DeChambeau bad for the game?

[Fairway14]

I've got nothing personal against DeChambeau but his strategy of trying for maximum distance has caused the golf media to talk of little else, and this is bad for the game.

Specifically, amateurs with a scoring average higher than 72 should focus their practice on hitting fairways and greens, sharpening their short game etc...

I understand the talking heads on Golf Channel need to tell the story of how DeChambeau or Wolff are using distance to help them shoot lower scores, but that is not relevant to the game of an amateur who is trying to shoot par , break 80, 90, or 100.

[PowderedToastMan]

Not sure what your point is? You want the commentators to talk about 220 yard drives in the rough because that’s what ams are used to seeing?

Edited September 20, 2020 by PowderedToastMan

[Jc0]

So you expect NBA announcers to talk about how to improve your at your local pickup game too? Your watching a pro sport, the announcers address what's happening there. If you want to get advice for your personal game their are plenty of other avenues for that. 

[Soloman1]

Wait, what about all of the 4 handicaps who hit 300+ yards drives?

[bladehunter]

14 minutes ago, Fairway14 said:

I've got nothing personal against DeChambeau but his strategy of trying for maximum distance has caused the golf media to talk of little else, and this is bad for the game.

Specifically, amateurs with a scoring average higher than 72 should focus their practice on hitting fairways and greens, sharpening their short game etc...

I understand the talking heads on Golf Channel need to tell the story of how DeChambeau or Wolff are using distance to help them shoot lower scores, but that is not relevant to the game of an amateur who is trying to shoot par , break 80, 90, or 100.

I’m not sure that they should.  If they can hit driver farther and in play , that’s how  to score.  
 

it’s just another way in which the am game and the pro game is not the same game anymore.  

[Titleist99]

You have about 58 other players that would bomb & gouge if that was the way to go....

[Fairway14]

3 minutes ago, PowderedToastMan said:

Not sure what your point is? You want the commentators to talk about 220 yard drives in the rough because that’s what ams are used to seeing?

 

My point is that the media talking heads saying "the game has changed" is a harmful message. The last thing an 80's or 90's shooter should be thinking about is more distance and, or, missing fairways.

Sure there are a few dozen Tour players who might want to try for extra swing speed and extra yardage, but even the majority of them would find doing so would increase their scoring average rather than lower it.

To answer your question, the talking heads on NBC and Golf Channel should be saying "DeChambeau's strategy is one that only a few of the world's top players should consider pursuing"

[Fairway14]

14 minutes ago, Soloman1 said:

Wait, what about all of the 4 handicaps who hit 300+ yards drives?

There is internet golf played on a keyboard at a discussion forum and real golf played on a golf course. The two games are very different.

[BiggErn]

The “80s and 90s shooter” is responsible for their own game and how they go about playing their own game. The commentators aren’t responsible for what anyone does. 

[Fairway14]

10 minutes ago, Titleist99 said:

You have about 58 other players that would bomb & gouge if that was the way to go....

Yes, my friend played with Luke List and asked him about DeChambeau's strategy. List replied that he absolutely can hit it longer than he does, but chooses not to because accuracy suffers.

[Soloman1]

6 minutes ago, Fairway14 said:

There is internet golf played on a keyboard at a discussion forum and real golf played on a golf course. The two games are very different.

 

No humor goes unpunished on GolfWRX.

[Titleist99]

2 minutes ago, Fairway14 said:

Yes, my friend played with Luke List and asked him about DeChambeau's strategy. List replied that he absolutely can hit it longer than he does, but chooses not to because accuracy suffers.

Not to mention the risk for injury.....back, wrist, neck and knee. Imagine, a touring pro out for six months.

[BiggErn]

8 minutes ago, Fairway14 said:

Yes, my friend played with Luke List and asked him about DeChambeau's strategy. List replied that he absolutely can hit it longer than he does, but chooses not to because accuracy suffers.

That sounds like something that someone that couldn’t hit it as far as BD but wanted to would say. 

[BiggErn]

4 minutes ago, Titleist99 said:

Not to mention the risk for injury.....back, wrist, neck and knee. Imagine, a touring pro out for six months.

Yep, all elite athletes should play at half speed. 

[Fairway14]

1 minute ago, BiggErn said:

The “80s and 90s shooter” is responsible for their own game and how they go about playing their own game. The commentators aren’t responsible for what anyone does. 

Yes, but the talking heads do influence amateur player thinking. For example, listen to Michael Breed's Sirius Radio morning show and caller after caller is asking Breed about how to increase swing speed , get more distance etc...Breed and other incompetent instructors have bought into the nonsense they hear on pro golf telecasts about how "the game has changed to be all about distance".

The reality is that the game is not all about distance. For any player with a scoring average higher than 72 there are lots of better sense ways to improve score than distance.

Improved accuracy, wedge play, chipping skill, putting etc... are all more relevant to the player trying to break 75 or 85 or 95.

[Fairway14]

9 minutes ago, Titleist99 said:

Not to mention the risk for injury.....back, wrist, neck and knee. Imagine, a touring pro out for six months.

Excellent point !

[Fairway14]

5 minutes ago, BiggErn said:

That sounds like something that someone that couldn’t hit it as far as BD but wanted to would say. 

Luke List is not a short hitter. I think he is usually among the leaders for Tour player average driving distance.

Jack Nicklaus wrote that he played his career going at the ball about 75% and very rarely went up above 90%.

[BiggErn]

5 minutes ago, Fairway14 said:

Yes, but the talking heads do influence amateur player thinking. For example, listen to Michael Breed's Sirius Radio morning show and caller after caller is asking Breed about how to increase swing speed , get more distance etc...Breed and other incompetent instructors have bought into the nonsense they hear on pro golf telecasts about how "the game has changed to be all about distance".

The reality is that the game is not all about distance. For any player with a scoring average higher than 72 there are lots of better sense ways to improve score than distance.

Improved accuracy, wedge play, chipping skill, putting etc... are all more relevant to the player trying to break 75 or 85 or 95.

You're right. It’s not about distance for the average hack that plays courses with 450 yard par 5s and rarely a par 4 that sniffs 400 yards long. If someone isn’t smart enough to take comments on tv with a grain of salt and able to discern on what they need to do to improve their own game that’s on them. That’s why some people never improve and never will. 

[cxx]

I think it's pretty clear from the strokes gained stats of tour players and amateurs that proximity to the hole is the largest factor in scoring. It's especially obvious this weekend where most players who are clubbing down and trying to lay back wind up in the rough anyway. There are exceptions to hitting every shot as long as possible, but hitting the long ball makes scoring easier.

[nsxguy]

8 minutes ago, Fairway14 said:

Luke List is not a short hitter. I think he is usually among the leaders for Tour player average driving distance.

Jack Nicklaus wrote that he played his career going at the ball about 75% and very rarely went up above 90%.

 

Back when Jack played there was no such thing as a launch monitor.

 

There is NO WAY anybody hits full shots at (a real) 75% effort.

[BiggErn]

8 minutes ago, Fairway14 said:

Luke List is not a short hitter. I think he is usually among the leaders for Tour player average driving distance.

Jack Nicklaus wrote that he played his career going at the ball about 75% and very rarely went up above 90%.

Nobody on tour is a short hitter. It’s hard to put a percentage on how hard someone swings because if you actually go at a ball 100% you’re gonna be hard pressed to make decent contact let alone maintain balance. Going at a ball as a hard as you can while maintaining balance might be 100% for someone and 75% for someone else. 

[nsxguy]

1 minute ago, cxx said:

I think it's pretty clear from the strokes gained stats of tour players and amateurs that proximity to the hole is the largest factor in scoring. It's especially obvious this weekend where most players who are clubbing down and trying to lay back wind up in the rough anyway. There are exceptions to hitting every shot as long as possible, but hitting the long ball makes scoring easier.

 

Boom !

 

Even the highest handicappers realize the closer to the hole they are the more likely they are to score better. Now whether the increased distance is worth the inevitably(?) wider dispersion pattern, that's another story.

[bubbagump]

19 minutes ago, Fairway14 said:

Yes, but the talking heads do influence amateur player thinking. For example, listen to Michael Breed's Sirius Radio morning show and caller after caller is asking Breed about how to increase swing speed , get more distance etc...Breed and other incompetent instructors have bought into the nonsense they hear on pro golf telecasts about how "the game has changed to be all about distance".

The reality is that the game is not all about distance. For any player with a scoring average higher than 72 there are lots of better sense ways to improve score than distance.

Improved accuracy, wedge play, chipping skill, putting etc... are all more relevant to the player trying to break 75 or 85 or 95.

Michael Breed an extremely well known and well decorated instructor with national clout is incompetent, yet your thread and opinion is competent just because you can post on a golf forum? 

Edited September 20, 2020 by bubbagump

[cxx]

2 minutes ago, nsxguy said:

 

Boom !

 

Even the highest handicappers realize the closer to the hole they are the more likely they are to score better. Now whether the increased distance is worth the inevitably(?) wider dispersion pattern, that's another story.

 

I think it's true for most players.

We are seeing more tour players embrace distance, or maybe the ones that have  are just higher in the standings. Might not like BAD but he's demonstrating the point.

[Soloman1]

"The reality is that the game is not all about distance. "

 

Heresy! Get a rope!

[fawley]

3 minutes ago, bubbagump said:

Michael Breed an extremely well known and well decorated instructor with national clout is incompetent, yet your thread and opinion is competent just because you can post on a golf forum? 

Yep.
 

Obviously that is just a terrible take, but the helpful thing about comments like those is that it makes it really easy to identify who’s opinions you can completely discount. 

[nsxguy]

1 minute ago, cxx said:

 

I think it's true for most players.

We are seeing more tour players embrace distance, or maybe the ones that have  are just higher in the standings. Might not like BAD but he's demonstrating the point.

 

I'm not a big Tiger fan but there's is NO doubt that once Tiger showed up all players started taking notice of what great shape he was in and realized they'd have to increase their fitness levels (& therefore speed) to compete.

 

Bryson is taking it a step further. Whether or not others will try to follow depends on how Bryson actually does going forward, including whether his body can hold up long term - but that will take some time to determine.

[Fairway14]

3 minutes ago, bubbagump said:

Michael Breed an extremely well known and well decorated instructor with national clout is incompetent, yet your thread and opinion is competent just because you can post on a golf forum? 

Breed is a self promoter. In most industries, specially one as subjective as the golf industry, individuals can attain lofty status by promoting their style instead of substance.

I once asked Breed if he knew the value of golf's time proven technique fundamentals (grip-posture-alignment), and how they produced the entire golf swing? He replied that he did understand. I asked him why then he did not teach same ? His reply was "people paying for lessons want it the lesson to be complicated, so they feel that they are getting their money's worth".  So his words are those of a businessman-promoter, not of a competent instructor.

 

 

[setter02]

Can we just get this locked up now before I get really in the flaming of the op...

[Soloman1]

Well decorated? Hmm. Did he receive the Wedge Star with V device for bravery on the range? Or an Air Medal for airing a ball over a green? Or how about a Ranger tab for riding in a golf cart randomly around a golf course, waving at people for no reason instead of doing anything constructive like fixing ball marks on a green?

 

Sorry, I have no filter today...