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I was looking back over some of my rounds in the past year. I was trying to see how GIR related to my score (and differential for handicap). I was suprised to see that I had some low rounds with low GIR. FIR is even a less important stat, but I'll stay focused.
The most interesting was a tough course I play in Ohio sometimes called Sugar Valley Country Club 9 (71.9, 128 slope). I only hit 5 Greens in regulation, but Shot a 79. I shot a 1 over 36 on the back nine and only hit 2 greens!
A course I Play a lot at home, Quail Ridge (70.8, 124), is a par 70 course. I twice have shot a 76 and only hit 7 greens. One time I shot a 79 and only hit 5 GIR.
I have other examples, but the point is GIR doesn't account for:
1. Barely missing the green but being close to the pin, or having an easy chip shot.
2. Hitting the green but having a difficult 40-70 foot putt.
GIR is a decent stat, esp if mixed with putts per GIR. But proximity to the hole is probably a better isolated stat for accuracy. A lot of people think they need to hit more greens, but a lot of times putting or chipping is the real problem. Hitting a green in regulation doesn't mean you are accurate. Most of the time I'd rather miss the green and only be 15 feet from the hole than hit the green and have a 45 foot putt.
| Comments (26) | |
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stevenwayne1978
6/6/2011 12:21:20 PM 3 bad shots and 1 good one can still make par |
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HIGH_LANDER
6/3/2011 4:03:48 PM my goal is to hit every Green.and One / Two Putt.and get out of Dodge! |
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Mark Simmons
6/2/2011 10:41:31 PM Golf Digest in their "Make Me Better" program asks you to categorize your misses by those that put you in a bad position and those that don't. That makes a lot of sense to me. As many of you have said, a ball sitting on the collar vs. one on the green may not matter. But one in the water vs. one the green sure does! Which brings me to my point. GIR is important. How important depends on the difficulty of the course (how penal is a miss?) and your short game ability. Example: Some of us can't get out of the sand to save our life; others are pretty confident in their ability to get up and down from a greenside bunker. Know the course and know your game. |
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heartotexas
6/2/2011 10:08:13 PM Well let me put it this way. On a par four, if my second shot is on the green and I two putt. It's par. If I'm off the green and have to chip, the only way I make par is to hole it out. So missing a GIR, chipping and 1 putting is always going to result in bogey golf. Making a GIR and TWO putting is always going to result in par. Can't slice it any other way. |
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DiamondDave555
6/2/2011 9:36:27 PM You just putted well...Beter than most rounds. It all comes down to putting. 3 crappy shots and one good putt is Par. |
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Robert Premeaux Jr.
6/2/2011 2:25:45 PM GIR is probably the stat I care most about, but you're right: It isn't the only indication of how well you scored. GIR, to me, is the proof in the pudding. If you're a ball-striker, you hit a lot of greens. If you're a hack like me, you don't. I maintain a 6-7 handicap while hitting only 35-38% of the greens because of what you point out, i.e., if you've got some short game and you're just barely missing greens, you can turn those into pars and bogeys. Proximity to hole IS a better indicator of your accuracy, no doubt. If I had skills estimating distances better, I'd keep that stat. |
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cogolfer1
6/2/2011 1:19:35 PM This is something that depends on the type of player. If I hit 6/18 greens, I'm playing 1 of the best rounds of my life. No matter how bad my putting is. If I only hit 1 or 2 out of 18, which is a little under average, I'm going to have to putt and chip GREAT just to break 90. |
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Goynes42
6/2/2011 12:55:55 PM I play much better when I hit at least 10 greens during a round. Proximity is important in a way, but FOR WEEKEND PLAYERS, why take a chance at an iffy lie off the green just to get it close? You often end up short-siding yourself if you're always trying to shoot the flags out. What if you're only 15 feet away, but you're buried in the bunker next to the green? Would that be "accurate?" Maybe in the sense of pure mathematics, but it still wasn't a good shot. Sam Snead once said that as you are playing a round of golf, drop an extra ball in the middle of every green--as if you had hit the green in regulation--and putt it out. Then see what your "score" for that ball is. Unless you are an awful putter, that score will almost always be under par. |
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heartotexas
6/2/2011 11:20:08 AM Think this is only true if you have a phenomenal short game, ie you frequently chip/pitch from just off the green and HOLE it out OR you have a tap in putt. It is also untrue if you have a high 1 putt percentage from just about anywhere on the green. I am struggling hard to hit more GIR. Reason is, while I am a really good at chipping and pitching, I still have about 40% 2 putts and 40% 1 putts with the rest being 3 putts. That is keeping me constantly scrambling to make par or bogey from just off the green. Eliminate that extra stroke to get into putting range and my scores are going to improve. Unless you are a terrible putter averaging 2-3 putts on every hole, GIR is going to make a significant difference in your scores. |
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PISC
6/2/2011 7:39:33 AM Good topic. Your short game better be in order if you are not hitting greens! |
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JohnBarree
6/1/2011 11:48:32 PM Stats mean something, but score means everything. You have to get it in the hole. |
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72Wannabe
6/1/2011 9:25:02 PM i will agree with you to a point. I agree there are many times it doesn't matter because you hit it pin high but just inches off the green and the putt is essentially the same either way or, as you mentioned, you hit the green but have 60 feet left and end up 3 putting. There have been times when I had a difficult putt from 45 feet and had I missed by another foot or so I would have had an easier shot by missing the green and being able to chip the ball close. On the other hand, ON AVERAGE, I score lower when I hit more GIR. Generally speaking I think you will have lower scores when taking two strokes with the putter than taking your chances of getting up and down over and over again. I know the feeling of your golf score living and dying due to the short game and when your chipping is off getting up and down seems almost impossible. |
