The good news: with a more mortal putting performance – adding an extra eight strokes per round on the greens – Rory Sabbatini would have still made the cut last week at the Byron. The bad news: he would have finished dead last by six shots.
The point of this silliness is to demonstrate exactly how superior Rory’s putting performance was, even at his level of the game, and to put in perspective “how good these guys really are.” Let’s analyze Rory’s performance vs. the average weekend golfer:
What do the Traditional Stats Tell Us?
Total Putts per Round: Rory averaged 25.8 - think about how good that is. Our Average golfer averages 33.7. That is a difference of 7.8 per round or 31.2 strokes over a four-day tournament.
Putts per Green Hit in Regulation: Rory was an incredible 1.53. You will not see that very often. Our Average golfer would be 2.2 - again about 32 strokes over four days.
# 3 Putts: Rory had none. This is not unusual for a winner on the PGA Tour. Mr. Average Golfer, however, would have had two per round.
# 1 Putts: Rory had 37 1-putt greens. Think about it, under the pressure of a 72 hole PGA Tour event that not only means mega dollars but exemptions and invites to the Masters, Rory chipped/sanded in on two holes and then 1-putted on 37 more. That is 54% of the holes played! Mr. Average Golferwould not have holed out any of those greenside shots and would only have 1-putted four times each round, or 16 1-putts vs. Rory's 37.
Rory had 27 greenside, short game opportunities. His average putting distance was a tidy 5.8 feet and he “saved” 66% (18 of 27). Here’s a niblick: even at this close range, our average golfer can only expect to save about 40%, as his 50% “make” distance is just outside 4 feet.
Finally, putting is a skill at which there is always room for improvement – no matter at what level we play golf. Further, it does not require size or strength, merely solid technique and practice. It is at least 40% of the game for everyone. Do you spend 40% of your golf instruction and practice time with your flat stick?
For an accurate evaluation of your putting performance, as well as effective practice drills, log on to http://www.shotbyshot.com/. If your basic putting technique needs work, see your local teaching pro.
The point of this silliness is to demonstrate exactly how superior Rory’s putting performance was, even at his level of the game, and to put in perspective “how good these guys really are.” Let’s analyze Rory’s performance vs. the average weekend golfer:
What do the Traditional Stats Tell Us?
Total Putts per Round: Rory averaged 25.8 - think about how good that is. Our Average golfer averages 33.7. That is a difference of 7.8 per round or 31.2 strokes over a four-day tournament.
Putts per Green Hit in Regulation: Rory was an incredible 1.53. You will not see that very often. Our Average golfer would be 2.2 - again about 32 strokes over four days.
# 3 Putts: Rory had none. This is not unusual for a winner on the PGA Tour. Mr. Average Golfer, however, would have had two per round.
# 1 Putts: Rory had 37 1-putt greens. Think about it, under the pressure of a 72 hole PGA Tour event that not only means mega dollars but exemptions and invites to the Masters, Rory chipped/sanded in on two holes and then 1-putted on 37 more. That is 54% of the holes played! Mr. Average Golferwould not have holed out any of those greenside shots and would only have 1-putted four times each round, or 16 1-putts vs. Rory's 37.
Rory had 27 greenside, short game opportunities. His average putting distance was a tidy 5.8 feet and he “saved” 66% (18 of 27). Here’s a niblick: even at this close range, our average golfer can only expect to save about 40%, as his 50% “make” distance is just outside 4 feet.
Finally, putting is a skill at which there is always room for improvement – no matter at what level we play golf. Further, it does not require size or strength, merely solid technique and practice. It is at least 40% of the game for everyone. Do you spend 40% of your golf instruction and practice time with your flat stick?
For an accurate evaluation of your putting performance, as well as effective practice drills, log on to http://www.shotbyshot.com/. If your basic putting technique needs work, see your local teaching pro.
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