"At least I am pin high."

[k-troop]

I think if you ask better golfers, controlling the distance is a lot harder (and more important) than the line.  When I'm looking at a difficult approach shot, I'm always going to aim to a safe target and make an aggressive swing to that target.  I'm giving myself room to miss the line a little, so if I do I'll probably still be in a position where I can make par.

Missing the distance is a lot harder to predict and control.  A slight mishit, or misjudge of the wind, can result in being buried in the lip of a front bunker or hitting the back slope of the green where it kicks down the hill into trees.  It's especially tough to guage distance when you have an elevation change--even a solid shot that you hit "perfectly" could end up sailing over the green into trouble.

I've always felt like my best iron-play is when I'm consistently hitting the distances I want (maybe not exactly pin-high, but at the distance I was targeting) because that means I'm making good contact all day.  I can correct an alignment issue pretty easily, and a solid shot where I missed my line is still probably going to be inside 30' which leaves a realistic chance for birdie.  A slightly thin, toed, or chunky shot might be only a few yards off-line but well short; likewise when you pull the wrong club (or worse nuke an attempt at a 3/4 wedge) you're almost never going to be on the green.

Just ask Phil after hitting wedge to the short par-3 13th at Merion.  Pin high (or hitting the right distance) is huge.

[Jeremie Boop]

Originally Posted by KrazyTrain18

Pin high doesn't mean anything, I would rather be below the hole if I have an uphill put rather than a downhiller.

Pin high means correct club for distance typically. So it does mean something. It doesn't mean as much as being on the green, but it does provide good feedback.

[MEfree]

Originally Posted by k-troop

I think if you ask better golfers, controlling the distance is a lot harder (and more important) than the line.  When I'm looking at a difficult approach shot, I'm always going to aim to a safe target and make an aggressive swing to that target.  I'm giving myself room to miss the line a little, so if I do I'll probably still be in a position where I can make par.

Missing the distance is a lot harder to predict and control.  A slight mishit, or misjudge of the wind, can result in being buried in the lip of a front bunker or hitting the back slope of the green where it kicks down the hill into trees.  It's especially tough to guage distance when you have an elevation change--even a solid shot that you hit "perfectly" could end up sailing over the green into trouble.

I've always felt like my best iron-play is when I'm consistently hitting the distances I want (maybe not exactly pin-high, but at the distance I was targeting) because that means I'm making good contact all day.  I can correct an alignment issue pretty easily, and a solid shot where I missed my line is still probably going to be inside 30' which leaves a realistic chance for birdie.  A slightly thin, toed, or chunky shot might be only a few yards off-line but well short; likewise when you pull the wrong club (or worse nuke an attempt at a 3/4 wedge) you're almost never going to be on the green.

Just ask Phil after hitting wedge to the short par-3 13th at Merion.  Pin high (or hitting the right distance) is huge.

This is basically what I was trying to get at in my earlier posts.  I have hit 14 GIR in each of my last two rounds and other than a 7 hole stretch where I was hitting everything dead on line, I was not hitting the ball perfectly on my line, but having the right distance kept me putting.

I will say that with today's expanded sweet spots it is a bit easier to get your distance consistent and it is possible to hit greens with less than perfectly solid shots (a hair thin, fat or off center), but one of the reasons I think I am playing better recently is better distance control with far fewer solid shots that airmail the green.

While ideally you have good distance AND line control, having one is better than having neither.  Also nothing wrong with focusing on what you have done well rather than get fixated on what you have messed up- I think this is why you see certain players like Tiger say they are "close" after playing one of their poorer rounds.