Hypothetical tour player dilemma

[Dr.Zevia]

You're a tour player struggling to contend in majors.  Would you rather be long off the tee and struggle on the greens, or be a great putter and be falling behind in today's distance game.  Which one is easier to fix?

[Kmagnuss]

I'd rather be great on/around the greens.

[Roody]

One 10-foot putt counts the same on the scorecard as a 350 yard drive. I'd rather be proficient on and around the greens. 

[Pepperturbo]

1 hour ago, Dr.Zevia said:

Which one is easier to fix?

The latter is easier to overcome.

[jholz]

I like to believe that, for the most part, a player with a superior short game always has a chance.

 

A player without one rarely does.

 

So, I'd rather have the sharp short game.

[Abh159]

I don't know many players who have won majors while averaging several 3 putts per round.....

[ohjims]

That saying.. drive for show, putt for dough?  Definitely short game!

[klebs01]

I’m going to go with the data on this one and say long game. Players with good long games are constantly in the mix and win when the putter warms up. Players with just a short game rarely compete and win only when all the stars align. 

[jomatty]

Long game.  I just think it’s a more reasonable goal to improve short game than to add significant distance.  And any player who has a tour level of proficiency can have a great week around the greens.  But short hitters don’t have really long weeks off the tee.

[wsupjs]

As long as they keep making major courses longer and the player's dispersion isn't insane, you have to take distance.

 

Especially at the tour level, any of those guys can get hot on the greens for a week, but nobody can magically be 2 clubs longer.

[PJE]

As a Tour player and in the Majors, I'd take distance and hope to get hot on the greens. Which is what seems to actually happen to Tour winners and Major winners.

For the most part, Tour and Majors courses are long and it's hard for a short hitter to successfully compete on those tracks. 

 

 

[SylvesterLundgren]

Not to hijack your post but could a player be a middle of the road in terms of skill/distance 

Should this player be easier at the majors or still struggle like your post. 

[Dr.Zevia]

28 minutes ago, SylvesterLundgren said:

Not to hijack your post but could a player be a middle of the road in terms of skill/distance 

Should this player be easier at the majors or still struggle like your post. 

My original thought was someone like Bubba Watson.  Huge off the tee, but we haven't seen him contend in a major for probably five years.  I know he's had some mental issues, but I think putting has been a problem with him his entire career.
Then you have a Jordan Spieth, who can roll it but maybe is getting left behind with distance off the tee.  Or even another great putter who doesn't crop up in majors all that often.  

[Shilgy]

7 minutes ago, Dr.Zevia said:

My original thought was someone like Bubba Watson.  Huge off the tee, but we haven't seen him contend in a major for probably five years.  I know he's had some mental issues, but I think putting has been a problem with him his entire career.
Then you have a Jordan Spieth, who can roll it but maybe is getting left behind with distance off the tee.  Or even another great putter who doesn't crop up in majors all that often.  

Spieth averaged 299.5 off the tee last year, 66th on tour.  
 

Not exactly left behind.  He has occasional driver issues, yes, but it’s direction not distance that plagues him.

[iBanesto]

Padraig Harrington made a great observation saying so many short and straight hitters have struggled with their game after seeking to be longer off the tee.

 

Although they may be 10 yards longer for example, they end up struggling because they are no longer as accurate with their approach shots as they are in the rough/trees more often. This would in turn place more pressure on other parts of their game to be able to score.

 

So at the end of the day, it becomes a net loss.

Edited October 28, 2021 by iBanesto

[MUNIGRIT]

Ballstriker for sure. 

[NJBigFish22]

If I was a tour pro, I would want to be long off the tee.  If I have the ability to play on tour, I think I would like my odds of getting it close with a wedge than a 7 or 8 iron.  If I’m knocking my approach to 10-15 feet, I will probably make more birdies than hitting it 25 feet or just off the green

[bladehunter]

Takes both.  Bottom line.  Both. 

[cdnglf]

Would you rather be Adam Scott or Aaron Baddeley.

[ChrisL52188]

Short game hands down. Look at Seve Ballesteros...  Wild driver off the tee but absolutely magnificent short game.. 

Edited October 29, 2021 by ChrisL52188

[bscinstnct]

Nobody wins a major without a hot putter.

 

I bet you look Adam Scott and Gary Woodlands majors they had unusually great weeks putting. 

[tacklingdummy]

Can't be on tour with poor ball striking. All the tour players are excellent ball strikers and have a ton of distance. The better ball strikers on tour are making cuts and consistently competitive every week. The best ball strikers that are making a lot of putts are at the top of the leaderboards. It is ball strike and putt for dough. 

[isaacbm]

“Struggle” on the greens is pretty relative. There’s not a single guy on tour that’s a bad putter.  They are just better or worse relative to other guys that are all some of the best putters in the world. 
    Therefore any of them could get hot with the putter  on a particular week.

 

However,  Nobody on tour gets hot with a driver on particular week and magically hits it 40 yards farther. 

[Righty to Lefty]

Short game is easier to fix and over time the longer hitter will always have the advantage, though the better short game can win on any given day.  It took Cantlay having one of the single best putting days in the history of golf to overcome DeChambeau's distance advantage.  That simply isn't going to happen day in and day out and DeChambeau over time would have the advantage.  With diligence and persistence you can develop a good short game but you are not going to find 40 yards of distance unless you unlock performance that you already had the capability to do which exactly what DeChambeau did to accomplish his distance gains. We are not all created equal and some people are faster than others and no matter how bad you want to be fast, there is a governor on just how fast and given athlete can be. 

[AndersUK]

Having a great putting and short game all day every day.  Those with suspect short games are always under pressure off the tee to get the ball in play and even more pressure on approach shots to get it close because short game demons never rest in the back of their minds.

[Chopper1986]

with a question like this I always think of Luke Donald, and Zach Johnson. Both known for top tier short game and putting, whilst both been "short" off the tee (short is obviously relative). Both have struggled trying to increase distance, Luke especially has suffered chasing the additional distance. Same could be said for Corey Pavin, lights out putter, but when distance became a key he got left behind in the dust

[c7015]

I'd rather be Rory or Dj vs a Faxon or Baddely if that is what this thread is asking 

 

but there is already a thread debating essentially what strokes gained has already proved,

 

I think the nuances in the level of depth on tour persuades our interpretation of players skill vs their stats. I mean we tend to look at Adam Scott and say damn that guy has such a good looking swing and hits it so pure why doesn't he win more, the reality is his ball striking has been good , but pretty average compared to top guys like John Rahm. 

[RCGA]

Distance is #1 and then wait for your putter to get hot. 

 

 

[bscinstnct]

8 hours ago, isaacbm said:

“Struggle” on the greens is pretty relative. There’s not a single guy on tour that’s a bad putter.  They are just better or worse relative to other guys that are all some of the best putters in the world. 
    Therefore any of them could get hot with the putter  on a particular week.

 

However,  Nobody on tour gets hot with a driver on particular week and magically hits it 40 yards farther. 

 

40 yards back is insurmountable pretty much but the OP said “falling behind”. So, I look at Jordan Spieth or Patrick Reed or even TW is his recent win.

 

It can be done. 
 

“struggling” on the greens presents and equally challenging problem. Maybe more of one.

 

But, as far as extremes, keeping in minds that these days really none of the better players is really falling behind that much in distance. It’s more likely that a player with great distance and poor putting has an unusually hot week putting. Than a guy who is extremely short can overcome that challenge. 

[Superbrit]

So basically Abraham Ancer vs Rory Mcilroy

 

I know which game id rather have and it isnt Ancer