Tori sits down with Lou Stagner, an Arccos Golf Data Insights Lead, Co-Host of the “Hack It Out Golf” podcast and one of the leading data research analysts on The PGA TOUR.

Listen in as Lou explains what good golf looks like, not just on the expert level but also for those with a handicap inching towards average, whether 10 or 20.

Key Takeaways

• (13:08) Hitting fairways is not all that important. In fact, according to Arccos data, fairways hit is roughly the same no matter the skill level. For women, those numbers are roughly between 50% and 54%. The real difference-maker, off the tee, is 1) keeping the ball in play and 2) getting longer, as there is a very strong relationship between your handicap and how far you hit the ball. The biggest problem in golf regarding distance for women is not enough shorter tees. If you have an average distance with a driver of 175 yards, play a course between 4400 and 4600 yards.
• (19:45) If you really want to understand your performance, focus on strokes gained. Aside from this, look at how many greens in regulation (GIR) you’re hitting. There is a very strong relationship between your skill level and how many greens you hit.
• (28:02) Fairways hit is not that important. Keeping the ball in play is important. When it comes to greens hit, scratch players are typically around 11, while 10-15 handicaps are around 5. Hitting more greens is absolutely critical, but like tee shots, you have to limit penalty strikes. Avoid bunkers as well. When there is a fairway bunker in play for you off the tee, you are typically better shifting away from that fairway bunker. Sometimes, the most appropriate target is in the rough. Do your best to avoid bunkers, water hazards, and the out-of-bounds.
• (35:37) It’s important to set the right expectations when it comes to wedge shots. Pick a specific target for every single shot you take, do what you can to land the ball on that target, then accept that the larger your handicap, the higher the area you’ll actually hit. Even the greatest players on the planet hit inside of a big zone with a wedge in their hands, and the gap widens the farther they are from the hole.
• (47:59) You will only beat your handicap about 20% of the time. If you played a round of golf and had net par, your score would be in the top 20% of all your scores. Regardless, don’t get too focused on outcomes. Net par is a good goal, but consider it after the fact rather than letting the pressure of hitting a number affect your game.
• (49:24) 10-handicappers average two putts from about 16 feet, which is a number everyone should strive for and is attainable through enough speed control training. As you get closer to the hole, you want to get every single putt past it. For a 10-handicapper, that distance is around 8 feet. The farther you are from the hole, the bigger percentage of putts you want to leave short, in order to get the shortest second shot possible.

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