What part of your game do you think is most important.

[EverythingGolf]

Originally Posted by ND Fan

This the golf question of the ages...

the fact is that all facets of the game are pretty important.  Scoring is not based on long game or short individually it's a marriage of the two.  You could be the best putter on the planet but if takes you 6 shots to get to every green then I would say your putting, although great is not very important.  The same could be said with a guy who hits everything pure and hits 16-18 greens per round but follows that with 45 putts.  His long game although enviable is not important.

Everyone needs to find a balance to play the game they way they want to.  Not everyone needs to be a scratch golfer to enjoy it. It a simple matter of playing to the best of your ability in every aspect.  When you do that the game feels great no matter what you shoot.

For the average golfer I think chipping and putting is what saves sanity.  Assuming you can strike the ball towards the general direction of the green the short game will make or break your score every time.  If you can't reach most greens in under four or five shots.  Please consider taking up bowling.

I really like ND's post.

So all you high and low handicaper's out there when you go to the driving range don't just pull out your driver and beat two buckets of balls and then go home.

Go down to the practice green if they have one, If they don't find one that does and work on that short game.

[max power]

I love practicing my short game, but I think the real payoff in the short game only comes when decent ballstriking has been achieved.  I've played with plenty of guys who are decent at basic chip shots and putting, but can't hit a driver or 3 wood off the tee, can't keep the ball in play, and can't make consistent contact from shot to shot.  I've also never met anyone who is a good ballstriker making consistent contact with driver/woods/long irons/mid irons who wasn't at the very least decent with their chip shots and putting.

For the beginner or mid-high 'capper I don't think short game is anywhere near as important as ballstriking.

[johnthejoiner]

enjoyment

[Leftygolfer]

I vote contact.  To me that really determines if I enjoy the round and game.  If you can't hit the ball solid you can't play.

One of the big keys for me personally is alignment.  I don't have contact issues much anymore but if I start aiming to pull my push draw turns into a pull hook real quick.  My subconscious knows when i'm aimed incorrectly and I start over hooking the ball.  I prefer to error on the side of aiming for a push.  But that is me specific.  I learned how to play pulling the ball so its taken a long time to get my aim in check and train my eyes what good alignment is.

Putting, getting up and down is huge.  For me I've had my most enjoyable rounds when I'm hitting the ball ok, but when my bad shots happen I recover.  Those short putts really bleed into the next tee shot.  I can't tell you how many times I've missed a putt I thought I should of made and then go to the next tee and hit a really bad one.

So I guess my final answer is mental.  Expectations can't be too high for most.  Learn how to enjoy bad golf and manage yourself around the course.  There is no reason not to have fun when it isn't your day.

[ryanbecker]

I think it has to be accuracy.  Keeping the ball in play is so critical.  The key is to make your misses manageable.  If you can do that, you will be well on your way to lowering your scores permanently!  Easier said than done, of course...