Dale Weaver wrote in a blog the other day, “I’m more of a ‘control thinker’ than a ‘distance ‘thinker. I’d much rather have a 150 yard shot straight for the green from the fairway that that 100 yard shot out of the rough.” What do you think about Dale’s course management style of thinking?
I think that Dale and the Surge are brothers of the “Straight is Great” fraternity of golf course management. As far as I am concerned, the only place to play golf consistently and successfully is out on the fairway. To me this is as basic as driving a car. The only place to drive your car is on the asphalt. Get the tires in the dirt and you loose control and have an accident. The only place to drive your golf ball is on the fairway. Loose control of your ball and it ends up in the rough, fairway bunkers, streams, lakes and OB, all of which are accidents and costly ones, like a car wreck.
Golfers are obsessed with distance. I know they are making courses longer. I also know they still make multiple tees. Most courses have at least 4 or more sets of tees, from ladies, senior, member and back tees. Many of the longer ones offer the way back and long set that some call the championship or Pro tees.
The key is to know your game and distance and play the appropriate length tees that fit your length and skill level. The key is that amateurs, playing golf for relaxation, exercise, camaraderie and enjoyment, play the right set of tees. That’s the way to experience all of these purposes for playing. The main goal, after all the above comfort reasons, is achieving the success and satisfaction of shooting scores that make you feel good and show you are playing to your potential. That’s the reward for all your hard work and practice.
Then there is the case of playing the correct length of tees but still being enamored with distance. Whether it is just for the distance or to be the longest driver in your group, driving for distance is the same as driving your car off the road. Recovery is possible, but the odds are not good. Failure can be anything from escaping with a bogey to making those high numbers, which destroy golf scores like trees destroy cars.
I don’t know if this long ball golf or as I call it “Bomb-it Golf” attitude started out on the PGA Tour where it is a live and well. I will admit that these guys need to hit it long as they now play many courses over 7500 yards. But even with that length, I still believe that “Long is Wrong” and “Straight is Great.” There is no substitute for playing from the fairway, the “short grass,” as you get a clean ball contact and thus better control of you ball for distance and direction.
The PGA Tour had many short to average length hitters win tournaments and Majors and have great careers, like Corey Pavin, Tom Kite and Fred Funk in modern times, and one past great player, Paul Runyon. Wikipedia says this about Mr. Runyan. “Fellow golfers nicknamed him ‘Little Poison,’ primarily because he didn’t drive the ball very far but also had a terrific short game.” Mr. Runyan is a member of The World Golf Hall of Fame. He won 29 PGA Tour events including 4 Majors, one of which is the 1938 PGA Championship. He beat Sam Snead in match play 8 and 7 for the most lopsided win of that era. It was reported that Snead was outdriving Runyan by 40 to 50 or more yards every hole.
So I believe, and play myself and preach and teach, that “Straight is Great.” I am confident that if you like long, are obsessed about long and work and practice to hit it long, and are not keeping the ball in play and scoring higher than what makes you feel good, try a change of attitude. Start thinking and playing with the attitude “Straight is Great.” And with that, start working on your short game. Turn yourself into a fairway hitting machine and a wizard around and on the green. You will see your scores go lower faster than you can write them down.
I have talked to DJ many times about the PGA Tour Players attitude of Bomb it Golf. This means the farther you hit it and get closer to the green the better, even if it is in the rough. I disagree with this thought process vehemently and believe, as Dale said above, “that farther away in the fairway is better.” I have convinced DJ of that and he is focusing on “Straight is Great,” even to the point of finally shortening his driver, as I have been lobbying him to do for years. I think my mantra for this “Bomb-it Golf” finally registered with him and hopefully with you if you if long is your mantra.
“Bomb-it,” rhymes with ‘VOMIT.”
The Surge!
Tell me what you're thinking... and what part of the golf swing, or this great game... you'd like to know more about. If you want your pic to show with your comment, go get a 
great things but i think distance is important to a degree-if i could learn to keep my head behing the ball at impact i could add distance-plus more solid contact!!!! suggestions?
PGA stats don’t bear that out. closer is better…hence the reason for the groove changes.
“I’d rather play a wedge second shot out of rough than a 5-iron from the fairway if I gain 40 or 50 yards by doing it… There’s ninety ways to get out of the rough after a long drive, but no way at all to pick up those yards you’ve lost by hitting them soft”
Sam Snead
I am a new golfer and am having a lot of trouble with my consistecy on contact…I can hit 3 or 4 good drives at the range and then I will either slice 50 to 75 yards to the left ( I an a lefty) or I will hit 3 that get no distance or are “worm burners.” With my long irons I have an even worse problem…I can get 150 out of then but it is like a 20 percent chance. The rest don’t get up high enough to give me distance.
I play from the white tees in spring/summer/early fall and the senior tees during late fall and winter. At 62 and once a very high handicaper I finally have it down between 16 and 19 depending on the time of year. As the weather in Western Washington gets very wet and the air heavy you are hampered to get the same type of distance that you do in the summer months. Using your training I am hitting the fairways from the tee 85 to 95 per cent of the time. Most of the missed are in the second cut so I rarely have to bomb it out of the tall stuff. If feels great to make a decent drive again.
Hi, while I agree with the fact that playing from the fairway is best, I noted that you are referring to the tees as, Ladies, Senior, Members and back. This is not the case, they are simply forward, middle, middle back and back (or championship). The segregation of tees by sex is no longer used, as the forward tees are a great place for many senior golfers that could be both men or women, and other tees may be suited to women as well, as you did say, based on handicap indexes.
The pro I played with here in Spain until he sadly got a stress-fracture of the shoulder kept telling me: “Don’t bomb it out there. Play what ever shots you need to get to your favourite distance for an approach shot. What’s the point in over-hitting a 5 wood on the fairway to get 30 yards from the green but wide and in the rough, when you could hit a six iron and leave yourself an easy 100 yard pitch from the middle of the fairway?”
I took the advice (mostly) and got down from 18-20 to 11-12 without much else in the way of changes. So now I count BACK from the green to tee, working out where I want the approach shot to be from (70-90 metres is best for me). Rather than counting FORWARD from the tee hoping I can hit to enormous swipes to get somewhere near the green and then facing a horrible shot in from 30 metres out of the rough over a bunker straight towards the lake. Anyone had that feeling?
Any suggestions on my comment woukd be much appreciated….email is cbvj6007@gmail.com
Don
How do I deliberately slice and hook with your system
HIHO SURGE,
LOVE THE BOMB IT/VOMIT GAG.
MY GOLF BUDDY IS AN EX-NATIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER WITH THE TWINS. HE IS DEDICATED TO LONG WITHOUT MUCH REGARD TO WHERE. BEING 10 YEARS OLDER THAN HIM, I AM SHORTER BUT STRAIGHT.
NOW ARMED WITH YOUR GUIDANCE, I AM LONGER AND STRAIGHTER TOO.
THANKS,
Bravo, Cherie! You are right on the mark with your comment. The sooner we can get the “ladies” and “senior” language out of the game, the better. If you reference the tees by gender or age at my dad’s course, you are corrected — quickly.
I have played with far too many guys who are playing tees well beyond their ability: it’s really frustrating because they are constantly in trouble and holding up your game (it’s equally frustrating playing behind these kinds of people as well). On the other end of this spectrum, I have played with some really talented, long-hitting women who seemed to feel that they were compelled to play the forward tees. I think they would have had a more challenging and fulfilling game from the whites.
I look forward to the day when there is a system that forces people to play the tees appropriate to their skill levels. On that note, for the first time ever, I saw a young guy (in his 30s, but, sadly, that’s now young for me) playing the forward tees, even though his friends were playing the whites. I felt like going back, shaking his hand, and congratulating him and taking such a positive, mature approach to the game.
I too have played behind foursomes that have members incapable of playing the same tees as ther playing partners. They must think that is a requirement of golf–as if it is written somewhere important.
There must be a fomula that determines what tees you should play from if you only hit your five iron 140 and you drive less than 200 (or any other combination) When one member of a foursome is playing from the wrong tees,.it not only slow that foursome, but causes everyone behind them to wait, often for 5 hr rounds with a loss of Tempo.
Maybe we do need a rule that prevents the blowhards from insisting weak hitters play from the same teemarker as they do, Methinks a stroke a hole should stay that golfer from wining any bets and the ill gotten revenue he gains from such unspotsmanlike and disruptive behavior.
Greetings Karen,
Thank you for resolving my problem. It seems that there was a situation of my misunderstanding that you have promptly resolved.
Thank you for your kind attention,
Mack J.
As before I told you this has been my thrid summer playing, I sitll have not kept score, Im afraid to. but your golf swing has helped me, so I keep going and love it.
Im signed up for lessons again this winter, what do you think about more lessons?
Thanks,
marilyn
I am a handicap chairman and tournament director and conduct 9 to 10 tournaments a year. Pace of play is alway a factor in considering which tees to play from. It is hard to please all the people all the time. Most of our tournaments are played from white tees to accommodate the average handicap of 15.6 player. The rule of thumb I use to select a tee box is not based on color alone. Take the average distance you hit a 5 iron and multiply that number by 36. That equals a good distance to play from, regardless of the color or the tee blocks. The other factor I use is slope of the tees to play. 113 is the average slope for the handicap index computations. Slopes well above that are more difficult for bogey golfers. On the other hand, course rating is the gage of difficulty for a low handicap or scratch golfer. Play within your capabilities and you will enjoy the game a lot more.
– I agree, Surge. Hitting from the fairway is much easier, less frustrating and contributes to a smoother game.
– Thanks to your PPGS techniques, tips and philosopjhy, I’m hitting murch straighter, cutting strokes, having murch more fun and playing more confidently. I have three questions for you:
1. When do you plan to talk about the “secrets of hitting the number on the ball” (my paraphrase) as was promised when I became a member in July?
2. How can I stand parallel to my target when it’s NOT straight ahead but to the left (so I can go in diagonally)? Don’t my feet have to point in that direction or I stand at an angle?
3. How can I break my putting problem of being 5-6 feet short? If I try to follow through (instead of popping the ball), the ball goes too fast and goes way past the hole.
You all are focusing on the wrong idea – firstly, if someone is just learning the game, don’t put them on a top level course – play a course appropriateto your skill level! Also, I have played behind women many times who, while not long, were STRAIGHT. No time was wasted wandering around in the rough looking for balls and play moved right along. For the average high-handicapper, 20 or 30 yards less off the tee is not what slows play down – it is the real stinkers into the woods, or OB, or the hazards that slow play. Also, slow play on the greens also adds to the problem – honestly, how long does it take to miss a 4 foot putt? Pay attention to what your (and your partners’) approach shot does when it lands, watch their putts and be ready when it is your turn! BTW, this is one thing that is absolutely maddening when watching a pro tournament live and in person. For Gosh sakes, they have a caddy, a yardage book with distances from every blade of grass, a detailed map of the green, AND they know EXACTLY how far they hit an 8 iron! It is not so noticeable on TV, but live, it is enough to make a person scream!
Hi Surge.
Been a member now for about 2 months I guess. Bought the PPGS system. Hummmm. Know what folks? This stuff works. No Pain (61 years old). Hitting the ball with a lot better contact. This overturning thing really does mess you up. 70 degree limited back swing works for me. A BIG thank you Surge. Also I have been looking at a spot in FRONT of the ball, Not hitting it fat anymore. What do you think about that. Good thing? Or just a quick fix.
Work around your strengths. If you are naturally long use that to your advantage, if you have a great short game use that to your advantage. Always play to your strength. http://www.aboutjuniorgolf.com
“Get the tires in the dirt and you loose control and have an accident.”
This maybe considered a mundane contribution, but lose is spelled lose, not ‘loose.’ This word has been misspelled innumerable times on your site, and I recommend either a new editor, or the hiring of yours truly as your new syntax caddy!
Now back to hitting the ball to the target poles in the heart of the fairway and the safe side of the green, as opposed to the double bogeyland of branches, brambles, and braggadocio.
Surge, am 90 years old, reasonably athletic, but have a replacement left shoulder. What’s left is fairly weak and arthritic – too much movement in certain directions causes pain. My take away gets messed up a little because my left arm bends to about a 45 degree at the elbow when the club head is pointing straight up. That’s the limit of my range of motion.
Are there adjustments I should make? If so, ??????.
Or, oh horrors, does this mean the PPGS is not for me?
Aloha, Doug
I’m definitely in favour of changing the tee marker system to that of reflecting ability. I play with a social club and we are allocated the forward yellow tees and this facilitates our hurry up ready golf (which allows us to book early on courses and be out of the way before the members comp). It also allows our less competent members an easier time around the course without having to try to hit the ball harder than they are capable of to try and reach the longer holes in regulation.
So I would re-classify the tee markers as
yellow : C – grade and social players,
red : B – grade,
white : A – grade and
blue: ( Tiger tees) championship.
I like playing off the Tiger tees (I still think of them as Nicklaus tees) even though I’m a B grader, hcp 14, because I’m a longish hitter with a C grade short game. Thanks to PPGS I’m a straighter and easier long hitter and I’m working on Surge’s tips for the short game. Playing off the blue markers on a group 1 course (championship grade) generally puts the fairway bunkers out of my reach and I’m left with a nice 5 or 6 iron shot in on the average par 4, also I like the feeling of playing the whole course.
Regards, Craig S
I have Always struggled with my alignment with my irons,as well as my putting. Everyone tells me I line up to the right,but to me,I think I’m lined up square. I’ve tried setting the face square to the target,and then lining up my body parallel,but it doesn’t “look right” when I’m over the shot. It looks like I’m aiming Left of the target. Especially “putting”. Any help will be appreciated. The season is about over for me,but I want next year to be Better !! Thanks !!
Hi Surge;
How about both. I see most amature players get more excited over the long ball then the low score. That is where the fun is. Especially when you don’t play golf for a living!!
Being 71 years old, with a very limited turn, straight is definitely the only way. Luckily, over the years, I have developed a good short game and, because of it, can still play to a 12 handicap. My advice to everyone, including the long hitters, is work, work, work on your short game and you will never go wrong.
i’ve been told recently that i break my wrists to early. would this be a factor in lacking power, as i sometimes feel that i’ve slapped a shot rather than hit it properly.
although i would love to play with a full backswing, my shoulder rotation gives me, if im lucky, about a three quarter backswing could this be another factor for loosing power, or could it be something completely different.
Hey Don,
I have always had a problem with tight lies. I know most people would much rather be in the fairway than the rough but not myself. I always aim for the edges of the fairway because i have much more success in the first cut than i do from the short stuff. Can you give me any feedback as to why this is?
Earlier this spring, I found myself coaching a local Private High School’s golf team. One day I was going to make the point about how straight is better so I divided the team into three groups of 3 and challenged them to three hole matches, my ball to theirs for 3 holes. Any one who I beat me buys me a sundae, anyone who beats me I’d buy.
I collected 8 sundaes that day. At the end of practice that day one of the kids said, “Gee coach, your good.” I responded, “Not really, just smarter. Look at my bag, and tell me what you do or don’t see.” After this exercise I asked what they noticed about my set make-up. No one noticed. “There aren’t any woods in the bag!!” I said. My 3h and 4h are shaped like irons so the longest conventional iron I had in my bag was a 5 iron. For the day I missed only 3 Greens in reg, and got up and down once. I had one three putt and shot a 39 and no one else on the team broke 45! It is far better to be straighter than longer.
GREAT COMMENTS by all on the subject of distance verses accuracy. Certainly there are merits for both length off the tee and straight down the middle. Truth be told we want both. I will say that on the PGA the longest hitter for the week seems to seldom be in the top 20 in scoring. However the ones that are best in FAIRWAYS, GIR and PPG (greens and fewest putts) often are top 10 in scoring.
My dear old Dad (now past away), was a great example of what the “SURGE ” preaches, not long in later years but straight and in the fairway every time. Then he was close to the green and up and down. Meanwhile as akid I out drove him but was military golf and saw lots of wild life in the woods.
As I get older (52), the value of a straighter tee shot and a better short game is my goal and game.
I’m a better scorer for it. But oh I love the long ball!!
I wish you would print your reply to (at least) some of the interesting messages you print.
Many of us have similar problems or questions as those on the screen. So why not share your advice ?
I hit the ball a ton an average of 250+ but not as accurate as i would like. The other day i decieded to play and entire round using my driver only on the par 5’s just to see what would happen. I shot an 82 my best round of the season. Long is great but playing from the fairway is the key to lowering your score( and don’t for get the putter)!
Thanks
Surge;
I have made some great strides using your system and feel like I’m on the verge of
getting into the high 70’s. But I do have a problem: I play up to my expectations when I’m
alone and just enjoying the game …but… when I get into a competitive round I will tighten up
and hit the ball like someone who started playing two days ago. In reflection, I have always
put unnecessary pressure on myself and consequently have not been able to play various games
like I would like. Any “head” suggestions?
Don
I notice that you place the driver head 2-3 inches behind the ball in your setup in the swing video.Could you explain this? Do you hover the driver?
thanks,dick
Surge,
Since I took your advice seriously on alignment in setup, I have definitely seen a huge improvement in my accuracy. At 73 and in my second season on the Golf Course, I am finding that if I put the ball where I want it, I am getting competitive with my golf partners! Your PPGS is really great and I am going over each lesson multiple times. I have started a regular work out at the gym 3 days a week, and my body is loosening up, and makes my golf more enjoyable, plus I feel better than I have done in years. Thanks to you and your PPGS.
Jim Rous
Your alignment lerolsson has helped thanks. One does not loose control but he will lose control. Two different words.
Not only about sport, watched a film documentary, some successful CEO, entrepreneurs talking about peak performance coaching apply in business world. ”The YES Movie” http://www.TheYESmovie.com produced by Louis Lautman
Well Don, It’s been about a month and a half since I purchased the fundamental’s manual, been playing at lease 2 times a week, practicing my short game 2-3 times a week, practice putting each time I go out. Haven’t been able to afford to buy the video’s yet but enjoyed the free videos, seems I’m beginning to figure out this swing. Recovering from a broken neck and surgery to fuse C-5-6-7 vertebres together.This swing has allowed me to play 18 holes without any pain(physical pain that is) I’m beginning to hit more fairways, finally figured out how to hit my driver and fairway wood using the 3/4 swing. For me it’s all in the set-up(where did I hear that before?) and alignment. When I focus and relax hitting an iron shot from the fairway(didn’t realize what I had been missing) using the 3/4 swing the ball has a more predictable trajectory and as long as my alignment is correct I’ve been hitting greens in regulation. I actually hit a par 3 187 yard green with the pin set behind a bunker with a 5 iron and a slight fade that set the ball softly 10 feet from the hole, my usual was to aim left and slice the ball rt of the green. Now my shots are much straighter, my length is coming back somewhat-used to use a PW from 150 yards, now it’s a 9 Iron. Getting better each time I go out. My drives that used to slice from the left side to the right rough are landing in the middle of the fairway 260-270 yards out when I aim just left center of the fairway. Miss my old game 340 yard drives, 250 yard 3 iron both dead straight, but I am thrilled to be able to play golf, one of my life long passions. Had to give up the other due to the broken neck–raced Motocross for 26 years. Thanks again for your GREAT help. You have no Idea what it means to be able to play 18 holes and practictice chipping and putting for another hour or so with no back or neck pain!!!! Thanks Again Surge!!!
I have knee and back problems because of right knee I can’t do the little kick to face the target. Any drill to help me. I am slicing or duck kooking. I am 83 years old PLEASE HELP
Colin, The Surge teaches a 3/4 backswing with no wrist break.
Hi Don from ‘downunder’ (Perth Australia)
Amazingly I decided to do exactly what you have just recomemnded (Straight is Great) before I read your article.
So earlier this week I left the Driver in the bag and used my 19 degree Hybrid of the tee. Result 5 pars and 1 bogey in a 9 hole “Par” competition. So I beat the course 2 up playing off a 19 handicap and the regular tees( I am 70).
Why, because I stayed on the fairway. You do need to have confidence on your fairway hybrids/irons but I did reach the par 5’s in 3 and only had trouble on the long par 4’s.
Conclusion, my experience this week endorses your good advice and I will continue to use this strategy.
Regards Trveor
Dear Don,
Before your lessons-my short game was deadly–after your lessons my short game is now deadlier. My drives are between 150 to 200 yards and a lot straighter because of you. Every saturday without fail, on the driving range these guys pull out the driver right away and BOOM 250-300 yards down the range very close to maintainence shed. Get these guys 50 -75 yards from the pin–they’re lost.
Around the greens, they’re worse. POP–20 yards over the green, POP over the green back to where they started. pull out a PW or a LW, don’t know how to hit it and FLUB , 8 to 10 feet in front of them, so they try again.
They turn a par 4 into a 8 or 9 but they sure can whack it 300 yards down the fairway. I’ve been sacrificing distance for accuracy for a long time now and the nice thing about it is you made me a lot more accurate due to the alignment lessons and have taken an easy 10 to 12 strokes off my game and also made me a very happy man. Eternal thanx
Robert J. Meisenzahl
To Ronny McCurry and Colin
On the backswing, Don teaches a “wrist hinge” or break at the bottom of the thumb on both wrists. He is totally against the left wrist “cocking!” That is to say, the left wrist remains flat by the virtue of the fact that it never caves in nor bows out.
To Muriel
You wrote “Your alignment lerolsson has helped thanks. One does not loose control but he will lose control. Two different words.”
Corrections!
“lerolsssn” is not a word in the English language.
You also should have placed a comma after “helped” and before “thanks.
In retrospect, “thanks” would have been more eloguently stated had you simply made it a one word sentence.
I hope my explanation did not “lose” you or made you feel “loose!’
Thanks, Mike that is what I meant to say. No cupping or bowing.
I have found by playing three balls at once, that my lowest scores always come with the shorter, straighter drives. It happens consistently! Also, I have found out that it really doesn’t matter which tees I use, I always seem to shoot the same. But usually a little better on the farther back tees, simply because I hit those drives into the fairway more often than the closer tees. I have to agree, that if you are more accurate with your shots which result in staying in the fairway, that distance really does’t matter much, especially when you are a amateur golfer like most of us are.
because of the straight up back swing i am hitting down to much on the downing,skying the ball i have bought your tapes. henry
I’m 66 years old and after playing a round of golf, I have sever pain in my big toes and it is even painful to walk. I recently bought a set of Adams senior hybrid clubs that are much lighter and more comfortable to swing. This has helped somewhat. Can it be my setup?
Distance-vs-Accuracy who’s right. I think they are both right. Being in the middle of the fairway is no advantage if you’re to far away to hit the green and being three off the tee because you hit your ball a very long way into the woods doesn’t help much either. I would also point out that accuracy is not only controling the direction a ball goes but also the distance it travels. What good would it be to hit the ball right at the pin but 30 yards to short or long. The truth is that hitting the ball solid with good technique will produce both better distance and direction control. The reason golf coarses are becoming longer is that the tour players are hitting the ball farther and the ruff on tour doesn’t penalize the player like it use to. Technology, Bigger Stronger Players, coaching, better balls all add up to longer shots. Twenty yards may not seem like much, but a player who is twenty short of his competitors is playing a coarse that is almost 300 yards longer, this makes it tuff to compete.
In the end the only players not worried about hitting it farther are the ones that hit it real far. Teaching directional control is much easier than teaching someone to hit it far. Never give away distance. Thanks for the website Surge.
Did you take an assistance of a custom writing service for your supreme text? I guess that you have unique expository essay composing skills. Thanks for your stuff!
Surge i am 62 and itching for spring weather contemplating on getting new cliubs . I am ususlly straight off the tee but i cannot get more than 225 yds .Would i get more yardage if i went to a more flexible shaft ? I was told that i have a senior stiff flex would i be able to get more distance if i went to a regular flex ? That is just my driver i assume the rest of my clubs are the same since they were all bought together . I have found my self coming up short to the green very very often and i am getting frustrated . Again will a shaft or club change help solve my distance problems .