For the best possible chance of lowering our scores, there are a number of factors to consider when approaching the green. A good place to start is managing expectations – doing so will allow you to play golf with more confidence. For example, you may hit a shot that you would consider poor, but in reality this may not be the case when you compare it to some of the data collected from golfers of a similar handicap.
How many times have you been frustrated at missing the green in the fringe or light rough from 150 yards yet have only been maybe 20ft from the hole?! For a mid-handicap golfer, this would be considered an acceptable approach.
When trying to manage your expectations, refer to the table below which shows the distance from the flag at which a 5, 10 and 15 handicappers gain 0 strokes against their opponents. Strokes gained uses a simple formula to figure out whether a shot was better or worse than average, and then how much better or worse it was, before producing a +/- number for that shot. For most golfers, comparing strokes gained against Tour leaders, they will see mostly negative numbers.
If we use a standard 150-yard golf shot, the 0 strokes gained number for a 15-handicap golfer is 88ft. Taking into consideration a flag placed in the centre of a green on the 4th hole of The Championship Course that has a width of 30 yards and length of 30 yards, a 15-handicap golfer who misses the target by 88ft will still have hit the green.
If the same golfer, then hits a slightly better shot into another hole with a similar sized green and finishes 60ft from the hole, they would be performing at the level of a 5 handicap golfer thus gaining more strokes against similar handicapped players.
By managing your expectations and understanding what a good or bad shot is, you can gain a better perspective of where your golf game is and where you can improve going forward.
To make improvements in your own course strategy, we have 9-hole and 18-hole on course lessons available a various times throughout the summer season. Please click HERE to find out more and the days/times available to book.
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