The Long Game

You are listening to Swinging Through History the podcast with your host(s) Gavin McCaffrey. In this episode of The long Game You may have heard people talk about the long game in life. Playing the long game means taking necessary steps NOW - to set yourself up for success down the road. It’s why we go to high school for example, and then to college. To set us up for success later in life. The logic of the long game is very much the same in the game of golf.The long game refers to the category of golf shots that are made from the tee box - orf ar from the green. Generally, shots that are made outside of 100 yards from the green are considered to be part of the long game. These long shots are critical – because they determine the difficulty of your short game and the overall success of your round of golf on any given day. A golfer with a good long game will hit the ball far and with good accuracy. They will hit he green in regulation most every time. They will also excel at hitting their driver, long irons and fairway woods – all the clubs that are used in the long game. Let’s talk a bit more about the terminology of the long game: A drive corresponds to any shot that is executed from the teeing ground. In other words, it is the first shot that a golfer will hit on any given hole. Although a golfer will often use a driver for his first shot on a hole, drives also refer to shots made using a different club, as long as it is hit from the tee box. For example, a strike from a 7-iron on a par-3 will also be considered a drive. An approach shot is executed whenever hitting the ball from a fairly long distance with the intent of seeing it come to rest on the green. Approaches occur when the length separating the ball from the green can be traveled using only one shot. On a par-5, the classical procedure in order to make par would be to hit an approach on your third shot. On a par-4 it would be made on your second shot and finally on a par-3 the approach is executed on your very first shot, from the teeing ground.