Ladies dig the long ball is my edited headline for 2023, here’s how that saying went in 1990 for reference. Hitting a long drive seems to be what every amateur is chasing, maybe even more so than a great score. We watch the pros hit absolute missiles on TV and that’s all we need to see before we can stroll up to the tee box like Connor McGregor and try to pipe one 350yds.
Truth be told, I’m ok at golf. Not good. I can hit the ball ok, not that far. When I’ve posted my best score it’s when I’ve focused on my swing pace and staying in control of my swing. A point made below…
Long Ball Or Low Score?
It’s not even a question of what is more important to me, crushing a long drive? Or posting a good score? Definitely posting a score. That’s the goal every time, however I seem to have the attention span of a gnat. I get distracted and at some point during the round I try to crush my drive. Chatting with friends, enjoying the weather, maybe a few beers, and some music it can get away from you. Next thing I know I’m on the tee box with this internal monologue:
“Pace. In control. Pace. In control…”
Couple practice swings…
“Pace… In control. …Pace…”
Find my target… wait…
“Is the wind with me? Pace…Ohhhh… f@*k it!”
Except nine times out of ten my red tracer finds anything but the fairway. If the urge to hit a long drive doesn’t take hold on the first tee it will surface the second my game isn’t going exactly as planned. I strategize all week like an army general then one stray shot and its pedal to the metal…
It’s very hard finding the right balance in the golf game of when it makes sense to play conservatively. I loved this tidbit from Golf Insider:
Conservative strategy, cocky swing
You are far better off picking easy shots and making confident swings, than you are picking challenging golf shots that are outside your comfort zone. You’ll be amazed how easy scoring becomes with this approach.
This piece of advice also jumped out at me:
I only have one rule for you – optimizing your scoring is not about how good your good shots are, but rather, how good your bad shots are and how many strokes those bad shots cost you.
Woah deep thoughts Jack Handy. It gets said all the time, “just keep it in play”. Swinging as hard as you can looking for a long drive on every hole certainly isn’t going to do that. I’m not a great golfer so I try to keep my expectations somewhat low. However, I do want to play well so maybe the best way I can try to set myself up for that is to play smart, balanced golf, keep the ball in play, and stick to the game plan…
“Pace. In control.”
“Pace. In control”
“Wait, which way is the wind blowing…F@*K IT!”
Hit ‘em straight.
