Nobody brags about their short game.
When guys sit around over a beer and talk about their golf games, we always talk about the length of our drives. And 300 yards is the measuring stick.
“I’m usually around 300.”
“When I get it on the screws, I’m 320.”
“Ah, crap. Hit it a little thin. Looks like only 260.”
Even if the drive is a spectacular failure, slicing into oblivion or hooking onto an adjacent fairway, it’s the distance that dazzles us.
And we love to talk about our driver. We never talk about our 7-iron or pitching wedge. We brag about and debate companies, models, shafts, grips, and loft angles. Clever club manufacturers know this, so they design and market drivers with as much character and charisma as a classic Hollywood star.
However, how far one hits their drive rarely determines their score.
Consistency, precision, and control are what chip away at your strokes. Subtlety and nuance matter. Knowledge matters. A good short game trumps long drives every time. But the short game ain’t sexy. Laying up ain’t sexy.
If you want to improve your golf game or anything else in your life, ignore the sexy and focus on what really matters.
