Is Distance Really That Important for Amateurs?

[DrvFrShow]

I agree, there are too many variables. It depends upon what is in the rough. If the rough is short and open, of course I'd take the long ball in the rough any day. If there is a tree blocking my shot in the rough. I'll take the shorter shot in the fairway - although I can hit a knockdown with a wedge under a tree onto a green from that distance because I've done it. I don't like to do it, but I've done it. It's not a reliable shot because I could still hit a low hanging branch on the tree or even mishit and hit the tree itself unless I want to waste the opportunity and just chip out onto the fairway and go up and down.

Distance is important for amateurs, but so is control. For high handicappers, I'd say to hit the longest club you can reasonably control off the tee and on the fairway. And practice and play often. As you get better you'll get more comfortable with the longer clubs.

[rkim291968]

I would love to play in a course where hitting 20 yards off of fairway center can land a ball in a playable rough.   Distance is really important but not at the expense of OB.

[Jakester23]

I would love to play in a course where hitting 20 yards off of fairway center can land a ball in a playable rough.   Distance is really important but not at the expense of OB.

I've played some courses where 20 yards off the center of the fairway is still fairway. It seems pretty obvious you want the extra distance.

[Pretzel]

I would love to play in a course where hitting 20 yards off of fairway center can land a ball in a playable rough.   Distance is really important but not at the expense of OB.

I would be willing to be there are not many courses around there that have Out of Bounds marked out only 20 yards from the center of the fairway. For reference, most greens (that I've played at full-sized courses) are probably around 20-30 yards wide. You're telling me you regularly play courses where you can miss by only the width of a putting green and be OB? Something in me doubts that severely.

For those who say that you're better off leaving yourself with a full shot into greens if it's a short hole, so you don't need the distance anyways, I have a challenge for you:

Take six to ten golf balls (the kind that you normally play on the course) and go play golf on a day when it's not very busy. When there's nobody behind you, drop 3-5 balls at 100 yards and hit them towards the hole. Then, on the same hole, move up to 50 yards and drop the other half of the golf balls you brought and hit them towards the hole. When you've finished, post back to let me know how much closer the 50 yard shots were.

If, for some crazy reason, your 50 yard shots ended up further away than the 100 yards shots it is a sign of you desperately needing to practice your short game. Shots from closer are easier, for the same reason you wouldn't pick your ball up at 100 yards and walk back to 150 yards away with it.

[rkim291968]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkim291968

I would love to play in a course where hitting 20 yards off of fairway center can land a ball in a playable rough.   Distance is really important but not at the expense of OB.

I would be willing to be there are not many courses around there that have Out of Bounds marked out only 20 yards from the center of the fairway. For reference, most greens (that I've played at full-sized courses) are probably around 20-30 yards wide. You're telling me you regularly play courses where you can miss by only the width of a putting green and be OB? Something in me doubts that severely.

Yeah, there are not too many courses like that.   But my home course is one (built inside of vineyard and they are  everywhere and are OB).   Besides OB areas, roughs can be thick, or be just tall grasses.  A few fairways have stiff cliffs on one side.   When ball ends up there, you actually want to play provision ball instead of finding your ball.   I've seen another courses nearby with similar difficulty (The Bridges in San Ramon, e.g, where ball striking accuracy is a must).   In land starved CA metro areas, you can find a courses that are built on narrow hilly track and some fairways may not be 40 yards wide.    If you don't play in such course, enjoy.

[boogielicious]

Quote:

Originally Posted by saevel25

Trackman is wrong, your instincts are right.

How about we go to a short par 4 at 350 yards. I get to drop a ball at 50 yards in the rough. You get to drop one at 130 yards in the fairway. Which one do you think has the advantage. It isn't even close, the guy in the rough will make a better score.

I'm not sure I agree 100% with that, there are too many variables involved.   Overall I agree that distance > accuracy but I like my chances from 130 yards out on the fairway better than I do from 50 yards in nasty rough.

I think you are looking at it from one instance and not overall generality.  If I gave you 10 or 100 shots from 130 and 50 yards in the rough, you would score better from 50 over those 10 or 100 shots.  LSW shows that with data regardless of handicap.  So your play from the tee should be  to maximize distance without getting yourself into too much trouble.

[newtogolf]

I think you are looking at it from one instance and not overall generality.  If I gave you 10 or 100 shots from 130 and 50 yards in the rough, you would score better from 50 over those 10 or 100 shots.  LSW shows that with data regardless of handicap.  So your play from the tee should be  to maximize distance without getting yourself into too much trouble.

I don't know how you reach that conclusion without some definition of "rough".  I was responding to being 20 yards off the center of the fairway 50 yards from the flag would be a favorable shot over 130 yards out on the fairway.  20 yards from center fairway could result in an infinite number of situations depending on the course.  On one hole at my home course, 20 yards from center fairway leaves you in the fairway, on another a fairway bunker, on another the ball would fall down a ravine and on another it would be in the water.

We can debate that on the majority of holes on courses 20 yards from center fairway is not a very penal shot and that it would be favorable to 130 yard fairway shot but that's a pretty big general assumption.

[Jeremie Boop]

I don't know how you reach that conclusion without some definition of "rough".  I was responding to being 20 yards off the center of the fairway 50 yards from the flag would be a favorable shot over 130 yards out on the fairway.  20 yards from center fairway could result in an infinite number of situations depending on the course.  On one hole at my home course, 20 yards from center fairway leaves you in the fairway, on another a fairway bunker, on another the ball would fall down a ravine and on another it would be in the water.

We can debate that on the majority of holes on courses 20 yards from center fairway is not a very penal shot and that it would be favorable to 130 yard fairway shot but that's a pretty big general assumption.

While it's true that it's a general assumption that 50 yards from the hole is better than 130, it's just that, a general assumption. You make decisions on the course for each specific hole as you come to it and see/know where the trouble lies as to what the smartest play is. However, you are always better off trying to get as close to the hole as you can safely instead of laying back to have a full shot in. Even if that closer shot ends up being in rough. Nobody's saying it's better to be 50 yards out but behind a tree or down in a ravine, but what we are saying is being in the fairway isn't enough of an advantage over being in the rough that you should give up 80 yards. This is coming from a person that does struggle from 100 and in because I am not good with partial swings, but I'm still more likely to hit the green and hold it from those distances than I am from 130 out.

[saevel25]

20 yards from center fairway could result in an infinite number of situations depending on the course.

No really.

20 yards off center would be just barely off the fairway on majority of courses. Heck a lot of times 20 yards could still be in the fairway.

That pretty much takes OB out of play. I've never seen OB that close to the center of the fairway.

You could get water, bunker, rough, heather, bushes.

I would assume the golfers are playing some sort of smart golf. So lets throw out heather, water, OB or other situations were you have penalty strokes added in. I'm not going to concede we are playing stupid golf here. That brings in game management strokes gained or lost. For a test I am not going to walk 50 yards from the green and drop a ball in the water and say, "Oh you won". ;)

That leaves you with bunkers, fairway or rough.

Unless you are in a bunker, then I would say you are going to score better being 50 yards from the pin than 130 yards from the pin.

[k-troop]

I don't know how you reach that conclusion without some definition of "rough".  I was responding to being 20 yards off the center of the fairway 50 yards from the flag would be a favorable shot over 130 yards out on the fairway.  20 yards from center fairway could result in an infinite number of situations depending on the course.  On one hole at my home course, 20 yards from center fairway leaves you in the fairway, on another a fairway bunker, on another the ball would fall down a ravine and on another it would be in the water.  We can debate that on the majority of holes on courses 20 yards from center fairway is not a very penal shot and that it would be favorable to 130 yard fairway shot but that's a pretty big general assumption.

Have you read LSW? The key is to put your egg as close to the green as possible without overlapping any dark grey or black areas. Obviously that requires you to know something about and factor in the specific hole you're playing. But "rough" is rarely dark grey.

[Jeremie Boop]

No really.

20 yards off center would be just barely off the fairway on majority of courses. Heck a lot of times 20 yards could still be in the fairway.

That pretty much takes OB out of play. I've never seen OB that close to the center of the fairway.

You could get water, bunker, rough, heather, bushes.

I would assume the golfers are playing some sort of smart golf. So lets throw out heather, water, OB or other situations were you have penalty strokes added in. I'm not going to concede we are playing stupid golf here. That brings in game management strokes gained or lost. For a test I am not going to walk 50 yards from the green and drop a ball in the water and say, "Oh you won". ;)

That leaves you with bunkers, fairway or rough.

Unless you are in a bunker, then I would say you are going to score better being 50 yards from the pin than 130 yards from the pin.

You know, originally this was going to be a hole I was going to say went against your position that 20 yards from center of fairway wouldn't be OB, but I just check the tightest hole that I play around here and it actually seems you are right.Though by a very slim margin, but right is right.

Here's the hole and measurements for approximately a 240 yard drive. This is an uphill drive by about 15-20 feet so that's about where my average drive would land. Now if you land shorter than where I marked here it does bring in a cart path on the left which has the distinct possibility of bouncing the ball OB and the trees could pose a slight problem on the right. However, this is a par 5 so even if you end up behind trees you can still hit a low punch or high wedge down to the fairway for an easy shot to the green. Now if the drive is even further it actually opens up more and that makes the next shot even easier.

[Pretzel]

I would take a 50 yard shot from average rough every day over 130 from the fairway, because it's an exponentially easier shot.

[saevel25]

You know, originally this was going to be a hole I was going to say went against your position that 20 yards from center of fairway wouldn't be OB, but I just check the tightest hole that I play around here and it actually seems you are right.Though by a very slim margin, but right is right.

Scratch that, I actually remembered a hole that technically did have OB or Woods with in 20 yards of center of fairway.

Blackmore Golf Course in Myrtle Beach, SC.

It's a hole were you have about a 35 yard wide alley to go for the green, or you have to just hit a shorter club to the corner and play the dogleg. So it technically if you wanted to go for the green then you could hit it down that alley.

[RandallT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeremie Boop

You know, originally this was going to be a hole I was going to say went against your position that 20 yards from center of fairway wouldn't be OB, but I just check the tightest hole that I play around here and it actually seems you are right.Though by a very slim margin, but right is right.

Scratch that, I actually remembered a hole that technically did have OB or Woods with in 20 yards of center of fairway.

Blackmore Golf Course in Myrtle Beach, SC.

It's a hole were you have about a 35 yard wide alley to go for the green, or you have to just hit a shorter club to the corner and play the dogleg. So it technically if you wanted to go for the green then you could hit it down that alley.

Wow.

[Jeremie Boop]

Scratch that, I actually remembered a hole that technically did have OB or Woods with in 20 yards of center of fairway.

Blackmore Golf Course in Myrtle Beach, SC.

It's a hole were you have about a 35 yard wide alley to go for the green, or you have to just hit a shorter club to the corner and play the dogleg. So it technically if you wanted to go for the green then you could hit it down that alley.

Is that an actual fairway or just a shortcut alley they cut in the trees?

[saevel25]

Is that an actual fairway or just a shortcut alley they cut in the trees?

they have some fairway through there. It's like 10 yards wide. At least I think they did. Maybe not :) It's been about 14-15 years since I've played golf in Myrtle Beach.

[mvmac]

 

Seems that hitting farther does matter! I'd even go further that if you cannot hit it very far work on speed in the off season in the gym and move to the proper tees! #BJGOwnYourGame #BJGLearnToHitItFar #BJGandTheGolfChannelAcademy

A photo posted by Brian Jacobs (@brianjacobsgolf) on Dec 6, 2015 at 9:21am PST

[bones75]

3 hours ago, mvmac said:

This also suggests that if you're debating teeing off with the goals of a 135 yard approach or a 190 yard approach, you only gain a 6% increase in making a bird.  While the risk of getting another 55 yards off the tee might very well be a >6% chance of making bogey.  For many of us 55 yards is the difference between a long iron/short wood and a driver.