Taking golf lessons....again

[dudley laywicker]

my best friend is a golfpro in collinsville,va and a lot of his winter days, he gives golf lessons.

 

[fknhippie]

The purpose of the lessons is to improve my swing and contact. An obvious outcome is going to be better distance and accuracy. Trying to improve your short game in a simulator just doesn't work, at least not for me. I seldom have chip shots around the green that are perfectly flat and on nice short grass with a perfect lie.

 

[Wazmankg]

The purpose of the lessons is to improve my swing and contact. An obvious outcome is going to be better distance and accuracy. Trying to improve your short game in a simulator just doesn't work, at least not for me. I seldom have chip shots around the green that are perfectly flat and on nice short grass with a perfect lie.

There just aren't many public courses that have a decent short game practice area and you really need a green to chip & pitch to in order to effectively practice it. The course I play during the summer in upstate NY has a great one and hardly anyone else uses it. They have a range that hardly anyone ever uses too. It's great but rare.. a lot of practice greens don't allow chipping. You're right about improving contact .. it should help with both distance and accuracy.

 

[Hank Kingsley]

Do you possess that Arnie Palmer wow factor when you’re showering in the locker room?

 

[foster4prez]

Chasing more distance, for a bogey golfer, doesn't seem like the best use of practice time to me but to each his own. I watched a clip of Gary Player recently where he said that if you are a 12 index and you hit your drives and 2nd shots, then turned the rest of it over to him, that would turn you into a 3 index overnight. Unfortunately most public course don't have adequate facilities for practicing the short game, but that's where you'll get the most bang from your buck.

I agree about not getting a tremendous score card payoff from a little more distance but Gary's little scenario works just as well in the opposite direction. If I'm a twelve and Player hits drives and second shots and lets me do the rest, I'll also drop to a 3.

The full game is the frame that everything else rides on and the longer the course, the more impactful a solid full game becomes. Again, I'm not disagreeing with the notion that a 12 cap club player will get the greatest benefit from short game skills.

Lou Stagner is a great follow on twitter for a lot of these discussions. He's got the back door access to all of the Arcos data.

Long story short, distance makes a huge difference in scoring.

https://x.com/LouStagner

 

[fknhippie]

Lou Stagner is a great follow on twitter for a lot of these discussions. He's got the back door access to all of the Arcos data.

Long story short, distance makes a huge difference in scoring.

https://x.com/LouStagner

The main problem with getting longer is that you can get in a lot more trouble with errant shots.

I'd be happy if I get long enough to get around a dogleg on a par 4 and not have to layup with my second shot

 

[foster4prez]

The main problem with getting longer is that you can get in a lot more trouble with errant shots.

I'd be happy if I get long enough to get around a dogleg on a par 4 and not have to layup with my second shot

He's got good data on that in there somewhere too.

Basically, as long as you avoid hazards, distance is more important than hitting the fairway.

 

[fknhippie]

He's got good data on that in there somewhere too.

Basically, as long as you avoid hazards, distance is more important than hitting the fairway.

Talking to some of the high school players, they tell me they're taught to get long first and then learn accuracy.

 

[foster4prez]

Talking to some of the high school players, they tell me they're taught to get long first and then learn accuracy.

1) Understand your cone of dispersion
2) Push distance as far as you can while avoiding hazards
3) Increase accuracy to narrow cone of dispersion
4) Repeat

The clever aiming strategy tour players use—and why you should, too

You'll see it a lot at TPC Sawgrass during the 2024 Players Championship. And you can use it, too.

www.golfdigest.com

 

[NEhomer]

Distance especially separates the boys from the men on longer courses.

On a good a day, I can hang with a longer hitter on my shorter home course. I have 120yd pitching wedge shot left and he's knocked it 20yds short of the green. I hit a wedge, he pitches the ball and we both have short birdie putts.

Now, on a longer course when he has 120yds left, I'm out there 220yds with three wood approach shots all day and I'm gonna get beat up badly.

You have to drive the ball 300+ yards to play at the upper levels of the game.

 

[Wazmankg]

Lou Stagner is a great follow on twitter for a lot of these discussions. He's got the back door access to all of the Arcos data.

Long story short, distance makes a huge difference in scoring.

https://x.com/LouStagner

I think it It depends upon ones level and the better golfer you are, the more the extra distance is going to help you. Because if you are say a 3 you're already hitting it consistently accurately and have a good short game. But an extra 10 yards will not make a lick of difference in scoring to the average bogey golfer imo.

 

[foster4prez]

I think it It depends upon ones level and the better golfer you are, the more the extra distance is going to help you. Because if you are say a 3 you're already hitting it consistently accurately and have a good short game. But an extra 10 yards will not make a lick of difference in scoring to the average bogey golfer imo.

I'm too lazy to search through all his past posts but the data shows that distance absolutely makes a difference no matter who you are.

 

[Wazmankg]

I'm too lazy to search through all his past posts but the data shows that distance absolutely makes a difference no matter who you are.

I may have overstated that. More distance helps everyone somewhat, but for a bogey golfer it's not where you'll get the most bang for your buck so to speak. Making 90% of my 4 footers, for example, is going to help me a lot more than an extra 10 yards through the bag. But practicing 4 footers gets old in a hurry so I really don't follow my own advice anyway.

 

[MTVike]

My "long" days are behind me but sometimes I hit it straight so I say "straighter is longer"... because the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. I learned something in geometry.

 

[MTVike]

I may have overstated that. More distance helps everyone somewhat, but for a bogey golfer it's not where you'll get the most bang for your buck so to speak. Making 90% of my 4 footers for example is going to help me a lot more than an extra 10 yards through the bag... but practicing 4 footers gets old in a hurry so I really don't follow my own advice.

I'm learning this the hard way as the touch I used to have as a yout isn't there anymore. But I can practice chips and short pitches in the backyard to get it back.

 

[foster4prez]

I'm too lazy to search through all his past posts but the data shows that distance absolutely makes a difference no matter who you are.

Here's a good one....

Penalty Shot Percent​

Penalty Shot % = Total Penalty Strokes / Total Tee Shots

• 51.4% of players had a lower penalty shot % after gaining distance
  • (lower = they got better)
• 48.6% had a higher penalty shot % after gaining distance
  • (higher = they got worse)
• 9.4% lowered their penalty shot % by at least 5.0%
• 9.1% increased their penalty shot % by at least 5.0%
  

Fairway Percent​

I have written before how fairways are overrated, but still including this one for those interested.

• 52.5% of players had a lower fairway % after gaining distance
  • (lower = they got “worse”)
• 47.5% had a higher fairway % after gaining distance
  • (higher = they got better)
    

Recovery Shot %​

Recovery Shot % = Total Drives Hit Into Recovery Situations / Total Tee Shots

• 53.4% of players had a lower recovery shot % after gaining distance
  • (lower = they got better)
• 46.6% of players had a higher recovery shot % after gaining distance
  • (higher = they got worse)
    

Offline Standard Deviation​

This is the offline (left/right) standard deviation of tee shots. Standard deviation just tells you how spread out the data is. A low number means you hit the ball straight. A high number means you are wild.

• 64.1% of players had a higher offline standard deviation after gaining distance
  • Higher means they were not as straight after gaining distance... or were they???

Before we look at this, we need to adjust for the player hitting it longer. The image below shows you why. The yellow triangle is the “short” hitter. The blue triangle is the “long” hitter. The top of the blue triangle is wider than the top of the yellow triangle.
Even though the top of the blue triangle is wider, the blue player is actually hitting the ball straighter. The only reason the top of the blue triangle is wider, is because the ball is going farther. If the blue triangle stopped at the same place the yellow one does, the blue player would be much straighter than the yellow.
The angle down at the bottom is what we can use to measure how straight a player is. The smaller the angle, the straighter the player. The blue triangle has a smaller angle.

So what happens when we use offline angle to measure how straight a player is?

• 65.9% of players have a smaller offline angle after gaining distance!
  • 2 out of 3 players hit the ball straighter after gaining distance!!!! This one made my eyes pop out!
• It gets even crazier…
  • For players that increased their distance by at least 10% from the prior year (which was 11% of the players in this data set)
    • 69.0% of those players had a smaller offline angle after gaining distance! If you gained A LOT of distance you were even more likely to get straighter!!!

Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee​

This one is also eye-popping.

• 94.0% of players had a higher strokes gained off-the-tee after gaining distance.
  • Of the players that improved their strokes gained off-the-tee, 75.2% of them improved by at least 0.70 strokes per round.
• For players that increased their distance by at least 10% from the prior year:
  • 99.8% of them improved their strokes gained off-the-tee.

My Thoughts​

If you have not yet tried to add distance to your game, I hope the numbers above convince you to start down that road.
There is simply a MASSIVE benefit to gaining distance. Plus, outdriving your friends is always fun.

The next time someone tells you that you will get wilder if you try to add distance, please tell them that you are actually more likely to get straighter!

 

[foster4prez]

How Far is a Good Drive?​

The best way to measure your performance is using strokes gained. Hopefully you are using something like Arccos Golf to track your stats (Use code DATALOU15 to save 15%).
When it comes to strokes gained, what is a “good” shot?

Anytime you hit a tee shot that does not lose strokes, you have hit a VERY SOLID shot. You should celebrate these!
How far do you need to hit your tee shot so the strokes gained on that shot is 0.00 or better (e.g., you don’t lose strokes)?

The first table below shows how far you need to hit your tee shot to gain 0.00 strokes if you hit the fairway. The length of the hole is down the left side, and the handicap index is across the top.

For example, on a 300 yard hole, a 0 index player needs to hit their tee shot 205 yards into the fairway to gain 0.00 strokes. Anything longer than 205 yards will gain strokes. Anything shorter will lose strokes.

The second table is the same thing, but it’s for shots that finish in the rough.

My Thoughts​

Please notice that as the hole gets longer, the difference between being in the fairway and being in the rough basically disappears.
If you have a 5 index or higher, on any hole 450 yards or longer, there is essentially no difference between being in the rough and being in the fairway.
The shorter the hole, the bigger the difference. For example, If a 10 index is playing a 325 yard hole, if they hit the fairway, they need to hit their tee shot 174 yards to gain 0.00 strokes. If they hit the rough, they need to hit their tee shot 196 yards to gain 0.00 strokes. That is a difference of 22 yards.

If that same 10 index is playing a 500 yard hole, if they hit the fairway the tee shot needs to travel 210 yards to gain 0.00 strokes and only 211 yards if they hit the rough. That is a difference of only 1 yard!

Just because there is a bigger yardage difference between fairway and rough on shorter holes does NOT mean your default should be laying up on these holes!
You should always hit the ball as far as you can, as often as you can, making sure to take into account penalty strokes and other hazards.
You can use the benchmarks above to help you better understand what a solid tee shot looks like.

 

[foster4prez]

Iron vs Iron​

I hope you are doing well, and thank you for subscribing!I have published a ton of data looking at amateur players at every skill level and how they perform from a given distance. One of the questions I often receive are golfers wondering how players of different skill levels perform with the same club. When providing info from a certain distance, 150 yards for example, scratch players will tend to use a shorter club than a higher handicap player will use. This is because as handicap improves, players tend to hit the ball longer, and will be able to use a shorter club.
Many golfers that have commented on twitter threads or reached out via DM on this topic have speculated that a scratch player with a 7 iron will perform very similar to a 10 index player with a 7 iron. I took a deep dive into the Arccos Golf database to see what this looks like (use code DATALOU15 to save 15%!).
The short answer is that performance between handicaps with the same club is not even close! Scratch players are way better, which is what makes them scratch!
Let's check out some data!

The Stats​

There are three tables below. The first shows the median distance that each iron is hit. Please note this is the TOTAL distance the ball went and is only for shots from the fairway.
The second table shows the hit green percent (only shots from the fairway). The third table shows the median proximity in feet (only shots from the fairway).

What Does This Mean For You?​

These tables should drive home the gap that exists between different handicap levels even when they are using the same club. They should also give you some good guidelines for iron performance by skill level.
I definitely have more thoughts on this topic, and will revisit at some point, but I am still recovering from my first bout with COVID and it's definitely time for another nap. Statholing is physically and mentally exhausting! (haha).

 

[foster4prez]

So, What is a Good Shot?​

In today's issue, we are going to look at what it means to hit a good shot.
Failing to understand what a quality shot is, for your skill level, is a problem many golfers have.
Understanding this is an important part of effectively managing your expectations.
Through the years I have watched hundreds (if not thousands) of golfers get mad after a good shot. They thought they hit a bad/mediocre shot.
They had no idea they hit a good shot (for their skill level).
These reactions are a slippery slope. They make us angry, frustrated, annoyed, lost, confused, etc...
Trying to play good golf while in this mental state is not going to end well.
Once upon a time that is exactly how I was. My expectations were completely unrealistic.
Below I am going to give you the information you need to better understand what it means to hit a good approach shot.

Let's Define "Good"​

This is simple. I am defining a "good" shot as one that gains at least 0.00 strokes.
Would we all love to hit nothing but "great" shots? Absolutely. Who doesn't enjoy a well-struck wedge that finishes inside 5 feet?
But as Ben Hogan said, it's a game of misses.

Why This Matters​

The feedback I get the most in my Twitter DMs goes something like this:
❝
"Hey Lou, after I started to understand what a good shot was, I stopped getting upset. I stopped getting angry. I stopped getting frustrated. Not only did I start having more fun, mbut my scores alsoimproved.Thank you so much."

Like the typical direct message above, having realistic expectations (for your skill level) can help you enjoy the game more AND shoot better scores.

The Data​

The data is based on the over 575 million shots that have been captured in Arccos.
The tables below are broken down by skill level. (Scratch, 5-index, 10-index, 15-index and 20-index).
The value in each column is how close you need to hit the ball (from that distance) to gain 0.00 shots.
The first set of tables is for shots from the fairway. Keep scrolling for shots from the rough.
I hope you enjoyed this week’s info. Thank you for following along and have a great week!
— Lou

 

[foster4prez]

I may have overstated that. More distance helps everyone somewhat, but for a bogey golfer it's not where you'll get the most bang for your buck so to speak. Making 90% of my 4 footers, for example, is going to help me a lot more than an extra 10 yards through the bag. But practicing 4 footers gets old in a hurry so I really don't follow my own advice anyway.

I think the reality is though that...

The further you hit your drive - the closer you will be to the hole.
The closer you are to the hole - the closer your approach shot will be to the hole.
The closer your approach shot is to the hole - the shorter your putts will be.
The shorter your putts are - the more likely you are to make them.