Friday, May 31, 2013

How Important are Fairways?

One of my college coaches asked my help to provide some perspective for his players - I love when my clients do that - it's a compliment!

Thanks to my genius programmer, I was able to run a query on the last two years of PGA Tour ShotLink data - 28,272 rounds to be exact - a pretty solid sample.  I looked to see how players score from the fairway vs. rough as well as their relative accuracy from various distances from each.  To be clear, the "rough" locations that I reviewed did not include the intermediate rough, fairway bunkers or any of the many "Other" results.

Score
The cost or scoring difference between hitting the fairway vs. rough is:  .315 strokes
  • Results from the fairway = -.156 (under par)
  • Results from the rough = +.159 (over par)
This means that a golfer who misses half the fairways (7) in a given round loses over 2 shots to par - not counting any Penalty or No shot results driving results that we consider to be errors.

Accuracy
The affect on accuracy is even more dramatic than that on score.  Bottom line, in order to achieve the same accuracy from the rough as the tour enjoys from the fairway at 151 to 175 yards, the players must move as much as 75 yards closer to the target.    

Accuracy from 151 to 175 yards:  
  • Hit Green from Fairway: 71%; Hit Green from Rough: 49%
  • Average Proximity to Hole from Fairway: 28 feet; from Rough: 45 feet
To attain the same the fairway accuracy cited above from the rough, we need to get to the 76 to 100 yard range:
  • Hit Green from Rough: 71%
  • Average Proximity to Hole: 27 feet
Mid point to mid point of these ranges is 75 yards.

One might ask, how does this relate to amateur golfers.  I do not have that data, but my slightly educated guess is NOT SO MUCH.  Why?  Because amateurs do not have anywhere near the accuracy from any position and certainly not from the greater distances.  Thus, it can only fall off so much when faced with shots from the rough.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

iPhone App Now Available!


Finally, the App was approved by Apple yesterday morning 5/3/13 and is available as a FREE download from the App Store.  Follow this link:  Download App
Some of the features that I believe make it appealing:
  • Large buttons and numeric keypad makes data entry easy, especially while walking.  I am able to use it on the course WITHOUT my reading glasses.
  • No data connection is required while entering data - works perfectly in "offline" mode.
  • We added Front nine and Back nine review screens to help ensure data accuracy.
  • Missing data is highlighted, with easy navigation to fix them.
  • "Jump to Hole" feature makes navigation simple.
  • Bonus stat summary, such as Driving - Fairways and Errors as well as Short game Saves vs. Errors.  Instant feedback on your round.
  • Courses - Choose from your entire course list, or add a new course on the fly.
It has been a long time coming but I am excited to finally have a product of which I am very proud.  I used it every round during my recent 6-round trip (Field tests).  It was quick and easy - not at all a distraction.  Best of all, when I finished my round I had checked and entered it by the time I had changed my shoes.

I will be very interest in your feedback.