Give Yourself a Penalty

By Darell Mckissick
Target Putting.com

Most people think that golf is a power game. They see the guys on TV banging out 300 yard drives off every tee and hitting their six irons 200 yards. They then assume they are supposed to do the same thing.

When you consider the "average course" on tour is well over 7,000 yards, you do need a great deal of power to play them. The pros have to play out of rough that the average Joe will never see on top of the sheer length of the course itself. Most of the par 4 holes are well over 400 yards, with the occasional 500 yarder thrown in.

On the other hand, the average player tees up on a course that is less than 6,500 yards with rough that is sometimes non-existent. Most of the par 4s are less than 400 yards and sometimes the par 5s are less than 500 yards.

My point is that the average golfer plays a different game than the professional does. A long hitting pro might pull out his 6 iron from 200 yards, but only because he is capable of hitting that shot consistently.

The average golf loses many strokes in effort to hit the ball maximum distance with their driver, when maximum distance is rarely required on the course. They end up hitting the ball in the woods or other trouble in effort to get another ten yards out of the shot.

The distance is not nearly as important as hitting the fairway and keeping the ball in play. You can prove this to yourself by taking a penalty during your next practice round.

When you miss the fairway, pick up your ball and walk to the edge of the fairway and pace yourself off a 15 yard penalty. Drop the ball in the fairway and finish the hole.

You will find that it is much easier to score well from 150 yards out in the fairway than it is from 135 yards out in the rough or in the trees. Once you stop trying to get maximum distance off the tee, you will be closer to achieving maximum accuracy.

Maximum accuracy off the tee leads to lower scores than maximum power will lead to.

 

 

---