Distance or Accuracy

[bigbear43]

What would you choose? if you could magically gain a golf super power where you could hit every shot say 10 to 20 yrds longer but be inaccurate with your shots (some go where you want some dont some hook or slice); or you'd have to sacrafice 10 to 20 yrds off of evry shot but hit the ball where you are aiming. What would you do? Personnaly I'd like both but I think I'd take the accuracy. sacraficing a couple yards off the tee or an approach shot might just mean a longer club and if I can hit where I want to less chance of any hazards

[Travtex]

Absolutely accuracy.

When I first picked up a club, knowing absolutely jack-all about golf, I was anticipating being a fairly short hitter, yet precise.  Turns out I could not have been more wrong, and instead became the Nuke LaLoosh of golf.

Now, sure, it impresses the hell out of my 9 year old when I blast one... But when I think of knocking a ball completely off the driving range, I do not usually have 'sideways' in mind.

Gack, ANYthing for accuracy.

[bplewis24]

I predict a landslide.  I'm going accuracy.

Brandon

[JCoop]

Originally Posted by bplewis24

I predict a landslide.  I'm going accuracy.

Brandon

+1

[B-Con]

I'd be happy to have either. If I had to choose, I'd go for accuracy. Mentally, I scale back my swing naturally. Based on numbers I see around the Internet, I'm slightly a shorter hitter with my irons, but then my numbers are honest-to-goodness measurements via GPS. I could hit farther, but I have trouble enough swinging at 75% I just can't make myself try to hit harder. So I guess I've already made that trade-off to some extent. With irons you're usually aiming for something anyway, so distance is only helpful to the extent that you can aim them. The driver, 3-wood, and hybrids are different, though, because you pull them when you want distance. With those I tend to open up a little more but I still only go 80 - 85%. I think that's what most pros describe as their comfort zone, so I'm probably still not really distance-aggressive. Besides, it's always easier to play the next shot from the fairway than from behind a tree or from the thick grass.

[CG031]

Depends on the course. Most will say accuracy, but on my home course which is pretty damn wide open but pretty long, distance is far harder to compete with. I hit a lot of fairways but only 250 off the tee. Many of my friends/golfing partners hit it like 280-290 off the tee consistently...I hit it straighter, but they bang it out there so long they are coming in with wedges out of the rough anyway while I'm coming in with a 6 or 7 iron out of the middle of the fairway.

It really depends on the course IMO. Short, tight courses...obviously accuracy is key. But on long, open courses where you can spray it a bit, distance is a much nicer thing to have IMO.

[Old1964]

Thankfully, we will never have to make this choice for real. Kind of like the question: would you rather give up 15 years off the end of your life to be healthy until you die or live longer

However, accuracy would be my choice.

Then, I would just club up - instead of hitting driver, 9 iron.  I would hit driver 6/7/8 iron. But, I would be down the middle and on the green in regulation. It would be so routine, it could just about get boring.

[ochmude]

Accuracy, hands down.  With the superhuman accuracy you're suggesting it wouldn't matter if you were coming into the green with a 3i or a 60* wedge, you'd still end up on the green.  I'd sell my soul for that level of ability....figuratively speaking of course .

[TourSpoon]

Accuracy...even at the US Open if I could hit it long enough to make the fairway, all my one putts would just stun everyone.

[Leftygolfer]

no doubt accuracy.  I'd be a pretty good player if I could hit it straight and 20 yards less.  This is my buddy who is a scratch player.  I've never seen him loose a ball, miss a fairway with his three wood.  He isn't long, just really really really consistant.  It kind of pisses me off to see him go out and hit 8 of 9 greens, shoot a 33.

[ghalfaire]

"if you have a choice between long or straight, pick straight".

[Zeph]

What use is a 180 yard 8 iron if you don't hit it within putting range? If you had super accuracy powers, what would it matter if you hit 8 or 6 iron into a green? I don't see the point with this.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Zeph

What use is a 180 yard 8 iron if you don't hit it within putting range? If you had super accuracy powers, what would it matter if you hit 8 or 6 iron into a green? I don't see the point with this.

I ask myself that question every time this thread get's started. Oh wells.

[iacas]

I voted before I read the first question. Only 10-20 yards?

I pick distance. You can learn accuracy more than you can learn distance. Some people naturally hit the ball harder (swing faster).

[bunkerputt]

I vote for accuracy, then swinging harder until I get 10-20 extra yards.

[Kieran123]

It's a tough one TBH

Hitting a 4 iron into a green instead of a 6 iron? Sure you could be accurate with the 4 iron, but try and get it to stop like a 6 iron might be tough on fast, hard greens.

Driving the ball 250 yards max off the tee? Lots of layups - and even some unattainable par 4s

You also say 'to be able to hit where your aiming' - sure it will go where you're aiming, but how good is an amateurs aim?

I'd take distance I guess.

[Elvisliveson]

Originally Posted by iacas

I pick distance. You can learn accuracy more than you can learn distance. Some people naturally hit the ball harder (swing faster).

BINGO. That's exactly what I was thinking. I can be accurate just about anytime I want, just by sacrificing a little distance. But if I try to crank it up, that's when the problems start. IMO, accuracy is fairly easy to develop, distance not so much.

[ochmude]

It sounds like some of you are assuming distance and accuracy, not distance or accuracy.  If you choose accuracy, you'd be faced with a 4 iron into the green after your short drive split the fairway.  If you picked distance, you could knock it 300+ yards every single time, but you'd be faced with a punch shot out of the trees back onto the fairway followed by ending up in a greenside bunker with your approach.