- 4 minutes ago
In this video, Dan Parker explains how close to the flag amateur golfers hit their approach shots into greens by handicap. With the help of data from Arccos golf, he also sheds a light on how many greens you should be hitting per round as well as how close you should be to the flag from different distances away. The chances are, you're not hitting it as close as you think you are - especially from short range, but Dan has all the answers in this video so be sure to watch to the end.
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00:00How close do you think you hit your average approach shots to this thing the pin on average?
00:05What I think is a little closer than you think and I've got all the data to prove it.
00:10So, I'm going to be breaking down handicap index by...
00:15The average distance away from the pin in two sets of values, right?
00:19The first...
00:20The first one is how far away they are when a greening regulation is hit.
00:23So, that's in two shots on a par four...
00:25Three on a par five and one on a par three.
00:27I'm also going to give you the information of where...
00:30When a greening regulation isn't hit.
00:32How far away is this handicap index on average when they don't...
00:35Find the dance floor and all this information has come courtesy of Arcos who have now recorded...
00:40Over one billion, billion golf shots from real golfers on real golf.
00:45This is valuable information.
00:47I've been using Arcos now for the best part of three years.
00:50We're going to look at some of my data in a little bit and if you want to get your hands and start using Arcos...
00:55I'll put some handy links down in the description where you can find the best price in your area for a set of...
01:00Of their smart sensors.
01:01One more bit of information before we get properly stuck in.
01:04Let's take a look at the...
01:05Greening regulation percentages on average per handicap index, right?
01:09So, when I'm...
01:10I'm talking about it's greening the distance away in a greening reg.
01:13We know how often that's happening.
01:15Per handicap index, right?
01:16Still with me?
01:17Bring the graph up.
01:18At the greening regulation percentage...
01:20Which for all distances this is per handicap index.
01:23So, for a scratch golfer, a zero...
01:25For a handicap, 56% of the time.
01:27So, only just over half.
01:2846% of the time for a five...
01:30For a five handicap, 36% of the time for a 10.
01:3327% if you're a 15.
01:35And 20% of the time from all distances if you're a 20.
01:39Right?
01:40Everybody happy?
01:41The parameters are set.
01:42Let's go find out some information.
01:45Okay.
01:46All set.
01:47And let's start with a zero handicap golfer.
01:50A scratch golfer.
01:51A very competent golfer that we just found out.
01:53He's hitting the dance floor.
01:5456% at the...
01:55For a five handicap golfer.
01:56So, when they hit a greening regulation, they are on average...
02:0026 feet away from the pin.
02:02And when I actually measure that out, it's quite fast.
02:05You think these golfers might be getting within 10 or 15 feet more often than not.
02:09But no...
02:1026 feet on average.
02:11And for all shots, this is what I think is the impressive stat from all distance...
02:15They are 44 feet away when they miss the green.
02:18So, they're not, you know, snap hooking...
02:20Out of bounds and all that.
02:21They're probably just missing it in a bunker or over the back or short.
02:24So, that's a...
02:25The difference of 18 feet when this golfer does hit the green and when they don't hit
02:29the green.
02:30And for a little bit...
02:30To get more context on that, the PGA Tour average stands at just over 38 feet.
02:35For all approach shots and all distances.
02:37So, they're actually quite close.
02:40But I guess those fine margins are more greens hit and more putts hold for those PGA Tour golfers.
02:45Right then, next up, five handicapped...
02:50And ten handicapped golfers.
02:51Let's start with a five handicapped golfer on a green in regulation hit.
02:54Uh...
02:55They are 28 feet away from the pin on average.
02:57So, only two more than the scratch golfer football...
03:00All of their shots though, it's 54 feet.
03:02So, a ten foot difference there from the scratch golfer.
03:05That difference for the five handicap is 26 foot between a green in regulation hit.
03:10And a green in regulation missed away from the pin.
03:13Again, you know, a little bit more than that.
03:15The scratch golfer, as you might expect.
03:17Moving up to a ten handicap golfer, when they find the...
03:20Green in regulation, they are on average 31 feet away from the pin.
03:24And when they miss it...
03:25They are 65 feet away from the pin.
03:27And these numbers are going to start to creep up, as you might expect.
03:30And that's the difference for the ten handicapped when they do and don't hit a green of 34 feet.
03:35Again, it's pretty significant.
03:36You've seen those bad shots now.
03:38They're getting worse.
03:39And again, when I'm...
03:40If you measure out 31 feet, it's quite a long way on a green, isn't it?
03:43So, you know, you think he's got...
03:45Golfers that might be better than you.
03:46They're not pin hunting all the time, dancing the ball around the flag.
03:49They are just happy.
03:50We need to get on the green, as most of us should be.
03:53Now, I fall into this, as I promised.
03:55Here's my data, warts and all.
03:57I'm a 6.5 index, as I currently speak.
04:00From my last ten rounds, this is.
04:02So, not from all my arc-off shots over the years.
04:04From my recent golf...
04:05When I hit the green regulation, I'm on average 26 feet away, which is the same as a scratch golf.
04:10Offer, might I add.
04:11When I miss the green, though, it goes horribly, horribly wrong.
04:14And I'm 50...
04:15It's either glory...
04:17It's glory or bust with me at the minute, it seems, over my last ten rounds, anyway.
04:20The difference of 30 feet, when I do hit a green, and when I don't.
04:24I might expand that...
04:25How, actually?
04:26Because on the Arcos app, you can show different periods of time.
04:28Maybe I'll do all time next time.
04:29See how I'm...
04:30In the last three years.
04:31Who knows?
04:32But again, really interesting stats there to get an idea of...
04:35How far away, which is quite far away, these really good golfers are.
04:40Okay, let's look at 15 and 20 index golfers now.
04:45The 15 index golfers, when they hit a green in regulation, is 33 feet away from the pin, on average.
04:50And for all shots, including those that are missed, it's 75 feet, on average.
04:55Again, unsurprisingly, we're getting a bit wider here.
04:57That difference is 42 feet, between the green and red.
05:00And the green in red, missed.
05:03For 20 handicapped golfers, the...
05:05The green and red percentage, excuse me, the green and red difference is actually pretty similar.
05:09So if there's 20...
05:10Ender cap, it's 36 feet away from the pin.
05:12But those missed ones are quite different from the 1500.
05:15When a 20 handicapper misses the green, they're 85 feet away from the pin, on average.
05:20A difference between those two, of 49 feet.
05:23And I guess a nugget, I think most golfers...
05:25The average is about 19, I think, the index, at least here in the UK.
05:30Try and make those bad shots less bad.
05:32Is that a piece of advice that's useful?
05:34Probably, because you can see the...
05:35The difference there at 49 feet, between a good shot that finds the green,
05:38and a bad shot that misses is going to cost you.
05:40A heck of a lot of shots.
05:41So the next bit I'm going to talk about is when we work our way down the hole now...
05:45Per distance, how close does each handicap index get into the hole, right?
05:50We'll become clear in a minute.
05:51So I'm currently stood 65 yards away from this pin behind me,
05:54and according to the Arcos data...
05:55I'll bring a table up now.
05:56A scratch golfer from this distance, on average, will still be...
06:0030 feet away from the pin.
06:02Isn't that an interesting stat?
06:03I quite like that one.
06:04Working our way up...
06:055 handicap golfers, 35 feet.
06:0710 handicap, 39 feet.
06:0915 handicap, 40 feet.
06:104 feet.
06:11And 20 handicap, 46 feet on average.
06:13And that is between 50 and 70 feet.
06:1524 yards.
06:16So I'm 65 yards away here, and if you're an average golfer of 15 or 20...
06:2050 handicap, you're going to be outside 40 feet from here, and that is the average.
06:24And that is okay.
06:25That's...
06:25The lesson we take from that is...
06:26From this distance, even though you feel like you should be taking on pins and...
06:30Putting it in gimme distance, that isn't happening.
06:32And just getting yourself on the dance floor is what the average...
06:35golfer is doing, and at least gives you a chance to make a putt or two putt.
06:38Right, so I'm working my way...
06:40A little further away from the pin now, stood at 110 yards away.
06:43And here's the data for your handicap index.
06:45And how close you should be getting to that from here, with a little wedge in your hand.
06:48For a scratch golfer, they're...
06:50The average distance away from that pin is 38 feet.
06:52Again, I think these are quite surprisingly large numbers.
06:555 handicap, 45 feet.
06:5710 handicap, 53 feet.
06:5915 handicap, 60 feet.
07:00A 20 handicap golfer is going to be 67 feet away from that pin.
07:05On average.
07:06Again, another lesson for you golfers out there is if you can...
07:08A, don't be too worried if you're mild.
07:10A few miles away from the pin from here.
07:11But if you can tighten up that wedge game, you're going to start taking shots off.
07:15Because that's how these handicap indexes are working all the way down.
07:18If we worked our way back a little bit further...
07:20Let's say I got to 140 yards, right?
07:24Scratch golfers...
07:25Average.
07:26I'll bring this table up again.
07:2745 feet away.
07:285 handicap is 53 feet away.
07:3010 handicap is 62 feet away.
07:3215 handicap is 70 feet away.
07:34And 20 handicap.
07:3577 feet away from that pin.
07:37From 140 yards away.
07:38So another 30 yards down that fairway.
07:40Really interesting stuff.
07:41I'm going to work my way a little bit further down the hole now.
07:44And we're going to see this distance.
07:45Keep going up.
07:46Right, so I've went my way up to 180 yards away from that pin.
07:49Not a lot.
07:50You've got a lot of loft in your hand now.
07:51And you can see those distances going up.
07:52And this includes all shots.
07:53This isn't just green regulation.
07:55This is how far this golf will be away from that pin.
07:58Regardless of where that ball goes.
07:59So for the zero...
08:00If we're a handicap that'll be 72 feet away at this stage.
08:02That wouldn't hit this green I don't think.
08:05It's not a very big green.
08:06So the scratch golf is missing this green.
08:085 handicap 84 feet.
08:1010 handicap 102 feet.
08:1215 handicap 124 feet.
08:13And a 20 handicapper.
08:15144 feet.
08:16You can see the differences between each index increasing here as well.
08:20I think the skill level of the scratch golfer to the 20 handicap with a 6 or a 5 iron.
08:25In their hand is much broader than when they've both got a wedge in their hand.
08:28As we noticed.
08:29I'm going to do...
08:30One last one.
08:31I'm going to move up to about 220 yards away.
08:33And we're going to look at how far away he's golfed.
08:35When they're right...
08:36Right back there.
08:37Okay I'm 215 yards now away from this pin.
08:40From behind me.
08:41And quite frankly.
08:42Looking at this table I bring up now.
08:43You're not going to hit the green.
08:44None of these golfers do.
08:45And that's the green.
08:45That means 140 feet wide or long.
08:48Which they aren't very often are they?
08:49So a scratch golfer from here.
08:50Will get themselves close enough.
08:52140 feet away.
08:535 handicap 158.
08:5510 handicap 182.
08:5715 handicap 205 feet.
08:59And that 20 handicap...
09:00226 feet away.
09:01Which I can't even imagine...
09:03On this hole.
09:04To be honest.
09:05It's quite far away isn't it?
09:06So again.
09:07That scratch golf was just getting themselves closed.
09:09Probably trying to keep it...
09:10In play.
09:11And an extra nearly 100 feet away.
09:13A 20 handicap is just trying to...
09:15Scramble from this stage.
09:16But I hope this gives you a really good idea.
09:18Both of...
09:19When that green...
09:20Regulation is hit.
09:21How close each handicap index is.
09:23And how far away they are.
09:25The further away we get.
09:26From the pin.
09:27And the real way to understand where you sit.
09:28In this field.
09:29Is to get...
09:30Marcos for yourself.
09:31Use it as much as you can.
09:32Gather all that data.
09:33And you can understand.
09:34Using their...
09:35Strokes gain.
09:36Tall.
09:37And comparing against the stats.
09:38I've spoken about today.
09:39Where you sit.
09:40In that spectrum.
09:41Of all golfers.
09:42Right?
09:43Depending on what handicap index you are.
09:44Hope you've enjoyed...
09:45This video.
09:46Hope you found it informative.
09:47Let me know where you sit.
09:48In this bracket.
09:49If you know.
09:50In the comments.
09:50I'd love to hear.
09:51How you're getting on.
09:52If you're using Arcos already.
09:53Hope you found it informative.
09:54Hope you've enjoyed it.
09:55Until next time.
09:56I'll see you then.
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