Does Drive for Show and Putt for Dough really hold true today?

[fuffle master]

We all have heard the statement that you Drive for Show, but Putt for Dough.

When you play do you think this statement still holds true in today's market?

I know when I watch the PGA players I marvel at how well they putt, but to be honest, their drive off the tee and how long they hit makes me think that length plays more into your handicap.

I see some really good older golfers that putt lights out, but because they just can't hit that 250 - 300-yard drive they don't score what they hope. I also see really long players hitting those 300-yard drives, but three-putt or miss the 5 footers too often and don't score as well as they should.

We have now seen many charts showing how the clubhead speed and distance plays a large portion on an amateur's handicap. I have yet to see a chart that showed how putting correlates to a lower handicap.

So what is the magic wand? Longer drive or better at putting?

Are you on the Drive for Show side of the fence?

or

Are you on the Putt for Dough side?

#DRIVE4DOUGH$

 

[wubears71]

The two are not exclusive. It drives me insane. But if I have to pick, I'd rather be a long hitter than a lights out putter. It doesn't matter how good a putter you are if you have absolutely no chance to be laying up on a par 5 in two shots. Also, give me a 50 deg wedge into a green even from the rough than a 5i sitting in the middle.

 

[Snickerdog]

Putt for dough for sure. I play with a guy who regularly out drives me by 50 yards, however I usually beat him at the end of the day.

 

[McLovin]

the one stat that almost always aligns with my best rounds is fewest putts. i agree with wubears71 that the two are not mutually exclusive, but if i had to pick it's putting for sure.

 

[radiman]

Yeah, it's not a universal. For me, my driver has given me a lot of grief when it was off. My key to good rounds is driving the ball well, staying out of trouble off the tee, and it seems to eliminate the big holes. If you are draining a 40ft putt for double because you put your ball OB, in a hazard, or in the trees off the tee, you aren't doing yourself any favors

 

[mikeg_74]

i rather be a consistent putter over a long driver of the ball. Putting can clean up so much and no need to be long off the tee if your dispersion isnt tight and you are constantly out of position.

 

[MrDC]

Drive for dough of course, putting is easy, I see great putters all the time, driving the ball 300 yds accurately is a skill reserved for the best in the world, and I've never seen one of those in person.

You won't see any pro golfers who can putt lights out but only drive the ball 200 yds for a reason, but there's plenty who can drive long but aren't such great putters.

 

[wubears71]

Drive for dough of course, putting is easy, I see great putters all the time, driving the ball 300 yds accurately is a skill reserved for the best in the world, and I've never seen one of those in person.

You won't see any pro golfers who can putt lights out but only drive the ball 200 yds for a reason, but there's plenty who can drive long but aren't such great putters.

You are spot on. Your golf potential will always be limited by how far you can hit it, which is exactly what even the tour short hitters are in the upper 280s. Unfortunately that’s just a fact.

 

[Campbell Toe]

You can always play a different set of tees if you can’t drive it as far. Putting is the most important part of golf.

 

[MrDC]

Putting is by far the least important part of golf, try hitting your drives right down the middle and then sticking your GIR to within 3 feet on every hole, then tell me your putting is a problem.

 

[DG_1234]

Yes, drive for show putt for dough will always ring true. Consider that during a round of golf one plays only 14 "drive shots" , but likely 30 to 36 putts.
Putting is much more significant to scoring than is driving, it's not even close.

 

[Parrot]

Drive for show, kinda.

My best golf was when I was driving it well. That wasn’t the longest I’ve ever hit it, or could at the time. Best combo of length and accuracy = driving it well.

i focus more on putting now because I don’t have much of a combo of length and accuracy.

 

[FreddieMac]

50% of the game is played with 100 yards and most of that is putting. Yep, putting is still much more important than hitting it long. BK and DJ where monsters tee to green in the US Open this year but could not putt for crap. That is why they lost.

 

[OldandStiff]

I've never quite understood that, but just because you have the putter in your hand more, I'd say putt for dough. Personally, I'd take great iron play over either. That's kind of how I live on the course. I'm a fair driver of the ball, but keep it in the bag and I can still compete. Same if I'm in a bit of a putting rut. It becomes less impactful if I'm hitting my irons the way I'd like.

 

[millsan1]

I'd rather be a lights out putter, but in reality my goal is to be decent all around. I will never be a bomber or even close. I'm averaging 220. Reality is I will never see an average over 240. So short game is where I need to live.

 

[Et Tu Brute?]

It's as true today as it ever was...

 

[-CRW-]

Strokes gained stats have confirmed that it's the long driver over the putter.

Since the start of the 2018-2019 PGA Tour Season, the top five putters worldwide have earned a combined $3,819,365, or an average of $763,873. One of these five is ranked inside the top 100 in the world.

In the same period the top five players off the tee have earned a combined $6,101,017, or an average of $1,220,203. Four of these guys are top 100 in the world.

- https://www.nationalclubgolfer.com/news/15th-club-golf-myths/

These threads pop up every now and then and there are always guys that say putter based on faulty logic. But the stats say it's Drive for Dough and Putt for Show.

 

[vdubtx]

Similar for bowling...Strikes for Show, Spares for Dough.

 

[fuffle master]

The two are not exclusive. It drives me insane. But if I have to pick, I'd rather be a long hitter than a lights out putter. It doesn't matter how good a putter you are if you have absolutely no chance to be laying up on a par 5 in two shots. Also, give me a 50 deg wedge into a green even from the rough than a 5i sitting in the middle.

I totally agree with you the two are not exclusive. Most lower handicap players will hit long and putt well.

 

[Doubleb21]

Driving the ball is way more fun than putting for me BUT putting can cut a considerable amount of strokes off your game. I am on the putt for dough side.

 

[fuffle master]

You can always play a different set of tees if you can’t drive it as far. Putting is the most important part of golf.

While this is always available, it is not going to happen in real life. You will not see a 20+ handicap younger golfer hitting from the red or yellow tees if available. Heck too many of them try to play from the blue or back tees when we all know they shouldn't

 

[fuffle master]

Similar for bowling...Strikes for Show, Spares for Dough.

I could spare just about every frame, but it's the strikes that will get you over 200.

 

[joebute]

The top of the PGA money list pretty much lines up with the "strokes gained tee to green" rankings. No one in the top 5 "strokes gained putting" is even in the top 20 on the money list...

 

[BlueHen2006]

I think because my putting has always been better than driving, I would love to be a drive for show guy for once. I bad putt doesn't necessarily tick me off as much as a bad drive, due to the compounding effect it could have on the hole.

 

[joebute]

50% of the game is played with 100 yards and most of that is putting. Yep, putting is still much more important than hitting it long. BK and DJ where monsters tee to green in the US Open this year but could not putt for crap. That is why they lost.

Brooks and DJ have won 3 of the past 4 US Opens, and this year's US Open was won by Gary Woodland - another bomber who just moved to 126th in strokes gained putting. The best putter in the game, Denny McCarthy, had his best finish of the year (T7) at the Sanderson Farms championship. I think I'll stick to working on my tee to green game.