The PGA Tour average for driving distance is 289.7 yards (PGA tour), but the most successful players on tour are also the longest hitters. Three out of the five top ranked golfers in the world hit it the ball at least 20 yards further than the tour average. The second ranked golfer in the world, Rory McIlroy, has an average drive of 310.5 (PGA Tour), and in the last year he has won five tournaments and total winnings of $12.5 million. As you can see hitting the ball far gives you an advantage over the field.
Two tour pros whose names are always atop of driving distance are Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson. ESPN did a Sport’s Science on these two which helps explain how they hit the ball so far. These two combined have a total of 2 major championships, and 15 PGA tour wins. On average they drive the ball 318 yards and over (PGA tour), with distance like that it makes scoring much easier. It allows pros to be able to reach par 5’s in two and have eagle attempts. Bubba and Dustin both have 14 eagles this season and are tied for 3rd in total eagles (PGA tour). Distance and low scoring go hand in hand, but in a world dominated by long hitter why are they not winning every week?
It all comes down to putting. As most people remember Dustin Johnson missed a three-foot birdie putt to force a playoff with Jordan Speith at the U.S. Open. Whenever I saw Dustin Johnson’s name during the week of the 2015 U.S. Open there was always the hash tag #madeforchambersbay (chambers bay is the name of the course that hosted the U.S. Open). Chambers Bay is a long golf course, and it played at about 7,500 yards during the U.S. Open. Dustin was overpowering the course all week, driving the ball 327 yards on average (PGA tour). His length put him into contention, but his putting cost him a major. When it comes down to it distance does matter, but it can only get you so far.
Luke Donald, former number one golfer in the world, proved four years ago that a great short game could produce results. It is 2015 and Luke Donald is not the best golfer anymore. Why you may ask? The answer is simple. Luke drives the ball 277 yards on average, which is 12 yards shorter than the Tour average, but he does sit at number three on the leaderboard for approach shots from125-150 yards. Even with an impressive short game Luke has only 2 top ten finishes this season (PGA tour). Another player who is the polar opposite to Luke Donald is Bubba Watson. As mentioned earlier, Bubba is atop of the leaderboard in driving distance, but his rank in approach shots from 125-150 yards is 89th. This season Bubba has 2 wins and 8 top ten’s. Although Luke is better at approach shots, his distance hinders his ability to compete each week. Bubba, on the other hand, is able to compete because he hits the ball so far, which allows him to have more scoring opportunities.
Sources:
http://www.pgatour.com/stats.html
http://www.pgatour.com/players/player.28237.rory-mcilroy.html/statistics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR2AWiC2Ts0
http://www.pgatour.com/stats/stat.106.html
http://www.pgatour.com/statsreport/2015/06/20/leaders-stats-us-open-round-3.html
http://www.pgatour.com/players/player.23983.luke-donald.html/statistics
Interesting post, it is weird how many of the great players throughout history have also been some of the longest, like Jack Nicklaus and Sam Sneed. However, there is definitely something to be said for short game. Just look at what Jordan Spieth. he is not the longest player yet he has won two majors this year. I wonder what scientific experiments could be done to prove once and for all if putting is more important than driving?
It is interesting that you wrote about this for your post. I like to watch golf and even though I’m not very good, I still enjoy playing it as well! This post relates to me because I am a pretty big hitter, I hit the ball very far, but when it comes to approach shots and putting I am atrocious. I agree with you on your findings and conclusion, I think distance definitely helps a player, but it doesn’t produce an automatic win as you said. A player also has to be good at putting and around the greens in order to posses what it has to be a champion. I take this to the extreme, I score high because I am super long so I will get to the green and look at birdie putts all day, but then I 3 putt. It’s awful and really annoying, but it shows how distance is not everything in golf. I would find it interesting to place two of the longest hitters on the tour right now, pin them against two of the greatest short game players right now, and then have them compete on a long course and a short course and see which team wins on each course. It would be interesting to see how each of the teams characteristics, long and short, give them advantages and disadvantages on each course!