Throw far or putt good

[Halcón]

I'd rather not add a single inch to my top drives of 300 feet, but would MUCH rather be able to drain every 20 foot putt I encounter.

 

[joshualicari]

Putting for sure. I honestly don't have much of a problem getting w/in 5 to 25 feet of baskets at 350' and below.

I DO have a massive of problem with my 'questionable zone' of 12 to 20 foot birdie putts being continuously blown. The fact of the matter is that I'd be a much better player if I went out and practiced putting more then trying to sneak in a quick 18.

 

[joshualicari]

A person doesn't have to throw far to compete,but they better be able to putt,to stay in contention.

/thread

 

[Psicko]

For the most part when my head is fully in the game, putting and approaching is my game. That and when I have a putter that works for me. I suck at driving. I suck so bad at driving that I rarely have a decent shot at birdies. Luckily I can usually hit one 80-100 approach shot about every round to every other round. I wish I could consistently hit at least 300-350' and accurately so birdies would come easily, and would be more likely to hit aces. If I can consistently hit 250' I'm having a good day. Yes you should drive for show and putt for dough, but if you cant drive worth a crap like me, then it still really sucks.

 

[davistd0]

Actually, it yields a lot of help on 350' holes. If a 350' hole is a putter or midrange shot you're more likely to be in the circle than if you need a super fast disc to only maybe get there. Putting well only matters if you can get into the circle in a minimum number of shots. If it takes you a drive and an approach to get in the circle for a 350' shot, how is that better than it taking a drive and two putts? What if it's a 600' hole? The driver needs a drive, approach and putt and the putter might need 2 drives an approach and a putt. After two holes the driver is one stroke ahead.

Driving farther does make your shorter drives better. You not only get to use more forgiving and easier to control discs, you have way more options. If you can only get to 350' with two discs in your bag you're at a disadvantage to someone who can get to 350' with all of the discs in their bag.
The thing that many "work on putting not driving" people seem to leave out is that it's much easier to get good at sinking 90% of your 20' putts than it is to learn to throw 450'. Or to put it another way, it's much easier for someone throwing 450' to learn to hit 90% of their 20' putts than it is for someone who sinks 90% of their 20' putts to learn to throw 450'.

Of course the best answer is that you should be good at putting from within the circle and be able to throw far. Which one you should be working on to improve your scores will depend on your current game. The way the question is worded there's no way to know who would be better off.

Nothing makes a 300' placement shot feel easier than knowing that I can throw 400' golf d. Two things are guaranteed on a hole. You will tee off once and you will putt at least once. (Not including aces and OB's or lost discs that require a re-tee). Might as well get the most out of the throw you can only take once. Putting for dueces can only happen if you get close enough.

I do believe putting well is more important than throwing 500'+. But I would take a very accurate 350' throw over putting at 90% in the circle.

 

[HotPinkBeast]

Hmm, which one would I choose to get rid of...

...thinking...

 

[notapro]

I vote drive.

Scoring low is satisfying, but throwing far has got to be the most enjoyable part of the game, in its raw form. In other words, the point of the game is to have fun, and to me, driving is waaay more fun than putting.

Also, let's say you do have a 500' hole. The long drive has the possibility to birdie it (or even ace it) WAY more than someone maxing out at 300' or even 350'. Not even close. You may not make the putt 90% of the time, but even making it 1% of the time is still more than the person throwing 350'.

So, for me it's fun>scoring.

Maybe I just wish I could throw far, to the point that it's clouding my judgment.

 

[b-mart]

Putt. I'll never have distance. I've maxed out around 280 and I don't see it changing any time soon. So I work on my control, my approaches, and my putts, and I'm relatively happy with my game. It's progressed much farther much faster since I gave up on distance than it did when all of my field work was to see how far I could throw it.

 

[mikk]

A long distance drive is worthless if you cant sink a 8 foot putt. I throw 400+ no problem all day long, I miss 8 foot putts all day long. I do practice putting but I'm still off/on with it, more off than on ;-(

 

[Bearcat42]

I think its more fun to throw super far, but putting is without a doubt more essential to a good round

 

[jongoff09]

I am happy with the distance. Being able to throw a mid or putter off the box on a par-4 is fun. At Lakeside-Selah, I eagled the island par-5 #7 from the short tee by throwing an anode 3 times. The long tees were really fun, as I didn't find them long at all. Someone we met said the long tees at those courses were "stupid," I bet he just couldn't throw far enough to be able to play them. I'll take the fun of being able to play any course over having to pick and choose courses I could play well.

For everyone saying throwing far isn't needed on most courses, I envision more courses like Selah popping up in the future.

 

[Pwingles]

People who throw far (assuming its accurate somewhat) will have more chances at making a short putt for a lower score, versus someone who constantly has to make 30+ footers for par. So, when they do miss, its less negative than when a "putter" misses his 25' par putt.

For those who dont think being able to reach a 350+ foot hole off the tee is an advantage over a shorter arm who will reach it less often is silly. If I know i can throw 400+ a 350' hole is birdie-able from a larger area since i have the potential to be up to '50 past (as an example) lets say if i mess up and over shoot it by 30, im still 30, whereas a smaller arm on a good pump may be 30 away on a good drive.

 

[Simpfiend1023]

To putt well consistently would be much better; hitting putts more often would be much more satisfying and help score in the long run. Being able to drive super far doesn't guarantee full accuracy ( you could throw 400+ ft in the wrong direction), so putting well is my choice!

 

[davistd0]

Revised Question?

Let's say the ability to throw 500' puts an emphasis on "ability" i.e. accuratley, like a normal person throwing 250'.

So would you rather make 90% of your putts inside the circle, or throw 500 feet+ with incredible accuracy?

 

[BgWvDave]

4 pages and no one has thrown out the biggest cliche in the game. i take putting
"drive for show and Putt for dough"$$$

 

[wake911]

Being able to throw 500' isn't all that big of an importance. Having 500' of power is a great asset to have. Just like Chuck said,

- I can throw my rocs when you are throwing valkyries and bosses.
- I'm throwing an Aviar when you are throwing Rocs and leopards.
- I'm going for the 475' hole from the tee, and you are playing for an approach shot.

The last one isn't very common really and isn't where the long arm advantage is, but the first two are very big advantages a long arm has. But, when i'm putting well, my driving can be a bit off and i can still score well. But if my drives are great, i am closer to basket so putting doesn't matter. It's a delicate balance really. If you can't do both well, you won't consistently score well.

 

[_MTL_]

Someone posted a while ago, I think on PDGA about how overrated throwing far was in this game and had stats to prove it.

He went through and and figured out if all you did was throw 250 feet, but you got up and down from 280 feet every single time (assuming a 250 foot throw and a 30 foot putt) how good would you be.

Well he through all the courses on the NT and majors and calculated a score based on this principle and then went through and compared the score to round ratings at those events.

The person would be rated like 1070.

then he was blown away. so he did the same thing for 200 feet. Up and from 230. The player would be like 1030.

Insane.

 

[AndyJB]

Of course, ideally you would be awesome at both.
Throwing far definetly has it's uses, and it's cool to show off with, but putting is bread an butter. I haven't done field work in a very long time, but I have an Innova DiscCatcher in my back yard and put a lot of time into putting practice. I have noticed my scores have dropped dramatically thanks to being able to putter better.
But, as others have pointed out, it doesn't matter if you take six throws to get within putting range. I think the best would be able to consistently get a nice clean drive and consistently make putts from 40 feet and in. But if we all did that, we'd be pros now wouldn't we?

 

[Chef Fini]

The guy i usually play with throws 450 consistantly but can hit 500 with the right wind, he hits probably 65-70% of his putts inside the circle. I can throw around 380 consistantly but around 400 on a good rip and hit 90%+ of my putts inside the circle with my comfort zone being around 45 ft. Putting is the best part of my game by far. I definitely prefer hitting my putts to throwing far. Having my short game where it is I keep up with the big arms for sure. It is usually pretty interesting when we are both on our game at the same time to see what comes out on top for the day.... big d or putting. To answer the question for me... putting for sure.

 

[notroman]

I've been chasing distance for years and finally last winter started breaking 500' for the first time. It was awesome to watch, but did absolutely nothing to my game. I shifted my focus to build up consistency/accuracy and putting. My distance has suffered as a result, and I'm back to about 430-450' max D but I can hit most of my putts inside the circle now and I land in the fairway more or less consistently. My game took the biggest jump this year as a result of that. Shooting great rounds is more satisfying than throwing far. I'll vote for putting over distance