Golfers ARE Obsessed with Distance - And They Should Be

As you read this golf tip, please keep in mind that it may not apply to your unique needs. Always consult with your local PGA professional (that would be Scott Seifferlein if you are new to how this works:) before attempting to apply any golf tip you have read from a newspaper, magazine, book, internet, your 20 handicap brother-in-law, etc.

I was reading a comment on a blog the other day where some guy said, "I'd much rather have a 150 yard shot straight for the green from the fairway than that 100 yard shot out of the rough." What do you think about this dude's course management style of thinking?
I think most days I'll bet on the guy that has 100 yards from the rough.
That being said you have to be strong enough and you have to know how the club works when cutting through the rough. And you have to know when it is the right play to be aggressive and risk going in the rough. Obviously when O.B. stakes are near by it is safer to play for the fairway.
But let's assume for a moment that you are strong enough to get through the rough, which shouldn't take much on most of the courses you play, and there is not any severe penalty like water or Mr. Havacamp's yard O.B. penalty for missing the fairway. Why do you think you would have more success from the rough at 100 yards than the fairway at 150 yards?

Let's look at some statistics rather than a theory. The statistics provided here include all shots from the distance ranges regardless of whether they were in the fairway or rough. You could however make an educated guess that the shots in the greater yardage range are on longer holes (which generally have wider fairways) so in all likelyhood PGA Tour players are more likely to be in the rough when playing from a shorter yardage. This year on the PGA Tour Robert Allenby hit the green 84.76% of the time from 100 to 125 yards. He hit the green 69.11% of the time from 150 to 175 yards. His average distance from the flag when hitting from 100 to 125 yards was 18'9". His average distance from the flag when hitting from 150 yards to 175 yards 26' 3". His putting average in the 18 foot range was15% and when putting from 26 feet his percentage less than 10%. So you can now clearly see that Robert Allenby is better off from 100 yards than 150 yards. But what does that mean to you?

The average tour player has about 15 yards difference per short iron. So we could assume that if Robert is playing a sand wedge from 100 yards, he probably hits a gap wedge 115, a pitching wedge 130, a 9 iron 145, and an 8 iron 160. So when going from a SW to an 8 iron he definitely has a bigger challenge but maybe not a huge difference. Now let's take your Joe Schmow statistics. The average amateur has about 10 yards difference per short iron. So we could assume that if you are playing a Pitching wedge from 100 yards, you probably hit a 9 iron from 110, 8 from 120, 7 from 130, 6 from 140 and 5 from 150. Now the picture becomes more clear doesn't it? So I ask you again would you rather have a Pitching wedge into the green or a 5 iron into the green?
Time to hit the gym and bulk up your tee shots for next year. I'll see you at the 100 yard marker.
Your Partner In Golf Success,

by Scott Seifferlein PGA Golf Guru