“Distance Isn’t Everything: Why the Short Game Still Wins Championships”

“Distance Isn’t Everything: Why the Short Game Still Wins

Championships”

Summary:

Using real examples like Zach Johnson’s 2007 Masters win or Jordan Spieth’s scrambling

stats, explore how finesse beats power under pressure.

Hot Take: The obsession with driving distance is creating one-dimensional players.

Call to Action: Should golf courses stop lengthening and instead reward creativity?

Distance Isn’t Everything: Why the Short

Game Still Wins Championships

There’s a prevailing myth in modern golf: If you want to win, you’ve got to bomb it. Between the

350-yard drives on highlight reels, the obsession with swing speed, and the equipment arms

race, the modern golfer is led to believe that distance is king.

But history—and scorecards—tell a different story.

Zach Johnson, 2007: The Master of Discipline

Let’s rewind to the 2007 Masters. Augusta National had just been lengthened again, and the

narrative going in was that only the longest hitters could survive. Zach Johnson arrived with an

average driving distance of just 265 yards—well below the field average.

So how did he win?

He never once went for the green in two on a par 5. Not once. Instead, he laid up, trusted his

wedges, and relied on elite putting. The result? A green jacket and a blueprint for how finesse,

strategy, and discipline can conquer power.The Spieth Factor: Scrambling to Victory

Fast forward to Jordan Spieth’s 2015 season, arguably one of the most dominant campaigns in

modern golf. His putting from 10–25 feet was off the charts, but the stat that often goes

unnoticed? Scrambling.

Spieth was saving par from impossible positions—sidehill lies, bunkers, gnarly rough. He wasn’t

always in the fairway, but he always found a way to keep momentum. In essence, he proved

something every seasoned golfer knows: The ability to recover is often more valuable than

the ability to overpower.

The One-Dimensional Player Problem

We’re now watching a generation of golfers trained on TrackMan and optimized for max speed.

But what happens when conditions don’t allow for bomb-and-gouge? When greens are firm and

tucked pins demand creativity? Many long hitters look lost.

Too many players are becoming one-dimensional. And when the long game breaks down, they

don’t have the artistry or adaptability to save a round.

This was painfully evident at The Open Championship in 2023, when powerful players were

humbled by wind, angles, and firm turf. In contrast, players like Brian Harman (the eventual

winner)—with solid short games and smart course management—thrived.

The Course Dilemma: Rewarding Power or Creativity?

Course architects and tournament directors face a critical choice. Many have responded to

longer hitters by lengthening courses, adding tees, and moving pins to tucked corners.

But here’s the problem: That’s just moving the goalposts. If the longest hitters still have an

advantage—now just with longer clubs—it only reinforces a narrow path to success.

Instead, imagine if courses rewarded strategy over strength. More doglegs, smaller greens,

firm fairways, and dangerous misses. Let the artist thrive alongside the athlete.

The Future of Golf: A Call to Creativity

This isn’t an anti-distance rant. Distance is a skill—an impressive one. But the over-emphasis on

it is warping the game. Juniors are being taught to swing out of their shoes before they’re taught

to chip. Amateur players are investing in speed training before learning how to manage their

tempo under pressure.What made golf beautiful was always its variety. The risk-reward decisions. The bounce of the ball. The need for imagination.

Should golf courses stop lengthening and start rewarding creativity?

We think so. Let’s design for thinkers, shot-makers, and short-game magicians—not just

clubhead speed.

At Stroke and Distance, we celebrate the full game—not just the long game. Because when the pressure is on, it’s not the longest drive that wins—it’s the smartest swing.