Birdies & HC's

[HatsForBats]

My Index has been mostly in the 7 to 9 range.

 

My home course is short with a low slope - average 1 birdie every 10.6 holes (1.7 birdies per round)

My weekly 9-hole league course which is a little longer and slighly higher slope - 1 birdie every 20.3 holes (0.9 birdies per round)

[Tepop84]

> @DavePelz4 said:

> > @Tepop84 said:

> > +.2 currently and swing by swing app says I average 3 birdies a round. I did just set my personal best w 9 birdies in a round Sunday.

>

> Have to ask...what did you shoot that round?

3 bogeys 66, second low round of the year (65). Course rating 69.7 so not that good.

 

[MelloYello]

> @"North Butte" said:

> > @MelloYello said:

> > People definitely inflate their real stats.

> >

> > I'm a 7.7 handicap and my golf spreadsheet says I've played 777 holes this year amongst which I've recorded 15 birdies.

> >

> > That averages to one in 3 rounds. I know I play a pretty tough course (73.7 / 138) but seriously, if someone is managing to get 1 every couple rounds it's pretty darn good. Put me on an easy course and I'm sure I'd give myself a bunch more looks and my average rate would improve.

> >

> > There are lots of factors though. The greens are an important one. Last week I recall I missed a tricky little 3-footer for birdie. Unfortunately, where I play, 3-footers are never tap-ins. On some greens they seem to be far easier.

>

> I can move up a set of tees and average nearly a birdie a round. But those tees are short enough my average approach shot club is somewhere between 8-iron and 9-iron. I'm a pretty awful golfer but one thing I can do is hit my PW/8-iron/9-iron pretty good from the fairway.

>

> From my normal tees that average approach shot is 25 yards longer and, more importantly, my normal driving distance brings all sorts of fairway bunkers and other trouble into play off the tee. Birdies are hard earned.

 

Yeah, my course would be A LOT more birdie friendly if the Par-5's were within reach but they're designed to be tough, which I kind of hate. It robs some of the fun out of it. The lies just happen to be terrible so while you might normally go at a green from 250, you're not going to do it from a hanging lie knowing you have to carry a creek. That's just stupid.

 

 

[North Butte]

> @MelloYello said:

> > @"North Butte" said:

> > > @MelloYello said:

> > > People definitely inflate their real stats.

> > >

> > > I'm a 7.7 handicap and my golf spreadsheet says I've played 777 holes this year amongst which I've recorded 15 birdies.

> > >

> > > That averages to one in 3 rounds. I know I play a pretty tough course (73.7 / 138) but seriously, if someone is managing to get 1 every couple rounds it's pretty darn good. Put me on an easy course and I'm sure I'd give myself a bunch more looks and my average rate would improve.

> > >

> > > There are lots of factors though. The greens are an important one. Last week I recall I missed a tricky little 3-footer for birdie. Unfortunately, where I play, 3-footers are never tap-ins. On some greens they seem to be far easier.

> >

> > I can move up a set of tees and average nearly a birdie a round. But those tees are short enough my average approach shot club is somewhere between 8-iron and 9-iron. I'm a pretty awful golfer but one thing I can do is hit my PW/8-iron/9-iron pretty good from the fairway.

> >

> > From my normal tees that average approach shot is 25 yards longer and, more importantly, my normal driving distance brings all sorts of fairway bunkers and other trouble into play off the tee. Birdies are hard earned.

>

> Yeah, my course would be A LOT more birdie friendly if the Par-5's were within reach but they're designed to be tough, which I kind of hate. It robs some of the fun out of it. The lies just happen to be terrible so while you might normally go at a green from 250, you're not going to do it from a hanging lie knowing you have to carry a creek. That's just stupid.

 

I hit it really short. So from the normal men's tees (which otherwise suit my game OK) I might get a couple chances a year, if that, to catch a Par 5 playing downwind and manage to get just short of the green in two. But basically unreachable.

 

That's why I mix it up and play the old-guy tees once in a while. Knowing that two of the Par 5's are reachable with my two best shots lets me start the round thinking I might get an eagle chance.

 

OTOH, all the Par 3's from the up tees are seriously short. I almost wish I could get by with playing the 3's from the men's tees and the 5's from the senior tees, just for maximum variety. One of the first times I ever played the up tees I hit a great drive then an awesome fairway wood. Got it into a greenside bunker in two and had my bunker shot tracking right toward the hole for an eagle. Came up short and had a tap-in birdie.

 

Everybody ought to get a chance to do something like that once or twice in their life IMO.

[Celebros]

I'm a 3 handicap and average 1.76 birdies per round (over my last 25 rounds).

[Ty_Webb]

I'm a +0.9 right now and average 2.34 birdies for my last 20 rounds. 0 eagles.

[DavePelz4]

> @Tepop84 said:

> > @DavePelz4 said:

> > > @Tepop84 said:

> > > +.2 currently and swing by swing app says I average 3 birdies a round. I did just set my personal best w 9 birdies in a round Sunday.

> >

> > Have to ask...what did you shoot that round?

> 3 bogeys 66, second low round of the year (65). Course rating 69.7 so not that good.

>

 

That is an AWESOME round! Congrats.

[pshabi]

> @Under2hours said:

> Was going to start a thread and complain, but then saw https://forums.golfwrx.com/discussion/1787959/please-send-me-birdie-vibes#latest and figured I should not be grousing.

> HC is going down & under 11. I am consistent and not many blow-up holes (yes lax with gimmes) and keep it pretty straight.

>

> However when I read about others and all their birdies and people with 15 HC's saying they usually have 1-2 birdies a round and occasional 3-4 days I wonder what's wrong with me (or playing partners who are 5-11 HC's and a good day is 4 amongst our foursome).

>

> The other day I had a 1' tap in, which probably was my first in 5 rounds. Prior I actually made a bomb 25' putt and maybe only 1-2 looks/round inside 20'.

>

> I'm happy with my golf game as I am on or near the hole in reg most holes, however birdies are few & far between compared to what I read here and elsewhere from players at the same level (HC).

 

Your description of your HC and birdie experience is identical to mine.

[SkiSchoolPro]

I think a lot depends on the course and tees you play. If you play a course with a CR substantially under par, then there are a lot more birdie holes. Reverse is true if you play a course with a CR that is over par. When I play courses with a lot of reachable par 5s and Wedges into Par 4s (or driveable par 4s), I make a lot more birdies than I do on courses without those.

[JohnnyMIke]

Im up to 14.1, but trending back down and was 9.0-11 most of the last year until lofe and my swing went to pieces. Im probably playing to 12.5 right now. IIRC, Ive had 1,0, 1, 2, 2, 1, 1, 0, 3 birdies in the last 7 rounds. I bank a triple most round and usually 2 or 3 doubles. As other have said, it is course and game dependent. Any round with 2 bridies is automatically a good round. A round with 3 birdies is automatically a great round regardless of overall score. Ive had 2 birdies and an eagle and still shot 85 on a 6500 yd 72/133 course and shot 80 w one birdie on a 7000 yd 74.2/140 course. I am not sure of my lowest score or differential without a birdie, but i doubt it is much below 87 and a 12 or 13 diff. Any time i break 40 for 9, whis rare, I likely had 2 birds on that 9. All 37s have involved 2 or 3 on the 9. Ive never shot 36 on a legit par 35 or 36 nine with a rating close to or above par. Two or 3 times ive shot the rating or some minute fraction better on a tough 9. Always, this accompanied a 44+ on the other 9!

[Under2hours]

A good read. The point is the 11-15's are those I never trust when it comes to these comments. I play with plenty of good players who can hit the ball and either these higher HC'ers are happy to have and post 3-4 putts, followed by birdies and keep an inflated HC.

Yesterday I had 2 inside 10' that I missed & regularly play with a scratch, a 4.1, 6 & others who can hit it long (over 250) and have game. The scratch yes 2-3 birdies/round I expect, but others 1-2 and once over a 10 HC not too much unless we put one inside 5'. Frankly made putts over 25' are maybe 1-2/round amongst a foursome.

As said those 10-15 are either padding their birdies or are 6-7 HC's padding their scores.

[SNIPERBBB]

> @Under2hours said:

> A good read. The point is the 11-15's are those I never trust when it comes to these comments. I play with plenty of good players who can hit the ball and either these higher HC'ers are happy to have and post 3-4 putts, followed by birdies and keep an inflated HC.

> Yesterday I had 2 inside 10' that I missed & regularly play with a scratch, a 4.1, 6 & others who can hit it long (over 250) and have game. The scratch yes 2-3 birdies/round I expect, but others 1-2 and once over a 10 HC not too much unless we put one inside 5'. Frankly made putts over 25' are maybe 1-2/round amongst a foursome.

> As said those 10-15 are either padding their birdies or are 6-7 HC's padding their scores.

 

The ones in that range I play with generally make their birdie on a par 5 as you generally just have to hit 4 respectable to decent shots.

Occasionally theyll luck in a bomb putt or stuff and approach.

[Johnny Biarritz]

Handicap 3.1, birdie average over last 12 rounds is 1.4 per round. I make a lot of pars...

[Under2hours]

> @"Johnny Biarritz" said:

> Handicap 3.1, birdie average over last 12 rounds is 1.4 per round. I make a lot of pars...

 

And that is what I expect. Played Tuesday with a 3 and easily could have had 4-5, but only one. I follow PGA Play by Play way too closely and see how many birdies 4'-7' are missed or on par 5's around the greens and don't make the birdie, and pros I expect to hit a few close/round. I don't expect it from us scrubs.

[musclefront]

JT has the highest birdie avg on tour at 4 per round. No way a 15 averages 2+. I’m a 3.6 and get maybe one a round avg. just a lot of steady pars and no doubles (if I can help it!)

[larrybud]

4 index. 10% birdie average.

Last year I got down to <1 and was up to 15% birdie average.

Doesn't mean a WHOLE lot when you don't consider difficulty and length of holes.

[trilerian]

My index has fluctuated quite a bit this season from as low as a 12 to as high as a 15. My home course is easy. With a good drive, I have anywhere from a 5i to a wedge left. I don't get many birdies though. This season I am averaging about 6 GIR per 18, so I am getting looks, but don't make enough putts.

[DLev45]

I’m a 7.2 HC. Over my past 20 rounds I’m at 1.8 birdies and 0.2 eagles/round.

 

It depends a ton on the course rating. My home track is 69.9/123. You put me on a 75/147 course and naturally that’s coming down. It’s 5 shots harder.

 

The only way I see a 15 having 2-3/round as an average is if they an hit it 270 and are playing a 6,000 course. But still unlikely.

[Under2hours]

> @DLev45 said:

> I’m a 7.2 HC. Over my past 20 rounds I’m at 1.8 birdies and 0.2 eagles/round.

>

> It depends a ton on the course rating. My home track is 69.9/123. You put me on a 75/147 course and naturally that’s coming down. It’s 5 shots harder.

>

> The only way I see a 15 having 2-3/round as an average is if they an hit it 270 and are playing a 6,000 course. But still unlikely.

 

Not saying 2-3/rd, just them saying that they do it often and you hear about it.

 

I've played 3-4x/wk since May and remember one time with 2 birdies and that is it. Same goes with chip ins and such (seldom seen amongst my group of golfers).

 

 

[timmy8151]

Current HC is 14.4 and per Arccos my birdie rate is at 2.9% which is a birdie about every two full rounds

[Mustu]

10.1 HC and average .7 birdies per round. I can definitely go 5-6 rounds in a row without getting any. Most I've ever had in a round is 3.

[RSinSG]

At 7.2 HC now and was as low as 3.9 a few years ago. According to GameGolf my scores are: 1% eagles, 12% birdies, 57% par, 25% bogie and 5% double. The one albatross I've made doesn't register and the dreaded "others" are also statistically insignificant (thankfully.) While these stats may sound better than my Hdcp keep in mind most of my play is on courses that are 6000-6500 yrds. That makes my 251 yd average drive long enough to have short irons in.

 

This thread prompted me to review all my scores since 2015 and look for the round with the most birdies. Not surprisingly it was my best score in relation to par when I had 7 birdies and an eagle. Sadly also had 4 bogies to keep the universe in balance.

[Exactice808]

No given index here, but my Golf app say 13.2

went 4 rounds no birdies, one round 15 pars (never done that before)

then the next 2 follow on round, 3 birdies one and 2 birdies the next.... again average score 85ish?

 

Some times it drops other days it wont.....

[Moshjean]

Currently a 7.2

 

I average slightly less than a birdie a round (.92)

I can be a very streaky player, I’ll go 2-3 rounds without making a birdie and then make 2-3 in a round. Usually can count on making 1 per round though.

 

I have a very hard time believing that 15 caps are making 1-2 a round and 3-4 on a good day. If you can score that well you shouldn’t be having that many blow up holes.

 

Best player I know (ex Japan Tour Pro) told me that pros can usually count on hitting a couple of wedges or short irons stiff for kick in birdies, but anything more than 2-3 is icing on the cake.

[Mcgeeno]

I'm currently a 2.6 and make a lot of pars but not a lot of birdies.

 

I'm working/keying on my proximity to the hole as I hit greens and make a ton of safe low stress pars but don't roll in a ton of birdies.

 

I won a recent match play semi final with 15 pars in 18 holes and zero birdies.

[JohnnyMIke]

let's be clear: there is no question that birdie count for *anyone* is going to be proportional to the length and difficulty of the course. For example, I've largely played at a 6200 yard from the tips muni while my 7k home course is under extensive renovation. The course I play now is short and tight and there are several par 4s that can be driven. If I miss, i'm in the woods and making double or worse, but if I'm pin high in regulation minus 1 on a par 4 or 5, and am having a decent short game day, it isn't that hard to make at least one birdie. Mind you, if you read the above analysis, you will realize that a mid-cap's poor course management can lead to an extra birdie or two at the cost of several doubles. I have never had a double free round in my life from the tips, ever, anywhere. When I was a 20+ index, I would sometimes play with 5i as my longest club to keep things in play. I should try something like that again at the current course. Playing a ton of match play with friends on a short course, it is just too grinding to never go at the green and never use driver. This was also kinda untenable when I was playing the longer course.

If I play a 69/123 6400 type setup I will be a little annoyed if I don't post at least one birdie: these courses are going to have 480 yd par 5s and some sub 400 (likely sub 350) par 4s that are fairly wide open. One the old design of my home course, the 18th from the tips was par 4, 453, pure death to the right, some trees to left, and solidly up hill for the approach: with the pin back and a good wind directly into (the more common prevailing wind), it played 500 - easily. Did I birdie it often? NO. I did, however, manage to make some pars there. There are plenty of par 5s on those easier courses that play shorter and easier than that hole often did, so it stands to reason that if you get 2 or 3 of those holes a round, and you are playing well, even a lowly 12 or 13 index can manage a birdie most rounds, and, perhaps even have as many rounds with 2 as with zero.

[northgolf]

When I was a 3.6 in my youth, I made a birdie about once every 4 rounds. The course I played then had treacherous greens and if you weren't below the hole or even on the right side of it, an aggressive putt could easily end up 15 feet from the cup even though you could easily read the writing on the ball as it went past the cup. There were also a scarcity of level lies in the fairways.

 

Last year as an 8, I expected to make at least one birdie a round and often two or three. The greens are easier on approach, only stimp around 11, and there are several holes that often have very attachable pin positions.

[JohnnyMIke]

> @northgolf said:

> When I was a 3.6 in my youth, I made a birdie about once every 4 rounds. The course I played then had treacherous greens and if you weren't below the hole or even on the right side of it, an aggressive putt could easily end up 15 feet from the cup even though you could easily read the writing on the ball as it went past the cup. There were also a scarcity of level lies in the fairways.

>

> Last year as an 8, I expected to make at least one birdie a round and often two or three. The greens are easier on approach, only stimp around 11, and there are several holes that often have very attachable pin positions.

 

There may be something to being an 8 who was a 3 or, in my case, a 13 or 14 who was a 9 as well: at one point the skill was there and may still lurk underneath the surface; furthermore, there is simply the psychological advantage of having been at a point where a birdie isn't terribly rare and thus perhaps not getting knock kneed over a short birdie put after a good chip.

[rich_s2]

I’m a 2.9 and played a tournament on Thursday. Had 4 birdies and one eagle.

[deadsolid...shank]

I am a big proponent of the idea that the course one plays makes such a huge difference. One of the two courses I used to play had only two of the par fives really reachable on a regular basis, but had numerous par fours where you could realistically get your tee shot well within a hundred yards. Normally a lot of reasonable birdie looks. I don’t keep stats either but I would guess there the average would have been 2.XX or so. The other course only had one par four that was “reachable”, but three of the par fives were very reachable (I made seven birdies here in our Pro am round last year). Probably averaged a little over one per round here.

 

The course I play now (although just a fraction of the number of rounds) doesn’t seem to offer up nearly the number of opportunities. One less par five (and I’ve only reached these a handful of times) and only one par four you can get close to (at least for us mortal drivers of the ball?). Add in much, much trickier greens that I haven’t figured out and the birdies are much less frequent. Definitely under one per round here. For the record, played off a cap that ranged normally from two to five. Definitely trending in the wrong direction now.