A new practice concept.

[SilverUberXeno]

**** the short game.

Sounds crazy. Hear me out.

For some players, particularly new or struggling players, the short game is only going to give them a chance to save triple bogey if they can't hit their longer clubs. I've been thinking about this since the "break the barrier" thread, and reflected on it with my round yesterday.

I putted magnificently. I hit the stick with a mid range pitch and was an inch away from holing out on another one. My score was still awful because I lost balls off the tee too many times. Yes, it was a tough 7000 yard course. Yes, my favorite driver is broken. No, I haven't had much practice with the backup.

But I look at my score, and even the FUN of the game, and I see losses in the long game. If I three putt a couple times, I don't really care. If I flub a wedge I'm a dink, but it doesn't ruin my day. Hitting 3 off the tee, or having to spend 5 minutes every hole looking for the ball... That is damaging.

I think it's important to EARN confidence in practice. You can go out on the course and be confident, but if you and your body don't know what to do with the club, you'll confidently blow it all over the place. So practice until you KNOW that you can hit your clubs. Confidence should not be forced. Believe in yourself when you have reason to. Practice to find that reason.

 

[anonymous golfaholic]

For me, 3 putting is just as damaging to the psyche as hitting balls OB. It just isn't to you at the moment because your not having that problem. Sounds like you don't need to focus on short game, but rather keeping it in play. Everyone should find the weakest part of their game and focus their practice time on that. I will stand firm in my opinion that short game (along with good course management)is the most important asset to shooting good scores. When I am spraying drives all over the place or the course is real tight, I just lay up...it's as simple as that. I don't care if I am playing a 7k yard track and lay-ups leave me with 200yd approach shots. That's better than laying 3 on the tee. I will say this, if you can't keep it in play, laying up or not, then you need to go to the range before doing anything else. Still though, you can be a scratch golfer being wild off the tee, but you can't be a scratch golfer if your short game sucks...just my opinion.

 

[eclark53520]

It's all about personal game and what brings your scores down.

Some people are naturally good off the tee but can't chip/pitch worth a damn. Other people have feel around the greens but can't drive the ball straight if they're life depended on it.

No one solution is going to work for every golfer, i'm sure you already understand that. You also understand that to be truly good at this game, you need to be proficient in every category. Tee, irons, wedges, putter, sand, rough, woods, hills, saves, etc etc etc

You have to analyze your game, recognize where you are dropping shots, and improve those areas.

 

[Bakemono36]

Id say that practicing irons is more important for new players that is the long game. IMO, being good with the irons is most important, then putting, then shortgame, then the long game.
Hitting a 300 yard drive doesnt mean a thing if you cant hit the green from 150 yards out.

 

[BStone]

I had mentioned it in the breaking the barrier post, that I feel that the short game is an important aspect of practicing. I stand by the belief that you also need to develop a reliable shot off of the tee to prevent the stroke and distance penalties on OB tee shots. I think that having confidence off of the first tee will help carry over to the rest of your game.

 

[eclark53520]

Id say that practicing irons is more important for new players that is the long game. IMO, being good with the irons is most important, then putting, then shortgame, then the long game.
Hitting a 300 yard drive doesnt mean a thing if you cant hit the green from 150 yards out.

Hitting the green from 150 yards out doesn't mean a thing if you six putt every single green. 1 putt's from anywhere on the green doesn't mean a thing if you spend eight shots trying to chip on.

Every single type of shot is important in golf. No one can say that one particular part of the game is the absolute most important.

 

[MIKE1218]

I will go against the consensus here and side with SUX on this. Going OB means I screwed up and wasted two shots. Putting doesn't do you any good if you can't set yourself up to make putts.

 

[thekid65]

Everyone should find the weakest part of their game and focus their practice time on that.

See, that, in itself..is a problem for me. Most of the time, I'm a fairly good driver...not very long, but consistently find fairways, and rarely OB...sure I miss a few fairways, but my ball is easily findable either in the 2nd cut, or in the rough. My iron shots can be erratic some days, and others spot on...my chipping can be erratic some days, and others spot on..and of course, the same goes with my putting.

Consistency in all aspects of my game seems to be my issue (except driving..for the most part).

Edit: I try to write down on my scorecard all fairways hit, all GIR's, and count my putts. I guess where I'm failing is to enter all that crap into some type of spreadsheet over the course of a dozen rounds or so, and perhaps that will point me towards the most consistent weak part of my game.

 

[xamilo]

I'll have to agree with SUX as well. Off course a 300yd Drive means the exact same thing as a 10in putt in the score card, but Starting with a good drive will make you feel very well. With a terrible drive in the middle of the woods, even if I end up putting the ball in the green in a couple of more shots and shoot a "usual bogey" it makes me feel like I suck, and makes me worry about the next tee shot, which is the immediate shot anyway, trying not to screw up (which usually means screwing up even more lol). While its not fun to quad-putt, but at least I come to the next hole knowing "well, I suck, but at least I haven't lost a ball and I know the next tee shot is going to crush! I'll get on the putting later".

 

[SilverUberXeno]

Indeed. Hitting lousy shots from the tee and the fairway and much more damaging emotionally to me than missing putts. If I'm making every putt, but they're all for bogey or double, I still feel like crap. And I find that threeputting hurts less than hitting balls all over the place off the tee on the scorecard as well. You have to get to the green before you can make putts.

 

[titleistman66]

Why let past shots damage your emotions and your attitude, especially on the course, when the shots in front of you are the ones that really matter? All of this talk of improving certain aspects of your game is what will make you build trust within yourself. You will not be able to use that trust effectively until you're single-minded on your next shot. No matter if you made a 10 or an eagle on the last hole, you still have the play the holes in front of you. If you trust yourself and your swing, and you play the course conservatively, with a confident swing. Of course in order to build that trust you need to practice every aspect of your game, rationing more time to where you need improvement, but when you're out on the course trust and confidence, as well as moving forward and being positive towards the holes you STILL HAVE LEFT TO SCORE ON will shave strokes off. That helped me, at least.

 

[xamilo]

Why let past shots damage your emotions and your attitude, especially on the course, when the shots in front of you are the ones that really matter? .

Off course it makes no sense, but even tour players struggle after a bad shot, so what is it for us mortals?

 

[slickpitt]

**** the short game.

Sounds crazy. Hear me out.

For some players, particularly new or struggling players, the short game is only going to give them a chance to save triple bogey if they can't hit their longer clubs. I've been thinking about this since the "break the barrier" thread, and reflected on it with my round yesterday.

I putted magnificently. I hit the stick with a mid range pitch and was an inch away from holing out on another one. My score was still awful because I lost balls off the tee too many times. Yes, it was a tough 7000 yard course. Yes, my favorite driver is broken. No, I haven't had much practice with the backup.

But I look at my score, and even the FUN of the game, and I see losses in the long game. If I three putt a couple times, I don't really care. If I flub a wedge I'm a dink, but it doesn't ruin my day. Hitting 3 off the tee, or having to spend 5 minutes every hole looking for the ball... That is damaging.

I think it's important to EARN confidence in practice. You can go out on the course and be confident, but if you and your body don't know what to do with the club, you'll confidently blow it all over the place. So practice until you KNOW that you can hit your clubs. Confidence should not be forced. Believe in yourself when you have reason to. Practice to find that reason.

Lot of truth to that! I don't care how well I'm pitching and putting... if I snap a couple OB or in the water during a round my score is going to be sh!t!

 

[SilverUberXeno]

And nothing kills the mood of a round more than having to spend 5 minutes walking back and forth in the rough looking for a ball. Chipping and putting don't slow the game down like being wayward on the longer shots.

 

[shep3470]

Will that be next? Golf balls with chips in them so you know right where your balls is? Pretty cool how it works at Top Golf.