Short Hitters

[class1947]

I am looking for a similar thread that would differentiate single digit handicappers who hit their tee shots 200-230 vs the BOMBERS(250+).I am sure that most of you hit quite a few fairways but what weapons do you choose(irons,hybrids,fairway woods???)for approach shots and what are your strengths around the green.

[Big Johnny69]

My strength around the green is my putting. I am a terrible chipper of the ball, so any time I can putt it, out comes the flat stick. As for approach shots, I play a relatively short course so I never hit anymore than irons into greens. And it is only long irons on really windy days. I can only recall hitting woods into the par 5s twice this year. Usually it is a 4, 5 or 6 iron, being the latter two more often than not.

[BC MIST]

I am looking for a similar thread that would differentiate single digit handicappers who hit their tee shots 200-230 vs the BOMBERS(250+).I am sure that most of you hit quite a few fairways but what weapons do you choose(irons,hybrids,fairway woods???)for approach shots and what are your strengths around the green.

Am often in the gap you wrote about above (230 to 250) and my strength (pun intended) is accuracy and consistency of contact, with all clubs. Knowing how far each club will go (distance control) makes club selection easy and because I hit down on all shots, bare lies are not intimidating. In fact, I prefer a bare lie over one that is sitting up.

Around the greens I have no strengths, although my short putting has improved greatly this year because of one slight adjustment in technique. Because I hit a lot of greens, 14.35, I make many pars, and sometimes the ball is just close enough that anyone could make the birdie.

I find it ironic that the experts study so much, the swings of those that hit the ball far, instead of those who hit the ball straight. Would we not be much better off if we tried to emulate Fred Funk's swing, than Tiger Wood's swing?

[Chieflongtee]

Would we not be much better off if we tried to emulate Fred Funk's swing, than Tiger Wood's swing?

That's right. Emulate Fred Funk's swing with Tiger's length.

[Ginker]

I am a low single digit handicap who doesn't hit the ball a long way.. Probably 250 sometimes more. But where I score is on and around the greens. I grew up playing a course with incredibly small greens. Where if you missed the green you always had a tough up and down. My chipping and putting really keeps me in a round. I can strike the ball poorly and usually keep it within a couple stokes of par because I get up and down probably at least 85% of the time. Also I have worked hard on putting in the past couple years. I would say I make 90% of putts that I have within 8 feet. This is a big help..

[dbleber]

Being a longer hitter, I use anything from an 8 iron down for approach shots. I will always take length over accuracy to a certain extent. Being in the rough and 50+ yards further is more of an advantage then in the fairway and hitting long irons. Now in the trees and long is obviously no good. Around the green I like to chip,pitch or flop the ball but I really suck at putting, hands of steal I guess.

[dH]

I'm sure the mental side helps alot too; low handicappers are normally more level headed when they make an error. High Handicappers tend to make 1 error and than suddenly their rushing the next few shots compounding the error making it a triple bogey or something. A friend of mine who isn't low single but low double he just rarely duff's the ball he's not particularily great just he RARELY has those god awful shots that make you wonder if you know how to play.

[mberube]

I am a low single digit handicap who doesn't hit the ball a long way.. Probably 250 sometimes more. But where I score is on and around the greens. I grew up playing a course with incredibly small greens. Where if you missed the green you always had a tough up and down. My chipping and putting really keeps me in a round. I can strike the ball poorly and usually keep it within a couple stokes of par because I get up and down probably at least 85% of the time. Also I have worked hard on putting in the past couple years. I would say I make 90% of putts that I have within 8 feet. This is a big help..

Do you keep stats of your chipping. pitching and putting? If you really make 85% of your ups and downs around the greens and make 90% of your putts within 8 feet, hats off to you.

What’s your secret?

Mike

[Ginker]

Actually... I took the PGM program at humber and we did a huge stats project. Were we charted all our stats. My putts per round was on course with PGA stats. And yeah I would say that I do get up and down somewhere around 80% of the time.. and the only secret is good touch and lots of practice..

[jvincent]

I would say I make 90% of putts that I have within 8 feet. This is a big help..

I'll trade you some distance for a few percentage points.

This discussion comes up all the time, and whenever the numbers get crunched the conclusion comes up the same. Distance, by and of itself, is not the most important factor.

The two most strongly correlated stats to scoring are, and there is no big surprise here:

1. GIR
2. Putts per GIR.

In other words, if you can hit lots of greens and putt well, you will score very well. Scrambling, and all other stats, are secondary to those two in terms of correlation to score.

Driving distance will have an impact on GIR since the closer you are to the pin the better chance you have of hitting the green, but because it also usually means less fairways hit, it isn't as strongly correlated to score. Driving distance also doesn't account for the guys who hit so so drivers but throw darts with their irons.

So, as the statistics will always show, hit them greens and sink your putts, and your scores will go down.

[Big Johnny69]

Exactly jvincent, like I tell my friends when I play: I'll take 36 putts if it means I hit every GIR.