As I gain more confidence in my lag putts, this becomes a more and more viable option to 2 putt for par. I'm not as worried about a long putt, and as a result I can avoid the hazards by not pin hunting when they are protected, and instead get it on the green and trust my putter.
I've said it for a while, but the pride keeps getting in the way. P-Ave with 8-iron is 160, but fact is I'm missing short on approach way too much. Like you said, just have to get over myself and start clubbing up
I wrestle with the aim small miss small, and just going for the center of the green theory. I've found I'm much better when i try to pick a point on the green to land it, as opposed to just throwing it up there towards the green. But, that's why my irons are doing what I want them to do. Sometimes my aim small miss small is so large that it is the entire green
. But I do think that is a good point. Pick a spot, pick a shot, and trust your judgement.
What were you before OL, and where are you now?
This is a good point. It's hard to hit a green when you're punching out from trees. Trust me, that's been me more often than I care to admit.
Once you start hitting consistent shots, it definitely makes it easier to say, I hit my 8i 150 most of the time. Instead of saying I hit my 8i 150 50% of the time.
I don't think my issue is tee boxes. I'm actually hitting more greens from 150 out, than I am from 100-150. Part of my issue is just learning and trusting my wedge distances. That 100-125 gap where it's not always a full swing is my kryptonite!
I've said it for a while, but the pride keeps getting in the way. P-Ave with 8-iron is 160, but fact is I'm missing short on approach way too much. Like you said, just have to get over myself and start clubbing up
I am the same, I woud rather be on the green putting than be short-sided in a horrible lie or bunker with the potential for a big score
My short game is pretty good, so I don't mind missing from time to time if my potential lie is:
was 32% last time I tracked it with any consistency before. haven't tracked since
It's that balance isn't it. Putting yourself in a good position, vs putting yourself in the best position. It's a fine line, but you must have a good iron game that is consistent to really be aggressive, at least from my perspective. And as my greenside short game continues to improve, I feel more confident if I miss, that I can still get up and down. Trying to use my strengths to influence and help the other parts of my game is a positive direction.
I have the same thought, still go for the same distance as I tee it up pretty low also. Just curious if I was missing something.For me, tee balls are more about spin control than distance. I can't say I hit a tee ball significantly farther than a center of fairway ball as I tee it pretty low on the tee box. Hitting off the tee just eliminates any lie problems inherent with a "where did it stop rolling" ball.
I've thought about this, but I don't play the tips and I don't want to hit wedge into the greens each time. I drive it 250 on average, so distance I don't think is my problem. I guess I should have said that increasing my GIR % isn't the end goal, it's a result of better iron play. I want better iron play to be my end goal, because to my hitting a pure iron that lands on a green is close to perfection for me during a round. Just love it!
It really is. Knowing your own game, strengths and weaknesses, is pretty essential to riding that line. And that's why I have to watch the GIR here. My greenside wedge game is excellent. If I hit almost every green, but notice a few pretty long first putts in there from decent approach range, I might not have been aggressive enough. I'll take my chances of holing out from 20' greenside on a just missed GIR over a putt from 40' on a GIR just about every time on the greens around here. Strokes are tough to find. They're smart, hide wherever they can. Gotta be smarter!
I struggle most with my PW and 9i, as far as consistent strikes go. My 7i or 8i are where I feel most confident and execute the most from. OL has always intrigued me, because I think I would benefit from the longer 9i and PW, without sacrificing too much. Some days I wish I could change my KFT's to OL KFT's, because it would be fun and I think it would help my iron play.
And for me, it's knowing where I'm at that day. If my iron game is on, let's get aggressive if the shot calls for it. If it's just not working that day, I'm more apt to take the safe approach.
