Is putting really more important than driving

[cblanch4]

Is putting truly more important than driving? I hear this often and i think to an extent i disagree. When first staring i think its true, but once you can park 80% of the hole on a course isnt driving accuracy more important. Ive gotten to the point where i can consistantly throw past 400 ft, and fairly accuratley. I consistantly end up within 50 to 60 ft of the pin off the drive, but i dont know anyone who consistantly knocks down 60 footers. So for me its an easy par but rarely a birdie. If im inside 25 ft ill make the putt, but its gotten to the point where driving accuracy is more important. If i increased my putting percentage i would maybe drop 1 or 2 strokes, but if i could could cut the distance to the pin in half, i would probably drop 5 or more strokes.

Has anyone else seen this happen and how do you get to where you drive within the circle more often. I assume once i start driving consistantly withing 35 ft then putting will once more be more important.

 

[Romans 5-8]

I'd say it depends on each persons skill level with putting.

The open/pro players in my area are like 80-90+ percent inside the circle. If you are that confident in your putting game, then yeah I think driving is more important, but you must remember for those guys to be that accurate with putting, they had to put in some major work, and continue with that work or they might lose that killer putting game.

I think a balanced game is the best, be good at everything....wink wink

When people say "drive for show, put for dough" I tend to see it meaning something different to each player depending on their skillset. If you can drive 450+ and accurate, yeah putting can be put on the backburner I guess, but most can't. If you can barely drive 300 and you are a newb, I think it is good advice to tell someone that putting will help their game, that they can shave strokes by extending their comfort zone in the circle.

That's just my take on it, if I had to pick one, I would say putting is more important than overall distance, if you are accurate with your drive/upshot then there is nothing more frustrating than not being able to finish at the basket.

 

[bradharris]

A lot depends on the courses you play too. In the wooded courses of New England putting tends to take a backseat sometimes because often, you can be inside the circle and still not have a very good look at the basket if you land in the wrong spot.

 

[eegor]

Is putting truly more important than driving?
If im inside 25 ft ill make the putt...

It appears that you answered you own question. Making all (or almost all) of your putts inside of 25 feet is a big deal and the reason you score consistently well.

As for approaches, I can get within 25 feet from 150 to 200 feet out almost every time. The big drive isn't that important. The short game lowers the scores.

 

[Romans 5-8]

A lot depends on the courses you play too.

Great point, that can make a HUGE difference. I have a buddy that is a fantastic, lights out putter, but some courses he really struggles because his drive isn't as accurate as he would like it to be.

I tend to have a small advantage on him for those couple of courses because I have a few shots he doesn't have and can make up for my putting if it's not going great that day.

 

[banknwank]

You can putt for dough .......but first you gotta put on the show. I can't do either ! For me, par golf is about the approach, birds are all about the drive. .... But both take a one putt to seal the deal. Romans nailed it . for the new to average golfer, improving your putter skills will improve your score the most. For the absolute newb thats hucking 150 ft hyzers from hell, learning to throw/drive will pay the most dividends .

 

[Romans 5-8]

You can putt for dough .......but first you gotta put on the show. I can't do either ! For me, par golf is about the approach, birds are all about the drive.

The approach.....huh!! Talk about underrated. You could make a pretty strong argument that the upshot is the most important part of the game. Even if you suck at driving, or suck real bad at putting, if your approach is 5 ft away from the basket.....no worries. It's all important really, but you get my point.

 

[elmexdela]

its all important. all of it blends together to make the game.

 

[AndyJB]

I think putting is more important. If it wasn't, I would be a much higher-rated player, that's for sure!!!

I can see the OPs point, but it also depends on the course, but that's just logical. Someone who can uncork a huge drive still isn't going to park every hole, every time for a ten foot or under birdie. But someone who can't drive as far but has lights-out putting will usually score better. There is just more variables on a 350-400 foot drive, factors that you can't control, than a 30-40 foot putt.

A drive might get you there, but a putt closes out the hole, every time.

 

[TalbotTrojan]

In the long run, both are important. But if you can consistently drive inside of 60' you are still making 1/2 to 2/3 of your throws as putts.

 

[mashnut]

The approach.....huh!! Talk about underrated. You could make a pretty strong argument that the upshot is the most important part of the game. Even if you suck at driving, or suck real bad at putting, if your approach is 5 ft away from the basket.....no worries. It's all important really, but you get my point.

That would be more true if we had more true par 4 and 5 holes. The vast majority of courses I've played don't require upshots unless you shank your drive, it's just drive and putt. When you get on a course that has multi-shot holes those fairway shots really do make a huge difference in scores it seems.

 

[Romans 5-8]

That would be more true if we had more true par 4 and 5 holes. The vast majority of courses I've played don't require upshots unless you shank your drive, it's just drive and putt. When you get on a course that has multi-shot holes those fairway shots really do make a huge difference in scores it seems.

Yeah, I agree wit ya, fortunately here in Idaho and the Northwest we have a handful of courses with long holes, the ones that if you get a birdie on it's a freakin miracle for sure. 500+ foot holes are nice......sometimes.

But in general, my point was to show that every aspect of the game is crucial, and the upshot is the most neglected when it comes to talk about which is the greatest or "most important".

 

[scotnt73]

To a new player-intermediate better putting will lower the scores much quicker. Once you become advanced on up and can nail 25 footers all day then yes driving will be more bang for your buck.

 

[Puckstopper]

As so many others have said, the approach is the key shot in disc golf. Drive for show, putt for dough is an aphorism from real golf, where the target is much smaller, ergo significantly harder to hit. Learning to putt in real golf is a lifelong process that you never truly master. A 20' putt (on a fairly calm day) for an average disc golfer is satisfying, but still not unusual to hit. From 20' (on a typical green) the average golfer is hoping to leave the ball within 1-2' of the hole for a tap-in.

In my mind driving accuracy is usually far more important than distance, assuming you have confidence in your approach game.

 

[Nowherenova]

I prefer the term "ball golf" or "regular golf" to "real golf"

 

[Ryan P.]

I would argue that putting is more important than driving for the ideal player, though the degree varies from person to person.

Statistically, if you look at all of the shots you take in golf (ball or disc), more of them are putts. Most players drive no more than once per hole on average, and approach no more than once per hole on average. However, most players putt more than once per hole on average. If you disagree, take a look at my thought process below, or check out your own scorebook (and separate drives from approaches).

Thus, you putt more than you drive or approach each hole.


From another point of view, let's say you can drive to within 30' of accuracy on any hole less than 400', but you can only putt accurately out to 20'. A 30' circle has an area of 2,826', and a 20' circle has an area of 1,256'. Your drives, even though you are a very accurate driver, more likely to end up landing outside of 20' than inside of it.

Evidence against putting being more important: the mental game. If you're a guy who thrives on nailing everything and having easy putts to psyc yourself up/psyc others out, then driving is more important to you. However, I would argue that these players aren't among the best, and that everyone will have to hit some tough putts in a round to do well. While some players value driving more, the majority need to putt well. Therefore I think to the majority of players, putting is more important than driving and approach (though you must have all three to play well).

(For the driving/approaching/putting section above:

Approaching: On all par 3 holes you are either driving or approaching off the tee, depending on your opinion. On a par 4 or 5 hole, you're approaching once. Overall, You're throwing an approach once per hole if your drive doesn't land on the "green", twice if you throw a terrible approach, and zero times if your drive does land on the green. From my experience, I throw just less than one approach per hole.

Driving: I am not driving on a decent amount of Par 3 holes (I'll just say half for the sake of argument). I am driving on Par 4's and 5's (once or twice per hole, respectively). This leads to just less than one drive per hole.

Putting: No matter how good I get, I'm putting at least once per hole every round. I putt on every hole unless I: 1) get an ace or 2) nail my approach. This happens less than once per round, and I 2/3-putt at least 4 times a round at a bare minimum. Therefore I average over 1 putt per hole (much closer to 1.5 or 2 putts per hole).)

 

[ru4por]

I prefer the term "ball golf" or "regular golf" to "real golf"

I use swat golf.

 

[fritothedog]

I think the "drive for show, putt for dough" is a holdover from ball golf. I think driving holds more weight in disc golf than in ball golf due to the various lines and throws required to hit those lines. I feel like in disc golf there are a lot more ways to drive. If you can hit a ball straight, that is what you will do on most ball golf holes. In disc golf, you may need to throw it on a hyzer or anhyzer or FH or OH or roller or whatever other shot you think will get to the basket or fairway depending on the line.

That said, I still think putting is more important. But where ball golf may be 20% driving/80% putting disc golf would be closer to 40/60. IMO.

 

[kevdiv48]

I really think it is a combination. As a rec player myself, inconsistency is my biggest weakness. It seems that the holes that I drive well on I am at the edge of my comfortable putting range, and holes that I don't drive well on I can approach fine and make the putt. Driving is what gets you the majority of the way to the pin, even if it is less throws, but putting is what gets you your score.

 

[tbird888]

If you look at most of the top touring pros, most have big arms. The ones at the top of the leaderboard in N-Tiers (when they're all competing against each other) are the ones making the large majority of their putts, and not just the ones inside the circle.