Myths that stymie our play?

[Tenputt]

I was listening to a podcast this morning whose topic focused on ”myths” that inhibit us from playing our best golf. One of the discussion points was laying up to a specific distance, say 100 yards on a par 5. The commentators contended that Arccos statistics say that absent a layup to avoid a hazard, or somebody with short game yips, golfers are far better off getting as close to the hole as possible.

This is actually how I have felt for years. First, I think it is hard to lay up to a specific yardage. You are hitting into a fairway that is going to release more than a green and also contains undulations. If the goal is 100 yards out and the ball stops are either 107 or 93, has the strategy really worked? I can also say that for me, I feel that I have a better chance of getting a birdie look from 35 yards or 50 yards than from 100 yards.

This is but one example. Are there other things about course management, the swing, etc. that are more myth than reality?

 

[bogolfs]

Keep your head down is a myth that has hurt many a golfer. I know the person that runs another site wrote a book called Lowest Score Wins and in that they talk about getting as close to the green being more advantageous than laying up to a number.

 

[Cruskater]

Great points, @Tenputt. I've always felt that getting as close as possible, in a normal situation, is the best for me. I'm better off with a 30-50 yard pitch than a 100-125 yard full swing.

I have heard "keep your head still" or "keep your head down" as well @bogolfs recently as more of a misunderstanding than myth but that comes to mind. Not sure if anything else specific comes to mind

 

[MacTourney]

I would call that topic the myth about the myth that inhibits us. No doubt a 1-foot putt is a light year easier than a 20 foot but even that wouldn't be the case every time. No two shots and situations are ever the same so the constant pounding of getting as close as you can seems like an ongoing overreach. I know some of the older guys didn't lay back to yardages for approach as much as they did to a flat spot on the fairway. No easy answers, but to keep plugging away. But I understand the constant drum beat for hitting ball as far, or close, as you can and sort out how to proceed from there.

 

[mancest]

I was listening to a podcast this morning whose topic focused on ”myths” that inhibit us from playing our best golf. One of the discussion points was laying up to a specific distance, say 100 yards on a par 5. The commentators contended that Arccos statistics say that absent a layup to avoid a hazard, or somebody with short game yips, golfers are far better off getting as close to the hole as possible.

This is actually how I have felt for years. First, I think it is hard to lay up to a specific yardage. You are hitting into a fairway that is going to release more than a green and also contains undulations. If the goal is 100 yards out and the ball stops are either 107 or 93, has the strategy really worked? I can also say that for me, I feel that I have a better chance of getting a birdie look from 35 yards or 50 yards than from 100 yards.

This is but one example. Are there other things about course management, the swing, etc. that are more myth than reality?

I would kind of argue that just get it as close as you can is almost a myth that is hurting people. If you are a recreational golfer, what shot is probably the least consistent to pull off? Fairway wood off the deck? So people are 275 out, can't get home, no hazards in front of them, so they grab the 3W and proceed to top it.....

So for me, I may have a target number, but I always take into account what is the longest club I feel comfortable hitting from this lie. Once I have that I can look at what a good strike with that club will leave me and go from there. Most of the time I am laying up with a 6 or 7I because I know strike will be decent and it will roll on the fairway a bit more than it will carry.

 

[ccjimmy2001]

I was listening to a podcast this morning whose topic focused on ”myths” that inhibit us from playing our best golf. One of the discussion points was laying up to a specific distance, say 100 yards on a par 5. The commentators contended that Arccos statistics say that absent a layup to avoid a hazard, or somebody with short game yips, golfers are far better off getting as close to the hole as possible.

This is actually how I have felt for years. First, I think it is hard to lay up to a specific yardage. You are hitting into a fairway that is going to release more than a green and also contains undulations. If the goal is 100 yards out and the ball stops are either 107 or 93, has the strategy really worked? I can also say that for me, I feel that I have a better chance of getting a birdie look from 35 yards or 50 yards than from 100 yards.

This is but one example. Are there other things about course management, the swing, etc. that are more myth than reality?

Myth: playing more makes you better. I play a ton and I still stink

 

[echico]

Trees are 90% air
Putting is always better than chipping

 

[wazzubrew]

I know the topic isn't strictly about your myth, but I recently learned the same and agree with some exceptions. If it's a front pin location, for example, I'd rather play to a lay up of 90-120 yards. Short pitches with no green to work with and often times a hill or bunker can be really hard. Would rather just play a full swing.

 

[Hawk]

Putt for dough or whatever anecdote ignores the incredible importance of getting off the tee.

 

[DataDude]

A FW is easier to hit off the tee than a driver. This one in 2024 is just ludicrous. There is no club in the bag more forgiving than a driver. I suspect this is perpetuated by people playing 9* LS drivers and then claiming they cannot control it to save their lives.

 

[blugold]

Putt for dough or whatever anecdote ignores the incredible importance of getting off the tee.

I hate "drive for show. Putt for dough."

 

[Hawk]

I hate "drive for show. Putt for dough."

One day I'll drive for show.

Probably not.

 

[willplaysgolf]

Lots of good ones so far.

Mine is the myth you should be more aggressive on uphill putts (assuming agressive = a miss goes farther past the hole). From a physics standpoint the opposite is true.

 

[McLovin]

A FW is easier to hit off the tee than a driver. This one in 2024 is just ludicrous. There is no club in the bag more forgiving than a driver. I suspect this is perpetuated by people playing 9* LS drivers and then claiming they cannot control it to save their lives.

hmmm, i'm not ready to accept this one as a myth. the fairway shaft length is shorter. and the fairway has more loft. all else being equal, i'd think these help with consistency. i will concede that the driver's design is intended to be more forgiving with a larger hitting surface, higher moi, less gear effect on mishits, etc. but i don't think more loft/spin and a shorter playing length can be dismissed.

 

[GoldenBuff]

I was listening to a podcast this morning whose topic focused on ”myths” that inhibit us from playing our best golf. One of the discussion points was laying up to a specific distance, say 100 yards on a par 5. The commentators contended that Arccos statistics say that absent a layup to avoid a hazard, or somebody with short game yips, golfers are far better off getting as close to the hole as possible.

This is actually how I have felt for years. First, I think it is hard to lay up to a specific yardage. You are hitting into a fairway that is going to release more than a green and also contains undulations. If the goal is 100 yards out and the ball stops are either 107 or 93, has the strategy really worked? I can also say that for me, I feel that I have a better chance of getting a birdie look from 35 yards or 50 yards than from 100 yards.

This is but one example. Are there other things about course management, the swing, etc. that are more myth than reality?

Agree. I do better getting as close as I can versus laying up to a specific distance.

Another myth is that the best players are all great ball strikers. There are so many good players who dink the ball around (no better than anyone else) and then score because of strong short games and putting.

 

[BuffaloPlunger]

I would kind of argue that just get it as close as you can is almost a myth that is hurting people. If you are a recreational golfer, what shot is probably the least consistent to pull off? Fairway wood off the deck? So people are 275 out, can't get home, no hazards in front of them, so they grab the 3W and proceed to top it.....

So for me, I may have a target number, but I always take into account what is the longest club I feel comfortable hitting from this lie. Once I have that I can look at what a good strike with that club will leave me and go from there. Most of the time I am laying up with a 6 or 7I because I know strike will be decent and it will roll on the fairway a bit more than it will carry.

I agree with this. We don’t always have the same level of consistency. In many cases it makes more sense to lay up than risk a poor shot that could go OB or only 10 yards

 

[blugold]

One day I'll drive for show.

Probably not.

 

[leftybob]

“Never up, never in” usually said by someone seconds before blasting their putt 8 feet past the hole.

 

[PuffChippy]

I would kind of argue that just get it as close as you can is almost a myth that is hurting people.

Agree and I see this all the time. Guy's 230 out and pulls 3W, then either yanks it into the creek, flairs it off into the trees, or chunks it 25 yards leaving him yet another 200+ approach. Good job Mr. GetItClose, you now added 3+ extra shots giving you that round-killing blowup hole. You're not hitting that green - many pros aren't hitting that green - so just take a 9i and get it in a good spot then pitch it on and putt. There are scenarios where trying to get it as close as possible may be a good idea but just as many where it definitely is not.

 

[Tenputt]

A FW is easier to hit off the tee than a driver. This one in 2024 is just ludicrous. There is no club in the bag more forgiving than a driver. I suspect this is perpetuated by people playing 9* LS drivers and then claiming they cannot control it to save their lives.

Way back when I first started playing golf, I could hit a 3 wood more consistently than driver. However, as soon as the Yonex, Big Bertha and other larger drivers began showing up, driver became easier to hit. There was a course that I played frequently back then that had a par 5 with a ditch crossing the fairway about 275 yards out. Driver would put me at risk of being in that ditch, so the club I would pick was 3 wood. I remember feeling less confident with a 3 wood than I would be with driver.

Technology has now made 3 woods much easier to hit and I feel very confident with a 3 wood off the tee, but I definitely agree that in so many instances, there is no reason not to just bang away with driver. I would say, though, that for most, I would think a higher lofted fw, such as a 5 wood would be easier to hit fairway with than driver.

 

[Tenputt]

“Never up, never in” usually said by someone seconds before blasting their putt 8 feet past the hole.

That was one of the myths covered in the podcasts that I referenced.

 

[Tenputt]

Agree and I see this all the time. Guy's 230 out and pulls 3W, then either yanks it into the creek, flairs it off into the trees, or chunks it 25 yards leaving him yet another 200+ approach. Good job Mr. GetItClose, you now added 3+ extra shots giving you that round-killing blowup hole. You're not hitting that green - many pros aren't hitting that green - so just take a 9i and get it in a good spot then pitch it on and putt. There are scenarios where trying to get it as close as possible may be a good idea but just as many where it definitely is not.

The podcast I referenced specifically mentioned that if somebody duffs a 3 wood 60% of the time, it makes no sense to pull a 3 wood, simply to get it as close as possible. I think the point was that Arccos data shows overwhelmingly that in the vast majority of cases, a ball that is, say, 30 yards from the green will be in the hole in fewer average strokes than a ball lying 100 yards out. Certainly, the risk entailed in advancing the ball to that hypothetical 100 yard position as compared to the 30 yard position must be included in determining a shot.

Perhaps a different way of looking at it is if I am 250 yards from the center of the green, should I hit an 8 iron (that is my 150 club), or should I hit something that I am confident in, such as a 5 wood, that would leave me 35 or 30 yards from the green?

 

[Slot708]

Having the newest and best equipment each year will make me a good golfer.Sure you look cool on social media and your instagram accounts of your golf bag pics.But in reality most can’t break an egg

Or another is waiting for the green to clear from 250 out on a par 5.Sure is all less than 5% of the golfing population are a threat if hitting the green

 

[DataDude]

hmmm, i'm not ready to accept this one as a myth. the fairway shaft length is shorter. and the fairway has more loft. all else being equal, i'd think these help with consistency. i will concede that the driver's design is intended to be more forgiving with a larger hitting surface, higher moi, less gear effect on mishits, etc. but i don't think more loft/spin and a shorter playing length can be dismissed.

What about the distance, what about 12* drivers, what about shortening the driver shaft? Lot's of ways to get where you're thinking with that sweet sweet gigantic head.

 

[Tenputt]

What about the distance, what about 12* drivers, what about shortening the driver shaft? Lot's of ways to get where you're thinking with that sweet sweet gigantic head.

So much is about fit, isn’t it? I had a 3 wood that I absolutely loved a few years back. Last year, I traded it in for the newest release of the same OEM 3 wood and could never get comfortable with it. I missed that older 3 wood and was a fool for letting it go. I finally found another 3 wood near the end of this past golf season in which I have supreme confidence. I am very confident that I will hit more fairways with that club than I will with driver, but I think this goes to your point. There is more way to skin a cat and it is very possible to have a driver setup that becomes the club that we just love to hit.