting only one bad shot that is playable and compounding the error and doubling. But it isn't an error in ability, it is an error in decision making.

[B-Con]

Because ball-striking has already been put forth (and I agree), I'll be a little more specific for the hacker-level golfer: A consistent swing. Part of my problem for so long (and still is) was that I had different swings for chipping, pitching, irons, and woods. Sure there should be some variation for the situation, but not as much as I had. But my swing wasn't even the same each time with the same club: frustration, fatigue, and the lie constantly changed how I swung. Knowing what you're doing is key to being able to replicated it. When you get tired or frustrated, you have to be able to make the same swing.

[zeg]

From the perspective of someone on the hopefully precipitous fall from a 40+ handicap (were it not for the 36.4 cap) to something more respectable, I think people often underrate the value of just getting the ball to move toward the hole. It's not quite ballstriking, since it doesn't have to be pretty, but right now, even with the practice I've been putting in, I lose 3-5 shots per round due to flubs, tops, etc. Little frustrates me more than making a "par" but taking a bogey because it was 4 to get down from 30 yards off the tee box.

I think it's underrated in the sense that a lot of people don't appreciate how hard it is for some people to get to the point where they can hit anything approaching the shot they want on command. Until you can do this, course management, ball striking, etc, just aren't going to help that much.

[The Recreational Golfer]

You'll get the answer to the question by asking a teaching pro how many swing lessons he gives every year, how many short game lessons, and how many putting lessons. I asked once. The answer is amazing.

[sean_miller]

Shooting low scores is underrated.

[ohiolefty]

Shooting low scores is underrated.

Well-played.

..... I think most of the answers in here are horse droppings. The real answer, and it isn't course management, it isn't swing technique, ballstriking, any of that........ The real answer is --- your mentality, your emotions, your focus. Your mental game. I've had days where I went low and hit it poorly, or fairly mediocre. I've had days where I hit it great and didn't score. The difference between those days for a golfer is your mentality, your focus, the way you deal with the highs and lows of getting around the course. Once your game is to a certain level, everyone can go out and shoot decent scores for their physical ability level. The difference is mental. It goes beyond course management, swing, putting, how tight your pants are, all that crap because if your head isn't right that day none of your skill matters. Look at pro golfers who have tons of game but can't win or don't win anymore (Tiger, John Daly promptly come to mind). It's between their ears - even to the point where their mentality causes physical breakdowns in their swing. In fact, didn't Bobby Jones say something about this once? (hehe). I think he was good because Jesse Ortiz designed a set of clubs with his name on them, and Jesse Ortiz is the freaking MAN !

[clam fist]

Driving distance and accuracy is very underated. You need to bomb it to reach the green. That would rule.

[TourSpoon]

The most underrated thing that I can see is feel. I am talking about how to feel your swing, feel the tempo, distance, etc. It comes into all aspects of your game and gives you the ability to self correct and to play golf.

[wizzwizz]

For me it was definitely course management. Until I started playing smarter instead of attempting shots I had no business trying, I never seemed to be able to shoot lower scores. It also took away a lot of frustration I had when I did try some hero shot and failed miserably. It definitely helped the mental aspect of my game, and took a lot of pressure off of myself by taking the easier shots. It's a lot better than trying to flight a huge hook in between trees into a front pin guarded by a bunker from 180 yards, which of course ricochets of the first tree and bounces back 30 yards into the woods.

Ball-striking, or short game, or driving are things that take a lot of time and practice to improve, and things I was solely focused on. I didn't realize how many shots I could save by committing myself to managing the course and my shots properly.

[3 wiggle]

19th hole. Learn to drink like a man. You can use this to celebrate or drown your sorrows. Also can get opponent in trouble with spouse. Seriously though its important to enjoy your self...and its safer than crack or glue sniffing.

[Chris223]

However, the real question is; why are you missing the green on your approach shots?

If you played some of the courses in my area with greens you'd swear are concrete you'd know why I'm never on the green. That and quite a few of these courses have greens no bigger than a tee box. Super small + concrete hard = You're not on the green.

[3 wiggle]

hence the booze...SEE!

[Stretch]

Driving distance ... is very underated.

I guess that's why it's a topic that almost never comes up for discussion here or any other place golfers gather together. Everyone always wants to talk about their conversion rate on three-foot putts rather than their 300-yard average drives, don't they?

[SouthernILGolfer]

Lately ive been struggling a bit with short irons, i think thats the most important part of the game, those approach shots from 100-150 yards out. If i could hit more greens from that distance, id be a much better player. Im usually just hoping my misses are close enough that i can 2 putt for bogey after chipping my 3rd shot on. Lately ive been missing so badly with my irons that even chipping on for a long par putt is getting difficult. At least i can usually putt pretty good and dont 3 putt very often and dont worry too much if i hit it 5 feet short or 5 feet too far past the hole, gotten pretty good at those length putts. Its just frustrating hitting a good drive in the fairway and not being able to execute a decent iron shot somewhere on the green with say a 9 iron from 120 yards, i feel i should at least hit the green from that distance and 2 putt and get my par even at my skill level. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

[Koth]

I also find it difficult just to find a place to practice it at all. Most courses I think the average person plays at have extremely small putting greens with hardly any rough around them to practice chipping. I know the only course in my area with a large putting green with an ample surrounding area to chip onto the green from is the one course that used to host a PGA Tour event and now holds a Champions Tour event.

I'm pretty lucky in that there is a course 10 minutes from my house that has a fairly large practice green with a lot of area around it to practice chipping, as well as a practice bunker. It also has another chipping/pitching specific green with another practice bunker. It's probably the best place to pratice your short game in the city.

The course itself isn't very good though. Oh well.

[allin]

I would suggest that it is a trully honest self evaluation of one's individual game. The "average golfer's" game sucks, and I will admit I'm up on that list. In the four years I've been playing, I've managed to straighten out my drives and long iron shots (on average), but can I reasonably expect to add another 100+ yards consitantly off the tee box in my lifetime? Probably not. After all, this average golfer will be 51 and not 49 on the next birthday.

I really like what you have to say here. As a short hitter with an above average short game, especially putting, I remind myself all the time to keep giving time into that part, because that is where I make my score, and talent is not as big a factor. Having said that the biggest difference between scratch players and myself is controlled power, my maximium drive is about 235, and I don't care how good you are hitting a hybrid or 4 iron into a green is a lot tougher than a 6 or 7 iron. I have compared myself to low handicappers I have played with, and I par 50-75% of par 3s and par 5s but only 10-25% of par 4s. Of course power without controll won't work and a short game can't help you if OB. Controlled power is hard to beat. Like home run hitters in baseball, there is no substitute for power.

[Leftygolfer]

Another thought....The three foot putt. I know alot of people take these for granted b/c they don't putt them out. But they are missable and a shot gone. I take my short putting very seriously. It really helps chipping, long putts and iron play when you know you can make it inside of five feet, well that is what I tell myself. I'm not afraid of the comebacker and I think it really helps me make more putts and bails me out from lousy shots.

[WUTiger]

Most underrated part of golf? Taking time to practice for 20 minutes here and there.

Stop on the way home from work and practice some lag putts, do some swing drills in the back yard, practice short chips and pitches in backyard (does ball land in right spot?). Hitting short chips and pitches squarely would not only improve your short game, but could also help improve your...

Ballstriking. ...

The short practice sessions allow for intense focus and good concentration. Combined with playing and/or a trip to the range, it lets you pick up a club four or five days a week.

I've fallen off my last couple of rounds because I've let the "20 minute sessions" slide.