Driver Accuracy %'s

[simmsy]

Just wondering what you all out there would consider a reasnoble % for finding fairways with your driver.
I'm not talking about playing safe with your 3w or hybrid, only drivers and if you can still take a full swing with your club of choice then being a meter off the fairway counts as good.
I'm on a 18h/c and try and make 60% of fairways, am I being too ambitious or not enough??

cheers

Simmsy..:wink:

[Johnny Canuck]

I think that's pretty good for an 18 marker.

[adlo]

You'd be happy with that Simmsy.

I think I read somewhere that off 18 you should hit 40-50% fairways.

Personally, on average I would hit just under 50% on a course of average tightness. Something wider I would hit closer to 60%. From what I have heard about your home course, if you are playing Hartfield and hitting 60% you are doing very well.

[simmsy]

I did say "try and hit 60%" it's probably closer to 50% in reality.
And yeah Adlo, playing Hartfield most of the time.

[adlo]

Fair enough. To be honest, my realistic aim is to hit 2/3 fairways too. Just doesn't happen very often!

When we get out at Hartfield one day, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, I will see for myself if its reputation for being tight is warranted!

[Golfnut]

You'd be happy with that Simmsy.

I think I read somewhere that off 18 you should hit 40-50% fairways.

Personally, on average I would hit just under 50% on a course of average tightness. Something wider I would hit closer to 60%. From what I have heard about your home course, if you are playing Hartfield and hitting 60% you are doing very well.

Interesting to know....don't feel too bad about my driving then :razz: .....still being fairly new to this I thought the percentage needed to be higher...I found, as the size of my driver increased so did the wayward drives (and so did the slicing :mad:)

[3oneday]

I'm more worried about being able to hit the next one, fairway or not.

50% is probably good enough.

[BrisVegas]

50% is a good effort. The pro's average 63%.

From golflink mates stats...

Stroke Average
Driving Accurracy
Greens In Reg.
Putts Per Round

Your Stats
82.5
67.86%
52.78%
34

Category A Average
78.86
58.58%
45.21%
31.72

PGA Pro's
71.70
63.16%
63.61%
29.30

[Scottt]

is category A 'a grade'?

[JustSneaky]

Are you kidding? pro's only hit 63%:smt108

[virge666]

I'm on a 18h/c and try and make 60% of fairways, am I being too ambitious or not enough??


I play off 3 or 4 . . . I hit about 50% of fairways. Most of the guys I play with also about the same.

But I hit 70-75% Greens in Reg.

You may have to have a bit of a re think.

[BrisVegas]

is category A 'a grade'?

dunno. probably.

[shazza_rs]

I hit a lot of fairways, doesn't mean my score is any good. I place more emphasis on my approach shots than fairways hit.

[sms316]

I'd be lucky to be above 40% at the moment. That's why a change in arsenal is imminent (it couldn't be me of course).

[Dazza]

I haven't got an official handicap yet, but played 9 holes a few weeks ago & hit 4 out of 6 fairways (66.66%?) Thats using a Nickent 3DX Square w/Stiff V2 Shaft.

The 2 I missed- Hit a high fade into the trees (Had dramas recovering from the scrub), and hit a low-hook into the rough (Recovered quite well, ended up taking a shortcut to the green. Was a dogleg)

Before the 3DX I used to be down as low as 20-30% most of the time. Was using a standard Top Flite Driver w/ Crappy regular shaft.

Am quite happy to hover around the 40-60% mark.

[3oneday]

Was using a standard Top Flite Driver w/ Crappy regular shaft.

wash your mouth out ! Topflite rocks !



8)

[AndyP]

I haven't got an official handicap yet, but played 9 holes a few weeks ago & hit 4 out of 6 fairways (66.66%?) Most tend to use a larger statistical sample than 6.

I hover in the 50-60% range, but don't hit it as long as others and can't hit a green. At least it gives me a chance of getting somewhere around the green.
Of course, there are those who are very good at still finding greens despite missing fairways.

[Scottt]

Of course, there are those who are very good at still finding greens despite missing fairways.

Tiger Woods, for instance...

[BrisVegas]

Tiger and Thommo.

[PeteyD]

Look at the pros greens in reg stat. Bloody hell.

[Dazza]

Most tend to use a larger statistical sample than 6.


In my case... it is only a 9 hole course, consisting of 3 Par 3's.
Last time I played I only played 9 Holes, and was only using that round as an example.
Haven't been big on keeping many stats in the past, but now I have myself better setup with Excel it should be interesting to watch my progress.

[moree golfer]

My usual round I might hit 3 fairways on average and one of those is usually the par 5 18th. There I hit 3 iron as driver takes it too far for the second shot across water.
I still play to or under a 17 handicap but on a day where I hit more fairways my score improves out of sight! Just got to fix my driver swing dammit!

[Moe Norman]

I hit about 45% of fairways inclusive of times I use 3w/hybrid

this figure would drop to less than 40% if only counting when I hit driver

[Grunt]

Looking at my Intelligolf stats for Fairways a surprising result has emerged

% Fairways hit 1W: 44%
% Fairways hit overall: 42%

I thought they would be better with the clubs other than driver.

% GIR: 18% (that is bad and is getting better)

These figures are calculated over 71 rounds since October last year.

[goughy]

I normally hit no more than 2 fairways a round. That includes good rounds.

[Jarro]

probably around 40% for me ...

.. when i play that is ;)

[jimandr]

I've got a couple of observations to make regarding the meaningless nature of this statistic.

Firstly, the Tour defines the cut surface as fairway, and one inch off it as a miss. If we use this definition it isn't really an indicator of merit. We aren't trying to hit our approaches to 3 feet (after drawing our wedges back 15 feet from the pitchmark), so as long as we have a clear shot to the green, and the rough isn't too deep, thats good enough for us. If it hasn't cost us a shot, who cares if its on the fairway or not.

So comparing our stats to Tour stats doesn't tell us much.

We really should try to measure the number of drives 'in play', perhaps defined as 'able to hit the green with the next one'. If we did that, I suspect the genuine low markers like SMS and Virge would have a very good stat, better than mine, and much better than the 18 markers among us.

When I was measuring my stats, I was counting shots just off the fairway as if they were on it, IF I had hit a genuinely good shot that had pitched on the fairway and just rolled off. Using that method, I averaged 62%. Ok, but not really good enough.

My really poor stats were up/downs and putts per GIR. Its likely to be the same for most double figure handicap players.

[adlo]

Good point. I think it is AndyP who mentions in his rounds for the week: "effective tee shots" rather than fairways. And that is fair enough. The killer is having to waste a shot hacking out from the crap after a shanked tee shot.

Some rounds I hit driver really well and hit say 7 fairways. But I might have a shot off the other 7. Other rounds I might hit 6 fairways and be hitting out sideways the other 8. Stats don't tell that story.

I also agree that most mid to high handicap players need most improvement in u&d and putts/GIR. Since I have been taking stats my handicap has dropped almost 3 shots and it is due massively to an increase in u&d's. My fairways have always hovered around the same mark.

[Rusty]

simmsy have a look at this thread (http://www.ozgolf.net/forums/showthread.php?t=8113) too.

[simmsy]

Cool, thanks for that Rusty!
and of course mTb!

[chappy1970]

I hit 10 of 14 last Saturday, which was extremely windy. I would've considered everyone of them effective. 2 of the misses were just off (1 or 2 feet) into the first cut the other 2 were a little deeper in.

This was a day out for me, as I would have thought my average was well below that.

[mike]

On average I hit lots of fairways in a round but f*** all greens. I wish I wish I wish it was the other way around.

[Moe Norman]

I've got a couple of observations to make regarding the meaningless nature of this statistic.

Firstly, the Tour defines the cut surface as fairway, and one inch off it as a miss. If we use this definition it isn't really an indicator of merit. We aren't trying to hit our approaches to 3 feet (after drawing our wedges back 15 feet from the pitchmark), so as long as we have a clear shot to the green, and the rough isn't too deep, thats good enough for us. If it hasn't cost us a shot, who cares if its on the fairway or not.

So comparing our stats to Tour stats doesn't tell us much.

We really should try to measure the number of drives 'in play', perhaps defined as 'able to hit the green with the next one'. If we did that, I suspect the genuine low markers like SMS and Virge would have a very good stat, better than mine, and much better than the 18 markers among us.

When I was measuring my stats, I was counting shots just off the fairway as if they were on it, IF I had hit a genuinely good shot that had pitched on the fairway and just rolled off. Using that method, I averaged 62%. Ok, but not really good enough.

My really poor stats were up/downs and putts per GIR. Its likely to be the same for most double figure handicap players.
Disagree.

If I'm in the rough, my next shot is far more difficult - because it's in the rough. As such I haven't hit the fairway and my next shot is far more difficult as I have less control over both spin and distance.

[peter_rs]

Jimandr have a look at the Australian Golf Digest-OCT 08 - "The real measure of driving accuracy"

shots extra due to position after a tee shot.

fairway or light rough = 0
heavy rough = 0.5
no shot = 1
penalty = 1.5
OOB = 2

[paulyboy]

By far and away the strength of my game is my driving. Yet Golflink shows my driving accuracy to be a mere 58.57%.
I then hit a deplorably low 39% of greens.
Shows what part of my game I need to work on!
It still stands that when I score well, I am driving the ball in the fairway.
Paul