Length Verses Accuracy.

So the debate will rage for a long time and obviously the best thing would be to be lucky enough to have a combination of power and accuracy.

But this cannot always be the case, take the current PGA event as an example, only a round into it yet the better scores from the opening round in most part belong to guys that by modern pro standards are shorter hitters.

Is power really that important to putting a good score together in our everyday games, regularly you see guys on the range just bashing balls in attempts to become longer and failing to know what direction it is going.

IS it really required to hit the driver off every tee because being further down of the tee is an advantage or is it. Is it better to hit a 3iron/hybrid whatever your fancy from the fairway than hitting a 9iron from the cabbage....

If you have a day where it's going long and in play then yes chances are scores will be good, but if its not then i would be willing to bet that your scores 9 times out of 10 will be a lot worse than a plotter hitting shorter but straighter

Discuss"

Good question. The 2 courses I play at most, will require a driver on all par 4 and 5 holes, except one par 4 where a 5-iron in summer and a 3-wood in winter is required to get position.

I'm fairly accurate with a driver, but when playing tight fairways I can get myself in trouble clipping overhanging trees, so a 3-wood is better. BUT the same tight fairway with a dog-leg at 250 yards can be a problem as I need a driver to get to the apex (Unless dry a firm) So I have to gamble on hitting a straight one. This is where the longer hitter will have an advantage, as many on here will do the 250 with an iron. The only real way to be competative on tracks like this for the shorter hitter, is to admit defeat, and play some of the holes as if they were par 5's (Which I hate doing) If you can accept this, you then need to make sure your short game and putting is honed and well practiced. No shame in hitting a par 4 green in 3 as a par is still possible. Its the stigma attached to admitting to yourself that on some holes you cannot compete properly.

So for us short hitters its short game, putting and course management and hopefully having a giggle at the longer hitter maybe hitting it further into the boonys when he gets one wrong :crying:

If a golf course is well designed then accuracy should always be rewarded more then distance. I think that is very much the case at Riviera where the PGA tour is this week.

Round my course, we have 12 par 4's and for the longer hitter ( in summer conditions and prevailing wind) I would say driver is only needed on 3 or 4 holes. Both par 5's can be reached with 3 wood off the tee for the big boys. My course has more heather than you can shake a stick at so keeping the ball on the short stuff is vital to scoring well. It's not overly long (6500 yards par 70) so pretty much all the par 4's are reachable in 2 for decent players.

I love the fact Riviera is set up to reward accuracy over power, I feel this should be done nmore often on the PGA tour as it's what the game should be about keeping it inplay, but yes nothing wrong with the odd hole that favours the bigger boys.......

Ok as were giving our course's slant on things which is good gives me an idea about where you guys play.
My course is also 6500, but us incredibly tight off the tee, there are a couple of holes where you can risk reward unload one an go for the green off the tee, but there is severe risk if offline. Par 5's only one shortish one where a good drive would leave an iron into the green, other than that the others you will need a long drive and agood second even if your lo nger of the tee, due to what you have to carry and land on a small target.

Similarly the par4's that are average length make you think twice about whether a drive and short iron is best as they cut the fairway in at the landing/run out spots so even a good long drive can leave you with the chance of a tougher shot at the green. So I would say in a big comp at my place especially in knockout it would be 3 wood off most tees for position, am in the semi's of the winter matchplay this weekend and I have played through 5 rounds and used the driver 5 times! Each time at the same short part 5. My driving acurracy i reckon is about 80% for this comp, as it's more beneficial in my mind to play matchplay from the short stuff than the land that time forgot

I've always been of the opinion that it's not so much what you do with your tee shot that counts (as long as it's on the short stuff), but what you do with your second and that has always helped me when I've been playing with longer hitters. I don't try to match their length, just make sure I put my second shot close and if I have to take a rescue club or fairway wood to do that, then so be it. Obviously if you can reach a Par 5 in two, then you do have an advantage, but I'm talking about "average" players (and by that I mean those of us who are 18 and upwards, who actually make up the majority).

I agree with Doc - a smile to myself when an opponent's lashed drive ends up in the trees when my shorter shot splits the fairway is always satisfying

Which course do you play at Mav?

Same question to you Ladyputt? Just interested as I'm on the SE Kent/London border and after finding a new course to join...

sharrison01 wrote:Which course do you play at Mav?

Have moved from Littlestone to Bearsted, they are putting some nice changes through at our place to toughen her up this year, have to say my change of venue was enfoced due to moving house, I miss littlestone and links golf but happy with my new home

Absolutely love Littlestone. Can never play enough links golf and that's a top top track...

It certainly is a top track oh how I miss her, but have found the transition to parkland very easy I must say, not being disrecptful to any course espcially my new home as I love it, but it certainly is easier to score on the park land courses when its windy

Growing up on a links course sure makes most other courses a lot easier. I have/had family in Sandwich and Hythe so was lucky to play lots of junior golf on the coast and used to come back from a wind beaten weekend to an easy stroll round a parkland. I've always thought of it as "proper golf."

sharrison01 wrote:Growing up on a links course sure makes most other courses a lot easier. I have/had family in Sandwich and Hythe so was lucky to play lots of junior golf on the coast and used to come back from a wind beaten weekend to an easy stroll round a parkland. I've always thought of it as "proper golf."

Hythe.. What a crabby course that one is!

That said there are some very nice ones just along the coast from there.

sharrison01 wrote:Growing up on a links course sure makes most other courses a lot easier. I have/had family in Sandwich and Hythe so was lucky to play lots of junior golf on the coast and used to come back from a wind beaten weekend to an easy stroll round a parkland. I've always thought of it as "proper golf."

Some cracking course down in Sandwich/Hythe and lbeen lucky to play all of them a fair few time, RSG going back there next month,Cinque Ports is on the agenda for the summer as have been invited to be one of the fomer serving soldiers to play in the Royal Engineers 72hole Open championship. Princes am trying to arrange a game down there at some point too

Never bothered playing Hythe with Littlestone just down the road. Absolutely love Cinque Ports - the back 9 still gives me nightmares sometimes!!!

sharrison01 wrote:Never bothered playing Hythe with Littlestone just down the road. Absolutely love Cinque Ports - the back 9 still gives me nightmares sometimes!!!

Unfortunately i have bothered with hythe, LJ is spot on...

RCP is lovely, and am looking forward to going back there, and as im an honourary invite im getting 72 holes/4dayss golf for free, thats if i make the cutline, some good players in that event, but we'll see how it goes, if the winda blowing i would even fancy my chances at a top5

Maverick wrote:So the debate will rage for a long time and obviously the best thing would be to be lucky enough to have a combination of power and accuracy.

But this cannot always be the case, take the current PGA event as an example, only a round into it yet the better scores from the opening round in most part belong to guys that by modern pro standards are shorter hitters.

Is power really that important to putting a good score together in our everyday games, regularly you see guys on the range just bashing balls in attempts to become longer and failing to know what direction it is going.

IS it really required to hit the driver off every tee because being further down of the tee is an advantage or is it. Is it better to hit a 3iron/hybrid whatever your fancy from the fairway than hitting a 9iron from the cabbage....

If you have a day where it's going long and in play then yes chances are scores will be good, but if its not then i would be willing to bet that your scores 9 times out of 10 will be a lot worse than a plotter hitting shorter but straighter

Discuss"

It's not much of a debate. Accuracy every time. My only problem is with the people who set courses up so that wild slices/hooks into what should be trouble aren't penalised enough.

NBS I'm of the same school of thought, that it should be accuracy over power every time. Yet there are many that are now of the idea of hit it out there as far. As you can and worry about the results after so feel there is a debate to be had

Accuracy every time.
My home course is less than 6500 yards,but if your long but not accurate,its goodby to your ball as well as a decent score.
We have visitors come to play who are just not used to how tight some of the holes are.
If you're straight,you'l' be ok.If you're straight and long,even better.
Long and wayward,forget it.Bring plenty of balls with you.
I carry my driver around 200 yards,probably more in the Summer.I haven't played in the Summer yet since i started playing again,
but my drives are ok for our course.
Who wouldn't want more length,as my Mrs always says,but it has to be accuracy for me.