Driving question!

[JESII]

Is it easier to hit a fairway when you think the ball will go dead straight or when you know which direction it will curve?

[Sean Leary]

Knowing which direction it will curve.  Putting is the same way for me. I'd rather have a just outside right read than a dead straight.  More room for error.

[JESII]

Sean,

I think I agree with you about both.

[Glenn Spencer]

I would rather know which way my drive is going to move, but I am always happy to look at a straight putt, I think there is the possibility to learn more for the rest of the round from a straight putt.

[Tom Jefferson]

I never know which direction my golf ball is going to curve!!

Tom Watson said he always wanted to read some break in a putt....never wanted to read it as straight, and as he was the one who hit THE GREATEST SHOT EVER, I'm gonna go with his strategy.  I look for break, even if it's a quarter inch off center...and I see it going in the cup over that spot.

Tom

[Paul Payne]

I think the secret is knowing the difference between when you are going to hit dead straight, and when you will hit a curve right or left.

[JESII]

I would rather know which way my drive is going to move, but I am always happy to look at a straight putt, I think there is the possibility to learn more for the rest of the round from a straight putt.

Glenn,

How about if that straight putt is a ten footer on the last hole? Would you prefer just a small bit of break then?

[JESII]

Knowing which direction it will curve.  Putting is the same way for me. I'd rather have a just outside right read than a dead straight.  More room for error.

Sean,

After a bit of thought, do you really have more room for error when the putt has a bit of curve to it? Would that same principle make it easier to hit fairways when you intentionally curve the ball one way or the other?

[JESII]

Let's assume that the top players would prefer to hit a ball they could curve.

1) Can we assume that ball has to be shorter off the tee than todays tour caliber balls?

2) Can we assume the distance difference is enough that the pros would rather be in the rough at the shorter distance than the fairway?

3) How can golf course architects and superintendents present a golf course that will change the tour pros minds?

[Paul Payne]

Jes,

Logically you are correct, the physics would say that the hole remains the same size, break or not. I however would have to agree with Sean, in that if I was staring down a 10 footer on 18 for the match, I'd prefer about a 1 foot break from right to left. That is just what my eye is most comfortable with. No explaining it.

[Mark Brown]

I like a dogleg left, cause I rarely hit it right.

[JESII]

Mark,

Does that mean the best way for me to challenge you off the tee is to ask (or rather force) you to hit it left-to-right?

[Glenn Spencer]

JES,

Good question and the answer would still be yes, but I am the last person to ask about putting as I am surely the worst on this site.

Glenn

[Sean Leary]

JES.

Think about it this way.  You have a putt that breaks a couple of inches right to left with a foot past speed. If you pull it but hit it firmer it can still go in.  If you push it but hit it softer it can still go in.  If it is straight and you do either you miss.

For driving, if you start it at the right side and draw it, it gives you the whole width of the fairway to draw it into.

[Scott Cannon]

I think this is a really good question.
I have played Austin Golf Club 20 times or so. Of the 14 driving holes, 10 are dogleg right holes, but all 14 could be played with a fade. I would say 85-90% of the single digit hdcps draw the ball and they find the course difficult. Even the architect draws the ball, and he's a member that plays it almost daily.When you think about it, thats so cool that he wants the challenge that uncomfortable shape presents.

[rjsimper]

I dont think any good player will reasonably prefer to be intending to hit a shot dead straight - the margin for error is miniscule.

Working the ball properly takes one half of the course out of play...it's just dealing with that other half that screws me over.

[JESII]

I think this is a really good question.
I have played Austin Golf Club 20 times or so. Of the 14 driving holes, 10 are dogleg right holes, but all 14 could be played with a fade. I would say 85-90% of the single digit hdcps draw the ball and they find the course difficult. Even the architect draws the ball, and he's a member that plays it almost daily.When you think about it, thats so cool that he wants the challenge that uncomfortable shape presents.

Scott,

That is a great example.

Perhaps it was a bit cumbersome, but my goal with this thread is not to find out what type of putt is easiest rather it is to find out how we can create shot demands on the to players that will have them seeking a ball that increases their ability to manuever in both directions.

Many people were disappointed at the preparations for the 2004 US Open because of what happened with green speeds on Saturday night. My disappointment was the lack of penalty for driving in the rough. Shinnecock offers a very high degree of challenge off the tee (especially when th fairways are at Open widths) because to find the fairways you have to be comfortable working the ball both directions. If you cannot do this you will be faced with several holes which offer very little area to land your drive and keep it in the fairway. Since the rough turned out to be only a minor penalty players did not have to work as hard to get the ball in the fairway.

I think this type of design (in concert with really firm conditions) is in my view the only way to reign in the ball. If all the current courses on tour were to make the minor alterations to course layout, and find a way to really firm up the course you will have the tour pros looking for a ball that spins a good bit more and smaller driver heads that enhance workability because all of the sudden 150 in the fairway is markedly better than 115 in the rough.

A voluntary rollback is the only rollback I can imagine and this is the only way to create a voluntary rollback in my opinion.