PGA Shot Tracker gives insight to my game

[oliversax]

anyone try this?

I just discovered the free Shot Tracker website from the the PGA tour. So cool!
http://www.pgatour.com/shottracker/#/

I recently played in a ProAm and the 3 things that amazed me about these pros are:
1-other worldly short game-
they can get it up and down from anywhere... I mean anywhere.
2-course management-
as well as these guys hit it (consistent 3-5yd fades/draws), they aim each shot to minimize the potential penalty of a miss
3-they rarely swing w/ 100% effort-
they hit their drivers w/ maybe 80% effort and irons look like gravity is the only thing getting the club through the ball

I just followed the leaders at the Memorial Tourney via the Shot Tracker link above and I see these guys opting for up to 50 yds less distance for a longer approach from the fairway vs a shorter one that may put trouble or rough in play.

I also noticed that even from 120-130yds, they don't always stick it w/in 15 feet. Some teaching pro once told me that I should use the 10% rule to evaluate my iron game from 150yd and in: 150yd shot, I should be w/in 15 feet; 100yd shot, I should be w/in 10 feet. (I realized it's not exactly 10%, but just an easy way to remember...)

Shot Tracker shows that more often than not, the pros themselves are not that accurate. This realization puts things in perspective for me, not to be too hard on myself when I miss the green from 100yds (yikes!). On a few long par 4s (460-470yds), they will hit 266yd tee shots to leave themselves 200yd approaches. I would never dream about doing that, since I need my 4hybrid to hit it that far, speak nothing of accuracy. I also don't recall ever resisting the Driver when I'm on the tee of a drivable par 4. You know what comes next, the dreaded double bogey on a 295yd par 4 w/ OB left, water right, dense trees long.... :black eye:

Anyway, anyone extract insight into his/her golf game after reviewing Shot Tracker?

[rubofthegreen]

I got this quote from GolfWorld a few years ago about shot tracker stats "From 75-100 yards, Tour average is an unspectacular 18ft."

[hbear]

The ability to get up and down from ANYWHERE and the ability to putt is what really seperates the tour pro from the pretenders.....

 

These guys can flat out roll the ball.

I've played with a number of college/mini-tour players that hit "better" shots with a nicer flight than a good number of PGA Tour pros....but that difference in short game AND difference on the greens is really what seperates them.

[ClarkGrswld4]

i really enjoy going through each hole on ShotTracker for a given player....however your post does not make much sense unless you were making seperate points. You do not know where they are aiming, you just see where the ball ends up. Secondly, how do you know they swung at 80% as opposed to 100%?

[rxrdrummer]

i really enjoy going through each hole on ShotTracker for a given player....however your post does not make much sense unless you were making seperate points. You do not know where they are aiming, you just see where the ball ends up. Secondly, how do you know they swung at 80% as opposed to 100%?

 

 

He stated in his post that he knows they only swing at 80% because he was there watching I assume. It is kind of common knowledge though. Alot of pros talk about getting "shorter" the better they get on tour, meaning they only swing at less than 80% unless they have to.

[oliversax]

Well, I played in the ProAm. The pro partner told me where he was aiming. He also told me he doesn't swing full out unless absolutely necessary. When I watched the tournament thereafter, I had access inside the ropes. Got to hear the dialogue b/t the pro and his caddy, they usually accounted for their misses when choosing a target.

 

Hope that helps. Sorry if the post was non sequitur.

 

When they say 'these guys are good," they weren't kidding. :blink:

[hbear]

Didn't Jack say the golf was not about how good you hit your good shots, but rather how you manage your misses.

[ClarkGrswld4]

Well, I played in the ProAm. The pro partner told me where he was aiming. He also told me he doesn't swing full out unless absolutely necessary. When I watched the tournament thereafter, I had access inside the ropes. Got to hear the dialogue b/t the pro and his caddy, they usually accounted for their misses when choosing a target.

 

Hope that helps. Sorry if the post was non sequitur.

 

When they say 'these guys are good," they weren't kidding. :blink:

 

 

oh cool...didn't realize you had played in a pro-am

[jay hays]

Didn't Jack say the golf was not about how good you hit your good shots, but rather how you manage your misses.

 

exactly. I'm not a + hdcp, but I'm good enough to know that my round is decided more by turning what could be bogey back into par and keeping a double off the card. Birdies are fun, but they mean nothing if you lose them because you cant recover a miss.