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Theory of the DING

• jakestanfill7 949 Posts

  Mon, Aug 2 2010 12:30 PM

  Like Bollie said, I intentionally mishit a lot of shots too.  Here's the deal, say you're 165 left into Kiawah 9.  You need the full swing of the 175 club for highest trajectory and to hold close to the pin.  I will use full 175 full BS and intentionally miss the shot a hair on the side the wind is coming from to take a bit of distance off while still getting the high trajectory needed to get close.

  A lot of people don't realize that when you choke down on a club you get much lower trajectory and a LOT more roll out.

• Doublemochaman 2,009 Posts

  Mon, Aug 2 2010 12:51 PM

  Jake... by "choke down" do you mean using extra club and pulling up short of using the full meter travel?

  Bollux, and others... thank you for your input.  Bollux, when you miss the ding I understand it is intentional (in most cases)... are you intentionally missing it left or right by choice?  Or just missing it?

• marioh 1,055 Posts

  Mon, Aug 2 2010 12:52 PM

  jakestanfill7:

  A lot of people don't realize that when you choke down on a club you get much lower trajectory and a LOT more roll out.

   

  Yeah, the 2nd hole approach shot at St.A's is a perfect illustration of that.

  Max swing with max backspin can bite and stick into that down slope.  90% or less w/max backspin that hits that down slope will have a big roll out resulting in a very long putt.

• BolloxInBruges 1,389 Posts

  Mon, Aug 2 2010 1:20 PM

   

  Doublemochaman:

  Jake... by "choke down" do you mean using extra club and pulling up short of using the full meter travel?

  Bollux, and others... thank you for your input.  Bollux, when you miss the ding I understand it is intentional (in most cases)... are you intentionally missing it left or right by choice?  Or just missing it?

  Most of my misses are not intentional.  But perhaps a couple times I will do it, especially in higher winds. 

  2 BP for example...I almost always click a MILE early,  in the dark blue area on the meter.  This puts me in the fairway 98% of the time.  I see ppl struggle all the time whacking trees or launching it over the fairway. 

  4 st andrews.  Give me a 25 mph R to L wind and I will mishit it WELL late.  This makes the ball fly virtually dead straight.    Same concept on 14 oakmont, narrow fairway w/ a strong sidewind,  I will mishit it into the wind to hold the line.   

   

  Or take the approach shot on 4 st andrews to the back pin.   If there is the same 25 @   9  sidewind.  I will make damn sure I am not clicking early.  If this means I will ding a lower % in favor of more slightly late mishits,  that's ideal.

   

   

• jakestanfill7 949 Posts

  Mon, Aug 2 2010 2:40 PM

  Doublemochaman:

  Jake... by "choke down" do you mean using extra club and pulling up short of using the full meter travel?

  By choke down I mean not hitting the full meter.  If you take 10% off the meter count on some roll out. 

  Now I do need to add to my point about intentionally missing the ding.  I do the exact same thing as Bollox does on those holes but do it a few other times as well.  When I intentionally miss the ding on approach shots it's usually not into a good headwind.  Missing the ding on those with full BS with come up WAYYYYY short.

• AvatarLee 1,644 Posts

  Tue, Aug 3 2010 9:35 AM

  BolloxInBruges:

  Ding % on full or near full swings I would guess around 55-60%.  (of the times I'm trying to ding, I intentionally mishit more than most other good players)  Some days are as low as 25%, other days I might ding 75%, very special rounds might be as high as 90%.

  Putting I would guess around 75-80% of the time if  I'm trying to ding,  but I intentionally mishit a vast majority of the shorter putts.

   

  I'd have to say I'm right around the same as Bollie, with one major exception.  I never ever intentionally miss (any more).  What I do try to do is play to my tendencies when I am missing the meter.  Usually I find that if I am snapping too early during a round, I will compensate the aim accordingly, more like playing the odds if you will. But I am always trying to hit the mark.

  For putting, again always trying for the ding, usually between 70-90% I would say, and could go higher in stellar rounds.  I think I missed the meter once during one of my 22 putts in the first round of the Virtual Open (and that putt actually dropped LOL)

   

• Doublemochaman 2,009 Posts

  Tue, Aug 3 2010 9:47 AM

  This is illuminating, enlightning and score-improving stuff!  Thank you gentlemen.  Wondering if this thread is worthy of a sticky post for those who think you need to ding every time for low scores???

• neildiamond11790 1,115 Posts

  Tue, Aug 3 2010 10:30 AM

  What I took from this is that we all need to learn our clubs, distances and spin and to really use your noggin in how the ball can behave based on the way we want our shots to end up.  That and 2 of the best in the game try to ding their putts.  I tried the whole miss early late thing with putting, but it never works well for me outside of 3 feet.  What BB, Avatar and others  are describing is "working" the ball.  While we cannot directly change our footing and club face to impose shot shaping, we can still shape shots.

• shakyjon 87 Posts

  Sun, Aug 8 2010 5:56 AM

  The ding is overrated.  With short putts(inside of 6 ft.) I will miss to the break.  If I have a long one, I'll move the arrow some and still purposefully miss it.  But be aware of always missing the ding on purpose.  I tried this and was rewarded with a +13 and a +14 at Oakmont.  The best thing I've found to do is to set my aim so as a slight "miss" on the center line will keep me on the fairway in either direction.  

• claremoreblue 2,322 Posts

  Sun, Aug 8 2010 8:23 AM

  I try to ding every putt, but the rest is working the game to fit the need on whatever shot you face. I'm close to fifty though, I swear the line is moving on me.