Distance vs. Direction

[BCruiser2]

I just had a lesson today with a golf pro that is really good. He was on the PGA tour and on the Senior Tour. He was telling me despite what anyone told me distance is far more important than direction. I just wanted to know what all of you guys thought about this topic. Do you think distance is much more important than direction?

 

-Brendan

[golfr03]

i think direction is more important than distance

because if you are always in the fairway you have

WAY less variables to deal with (i.e. trees, bad lies)

[golfhawaii]

I just had a lesson today with a golf pro that is really good. He was on the PGA tour and on the Senior Tour. He was telling me despite what anyone told me distance is far more important than direction. I just wanted to know what all of you guys thought about this topic. Do you think distance is much more important than direction?

 

-Brendan

 

I think it is almost a trick question. At what level? In al of the amateur, state open, state am, and various usga qualifiers, distance is the most overated par of the game. It is a total joke how far some of the people I have played with can hit it, then totally screw up. I played with a kid this summer that hit it a ton, like 300+ all day in the air. Combined with firm fairways, he had wedges int eh greens. Inside 100 yards, he was hittin git to 30-35 feet all day.

 

At the professional level, it seems to flip flop, week to week. Obviously during the US OPEN, direction s the key. Distance doesn't really matter with heavy thick rough.

 

During the normal PGA TOUR events, distance is key.

 

In the end, it comes down to putting. Drive for show, putt for dough.

[Lord Thomas]

There really is no right answer to this question. My freshman year of high school, I couldn't hit my driver more than about 220. We qualified on a very short course, two of the first holes were less than 280 yards, so a bunch of guys were flying it onto the green, however, I hit every fairway of a 5 day qualifying tournament, so despite my lack of length (my 150 club was a 5 iron), I had legitimate shots at the green in regulation, and seldom made worse than a 5. Fast forward to my senior year, I was much stronger, and hit my driver closer to 280, and my 150 club was a 9 iron, however, my swing was very inconsistent, and I was hitting about 4 fairways a day. As a result, I played a lot of shots from neighboring fairways, which left me with a number of very difficult up and downs and a number of bogeys on my card.

 

I think the distance vs. direction debate depends on the course....there are some courses, such as Oakland Hills, where you can spray the ball quite a bit and still be ok, so in that case, you are better off hitting the ball deep and not worrying about where it is going to go. However, there are also a number of courses, such as the Detroit Golf Club where there are tree-lined fairways on nearly every hole, so being a little bit crooked with your tee ball can be absolutely penal.

 

I guess ideally I'd rather be long and straight, but golf is an amazingly straight forward game from the fairway, so I'll take the fairway every time over 300+ yards but in the fairway 1 time in 4.

 

-Thomas

[kkhere]

this is the kind of question would you rather have 170 to the green and in the fairway, or 130 in the rough

[golfhawaii]

this is the kind of question would you rather have 170 to the green and in the fairway, or 130 in the rough

 

I'll take 170 in the fairway.

[jackn]

Ok i think this depends on what course you play. If you play at a wide course then it doesnt matter but if you play where i play it is either 170 in the fairway or dead. So i will have to go with 170 in the fairway.

[golfer_junior]

Would you rather be pin high everytime or be short/ long always?

[golfhawaii]

Would you rather be pin high everytime or be short/ long always?

 

Pin high for sure.

 

The poster who said it depends on the level you play hit it on the head.

 

On the tour the big hitters are the one's who make the money. They hit it past most of the trouble, have shorter irons into the green. VJ & Tiger both have said many times that distance is what counts, but, lets not forget they also hit some fairways, and are strong players out of the rough, and in tight situations can hit through small openings when in trouble.

 

For those of us who do not crunch the ball over 290 anytime we want the fairway is a much better place to play from. We normally will be further back in the rough, don't have the shots needs to navigate trees, and a weaker swing in the rough.

 

It definately depends on what level you play. If you are on tour, you are playing courses that are 7.200+. At the amateur level, most courses are 6,500-7,000 and don't have the rough of a PGA event. Also, we can look at setup. A firm and fast course out of the rough will be virtually impossible to hold the greens, whereas a firm and fast course from 170 is playable.

[Golf Monster]

I think you should ask the pro why he thinks that. My thought is that u are a little younger and he might be trying to teach you to be more aggressive with your swing :dntknw: how old are u?

[BCruiser2]

Im 15 years old but im am not huge for my age.

[k-unit]

this is the kind of question would you rather have 170 to the green and in the fairway, or 130 in the rough

 

thats so easy, 130 outa the rough. thats assuming there are no trees in your way. i consider a drive decent if i can play the next one without obstruction = trees.

the courses i play, not many have really girthy rough, so just keep it to where you have a clear shot, and your made.

[BridgestoneKevin]

i try to have the best of both worlds, but we all know that can be hard soemtimes. are you sure he meant total distance, because he could have been just talking about distance control. Like you hit a shot 10 feet off the pin, but perfect distance you got a 10 footer, you could hit it dead on the pin but be long by 15 and you got a longer put. The question is so close that they are almost equal. so i would have to write this out in math terms or whatever

 

Distance control > Direction = Total distance if that makes any sense.

[TourPro21]

there is no right answer to this question... you can have the right distance, but be 100 yards to the right of your target or you can have the right directiong (right at the flag) but be 100 yards short... for example you have a 150 yard approach to the green. your shot is right on the stick, but flys the green by 30 yards... not good... or your shot is the right distance but winds up in the greenside bunker... not good... i feel you have to be good at both to succeed in this game

[cjdrcc]

definitely 130 in the rough for me, but I do see the strong points of the fairway and if you aren't the strongest person in the world. I have the benefit of size, but I can see if you were a small or slightly built person who relied on mechanics for your distance how the rough could be scary.

[BCruiser2]

i try to have the best of both worlds, but we all know that can be hard soemtimes. are you sure he meant total distance, because he could have been just talking about distance control. Like you hit a shot 10 feet off the pin, but perfect distance you got a 10 footer, you could hit it dead on the pin but be long by 15 and you got a longer put. The question is so close that they are almost equal. so i would have to write this out in math terms or whatever

 

Distance control > Direction = Total distance if that makes any sense.

 

He ment total distance. He was saying that being closer to the green on you tee shots was more important than being shorter and right in the middle of the fairway. I always thought that direction was more important but know I'm coming to realize it is really a 50/50 thing.

 

-Brendan

[BridgestoneKevin]

Now that i think about it, they are both kind of linked, like off the tee the way normally when you hit your biggest bombs, well for me anyways, they tend to be pretty accurate, now i cant keep doing it, but the dead straight balls would be longer than the hooks and slices one might hit, so a little direction goes with the distance. you can have dead straight distance but lose tons of yardage. maybe thats what he was talking about?

[Goose]

DISTANCE vs. DIRECTION??????? hmmm.... well since i am labeled a Bomber of the ball i respect to how much further i hit it past kids i play with you would expect me to say DISTANCE....... but over the course of this summer i have learned that DIRECTION is equally important. When i mean direction i mean keeping it in play. My new game plan is controlled aggression. I will absolutely let one fly when its wide open but now i know that if its tight i can throttle it back and hit a fairway if its a must......when hitting the fairway is the #1 goal ill go to my 3 wood or my best friend the 2 iron.... They are both equally important. My thing is hit it as far as you can under control.... As my dad puts it to me....."i dont want to see you hitting it 320 into the adjacent fairway or into the trees, your already one if not the longest kids out there, throtle it back hit your 295-300 yard drive in play and give yourself more birdie opputunities. I want you to make no worse than a bogey, one double wont kill you bc you can take advantage of the par 5's to make it up if you happen to make that 1 mistake ...but 2 doubles is unnacceptable"

O the wise words of my DAD.

 

 

 

DaN "goose" :dntknw:

[College Golfer]

I just had a lesson today with a golf pro that is really good. He was on the PGA tour and on the Senior Tour. He was telling me despite what anyone told me distance is far more important than direction. I just wanted to know what all of you guys thought about this topic. Do you think distance is much more important than direction?

 

-Brendan

 

In terms of getting a college golf scholarship, distance is more important. After your junior golf days direction becomes what separtes the good and great players (as well as short game).

 

this is the kind of question would you rather have 170 to the green and in the fairway, or 130 in the rough

 

I'll take 170 in the fairway.

 

So you are saying you would rather have a 7 iron into the green rather a wedge from the rough? Some please hand me my 48.

[College Golfer]

Goose:

 

What is your swing speed/ball speed?

 

Playing in any FCWT/IJGT this winter?