3offTheTee
Tour Rookie
At a guess I would say SAOL and to have a nett 73, in old money, round there is extremely acceptable
Cant hit greens in regulation
- Thread starter bradleywedge
- Start date
jim8flog
Journeyman Pro
I had many a compliment from the pros I played with about the quality of my short game back then.
I would look to up and down in 2 at worst from greenside with an awful lot of hole outs. One money game I remebr the ex pro I was playing with accusewd me of deliberately going in to the bunkers to win the bit.
bradleywedge
Active member
You're right and put like that yeah it seems a decent round, just could have been so much better, but as many have said, it's winter so maybe not read too much into it.
Thanks for all the replies
5OTT
Newbie
You could be describing me as well, very similar in that I have always been somewhere between 14 and 19 HCP, I rarely hit more than a couple of GIR.
HomerJSimpson
Hall of Famer
Played well yesterday and hit 6 GIR and 3 of those were a long way from the flag in 3 putt territory although I managed to make 2 putts each time. As a stand alone stat it doesn't tell the whole story and on another day I could have been in the same place, three putted and been three points worse off. Alternatively I could have missed the greens completely and chipped and putted which would have made the GIR look poor but the scores would have been the same
Shooter McPowick
Head Pro
It doesn’t matter how well you play, there will always be that feeling of it could have been better… I shot my lowest ever round a couple of weeks ago, sublime front 9 and then imploded on the back 9. Could easily have been another 2 shots better, probably 4.
Don’t get too hung up on the stats, stay in the present and try to take it 1 shot at a time. A missed GIR is only a chip and a putt away from par which is why I said earlier 70% of practice should be 120 yards and in, including putting.
D
Deleted member 31582
Guest
And there lies a potential problem.
Hit it as far as you can, always going for the longest club, when effectively this could/will be leaving you, by your own admission, a yardage you’re struggling with, so, you are not exercising any course management or ‘playing within yourself ‘!
I teach my students to leave a yardage that they’re comfortable with, so, instead of hitting everything as far as you can, leaving you chips you have no confidence with, divide that yardage up from the tee and lay up to a distance you can take a couple of full clubs into the green.
Does that get you more GiR, no, but you’re putting for par and will bogey at worse, and with a handful of single putts, your handicap will lower whilst you gain more confidence with your short game.
With respect, you’re 17 for a reason, and taking on greens over 180+ yards will possibly lead to more doubles or trebles than pars or bogeys, and undo any good work in the round.
If you’re struggling at -80 yards in, remove it from the equation.
Just my opinion of course.
D
Deleted member 29109
Guest
If a player is struggling from 80 yards. How does being further away help?
Given the variance in distance most amateurs produce. How can they be expected to leave a specific distance to the green?
Being shorter off the tee will not help.
D
Deleted member 31582
Guest
I did state, leave a distance they’re comfortable with, which will obviously be greater than 80 yards.
I find everyone has a favorite club, so rather than take the driver off every tee with varying distances, take a 3w or 5w then take 2 irons they have full confidence with until or whilst they work on their short game inside 80 yards.
If by his own admission he always hits it as far as he can, and leaves himself yardages he has no confidence with, no doubt because he’s going for greens he can’t comfortably reach with any degree of accuracy, thus leaving himself yardages or chips he also doesn’t execute well, then he needs to change his mindset imo.
D
Deleted member 29109
Guest
But there is absolutely no way of guaranteeing a player will leave their favourite distance. All they are doing is making sure they are further from the hole, thus increasing their chances of a higher score.
From 100 yards in the fairway a tour pro will take on average 2.85 shots to hole out. If a 17 HC has taken 2 shots to get to 100 yards they are going to make double more than par.
Hitting 3 wood or 2 iron (really for a 17 cap?) isn’t going to make them more accurate off the tee. Stats say only 1% more I think it was with a 3 wood.
If they have decent length, then accuracy off the tee should be the top 2 things they are working on. If they are not long then distance and accuracy off the tee are the top 2. Assuming they actually want to improve their scoring.
D
Deleted member 31582
Guest
2 x irons, not a 2i.
You’re entitled to your opinion, but my students handicaps reduce considerably whilst adopting a process of not reaching for the longest club in the bag at every opportunity leaving themselves constantly in a position they then have no confidence in executing.
At 17+ handicap, I find they are more accurate off the tee percentage wise with a 3 or 5w, sometimes even a hybrid, then 2 x irons into the green which they have confidence with, all the time they are working on the practice area inside 80 yards.
When their short game & confidence improves, we adopt that into their round by being either longer off the tee by introducing the driver more or taking a longer more positive 2nd shot into the green, knowing that if it misses, they have more confidence around the greens.
RichA
Well-known member
I agree with you. I'm a mid-high HI golfer with a long home course. If I know I'm highly unlikely to make the green in 2, why use the club that's most likely to get me in trouble off the tee? If my strategy is already to use my 3rd shot to reach the green, why not make sure that I leave myself the distance I'm most confident chipping or pitching from?
I'd rather avoid 50-100 yards, so if I can't guarantee being within 50, I'll use whatever club puts me between 100 and 150 where I can use my best clubs: GW, PW, 9i.
I thought that was course management lesson 1.
Backache
Assistant Pro
He states that he is hitting his drives reasonably well but is not hitting the greens in regulation or getting up and down.I have to confess I fail to see the logic in laying back even further for him. Sounds to me that lessons on irons and short game are more appropriate and if strategy is a problem I don't realy see from his post how hitting it shorter off the Tee remedies it. But I confess to being a similar handicap rather than a coach or pro.
bradleywedge
Active member
When I say 'hit it as far as I can' that isn't massive, I'm nota particularly long hitter, and to be honest I'm comfortable with the driver at the moment, I am keeping it in play off the tee. If I drive it 230 on a 420 yd par 4, I am being advised to hit 2 x pitching wedges to the green? I know what you are saying but obviously I will hit my hybrid and maybe miss the green/short and have a chip/pitch on to the green which is where I am falling short. Together with the 80 yards in pitch.
But I need to to practice this part of my game, hitting pitching wedge, pitching wedge won't teach me anything. Alternatively, hitting hybrid 180 off the tee, leaving two 9 irons to the green should be the better option?
But I need to to practice this part of my game, hitting pitching wedge, pitching wedge won't teach me anything. Alternatively, hitting hybrid 180 off the tee, leaving two 9 irons to the green should be the better option?
RichA
Well-known member
Perhaps you're expecting too much, if that example's typical. Most low handicap golfers aren't hitting a huge percentage of greens from 190 yards. They're getting the greens in 2 because they're hitting their drives further.
phillarrow
Well-known member
There are two different aspects to this advice.
1) Hit a 'safer' club off the tee instead of always choosing driver, because this will result in fewer lost balls and more fairways hit. That makes sense to everyone, I'm sure.
2) Hit a lower club off the tee to ensure you are not too close to the green for your second shot. And/or do the same with your second shot if necessary. This approach deliberately leaves a longer distance because it's one that 'feels' good.
The problem with the second aspect is that it completely goes against all the evidence from thousands of rounds of golf using Arccos and Shot Scope. All of the evidence suggests that being closer to the green lowers the score, and this is especially true as handicaps go up. It is due to this evidence that the shift in golf has moved towards trying to improve distance as well as other aspects of the game, instead of what has always been the emphasis on simply accepting your distance and working on the approach shots and short game.
I suspect that if you're teaching this approach and it's working for your clients, then it's simply about them keeping the ball in play more, rather than using longer clubs into the green because they are more confident with them.
bobmac
Major Champion
Just have a short game lesson and you will quickly learn how easy these shots are.
Hitting 2x pitching wedges from 200 yards is just crazy in my opinion and the fastest way to limit your potential.
SimonC
Head Pro
Exactly, statistically the closer you are to the green the better your score will be. You may have a poor short game but as Bob has stated have a lesson & learn the shots & try to be positive when you are left with a shot you don't feel comfortable with, once you become more confident in playing them you may actually find you hit more greens as you will feel less pressure to hit the green.
Voyager EMH
Slipper Wearing Plucker of Pheasants
According to my stats on howdidoody, over my handicap qualifying scores, my GIR is 47.8%. I have an HI of 3.0.
I draw no conclusions and won't let these stats affect the way I play.
I draw no conclusions and won't let these stats affect the way I play.
SimonC
Head Pro
I've just had a look at my greens in regulation for the last 2 years using my Shotscope data
2020 = 52%
2021 = 59%
I've not got any stats for 2022 yet as I don't bother tracking my rounds during winter golf with temporary greens & only 13 holes being open.
