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Long game is more important than short game

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  • Long game is more important than short game

    At the pro level..... Thoughts?

  • #2
    Re: Long game is more important than short game

    long game sets u up for scoring; short game salvages a **** ball striking day.

    Doubt they get that many birdie looks when they start spraying the ball off the planet and / or missing the green (or not even hitting to the proper parts of the green)

    I think it goes hand in hand. If they're striking it well they know they can go for some of the pins and give them more looks. Eventually one or two will fall. If they aren't striking it well they have to rely on their short game to save par here / there and it brings pressure onto their short game.

    Conversely if they're chipping & putting well, that'll free up their long game too so they can take more chances. Depends on how u look at it really but I think getting off the tee into a good position def lets u be more pro-active in your approach on the way in.

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    • #3
      Re: Long game is more important than short game

      Funny, I've always thought it was the other way around.

      For high and cappers, they need to i) advance the ball forward off the tee and fairway, and ii) advance it in the (generally) right direction. With a bit of elevation too, if there's water in the way.

      For low cappers, they are generally already doing that, and the way to get lower is in improving the short game.

      For mid cappers it's probably some of each, but tending towards short game.

      Perhaps for + cappers, it's gone full circle. They've developed an excellent short game, and longer and straighter off the tee become important again.

      For anyone, the key to improvement must be to get better at the worst part of your game (without regressing in the bits you're good at!).
      "Confusion" will be my epitaph
      ...Iggy

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      • #4
        Re: Long game is more important than short game

        Ever chipped a ball OB?

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        • #5
          Re: Long game is more important than short game

          Originally posted by NickStarchuk View Post
          Ever chipped a ball OB?
          maybe....

          But I'm not sure how that relates.
          "Confusion" will be my epitaph
          ...Iggy

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          • #6
            Re: Long game is more important than short game

            Just trying to provoke some original thought on this instead of the old cliche that it all comes down to short game

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            • #7
              Re: Long game is more important than short game

              Define "short game" so we all have the same understanding. Putting included or no? And long game is.......?

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              • #8
                Re: Long game is more important than short game

                100 yards is the separator, excludes putts

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                • #9
                  Re: Long game is more important than short game

                  Originally posted by NickStarchuk View Post
                  Ever chipped a ball OB?
                  Not one which I've counted LOL.
                  Great topic Nick, I have to give it some thought before I reply.
                  The last sentence from Iggy appeared spot on.
                  Adams XTD Ti 12.5* / TightLies 2 Ti / Super 9031 Tour / Ping WRX i20 Irons
                  Ping WRX Tour Gorge / YES Natalie Putter B-CG / Leupold GX-4 Rangefinder
                  Personal Best: 79, hoping for another sub 80 round before the Twilight Zone

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                  • #10
                    Re: Long game is more important than short game

                    Long game

                    If you're 101-200 yards out would you rather believe that you can be on the green or believe your short game can save you

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                    • #11
                      Re: Long game is more important than short game

                      IMO, 175-250 yards is the most important area to be proficient at for a pro. Nicklaus and Woods, at their peaks, were the best in this zone by a mile.

                      In the long game, the stats show that for a pro at a typical PGA stop it is better to be 150 from the green and in the rough than 175 and in the fairway. Proximity to the green trumps the fairway.

                      All that aside, a pro has to be pretty good at everything.

                      And yes, I have hit a chip ob. (and a putt as well)
                      I like big putts and I cannot lie
                      You other putters can't deny
                      That when a putt goes in with an itty bitty pace
                      You're gonna fist pump in their face - Sir Putts-A-Lot

                      It's how well you golf fast!!!!

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                      • #12
                        Re: Long game is more important than short game

                        I think everyone needs to know what their own strengths and weaknesses are. My ball striking is fairely consistent, on average i hit about 9 greens in regulation per round. Some days a few more some days a few less. However i score the best when i drain some putts having them be for birdies or for pars going up and down.
                        I will be the first to admit i dont practice my chipping nearly enough. If i don't play for a week or so the first part of the game that goes is the chipping. In the summer time when i get to play 2-4 times a week i will shoot anywhere between 77-83 it doesn't matter how bad long game is on that day, i just know i will be able to scramble around the greens. When i don't play enough that is when i notice it is hard scoring well when you are constantly having 8 footers for pars because chipping is just not good enough.
                        Going back to this topic, i think long game is more important to anyone who is constantly hitting 3 off the tee, it DOES NOT matter one bit how good your putting or chipping is if you are going OB on every other tee shot.
                        I think there is that barrier where either long or short game improvement will benefit someone more.
                        However for pros this is completely different, they rarely go OB and they rarely miss greens from 100 yards, but for Luke Donald improvement in his long game would make him a better player, where a complete opposite would be for someone like Dustin Johnson.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Long game is more important than short game

                          Originally posted by NickStarchuk View Post
                          Just trying to provoke some original thought on this instead of the old cliche that it all comes down to short game
                          I've argued against "it all comes down to the short game" before.

                          As I tried to say earlier, it really depends on where you're at.

                          ONCE you can reliably hit the ball reasonably well (say 200+ yds off the tee, and generally findable if not in the fairway) then the focus should probably shift to the short game to shave strokes.

                          There's plenty of criticism here for for those who spend lots of time at the range hitting woods and long irons. My suspicion is that that criticism comes from people who already hit those clubs pretty well.

                          So here's an interesting stat to know: How much time (percent of practice) do pros spend on various club categories? Driver, woods off the tee, woods off the deck, long irons, short irons, wedges, putter.

                          When I practice, I try to think about how much time I want (i.e. need) to spend on each. And then I think about various lies, if the practice area can accommodate many differences - e.g. rough vs fairway, up/down/sidehill lies, putting off the fringe, against the collar....
                          "Confusion" will be my epitaph
                          ...Iggy

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                          • #14
                            Re: Long game is more important than short game

                            I've seen lots of great short game players win with crumby long games, but I've never seen a single instance of a great long game player win with a crumby short game.
                            Last edited by low fade; Oct 16, 2013, 02:00 PM.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Long game is more important than short game

                              I. R., I tend to agree with you on a lot of points with relation to us amateurs. If your long iron/FW/hybrid/driver game is fairly solid, the short game is a more important focus point for practice to get the strokes down....and vice versa. But with regard to the original question, I feel they are both equally important at the tour level. At times, the short game may save some pars if the long game is spraying. But the pro who's having problems with one area or the other in a tournament over the course of an entire round, that pro may not cash a cheque that week. To be consistently at the high end of the money list every tournament, both long and short game needs to be fairly spot on, and to win they both have to be almost spotless for 4 rounds. If most of the rest of the field is scoring -2 or better every round and one person is having trouble shooting par, they're not likely to make the cut on Friday.
                              U. S. Air Force, Retired

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