Missing Short on the Course

[JonMA1]

I have a question on the stat keeping apps. If you hit into trees on a par 4 and are forced to chip out, doesn’t that automatically count as a green missed short? Your actual approach could have been left/right/long, but it wouldn’t count since it wasn’t for the GIR, right? If so, the short stat will be horribly over counted for most amateurs - every chip out of trouble, every penalty off the tee, hitting a tree or something on an approach that deflects the ball, etc.

GameGolf uses what's called "typical" distances instead of "average". They discard some of the shorter duffs and punches from the equation - as they should IMO. If we went purely with "average" distances, trouble shots such as a punch out from under the trees would bastardize our typical numbers on a full swing.

OTOH, I have to take into account that I use a lot of irons off the tee and that many of those tee boxes are elevated. As a result, my current "typical" distances are a bit skewed to the longer side. GameGolf tells me my typical 6i distance is 163. The reality is that I will almost certainly not hit 150 from the light rough into the wind to an uphill green using that club.

My point being numbers are great but we still have to use our brains.

Oh wait... I can't possibly do that because I don't know my real distances:facepalm:

 

[thewilderside]

This definitely holds true for me. It's a classic high capper equation of overestimating distances, poor contact, poor lie, or all of the above. Another subtle factor for me, that's been mentioned by many others, is the fact that most places I play have more trouble long than short. For example, by a quick mental rundown of my favorite course only four holes are less penalized by going long than being short.

 

[Ooo]

Probably long as much as short because I have very little spin on the ball. If I manage to hit the center of the green there's a good chance it's off the back. Most of the short ones are chunks.

 

[The_Dude]

I never miss long with an iron unless it's a thin bullet. My miss is short due to poor contact. I take 5 off the back number and pull appropriate club.

 

[Iceman!]

From ShotScope: - 150 yards and in for 2020:
The Green is with in 15ft of the hole.

 

[SunnyWalker]

When I miss its usually short or a pull. Vast majority of the short shots are mishits. I might get fooled by the wind or elevation but its rare for me to hit a shot really solid and come up short as I try to err on the long side whenever I can.

 

[BahBahBS]

My recent club fitting was eye opening to me in terms of distance. When establishing my baseline w/my 6i at Club Champion I was 10 yds shorter than the number in my head. I've started using the fitting number and now my misses tend to be pin high instead of weeee short of the green or at the bottom.

I also tend to want to get too cute when the pun is at the front of the green. I'd be better served going for the middle of the green most times as long as it doesn't leave me totally out of position for the putt. I'm going to try to focus on the center of the green more this season.

Interesting stat, thanks.

 

[Luchnia]

Missing short is good for most courses I play. Missing long would not be good. My club distances are good. My short misses are usually because I reserve some on the swing.

 

[InTheRough]

I bought Shot Scope V3 and it'll be here next week. I'm sure it'll give me a more accurate representation of what's going on. I usually play to the center of the green even with a front pin because there are bunkers I don't want to deal with. I can handle a downhill putt. There are many reasons for being short. And I also have a question about these apps maybe someone can answer. But with the V3 club distances, I really won't care about that. I go strictly by club carry distances. How far I carry with each club, incl driver.

1) Par 4... you hit your tee shot into the trees. Your 2nd shot is your approach, but it is now your recovery shot. Do they count your chip out back onto the fairway as an approach shot? That one is always going to be short.... by a lot. Your third shot is your real approach, but it's not your regulation approach.

2) I'm short because I duffed the approach shot.
3) If I didn't get my tee shot within striking distance of my longest hybrid for whatever reason, I'll be short.
4) Misjudging the shot.

Most holes on my home course... you do not want to miss long.... ever. Hellish deep rough, OB, or bushes.

 

[J4U]

My miss is usually left from mid to long approach. Same goes for short par3's.

 

[Matthew]

I’d rather miss short. The courses I play, long is dead.

 

[jmix18]

We have spent the last few days combing through some data that suggests that over 85% of missed approach shots are left short. This could be for a number of reasons including

Poor Contact
Not hitting it as far as we think we do
Playing to a front pin yardage rather than giving enough room for minor misses.
Fear of going too far

We hear a lot of talk on the forum about random balls flying too far, etc. Yet if our stats are accurate, those percentages are quite small. Looking at my own personal data, it appears as though when I miss the green, I only go long on approach shots 6% of the time.

Where do you think your own game falls in this spectrum of stats?

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If/when I miss it's actually short right or long left. I either cut it too much or over-cook it to the pin - at least that's how I remember it and much if not most has to do purely with contact.

 

[Bethpage Hack]

My misses are usually short, which makes sense since my miss is a little heavy contact.

 

[BigMac]

I bought Shot Scope V3 and it'll be here next week. I'm sure it'll give me a more accurate representation of what's going on. I usually play to the center of the green even with a front pin because there are bunkers I don't want to deal with. I can handle a downhill putt. There are many reasons for being short. And I also have a question about these apps maybe someone can answer. But with the V3 club distances, I really won't care about that. I go strictly by club carry distances. How far I carry with each club, incl driver.

1) Par 4... you hit your tee shot into the trees. Your 2nd shot is your approach, but it is now your recovery shot. Do they count your chip out back onto the fairway as an approach shot? That one is always going to be short.... by a lot. Your third shot is your real approach, but it's not your regulation approach.

2) I'm short because I duffed the approach shot.
3) If I didn't get my tee shot within striking distance of my longest hybrid for whatever reason, I'll be short.
4) Misjudging the shot.

Most holes on my home course... you do not want to miss long.... ever. Hellish deep rough, OB, or bushes.

This seems to be a commonality among a lot of posts in this thread (missing long being a very bad thing), it sounds like it's a fairly consistent factor in course design. You have to wonder how much that factors into the fact that so many miss short. Consciously or subconsciously, we know that long = dead, so how much does that affect the club we select and/or the shots we hit?

 

[InTheRough]

This seems to be a commonality among a lot of posts in this thread (missing long being a very bad thing), it sounds like it's a fairly consistent factor in course design. You have to wonder how much that factors into the fact that so many miss short. Consciously or subconsciously, we know that long = dead, so how much does that affect the club we select and/or the shots we hit?

The second hole is a prime example. The fairway is flat to about 240 yds from the whites then drops about 40 feet in elevation to the green. There's a big bunker on the right. I usually end up on the flat at around 150 - 155 out. I play an 8i from 155 and a 9i from 150. An 8i from 150 will land on the green but might not hold. You want to land it on the front left. The 9i might be short and could roll on. Behind that green is nothing but tall grass and beyond that pine straw and trees. I was playing with a guy who pulled his 7i from 155 and I told him "I know I'm not supposed to give advice, but you might want to club down here." He didn't listen and ended up in the woods. I don't keep a handicap so I didn't care.

 

[DG_1234]

My point being numbers are great but we still have to use our brains.

Yes, much of good golf is about awareness. A Tour pro uses a pre round practice session and the first couple of golf holes to learn what he has that day. For example is his body and golf swing feeling 100% or is it more like 75% ? Are his warm up shots and first few hole shots his usual trajectories , shot shapes, and club distances? The top player is aware of what's happening and uses that awareness to work his way around the course, choosing clubs and lines of play accordingly.

 

[Annhl8rX]

As long as I know my yardage I almost never have a cleanly struck shot come up short, so hitting the right clubs isn’t really an issue for me. I do miss short a ton, though. I ha en’t been striking my irons well at all lately, and poor contact is almost always the cause. Every now and then it’s because I forgot to account for the wind.

 

[Hamfist]

Miss short because of poor contact and because I don’t hit the ball as far as I think I should or do. I compensate by trying to club up and accept that going long may result.

This.

 

[Hamfist]

I prefer to miss short because I'm skeered of what I can't see behind the green.

 

[Bernoulli]

This.

As an internet golfer, I confess that I once hit a 5 iron 175 yards; therefore, every time I face a shot of 175 yards, I will hit a 5 iron.

 

[Desmond]

Coming up short - yes, it's a golf issue. Was underestimating most of 2020 - but I was working on retooling the swing and not going after the ball. That's on me.

 

[5150]

My home course you can miss 16/18 greens short and be perfectly fine. Still on a chipping area. You can miss long on 0/18. Deep rough, woods or OB.

I play 5-6 courses regularly each year. I can't think of many holes at all where it's safe to miss long.

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I feel like this is a key piece of the puzzle here.

If the fairway provides an entry to the green, then short is often the preferred miss or bailout, depending on pin position, of course.

Like you said, I can't think of many holes on our local course where a long miss could yield a chip or putt from the fairway.

 

[PapaJohick]

thankfully this year and I mean the last half of 2020 and thus far this year. My consistency and ball striking has gotten much better. So I’m typically missing pin high just either left or right depending on my shot that I’m trying to hit.
Overall, my miss is going to be short but it’s not so much because I don’t club correctly. It’s more because I make sure on a absolute perfect hit there’s no way I can fly the green.
Here in Charleston playing from behind the green is typically very very tough. Short of the green is usually your best miss because you can easily chip up and have a good look at the hole.

 

[OldandStiff]

It's interesting how different things are here vs. when I was in Nebraska for safety short vs. long. There were a lot of holes there where long was pure death, and my short numbers about doubled long. Here, there are entire courses, and the majority of them really, where long is no more penal than a specific directional miss. I think that's why my long vs. short numbers have evened out. That, and back home you could try to run one up. Here, if you don't carry the green, you will not make the green. So, you have to have enough club to have any chance.

 

[DG_1234]

Overall, my miss is going to be short but it’s not so much because I don’t club correctly. It’s more because I make sure on a absolute perfect hit there’s no way I can fly the green.

Middle of the green is often a good sense target. I expect that if players club themselves to the middle of the green they will rarely if ever leave their ball long of the green.
Or, as others have written to this thread, clubbing oneself so that a perfect strike carries to the back of the green is a good strategy.
Both of the above are essentially the same thing, that is average strike leaves the ball in the middle of the green or perfect strikes leaves the ball at the back of the green.
I think the reason so many in this thread (and on golf courses everywhere) consistently leave the ball short of the green is due to poor club selection. This is why Tour pros remark that "amateurs don't take enough club for their shot at hand".

 

[PapaJohick]

Middle of the green is often a good sense target. I expect that if players club themselves to the middle of the green they will rarely if ever leave their ball long of the green.
Or, as others have written to this thread, clubbing oneself so that a perfect strike carries to the back of the green is a good strategy.
Both of the above are essentially the same thing, that is average strike leaves the ball in the middle of the green or perfect strikes leaves the ball at the back of the green.
I think the reason so many in this thread (and on golf courses everywhere) consistently leave the ball short of the green is due to poor club selection. This is why Tour pros remark that "amateurs don't take enough club for their shot at hand".

I mean I agree that that could be part of it, but in terms of me and many of my friends here, when we miss in short it’s not because we chose the wrong clubs. It’s because we know that’s where you’re supposed to miss it at and that’s what we play as the miss