Distance: has always been the King of the Course!
May 20, 2025
We've all heard the old golf saying: "Drive for show, putt for dough." It's an old golf saying that means big drives may impress the crowd, but it's putting that ultimately wins tournaments and makes the real difference on the scorecard. But what if we told you that thinking is... WRONG and outdated? Scottie Scheffler, the OWGR #1 golfer in the world, is ranked #151 in putting. Yeah, you read that right.
Why? Distance.
Scottie Scheffler is #1 in the world in Tee-to-Green and Off-the-Tee. That tells you everything you need to know. Driving distance isn't just an advantage, it's a prerequisite. Longer drives lead to shorter approach shots. Shorter approaches increase greens-in-regulation. More GIRs means more chances to score. The math is simple: if you can't get there, you can't score. And if you're not in the fairway, you're punching out. Distance is good. Distance with control is deadly.
Shafts, launch monitors, everyone obsesses over the gear. But no one talks about what connects all that power to the ground: GROUND FORCE!!
Dispersion: Distance is Only Part of the Story
Raw distance is great, but it doesn't help if you're spraying drives into the trees. Dispersion, the consistency of your shot direction and landing area, is what separates bombers from winners. The most effective players today are those who drive it far and in play. Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, all top five in Off-the-Tee and Tee-to-Green, while keeping dispersion tight enough to stay out of trouble. Better contact. More fairways. Lower scores.
Get There First
Let's put it simply: There are only two things you MUST have control over. Swing path and the club face. If you can't get it to the green, it won't matter if you can roll in 20-footers with your eyes closed. That is not to say putting is not important if you want to be a good player but. The best players in the world play offense from the tee box. They're hitting wedges into greens while the rest of the field is trying to muscle a long iron into the same spot. As highlighted by MyGolfSpy, scratch golfers have a significant advantage over higher-handicap players, hitting drives 68 yards further on average, which translates to better scoring potential. This advantage underscores the importance of not just reaching the green but doing so efficiently.
The Putting Paradox
Here's something that might surprise you: The best putters in the world? Not the best players.Take a look at the data:
Scottie Scheffler: #1 in the world, #151 in putting. Rory: #2 in the world, #65 in putting. Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Jon Rahm—all top 5 in the world, and none of them are elite putters statistically. Meanwhile, Maverick McNealy is #1 in putting, and well, he's ranked #124 overall. Putting is still important, but it’s not where the game is won. You can’t putt for dough if you're not on the green.