What do you do?

[TwoSolitudes]

So imagine you are a typical amateur golfer. A good drive is anything over 200 in the middle and a 410 yard par 4 is going to take three shots to get on unless you are really lucky. You have nothing in the bag that will get you over 200 from the fairway.

 

You make a decent drive and sit 210 away from the green. Do you take out a wedge and hit two 100 yard shots.

Or do you pull out the long iron/hybrid/wood and shot as long as you can then deal with the 30 yard pitch.

[Blade]

I'm not carrying a 3w currently. My 2u is good for 230-240 yds, sometimes a little more with some roll which is my longest club besides my driver. If I'm 250 out say, that's what I'm using leaving a short pitch unless I really get some roll and end up on the green. I would get as close as I can unless there's a hazard in play. But I'm typically good at the feel shots around the green. If I needed more of a full swing to get a particular distance, I probably wouldn't do that.

[The Artful Duffer]

Smart play, hit whatever layup leaves a full wedge into the green. What I do, bomb it down there and hope for the best. No guts, no glory. But that usually ends in disaster but very few people have ever accused me of making a wise decision on the course. Especially once you throw in a little liquid courage.

[Kanoito]

Since my longest iron goes for about 200 yards, I think I would go for a 7 iron and a lob wedge.

[mudfish]

I definitely don't play smart golf... I always go for the long shot... unfortunately that is usually not as controlled as 2 100 yards shot would have been... one of these days I'm going to leave my driver and woods in the car and see where I end up... probably in better shape than I have been this year...

[Blade]

Smart play, hit whatever layup leaves a full wedge into the green. What I do, bomb it down there and hope for the best. No guts, no glory. But that usually ends in disaster but very few people have ever accused me of making a wise decision on the course. Especially once you throw in a little liquid courage.

I'd be willing to bet most people will be closer to the pin from 20-30 yds than they would with a full shot from 100. In fact, I remember reading somewhere that even though amateurs don't typically have a great short game, they still end up closer on average with a short pitch than when they leave themselves a full shot in. Two full shots wouldn't necessarily be the smart play for most unless they are wildly inconsistent with a longer club.

[Jgolf]

I definitely don't play smart golf... I always go for the long shot... unfortunately that is usually not as controlled as 2 100 yards shot would have been... one of these days I'm going to leave my driver and woods in the car and see where I end up... probably in better shape than I have been this year...

 

I did that yesterday and shot my low round of the season. It's amazing what a 4 iron in play off every tee can do for you.

 

The disconnect in the situation that is proposed here is that as amateurs we constantly see pros hit the green from 200 + yards out with irons... I don't think i have ever seen an amateur hit 2 wedges to lay up, and i doubt i will, even when it would be the obvious smart golf shot.

[hckymeyer]

You need to answer two questions before you can decide which shot to hit. Can you get closer to the pin from 30yds or 100yds on your 2nd shot? Is there trouble around the green you want to stay away from (sand trap, rough, water ect...)?

 

Personally I feel I'll be closer on my 2nd shot if chipping/pitching from 20-30yds than I would be with a 3/4 wedge from 100yds, so my play would be bomb it and see what happens as long as there isn't too much trouble around the green. If there were a lot of tough bunkers or thick rough around the green then I would pick a distance that allows me to stay out of the trouble and play that shot instead.

[whiskey golf]

If I have 200 yards left, I usually pick a long iron and try to get as close as I can while playing it safe.

[Maverickping]

I would probably go for it and trust the best part of my game; the short game.

[wbealsd]

This is actually not that far off my average distances, although I have gained some yardage this Spring by being able to practice indoors over the past Winter.

 

If I'm 200 yards out on the fairway, I'll play my 4 wood. If I'm in the rough, or out around 215-220, then I'll play to layup around 80-100 yards out.

 

This scenario is also not too far off the way I play a par 3 in my Tuesday league, that has a water hazard in the front, course boundary on the left and thick rough and woods to the right.

 

I CAN carry to the green, with a well struck 4 wood, but when playing for a recorded score, I play the wedge, wedge, putter. Too many ways to end up with a double, or worse, if you mis-hit your shot off the tee.

 

As I get more practice in my short game using my SCOR wedges, my strategy may change over the next few weeks, but for now I'm more comfortable with my normal wedge swing than I am with my chipping. The SCORs are definitely helping me chip better, but that's been a weak spot for me and I'm focusing on that in practice, for now.

[TwoSolitudes]

Interesting responses folks. For my game the wedge shot at 100 yards gets me an 80-90% success rate. But both the long iron/hybrid/wood and the 30 yard pitch are much more uncertain.

 

When I used the lay ups I can break 100 and even get into the low 90's. When I try to go long every time I am usually scoring over 100.

[Saccers]

Well I sorta ...hmm well I have two drivers ... A Ping Rapture for the first drive and then a no-name driver that I use in the fairway and it usually gets me close enough and some days an extra bounce to the green. Ok the question was no 200 yard club ..

 

Normally I go for where ever the 100 yard marker is and then take pitching wedge in as its one of my most accurate clubs and then will still bogey the hole since I really suck at putting..... lol mind you since I read here about Instinct Putting ... I've lowered my average put to 2.2 from 2.9 ... and still improving I really like staring at the hole, rather than trying to feel the put. I get so much closer now and even in the hole. Thanks to whoever wrote the article.

[apprenti23]

If the average joe amateur has an excellent short game I say go for it. However if the short game is garbage- a nice full pitching wedge two times would probably work out better.

[TwoSolitudes]

I'd be willing to bet most people will be closer to the pin from 20-30 yds than they would with a full shot from 100. In fact, I remember reading somewhere that even though amateurs don't typically have a great short game, they still end up closer on average with a short pitch than when they leave themselves a full shot in. Two full shots wouldn't necessarily be the smart play for most unless they are wildly inconsistent with a longer club.

 

Really? My full shots from 110-80 yards in are all pretty solid. I find the most difficulty is in making 3/4 or 1/2 shots. Much easier to get within 100 and then just swing normally, instead of trying to guess how what speed to swing for a pitch. But maybe that is just me.

[Blade]

Really? My full shots from 110-80 yards in are all pretty solid. I find the most difficulty is in making 3/4 or 1/2 shots. Much easier to get within 100 and then just swing normally, instead of trying to guess how what speed to swing for a pitch. But maybe that is just me.

My best putting numbers come when I miss the green. I pitch it close and 1 putt pretty often. The trick to being good at pitching close is to NOT think about how hard to hit the ball or how fast to swing. Burn the image of your landing spot in your mind and toss the ball there with your club. It's no different than tossing a ball to a target by hand. You would never worry about how far to take your arm back or how hard to throw it. You would only think of where you want the ball to go. Once you mentally do that with pitching, there's no way your average from 100 yds will be closer than your average from close in.

[kygolfer1980]

I never play the smart shot so I would go with the 200 yarder everytime. I wonder why my handicap keeps climbing???

[TwoSolitudes]

My best putting numbers come when I miss the green. I pitch it close and 1 putt pretty often. The trick to being good at pitching close is to NOT think about how hard to hit the ball or how fast to swing. Burn the image of your landing spot in your mind and toss the ball there with your club. It's no different than tossing a ball to a target by hand. You would never worry about how far to take your arm back or how hard to throw it. You would only think of where you want the ball to go. Once you mentally do that with pitching, there's no way your average from 100 yds will be closer than your average from close in.

 

Well that sounds much too easy!