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I’ve been putting a lot of thought into playing smarter in order to get better scores. I’m now sitting at about 90-92 for my last ten rounds. Not really knowing what it is that is keeping me from breaking the ninety barrier. I’ve been looking into where my weaknesses are.
Using a recent Golf Digest article (May 2006, pp 166-169), I started counting my GIR shots and the number of putts I’m hitting. The article claims that a person wishing to consistently hit in the 80’s and then have an outside shot at putting for a 79 on the 18th needs to concentrate first on GIR totals and then putts.
The ideal ratio they claim works is at least 8 GIR and no more than 32 putts.
Intrigued by this way of looking at things, I started counting on my score card exactly these two things.
Interestingly enough for me, I’m averaging around 35 putts a round, which is not altogether terribly off the mark.
However, my GIR percentage is pretty woeful. I am getting about 2 a round (with an additional three sitting off the fringe a bit).
And though I get that this all-important stat is helpful, I’m not quite sure what it means to my course management.
I’m driving the ball pretty well right now, keeping it on the fairway at least four times out of 9 on the front and back nines (for pars 4 & 5). That should mean that I should have a reasonable shot at getting the ball on the green in 2 or 3 respectively. This is simply not happening.
How do I take driving range practices and turn them into something that I can use for these increasingly important approach shots so that I can improve in the GIR category? The lies are sometimes flat, but are as often not. The range is not giving me… well… the “range” of shot situations that I need to get the feel for what clubs to be hitting in these situations.
I suppose I should be happy I’m shooting in the 90’s now, after taking this long to get here from 120's plus a year ago. Of course what I am thinking of is how to get my 92 down to an 82.
Par for the course no doubt.
Cheers!
Using a recent Golf Digest article (May 2006, pp 166-169), I started counting my GIR shots and the number of putts I’m hitting. The article claims that a person wishing to consistently hit in the 80’s and then have an outside shot at putting for a 79 on the 18th needs to concentrate first on GIR totals and then putts.
The ideal ratio they claim works is at least 8 GIR and no more than 32 putts.
Intrigued by this way of looking at things, I started counting on my score card exactly these two things.
Interestingly enough for me, I’m averaging around 35 putts a round, which is not altogether terribly off the mark.
However, my GIR percentage is pretty woeful. I am getting about 2 a round (with an additional three sitting off the fringe a bit).
And though I get that this all-important stat is helpful, I’m not quite sure what it means to my course management.
I’m driving the ball pretty well right now, keeping it on the fairway at least four times out of 9 on the front and back nines (for pars 4 & 5). That should mean that I should have a reasonable shot at getting the ball on the green in 2 or 3 respectively. This is simply not happening.
How do I take driving range practices and turn them into something that I can use for these increasingly important approach shots so that I can improve in the GIR category? The lies are sometimes flat, but are as often not. The range is not giving me… well… the “range” of shot situations that I need to get the feel for what clubs to be hitting in these situations.
I suppose I should be happy I’m shooting in the 90’s now, after taking this long to get here from 120's plus a year ago. Of course what I am thinking of is how to get my 92 down to an 82.
Par for the course no doubt.
Cheers!
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