Good point. If they followed DECADE that number would likely go way up!!
That’s what I wonder about in golf… we don’t necessarily know where people are aiming or what risks they are taking…
I do think there is a ton of value in the DECADE system, and learning your dispersion patterns and figuring out the best place to aim should be huge helps, but I’m blown away that the average scratch golfer misses the green from 150 yards 40% of the time…
I’m hoping to advance my own data collection so I can gain better insight into my own tendencies. One of the things that I’m REALLY curious about is the consistent differences (if any) between a great round and an average round.
As a 6 handicap, I obviously have some flaws in my game, so I’m curious if a good round has a consistent improvement in one stat (Fariways hit, GIR, putts, up and downs) or I’m just doing everything a little bit better that day. From a statistics standpoint, if I’m 50% from 8 feet and I have 3 putts, I’m as equally likely to make all three as I am to miss all three (12.5% chance of either happening)
I think it’s an easy place to get into the weeds, but also an interesting place to figure out where and how you can improve
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Fun chart. As a 3-handicap… this year… shots from 140-160 in the FW… 38% GIR 
Sheesh, seems like an improvement opportunity. Avg. proximity when I do hit the green is 15’, which probably means I’m being way too aggressive on my targets.
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May have to add actual carry distance and directional miss to your stats spreadsheet!!
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I think this is where things get interesting… from 150 yards out and you pick a little bit past the center of the green as your target… You miss the green… Can you quickly ascertain WHY you missed the green? Was it inside your regular dispersion zone, thus it’s more a long term fix of narrowing dispersion? Was it outside your regular dispersion, and if so, can you determine why? Bad aim? Bad strike? Misread of the distance?
It’s an interesting rabbit hole to consider, though I think it’s one of those things where the average is more important than the individual shot… If you keep missing short, it doesn’t matter why, just take more club!
Golf data is interesting in that it can contain a ton of detail but also get you to chase the wrong things… it’s one of the reasons I’m trying to make sure I focus on things I can both measure and improve!
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I don’t capture it in excel for every approach, but basically go through that exercise in a journal post round. Note the yardage and where it ended up and look for patterns.
I am capturing “club” “distance” and “actual carry distance” and “L,R,C” and “proximity” in my 75 to 120 yd tab so I think I actually will have some very actionable data in that category!
Lastly, Scott Fawcett always says that the better players hit it past the hole more frequently than their peers. So you better be hitting some shots onto the back 1/2 of the green or you aren’t clubbing optimally.
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That’s awesome. I definitely need to keep better records of my round, though my Garmin does a decent job… More than anything, I need to figure out how to export that data so I can actually analyze it… something I will dig into once I start playing more.
As to hitting past the pin, I think Scott is 100% correct on where amateurs fail, and it’s definitely something I’m guilty of (and I’ve already put this particular thought into use)… we pick our “max” distance as the correct shot to hit into greens and are shocked when we come up short. I’m dedicated to getting my dispersion so that my misses end up on the green, even if that means my “perfect” shots aren’t necessarily on top of the hole (not that it happens much in regular rounds!)… My one nine I’ve played with this mentality, I aimed a wedge to the middle of the green and hit it short… pin was in front and I had an easy birdie putt… The concept definitely makes sense.
I agree with the fact that better players will hit the back of the green more often (and accordingly, be short less often) but before you start ripping shots into the back of greens, also consider what and where the best miss is.
On well designed golf courses, the architect has designed and considered what happens when a ball goes over the green. On many older or one-off designs, no consideration was given for what happens to a shot hit over the green other than a make it a short walk to the next tee.
I’m sure many of you play on golf courses where half of the greens are push-ups or else they slope from a higher back to lower front. Being long on those types of greens are not really ideal.
On most holes at my course, over is where the bogies live - I don’t mind being past the pin when the pin is on the front 60% but going after a back pin with anything more than a 8 iron often has negative returns (as bogies will outnumber birdies).
I didn’t do it the whole season but for about a 10 game stretch, I tracked my up’n’down percentage based on where I missed greens.
For non-bunkered misses, I got it down in 2 more than twice as often from short misses compared to long misses. For misses left/right, I got it down in 2 almost 60% more often if the miss was short of mid-green versus long of mid-green. My course has fairly sloping back-to-front greens on about 10/18 holes so again; my stats may be impacted more than someone else’s as I am faced with the downhill or downhill-sidehill chip more often.
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Definitely a good point on considering the design of the course… My home course is built in a neighborhood, so a ton of the holes long is dead and buried.
For me, the thing I’m trying to work on, is improving my target selection to include my dispersion (and the risks inherent with that dispersion). If we say my 7 iron goes “170 yards” that probably means it goes 160-175 yards 80% of the time. I need to develop more knowledge of my dispersion patterns, but that’s a different thread. So if I have a middle pin at 165 yards, with 10 yards to the back of the green, I’m probably better hitting a 7 iron than trying to “step on” an 8 iron that I hit 150-165…
My decision making when selecting clubs / targets isn’t optimal… I don’t miss long very often 4%, while 23% of my shots into greens miss short… I hit the green about 50% of the time from my most recent stats, but I’d guess it isn’t evenly distributed between front, middle and back… (another stat to track!)
My goal is to know my dispersion as well as possible, and then pick the optimal target with that data… Improve my chances of hitting the green, while minimizing punishment from shots in my usual dispersion pattern.
Right now, I assume one of the better adjustments I can make is missing long more often… I’m not sure. It’s something I’m working on testing. I know from anecdotal experience on the course aiming for the middle of the green improves my GIR and thus my overall scoring.
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I think you have a good handle on what you need to do - knowing your dispersion is key like you said.
I’m fortunate that my distance dispersion with my irons is pretty tight so I don’t nuke or roast very many over greens nor do many come up more than a couple yards short of greens. My issue has always been the left/right miss. Most bunkers on my home course are short of the green with most of those covering the front corners - I can go a couple weeks without dumping it in one of those but there are 2 holes with bunkers left and right; I visit one of those every couple of rounds.
Kinda related to the subject - I recall watching a Playing Lessons with the Pros on Golf Channel about 6-7 years ago with John Cook. He said something that I’ll never forget - he was talking about shots into greens at different pin depths. He said to bring them in high (if possible) to front pins and lower into back pins. It makes sense as so many of us come up short to back pins so by bringing it in a little lower (with accompanying less spin), we might get some roll out to the back pin.
Some of this is obvious but to help do that I’ll often take one club longer than needed into a back pin and grip it down a little to get the yardage back to what’s needed but this will help me flight it lower. This helps me get a little more release on shots and get back to deeper pins; especially on the more sloped greens on my course.
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Adam posted this on Twitter today… thought it was an interesting look at the other side of the equation… golf is not a game of perfect!
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