Long game more important than short game?

Definitely the short game for me. One good chip or putt and I can immediately shave a stroke off my score. A good drive only gives me a chance to shave a stroke, it's not in the bag yet.

Also, there's more margin for error the further I am from the hole. Off the tee, I have an entire fairway to catch any errant shots. Next shot in, the target's smaller, but it's still an entire green which still allows for a marginally errant shot.

When it comes to chips and putts, the target shrinks dramatically to either a few feet or a few inches. Better chippers in fact, aim for the hole just like a putt. So this is where I have to be exact because it's the Last Chance Motel, miss and I add one more to my score. 250m or 2.5cm, it still counts as a stroke, that's how exacting it is the closer one is to the hole. Isn't the short game more important then?

Tiger Woods is also validation of how important the short game is. When he was at his most dominant, he was a wizard with his wedges and draining putts from everywhere. When he lost his short game mojo, it was no coincidence that there was more dust than silverware on his mantlepiece.

Short game for me.... Give up hope on long game already!

definitely its short game for me since I have never been good in driver. However, one need to be reasonably good in woods n hybrids on fairway so that u can get the ball around green and one chip one putt or worst 2 putts for longer par 4.

Mr A drives the ball 280m on average, and manages to hit 70% of the fairways hits his approach from 150m decently well, hitting gir 50% of the time. He spends alot of time blading his chips across the green and cant putt to save his life.

Mr B drives the ball 200m on average, and slices 50-60% of the time, hitting 30% of fairways and 40% of OBs and hazards. He spends most of his time looking for his ball and hacking in the rough. Hits an average long to mid iron, hitting probably 20% of his shots onto the green from inside 150m. However, he chips like a god and the putter is seemingly an extension of his hand.

The above 2 examples show how u can have a good long game, and a bad short game and still have a bad score, and vice versa. 

Golf isnt about whether long game or short game is more important. its about being consistent in all types of shots. having a solid long game but lack the ability to sink birdies or 2 putt pars or even 3 putt bogeys will lead to disaster. with a solid short game, but without the long game to get you to your solid short game, you will also be in disaster. 

Conclusion is, screw golf.

Personally, I think the research applies more to the pros. Given that they can spend all the time they want to work on their games. Most pros would have a very solid short game and short game is something that given effort and practices, pros can improve rather easily.

Comparing that to the long game, where the potential for maximum distance and consistency is restricted by a number of factors, i.e. physical build and say maybe natural talent. 

In this case, the area of differentiation for the pros would really be the long game that will distinguish the top 10s vs the rest. Tiger at his best was devastating with his irons. That is his strength and one area of the game that is really overlooked. Looking at this past season, his short game was not fantastic, yet he still manages to win 5 times... How do you account for that other than the fact that his long game was soo much better than his peers. 

For us mere mortals who have limited time, short game would be the area where we would see improvement the fastest. 

End of the day, more important to treasure the time that we spend on the course and enjoy ourself and have fun. =)

Jliang wrote:

Comparing that to the long game, where the potential for maximum distance and consistency is restricted by a number of factors, i.e. physical build and say maybe natural talent. 


For us mere mortals who have limited time, short game would be the area where we would see improvement the fastest. 

End of the day, more important to treasure the time that we spend on the course and enjoy ourself and have fun. =)

Totally agree..

But, I would place a lot of emphasis on a decent tee off.. 200m with 11/14 fairway hits would make a lot of difference to one's game.. And again, my view on the importance of the 2nd shot to the green.. I have given up on driving super long even though I still drool at the prospect of it.. Rather, I'm giving a lot of thought to how to make a 2nd/3rd shot more accurate and scoring that par even when I miss the greens (short game)..

TDO wrote:

Bro JLiang and Chien, it sounds like me. Have an average drive between 200m - 220m, generally good with woods but screw up badly in my 2nd shots. Putting is average between 30 to 34 putts. 

don't be taken in by bro Chien... as his name suggests... he is chun chun with driver and deadly with putter ...

definitely more than the 220m drive whenever I play with him ... muah ah ah ah...

  duffader wrote:

Short game for me.... Give up hope on long game already!

Hi Duffy, as witnessed during our last game.. Your short game is super sharp. Any sharper, you'll probably have to learn from the 'sashimi-king'  

Btw, you dun need long drives to win money, right Chippy? 

Golf76 wrote:

  duffader wrote:

Short game for me.... Give up hope on long game already!

Hi Duffy, as witnessed during our last game.. Your short game is super sharp. Any sharper, you'll probably have to learn from the 'sashimi-king'  

Btw, you dun need long drives to win money, right Chippy? 

 Haha... That day they cut the grass so my ball able to roll closer.

As for chippy, he always put long string, catch big fish. Such chicken shit bets he no interested. Right chippy?

Btw, when we golfing again G76?

Chien use his taylorbra driver hit more than 220m

In some courses in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, sometimes Thailand, he is also known as the prince of hybrids

He also has a wicked short game.  So he is a example of a consistent golfer

Duffy, maybe we get chippy to arrange a game next week. Our fav kaki just shot 70+ at MBGC last week

Golf76 wrote:

Duffy, maybe we get chippy to arrange a game next week. Our fav kaki just shot 70+ at MBGC last week

Nice.... Let me know

Now I know where the trouble comes from... nbz...

Anybody read Dave Pelz short game bible?
Immediate saving of at least 7 shots for me..