The weekend warrior golfer puts astonishingly high expectations on themselves to produce an almost flawless round of golf each time they play despite the lack of actual practice and commitment required to find their repeatable swing. I found a few statistics that should allow everyone to take a little of that weight off their back and focus on enjoying the fact that they are playing golf. Take in the time you are on the course, be thankful for the opportunity to spend it with your friends or, if you are playing alone, the peacefulness of the nature around you. Golf is a “Love/Hate” game for most players, but this approach can be swayed towards love permanently if you allow yourself to be ok with failure.
Golf is a game of failure. The objective is to minimize the impact of your misses. If you build your course strategy effectively and put your shots in a position where you miss still give you a chance, you are doing something right. I encourage everyone to take in the stats provided and think about them the next time you are on a course, upset with the outcome of your swing.
Hitting The Fairway From The Tee Box Is Overrated
I used to believe when I was younger that the driver was the most important club in my bag. I felt that a long drive in the middle of the fairway would translate to a better score on each hole. Not only was I utterly wrong about that, but I was wrong about my need to hit every fairway as well. Hitting fairways allows for more predictable shots with your second club and overall better approaches. You can eliminate most of the issues you face with the lie and your look to the green.
With that in mind, you must recognize that hitting fairways from the tee box does not determine your round in any way. In the 2021 PGA season, the average percentage of fairways hit is astonishingly just 60.69%! A crazy number when you consider that golfers that it took to create this stat are the absolute best in the world at this sport. Professional golfers are missing the fairway slightly less than half of their attempts. If you hit eight out of 16 fairways, assuming the course has two par three holes, then you are right there with the success rate of professional golfers.
Understand the significance of this stat and enjoy those fairways when you hit them, and let it go when you miss.
Greens In Regulation Are A Blessing, Not An Expectation
One of the significant differences between professional and amateur golfers is the GIR percentage. The ability to get the ball on the green two strokes under par for the given hole. While there is not as surprising of a number as I am sure there was for fairways hit, this stat proves that a GIR is anything but automatic.
Whether you are hitting from the fairway, a bunker, or the rough, your shot at the green is essential. Professional golfers on tour can achieve this mark on 65.14% of the time or seven out of ten attempts. Pretty good if you ask me, but a far cry from being perfect. If you are only golfing a few times a month or a few times each year, you will not be anywhere near this level.
If the height of success states that a third of the time you will fail, the level of self-expectation needs to go down during your rounds playing recreationally.
Scrambling Is The Name Of The Game
Scrambling, by PGA definition, is “The percent of the time a player misses the green in regulation, but still makes par or better.” For most players that will be reading this, scrambling is where we are generally playing. I don’t know about you, but I am not hitting every GIR, so my rounds consist of scrambling on almost every hole. Some successfully and others not.
Scrambling is tough, to put it simply. In most cases, it requires a very well-planned pitch or chip, followed by a very well-planned putt. The scramble is a challenging task for most, as the closer you get to the pin, the more the game revolves around feel. Unfortunately, “feel” is only gained with repetition and very rarely comes without extensive practice.
Surprisingly enough, PGA players are only able to scramble successfully 57.94% of the time. This number jumped off the page for me when I saw it. If I am spending a large portion of my round scrambling because of missed GIR’s, and professional players are barely successful more than half the time, why am I putting so much pressure on myself? Once I heard this, it changed my demeanor on the course the same day. Being able to play relaxed and confident made a significant change in my overall enjoyment of the game.
Putting Is Hard
Putting is the part of the game where professionals pull away from the Sunday golfer enjoying the weather and a cold beer. However, the difference is not as dramatic as you would think it would be. The average amount of putts globally for an amateur golfer is 32 putts on any given round. While this is a big chunk of the overall score, like scrambling, we are very close to pin, and “feel” plays a significant part in the success.
In 2021 the tour average was 29 putts per round. I have had a few outings that hit this mark, and I remember being upset with my play that day. It is outrageous to raise my expectations any higher around this piece of the game without dedicating more time to my overall growth and development with my putter. I am sure that many players fall into the same category.
Conclusion
If you are out playing golf with a few friends, take in the scenery and time to enjoy the game entirely. Remind yourself that most professional golfers only hit the fairway a little better than half the time. They miss greens in regulation regularly, that scrambling is a standard part of the game, and that putting is challenging for everyone! Unless you are legitimately pursuing a career in golf, the course shouldn’t be a place for practice but a place for enjoying your escape from your everyday hustle and bustle.
