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Ball Striking vs Short game

SuperStroke
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majBC

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Which do you feel lead to more consistent scores? I can lean different ways on different days and have witnessed both types of golfers. I must say, that in my experience, winter rust seems to have less impact on good ball strikers. One other thing I have noticed is golfers with good short games sometimes need to adjust to new courses and this usually takes a few holes. Interested to get your thoughts.
 
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Short game.
I am a far better short game player than long game and my index travels rather well because of it. In my opinion it is actually the opposite in that most with a great short game need less adjustment period score wise because of the ability to get up and down.
 
I think they both play an important role in scoring. I've had good ball striking ruined by poor short game and bad rounds saved by good short game. I feel that hitting greens is the short route to good scores but with out a good short game a few misses here and there can blow things up really quickly. I'll say short game though because I'd rather have the skills to save a round first and because short game improvement is a big key to me improving my game
 
I would have to say short game because even on an off day you can always get up and down to score well.
 
For me personally, it all comes down to the short game. I am pretty consistent with the ball striking, when my short game is on I play good.
I am not as consistent with the short game as I would like to be.
 
Definitely short game. I had a great ball striking day today (by my standards anyway) but my chipping and putting were atrocious. It turned what should have been a flirting with breaking 80 round into an 89.
 
We have had many thread about this and for me it's always been short game. No one, I repeat no one hits every green or every iron flush. Having a solid short game can make up for those misses in a big way.
 
One thing I have noticed in my game is when I have a good ball striking day and a poor short game the game seems easier versus struggling with the long game and saving shots around the green. I guess that should be expected as you feel like you could have scored much better when the long game is good and you feel like you got a lot out of your game when you struggle with the long game and save it with the short game. The psychology of golf and how the mind works is one thing that makes this a very interesting game at times.
 
Definitely short game for me. Perfect example is when it's on I have shorter putts and more pars. Always feels great when you chip in for par or birdie.
 
JB said:
Short game.
I am a far better short game player than long game and my index travels rather well because of it. In my opinion it is actually the opposite in that most with a great short game need less adjustment period score wise because of the ability to get up and down.
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I completely agree with this. Also, I like Freddie's point about no one, especially us amateurs, hits every green in regulation. Getting up and down can really make or break your round.
 
Short game. I've never been a good ball striker, and my short game has gotten me here. Now, I'm moving on to get my ball striking in shape, but if I have to choose...short game.
 
I, personally, would agree that the short game is king. But I saw on the golf channel an interview with a guy whose statistics show that the second shot is what leads to low scores.

Sorry I don't remember his name or the book but his numbers are interesting.
 
I think both are very important to playing better golf but I think if you have a great short game you will be come a better player. I thinking hitting more greens is something that leads to more birdie opportunities but if you can't make an up and down for par birdies mean nothing!
 
Short game by far.

Today was a round from hell with the yips and just not trusting my stroke. My chipping was by far ugly and over the last two rounds has cost me approx 15-20 strokes. With that being said I agree short game can drastically effect one's index.
 
Jeanthemachine said:
I, personally, would agree that the short game is king. But I saw on the golf channel an interview with a guy whose statistics show that the second shot is what leads to low scores.

Sorry I don't remember his name or the book but his numbers are interesting.
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I can agree with this. Anytime you can putt for bird more often than not you ll likely post a good score. A good short game though can be the difference between a 69 and a 75. One is good, the other is better, and the better relies on those key updowns
 
When I come off of the winter some years I can have the best short game and other years I will go all summer with my short game horrible. Bad short game makes a very long summer in my opinion.
 
Short game keeps my scores from getting high but I have low rounds when my ball striking is on
 
I'm a good ball striker and horrible short game player. I'm going with short game as more important to overall score since if it was ball striking I wouldn't be an 11 hdcp.
 
Hello everyone. I agree that the short game leads to more consistent scores. In the past I've found touch to be an important factor around the greens. I've always struggled with distance control and it's a major factor in shorter shots, more so i feel, than accuracy. My irons are very consistent and I could flush them all day, so it's always frustrating when touch/feel isn't there around the greens. I'll admit, playing some low percentage shots is also partially to blame, but we're all guilty of that on occasion.


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Personal opinion: Short game leads to more pars and fewer bogies. I think if a guy wants to drag his handicap up from the depths, making more pars on missed greens is what gets him there. The occasional chip-in for bird does double duty.

When it comes to making birdie and getting your index below 10, then the iron game really becomes a priority. Be able to hit iron shots to where you can make birdies is where it's at, IMO.
 
I know that when I really worked on my short game my index really came down......then I started focusing more on trying to hit more greens and my short game suffered and my index went up,.
 
Short Game

After getting my backside kicked yesterday, even though I played 4 under handicap and got my fair share of GIR, it was my opponents short game that either halved holes or stole holes in my matchplay due to getting up & down and getting in to a position to make single putts from bunkers and greenside rough.

Its something I need to work more on as yesterday felt like a kick in the grundies watching a short game magician win holes after driving and striking long irons poorly but still making pars and birdie chances!
 
TripleBogieTim said:
I know that when I really worked on my short game my index really came down......then I started focusing more on trying to hit more greens and my short game suffered and my index went up,.
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I can understand what you are saying, to a point. It would seem to me you didn't get as much out of your long game focus as you did out your short game focus. That makes perfect sense to me as I feel more practice can really help one's short game and sometimes because of physical limitations or just bad habits it is more difficult to improve the long game even with more practice.
 
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I find that it's the 2nd shot that kills my game. Topping, hitting fat or just shanking it! As a new golfer trying to break 100 and with a lot of water on the courses here in the Myrtle Beach I'm adding lots of strokes and penalty strokes due to this inability to hit a clean 2nd.
 
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