On a corridor of a hole, the 20 extra yards from driver aren't worth one chip sideways out of the trees.
Hitting driver on a corridor-narrow hole because "it's a par 4," then wasting a stroke chipping sideways out of the trees.
A stroke lost to trees costs far more than the 20-30 yards you'd gain. From the fairway with a longer approach, expected score beats a recovery from the trees.
Take the club that keeps your dispersion inside the fairway, often a 3-wood, hybrid, or long iron. Center of the fairway is the whole goal.
≈ 0.4-0.6 strokes per hole by trading distance for a clean second shot.
Strokes-saved figures are approximate, based on expected-value (strokes-gained) course management for a mid-handicap golfer (roughly 8-18). These are real ranges, not guarantees.
Golf2Score lowers your score with strategy. Its parent, Data2Distance, reads your launch-monitor numbers so your equipment actually fits your swing.
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