I thought it might be fun to see which categories get the most attention, or generate the most views and comments. The results, or the ranking of the categories from most viewed to least viewed, actually mirror most folks focus on the golf game, or what they like to talk about and/or practice. Thus, and as expected, most folks love to talk about golf, thus General Discussions comes in 1st. After that the downswing seems to be the primary swing issue, coming in 2nd. Then the backswing, coming in 3rd. Close to being a tie.
Then there's a 40% drop off in views in Driver Help, coming in at 4th. Considering how many people I see on the range hitting drivers, and complaining about their driver swing, swearing they'll never hit their driver again, or wanting more distance, I was surprised to see this category coming in behind both Backswing and Downswing Help. I would have expected a similar number of views.
Address/Setup comes in 5th behind Driver Help. Address/Setup is one of the most important fundamentals in golf, yet not that interesting. Is it possible the average golfer overlooks, or under-estimates the importance of a solid Address/Setup routine? I rarely see folks working on their setup routine on the range or on the course, so the ranking of this category seems to make sense.
After that, Playing Golf Help is even less interesting, coming in at 6th, but then again, every time I play golf I see folks who have very poor course management skills. I constantly see players who could easily cut 5-6 strokes per round by employing decent course management strategy. They get themselves into all kinds of trouble, shoot at pins that they might hit 1% of the time, etc, then end up in traps, rough, or all kinds of very hard short game shots. Which leads me to....who would have thought....
The Short Game Help category, the only remaining swing-related category, comes in LAST. Nearly half of the game of golf is the short game. The majority of lost strokes on the course are due to poor short games and putting. Even more ironic, the short game and putting are the easiest parts of the game to practice because neither requires athleticism. But, like I see every day on the range, few practice the short game and putting.
In summary, most love to talk about general golf stuff. After that the downswing and backswing are challenging issues. Driver Help is needed, but not as much, and folks have pretty much nailed their Address/Setup routine. After that people don't need much help with course management, and really don't need any help with their short games.
@GolfLivesMatter my playing experience pretty much matches your findings and research. My scores definitely lower if more time is spent with the Short Game. I have thrown away strokes by not getting out of Bunkers near the green; poor contact out of rough; and, hitting off hard pan or leaves/pine needles. It has saved me strokes on errant drives off the T. I no longer play Super Hero out of the trees but chip into the Fairway and SAVE strokes…my Course Management. LOL.