Height

Watching the men play at that brute of a course this week, I was reminded of the importance of being able to hit the ball high and stop it quickly for top echelon players.  Length matters, but height is really important, especially on most championship courses in the States.

I was reading Jack Nicklaus' book, Golf My Way, and he felt that the ability to hit the ball high was his biggest advantage.  Someone had remarked that his advantage was being able to hit a six iron over a tree that most other players would need a nine iron to clear.  Jack remarked that his real advantage was being able to hit a one iron over a tree that most players needed a six iron to get over.  

At Bethpage Black, with all those front pins tucked over bunkers and fescue, and greens that ran away from you, you were in for a long day without a high, fast-stopping ball.  Jack would have loved it, with his long, straight driving and his long iron game.  

I'm starting to work on getting more height back in my game.  As for hitting a high one iron, I'll stick to a 22 degree six wood!  I couldn't hit a high one iron to save my life!