Monthly poll time: Open rota courses and statistics...

[JezzE]

Morning all,
Hope you've all recovered from the Royal Wedding and a long weekend of golf...
Anyway, a couple of questions for you to mull over this month - the first about the current Open rota courses, and the second asking which performance stat is most likely to generate a good showing for you out on the course.
Many thanks for your help

 

[fundy]

Carnoustie the best course for me, just a real beast, was a howling gale when we played it and just a massive test of golf ability, after that would be probably be Muirfield which is probably the most under rated for me, also a fan of St Georges, probably because I played it better than any of the other links courses Ive played.

Scrambling for sure for me, partly because I play on a course where you can get away with missing a lot of fairways and usually putt ok, always gonna miss some greens so scrambling can make or break my score

 

[Oddsocks]

GIR's hit will deliver the best scoring round from me. current stats are getting higher but hopefully working on atleast a 75% benchmark. alot of greens missed is bad course management on my behalf which is now changing.

 

[jammydodger]

If I scramble well i score well , the rest takes care of itself.

Has to be Turnberry for me

 

[USER1999]

Scrambling for me. This is what helps me score the best. It isn't what I'd like, as I'd like to hit fairways and greens, but I don't.

 

[DCB]

Hitting the fairway off the tee is the big one for me. Do that and I'll be okay. hit the rough and it's a struggle

 

[JezzE]

Oddsocks - I'd give my right arm for 75% GIR, even 50% GIR!

Interestingly, that would put you in the top 20 on the European Tour. I know other factors are at play - course difficulty, length etc - but the average tour pro perhaps doesn't hit quite as many greens as we sometimes imagine them to

 

[JT77]

Went for turnburry for the course.

GIR for me, if I hit the green, means I dont have to worry about pitch shots or scrambles.

 

[Toad]

Carnoustie for me.
Got to be fairways hit, all of our holes are tree lined so anything wild off the tee results in a shot sideways at best.

 

[Oddsocks]

Oddsocks - I'd give my right arm for 75% GIR, even 50% GIR!

Interestingly, that would put you in the top 20 on the European Tour. I know other factors are at play - course difficulty, length etc - but the average tour pro perhaps doesn't hit quite as many greens as we sometimes imagine them to

Im playing most courses now at between 45/50% GIR, its the ones that i dont hit that i drop shots on. On average im 2 putting every green or there abouts so it leave me two options.

Hit the green in GIR and 2 putt,
or
Get better with my wedges and get more up and down saves.

Im only really now getting to grips with short high lobs over bunkers/ponds that a greenside so no instead of aiming for the "safe option" on missed greens im finally at a point in my game where im going to attack more pins, hopefully it will be a bit of each, GIR's up to say 60% with a few more up and down saves from within 6 foot and it will be cat2.

Sounds simple on paper dont it.

 

[freddielong]

For me its scrambling GIR is pretty consistent around 14 greens so its not turning a missed green into a bogey

Carnoustie best course for me although its close with Birkdale

 

[bladeplayer]

GIR's for me , putting is pretty decent so GIR's = birdie chances or 2 putt par's ..makes the game simpler . has to help the score.. picked St Andrews .

 

[Jaymosafehands]

Scrambling for me, as I tend to miss plenty of greens by 10-15yrds.

All courses are great, but always fun to watch the pros struggle, so gone for Carnasty.

 

[thecraw]

Has to be Muirfield for me. A great course, a thinking course and tough. It is what a great golf course should be. Carnoustie is just a tough slog. Its not even pleasing on the eye.

If the poll was for the most under rated Open course I would have gone for Troon although the back 9 there is tough as old boots into the wind.

Surprise surprise, its putting for me.

 

[viscount17]

Turnberry - got to be the most scenic, and a real beast with any weather

Putting is what's killing me at the moment, that's when the score can build the most rapidly

 

[Imurg]

Carnoustie for me

And fairways hit - if I hit the fairway, chances are I'm going to score well.

 

[stevek1969]

carnoustie for me its only 15 minutes down the road walk round it all the time.

gir helps me out as struggling with the short game just now.

 

[EZprophet]

When I hit fairways, I score well, when I dont, I dont.

Have played The Old Course, Lytham, Birkdale and Hoylake and while I thought Birkdale was the best course, you simply cant beat the history and uniqueness of the Old Course in my opinion.

 

[3offTheTee]

GIR's hit will deliver the best scoring round from me. current stats are getting higher but hopefully working on atleast a 75% benchmark. alot of greens missed is bad course management on my behalf which is now changing.

Exxpect this to be the benchmark(minimum) for Timgolfy!!!

 

[HogansAlley]

Scrambling is the key for me. If that's good everything slots into place.

Muirfield is my favourite, closely followed by both Birkdale and Lytham (I love the fact that Lytham is surrounding by a run-of-the-mill semi-detached houses). The whole rota is superb though - each course is memorable for different reasons.