On the Golf For Women site, Mark Reiter uncorks an amazing confession: as a golfer, he relates more to the LPGA than to the men’s Tour.
But when you think about it, Reiter makes sense. There are few recreational golfers who play ninety percent of the par fours as driver-wedge. Not many can regularly spin a ball back to the pin. And who—other than the Tour pros—aims at bunkers because sand saves are nearly certain things?
On the other hand, the LPGA players play a game that is much more familiar. On long par fours, they’re hitting driver-mid iron. It takes them three shots to get to the greens on par 5s. They don’t spin the ball back to the hole.
LPGA pros play golf the way its creators intended it to be played. They avoid bunkers because bunkers are supposed to be penal, not a strategic advantage. When the women fire at the green, the ball obeys the laws of physics as I know them; it either thuds to a stop or rolls forward. It doesn’t behave like golf’s equivalent of a three-point bank shot. When the women land in thick rough, they take their lumps like the rest of us and punch out back to the fairway.
Reiter makes it a point to say that it’s not because the LPGA is somehow second rate. These gals would whip most amateur golfers.
For what it’s worth, I agree with him. I also think that more amateurs should take a page from the play of the senior tour players.
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I also think the average golfer can relate to the LPGA because most average golfers are carrying 5 and 7 woods, a couple of hybrids, and irons starting with at the 5-iron (Even though I only carry a driver, 3 wood and one hybrid).
It depends on the wind, but I generally don’t carry an iron longer than a 6. For the five, four and three I use hybrids.
So I guess I’m more LPGA or Senior tour than PGA Tour myself.
I start with a 4 iron myself. I carry 4 wedges: PW, GW, SW and LW. Plus a Driver, 3-Wood, and a 20 degree hybrid, which I like because I can use it so many ways. I use it off the tee on long par 3s or tight, short par 4s; off the fairway on par 5s and long par 4s; out of the rough; and I use it to chip around the greens. It’s really very versatile. I don’t have much trouble hitting my 4-iron, so I keep it in the bag, even though I’m not the longest of hitters.