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long or short on approach/par 3s?

long or short on approach/par 3s?

  • Miss greens long

    Votes: 12 17.4%

  • Miss greens short

    Votes: 57 82.6%
  • Total voters
    69
  • Poll closed .
Hawk said:
The par 3 contest at the outing agrees with the results of this poll lol.
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So true, apparently so few of us know what our 100 yard club is. And several of us have an uncanny ability to hit that 100 yard club dead right into water that is not even in play.
 
add me to the short crew. If I make good contact (which hasn't happened much this year) I'll come up on target, but usually I'll either catch them a bit chunky, or my hook spin will cause them to come up short.
 
Damaikis said:
It depends on the hole. One of the par 3s at my course it is much better to miss short, and on another, it is way better to miss long. So that's what I'll base my club choice off of.
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This for me...water front, it's going long. Grass front, and no bunkers, I'm probably missing short as at our course, that can be an easier up and down. But one green slopes front to back, so a back pin, I'll miss long every time.
 
Short and long, I always fire at the pin depending if its a front or back location. Middle pin I usually miss left. So I always miss greens...
 
Nothing good comes from being over the green on a par 3 at my home course. I play to miss short if I am going to miss so my answer is short.
 
Well I have this BIG CLUB complex, and normaly I can hit my clubs strong. But I tend to miss alot because I try to crush it! I go for it allways and don't have a good in between club swing. So I end up short at least 80% of the time or right of the green. :banghead:
 
CrunchEasy said:
Short. When I play a 150yd hole, I dont use the club that goes 160yds. I use the 150 yd club. When I hit it normal it goes the proper distance and if i screw up, it goes shorter.
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Yep I'm the same way, particularly when It's not close to even at the tee box!! From 160 to 80 yards I struggle!!!
 
I almost always miss short. The reason is two-fold. First, long is death. Second, I've struggled with irons this year, and I am just not finding the sweet spot like I used to.

~Rock
 
Considering the majority of amatuer golfers select a club based on the shot they think they can hit, "short" will be the outcome at least 2/3 of the time. Say the average golfer's options for results of shots are good - short - long - mis-hit, (unless the mishits are bladed shots that roll up to the green) he is going to be short on 2 out of every 3 shots with less than desirable results.

As a side note, this past weekend playing with temps in 90's, I was amazed at some of the distances I was getting on iron shots. Not wind-aided just 10-20 extra yards on well struck 6-7-8 irons... This weekend is going to be nearly 40 degrees cooler, I am interested to see if the added distance disappears...
 
Very interested to see all the votes for short. Sounds like the prevailing 'wisdom' is actually correct for most people on here. I agree with those that say it depends on where trouble is though, and that long is usually worse. My course and the few other courses I play around here are notorious for it. One hole near my in-laws has a severely elevated small green, where 2 yards short leads to coming 40-50 yards back down the hill, right is trees, and left or long you might be able to find your ball, but I'd be hitting a provisional all the time, and without an awesome flop shot out of thick rough you're screwed.

I also think short is the most common because if you mishit an approach shot, you'll likely hit it fat or thin and both (unless just a bit thin) usually result in coming up short. The only way to generally go long is to hit too much club.
 
I know my club distances pretty well but miss hit the ball more often than getting it dead right. Chicks dig the long ball, so of course I hit it short.
 
Also, I know one guy, very much an amatuer, probably an 18-20 handicapper who absolutely crushes his irons. He's 55 years old, swings hard with tremendous clubhead lag and when he misses, its nearly always long & pulled. He hits his 9 iron 150 yards (and is quite deadly with it) & tees off with a 5 iron which I've seen him hit 225.
 
I try to play to course conditions but generally try to land it short because it will usually roll out to the middle of the green. It also depends if there are hazards in the front then I will play a longer club to make sure I clear them. I am starting to get better at managing the course which has helped me score a lot better recently.
 
I voted for short but recently when I miss I go long. Though, that might be due to me not getting used to my switch in clubs
 
Usually miss short, aim for a full swing but most of the holes on my local course. if ya miss long your in a lot more trouble than missing short
 
I tend to miss depending on the green's surroundings. If there's a bunker behind the green I'm most definitely going to try and miss it!
 
Im struggling with knowing my distances this year with my new clubs and working on my swing. I seems to miss everything long when ive put together a good swing and everything short when FLIP at impact. At times I can hit my PW 130 and then the next time when i flip, 100.
 
My misses are usually left or right. I've got my distances dialed in but if I'm short or long it because I misjudged the wind or slope.


Tapaway!
 
Esox said:
Short, though I accidentally voted long. Long is almost always worse than long. I don't get too aggressive with back pins, either, preferring the middle of the green than a short sided chip from the back.

Kevin
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Agree. "Pros" frequently observe that amateurs should take more club because they almost always are short on approach shots. I agree with the observation but counter that areas behind greens are frequently not maintained as well as aprons in front of greens AND chipping/pitching from behind the green often leaves a downhill shot.

Sure, I'd like to be on the green but over the back usually leaves a difficult shot so I try to hit the club that will NOT go past the back edge.
 
tgtt said:
It's usually right or left but of the two choices it'd be short.
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Same for me. Distance wise I'm usually close but will push/pull/hook, etc. and wind up roughly pin high but to one side. If I do miss on distance I am much more likely to come up short, probably 80%-20%.
 
Distance control is one of my constant struggles. I have to go with short being my most common miss.
 
The course I play has most all greens sloping from back to front. Short is always better at my course so i play to that.
 
I usually miss long, a lot of it has to do with Figuring my iron distances.
 
My stock miss is short, like others have said most courses I play on its better to be short than long. That being said, I try to aim for the middle. If there is a better bailout area either front or back, I'll favor that. This is all assuming that I hit the ball straight and to the distance I want. :D
 
Long with my wedges and short irons... short with the mid-to-long irons.
 
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