I think this phrase is one of the most overused pieces of misleading advice that circulates around the golf world. It’s most often heard after one player in a group bombs a big one down the fairway and the others are feeling a little inadequate. Certainly, those who have given it real thought realize that the intent is correct. That is, to stress that putting (and the short game overall, for that matter) are critical for scoring. That’s certainly true. But a person who is both long and straight off the tee is at a distinct advantage. Taking a nine iron or pitching wedge into a longish par four is a much better scoring proposition than trying to reliably get the job done with a five or six iron. That holds even for a touring pro. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should stop working on your short game in favor of bombing drives at the driving range. But if you can, try to work in some practice time to improve distance and accuracy off