What Would You Shoot if You Dropped a Ball at 95 Yards COF on Every Hole at Your Home Course?

[scooterhd2]

I already knew partial wedges were I weakness to my game, but this thread has really highlighted it. I guessed earlier that I would shoot about 4 over from this range, and while I think that is pretty accurate, a light bulb finally went off in my head that helped me realize that this needs to be an immediate focus of mine. I am wanting to shoot even for my entire full round. If I can't do it from 95 yards, I'm not making it any easier on the big boy course. And this practice has to translate as much as anything throughout the bag.

 

Thanks to @Obee @TheCityGame and others. Documenting the array of shots needed, and highlighting how relatively quickly you can go from being over to under par with practice is inspiring. I need to stop laying up to 125 and get it figured out as it will make me a better player.

 

Played in a 3 man scramble last week. All of us are single digits, and we put ourselves into great position on the par 4s. Seemed like we were hitting in from 105-60 all day, and the results were just terrible. Like, thankful we got one on the green terrible. Funny, how I can hit 5 seven irons in a row between 157-161 yards, but can hit 5 sand wedges 95, 71, 84, 103, 89 when I'm trying to hit a 90 yard shot. Embarrassing. 

 

I just hit the range hitting nothing but 52 degree wedges. Working on 9:3 or L to L, incorporating the feel from the Malaska hip video. But just as importantly, working on hitting the ball lower, and getting shot after shot the same trajectory and same distance. No longer just hitting the wedge and high and moving down throughout the bag. I need to get over the fear of the fatties, and start taking some big boy divots and attacking more from the inside. 

[J295]

61 year old 6 cap.  Shot 4 over when I tried it when thread first started.  Got back to it again today for 9 holes and went 3 over (missed four greens and got u/d only once).  Right now all of my golf (except putting) is inconsistent and I'm in a late season blah regarding playing -- and this game is a good way to get me working on things that need attention in a "live" setting.

[Obee]

So who else is going to do this? I'm going to do it this weekend and see if the first go 'round was luck, or if I can repeat/better it. Here's some really cool data on the subject. Check out the 95 yard section.

 

[Hawkeye77]

5 minutes ago, Obee said:

So who else is going to do this? I'm going to do it this weekend and see if the first go 'round was luck, or if I can repeat/better it. Here's some really cool data on the subject. Check out the 95 yard section.

 

 

LOL, I just saw Monte had posted that same chart on his IG and it made me think of this thread.  May be this weekend, may be next, but will be doing this very soon! Figure people need a few laughs, happy to be the foil.

[2bGood]

I have not read through this thread, but recently I had some wedge issues so last night I walked 9 holes for practice. I was not playing, just hitting shots I needed to work on, so I dropped a ball at 100 on each hole and hit my sand wedge in. I would guess I could get to about 7 under playing 18 holes like this but most day would be more like 4 under. I am probably going to hit 16-18 greens and have a several good birdie chances. 

 

One thing to keep in mind is hitting the same shot 18 times you are going to get pretty grooved in. I found this was the case over 9 holes. The other things is this method may actually cost you bridge opportunities not eh par 5's if you are able to normally reach them in two.

 

[Obee]

1 minute ago, 2bGood said:

I have not read through this thread, but recently I had some wedge issues so last night I walked 9 holes for practice. I was not playing, just hitting shots I needed to work on, so I dropped a ball at 100 on each hole and hit my sand wedge in. I would guess I could get to about 7 under playing 18 holes like this but most day would be more like 4 under. I am probably going to hit 16-18 greens and have a several good birdie chances. 

 

One thing to keep in mind is hitting the same shot 18 times you are going to get pretty grooved in. I found this was the case over 9 holes. The other things is this method may actually cost you bridge opportunities not eh par 5's if you are able to normally reach them in two.

 

 

Yes, it COULD "get you grooved in," but the reality is ... it shouldn't really matter. It's a wedge shot. You SHOULD be hitting every one of them "as if" you were grooved in, right? This kind of a drill is what can help anyone realize what is POSSIBLE with their wedge game.

[cardoustie]

I can't believe I didn't do this yet this year, the courses have been jammed all day every day, rounds up 40% in the Toronto area

[2bGood]

2 minutes ago, Obee said:

 

Yes, it COULD "get you grooved in," but the reality is ... it shouldn't really matter. It's a wedge shot. You SHOULD be hitting every one of them "as if" you were grooved in, right? This kind of a drill is what can help anyone realize what is POSSIBLE with their wedge game.

 

Part of grooving in the precision game is environmental/physical  factors for me. Some days the humidity, temp etc make the ball fly a little further, some days my timing, how loose I am etc make the ball fly a bit further. After a few holes I get a sense if I am hitting longer than normal or shorter. In theory this could happen in the warm up but I find the limited flight balls don't really tell me as much as I would like.

 

I will also say I am a streaky player. I have some incredible wedge days and then 'other' days. The entire reason I went out to hit wedges was my wedge game was 'off'. Once I found my swing I was hitting it very close most holes. So for sure I can see lots os possibility in my wedge game, but just not always the reliability.

[Gsea]

17 minutes ago, cardoustie said:

I can't believe I didn't do this yet this year, the courses have been jammed all day every day, rounds up 40% in the Toronto area

Same here, but yes rounds have been off the hook. We have def seen a drop post Labor day tho during the early week so this is getting done. Will b fun or depressing lol. 

[Obee]

9 minutes ago, 2bGood said:

 

Part of grooving in the precision game is environmental/physical  factors for me. Some days the humidity, temp etc make the ball fly a little further, some days my timing, how loose I am etc make the ball fly a bit further. After a few holes I get a sense if I am hitting longer than normal or shorter. In theory this could happen in the warm up but I find the limited flight balls don't really tell me as much as I would like.

 

I will also say I am a streaky player. I have some incredible wedge days and then 'other' days. The entire reason I went out to hit wedges was my wedge game was 'off'. Once I found my swing I was hitting it very close most holes. So for sure I can see lots os possibility in my wedge game, but just not always the reliability.

 

Was just talking to a friend about this the other day. Yes, those factors absolutely matter, and they are a component of scoring that guys who do not score will for their ability level neglect. Environmental factors, lie conditions, wet greens that "skip" when you pitch the ball to them. Dry conditions that give you extra roll-out on lay-up shots and that effect the correct club to hit on long par 4's or par 5's where you know you are going to have to land it short and run it up, etc. Wind, of course. Very cold air temperature. All of it is probably 1 to 2 shots PER ROUND that I gain over others at my level.

[cardoustie]

I remember earlier in the thread thinking guys are predicting scores that are way too low

 

I mean the PGA TOUR PLAYER AVG from 100 yards is over 18 feet.  +7 hdcp golfers

 

You have to think a 3 cap like myself would avg 30 feet and odds of making 30 foot putts has to be down under 5%

 

[Ty_Webb]

1 hour ago, Obee said:

So who else is going to do this? I'm going to do it this weekend and see if the first go 'round was luck, or if I can repeat/better it. Here's some really cool data on the subject. Check out the 95 yard section.

 

At 95 yards, taking the percentages of shots that wind up within each range and the average number of putts to finish from each range, the total strokes to complete the hole is around 2.71. That equates to 48.7 shots. The average shots to finish the hole from 90 and 100 yards in the fairway is 2.77 and 2.80, so there must also be some outlier shots that fall in the 16% that miss the green and result in penalties etc. 2.785 x 18 is 50.13, so 49 to 50 is "par" from a PGA Tour perspective for this. Maybe knock off a stroke or two for pins being cut closer to the edges on tour than you'll see at your local, and anything under 50 is really good. 

[Obee]

33 minutes ago, Obee said:

 

Was just talking to a friend about this the other day. Yes, those factors absolutely matter, and they are a component of scoring that guys who do not score well (for their ability level) often neglect. Environmental factors like varying lie conditions; wet greens that "skip" when you pitch the ball to them; dry conditions that give you extra roll-out on lay-up shots and that (should) factor into club choice on long par 4's or par 5's where you know you are going to have to land it short and run it up, etc.; wind, of course; very cold air temperature. All of that (and many things I've neglected to mention) probably adds up to 1 to 2 shots PER ROUND that I gain over others at my level.

 

[Hawkeye77]

And I may wear jeans!

Edited October 6, 2020 by Hawkeye77

[hackerboy]

If I go out there by myself I figure 4 birdies, 2 bogies, 12 pars.   So 52.  
 

If it’s in competition, on TV, or at the Masters, 62.  

[2bGood]

Just now, Obee said:

 

Was just talking to a friend about this the other day. Yes, those factors absolutely matter, and they are a component of scoring that guys who do not score will for their ability level neglect. Environmental factors, lie conditions, wet greens that "skip" when you pitch the ball to them. Dry conditions that give you extra roll-out on lay-up shots and that effect the correct club to hit on long par 4's or par 5's where you know you are going to have to land it short and run it up, etc. Wind, of course. Very cold air temperature. All of it is probably 1 to 2 shots PER ROUND that I gain over others at my level.

 

Yes good list, I have to say I am aware of all these factors and pay attention to them, but I have trouble assessing them and predicting the result (some are easier than others). 

 

One thing I am SUPER good at is playing my home course and the various subtle factors. I know all the soft spots when it has rained that you should not lay up to. I know the areas of green that tend to get hard and not receptive after a few hot days and you need to land short of, I know areas in the rough that the mowers have trouble getting to etc etc. 

 

 

 

 

[LeoLeo99]

I had the pleasure of playing with an older Obee type of player yesterday.  Not the smoothest of swings or most flexible but really effective.  Center of the club face every time.  But so so good from 100 yds in.  I mean hitting it inside of 10 feet from 100 yds and inside of 3 feet from 50 yds good.  People always say there is a bigger difference between a plus 6 and scratch than scratch and 10 or whatever it is they say.  I never understood it until yesterday that there are people that can hit wedges with such accuracy and precision.  I'm not one of them.  I'm far from it but I need to improve this part of my game to really make improvement in my scores.  

[2bGood]

2 hours ago, cardoustie said:

I remember earlier in the thread thinking guys are predicting scores that are way too low

 

I mean the PGA TOUR PLAYER AVG from 100 yards is over 18 feet.  +7 hdcp golfers

 

You have to think a 3 cap like myself would avg 30 feet and odds of making 30 foot putts has to be down under 5%

 

Average being averages the numbers work out okay. If you do average 30 feet  you are going to have some 58 footers and some 2 footers. Do you typically get up and down from 60 feet? Do you typically make 2 footers?

 

I figured 4 under for me as I would have around 6 inside 15', 6 around 30' and 6 outside 45'. I am not anticipating more than one bogie, and I am figuring a dropping a handful of putts. 

 

[b_f_c_99]

I just finished up playing 9 from a set of tees that gave me lots of short looks here are the results.  I hit all 9 greens so I won’t note that,

 

1.  60 degree wedge from  15 yards to 10 feet 2 putt par

2.  110 wedge to 25 feet birdie

3.  115 wedge to to 20 feet. Par

4. 55 gap wedge to 30 feet. Par

5. 155 yard 7 iron to 13 feet par

6. 55 yard gap wedge to 5 feet par really bad read

7. 155 yard 7 iron to 30 feet. Par

8. 90 yard gap wedge to 25 feet par

9. 110 yard wedge to 12 feet  par

 

Ive been playing this set of tees to work on these distances.  I’ve gotten better at giving myself decent looks but my results tell me I need to putt better. 

[commoditybroker]

Had time to play our back 9 with my daughter yesterday, here were my results:

 

 

I played all shots from 100 off a variety of lies for the first shot.

 

I am going to do this again, and will try for a full 18.  I will take either pictures or do video next time so I can get a bit more detail about each hole and shot.

 

In summary, it was a really fun experience.  I took out pretty much every club but gap, sand, lob and putter so now I have an excuse to get a Sunday bag for rounds like this.

 

A few observations

 

- What has been my go to and typical 100 yard club (smooth half gap) was actually flying further (105-107).  So, I was playing a variety of shots in with my sw and gap. 
- Shots that were long were typically very close to in-line with the flag

- Shots that were pin high or short were typically on the right side of the flag

- I need to get better at hitting these shots closer!  

- If I miss the green (which I did on 10 and 14), I felt confident in my short game.  10 was a long, slightly downhill putt from the fringe (about 30 feel) and I hit it to 5ft.  14 was a long chip across a green that moved away and downhill (left) from me.  Hit that chip to 2 ft

- 16 putts isn't going to cut it....I MUST get my putting down to the 26-28 per round range. 

 

Excited to do this again.  My daughter and I play 9 together at least 3 times a week.

 

I am going to continue to do this, and try this as well starting at 150y

 

I will get more content the next time I go out.

[dhc1]

On 6/21/2020 at 7:32 AM, dhc1 said:

what would everyone score if they dropped at the following:

85% of Lob wedge distance (so not a full swing)immediately between lob and attack wedge distance In other words, how would you score when between clubs and/or requiring an abbreviated swing?

 

On 6/21/2020 at 11:54 AM, Obee said:

I actually love that idea. I will do it next. I do know there are many players who absolutely butcher that distance.

50 to 60 yards is even worse for lots of players.

i'm actually going to do 60 yards. Will start a new thread.

 

Still want to try something like this.

 

My stock 56 goes about 100 and my gap wedge about 120 so I'd like to see what I'd score dropping exactly at 110. The concept being that there would be more opportunities where I felt it wasn't a stock swing and would have to stretch a club or to shorten it.  Even better would be to do so that the effective distance (given wind, slope, etc.) is right between clubs so that I have a full 9 holes practicing that and a benchmark to use.

 

Thanks again for starting this @Obee 

[Obee]

1 minute ago, dhc1 said:

 

 

Still want to try something like this.

 

My stock 56 goes about 100 and my gap wedge about 120 so I'd like to see what I'd score dropping exactly at 110. The concept being that there would be more opportunities where I felt it wasn't a stock swing and would have to stretch a club or to shorten it.  Even better would be to do so that the effective distance (given wind, slope, etc.) is right between clubs so that I have a full 9 holes practicing that and a benchmark to use.

 

Thanks again for starting this @Obee 

 

You probably don't even have to do that on most courses. Even if you drop the ball at exactly 100 yards on  every shot, you will still be faced with shots that effectively PLAY 85 to 115 unless you play on a super-flat course with very little or zero wind.

[dhc1]

1 minute ago, Obee said:

 

You probably don't even have to do that on most courses. Even if you drop the ball at exactly 100 yards on  every shot, you will still be faced with shots that effectively PLAY 85 to 115 unless you play on a super-flat course with very little or zero wind.

 

Oh, I agree that's the case but it would be interesting to play 9 such that I'm always between clubs. It's sorta like playing two balls every shot and always playing the next shot from the worse of the two.

[Pepperturbo]

Due to heavy play on the long public courses, not possible.  However, I was able to accomplish it somewhat on an executive course.  On holes that were 100-120yd Par 3's, I hit from tee box.  On longer holes I hit a second ball from 115yds. Finished 2 under par.   I didn't keep detailed stats, quit doing that years back. 

 

I practice using wedges nearly every day in my office down the hall.  I should be better.

[pantsparty7]

I finally got around to doing this, and wow...didn't realize that was a huge hole for me. I only played 17 holes (missed the first 2 holes but replayed the first when we came back around). I was either even or 1 over. Way too many 45 foot putts. Currently been working on hitting my 50 degree wedge 90-100 yards as 56 full swing was way too inconsistent with spin, flight, direction, and distance.

 

My dad shot 4 under, though, which is really good. 

 

I would be very curious as to the type of shots a tour pro would hit here. I assume it would be a lot more partial 50-52 rather than full swing 56-60. 

[jgonz69]

My girlfriend and I just played a scramble the other week and 2 of our foursome didn’t show, so we just played the 2 of us.

So from her good drives from the ladies tees, we had 80 or less on the par 4’s and par 5’s less that 210 in.

we shot 60 on a par 71 with not that many extra shots that we took as if there were 4 total in our group. 
We were definitely 10 ft or less on pretty much all our shots onto the green, and between both us managed to hole quite a few. 
So I think it’s a huge advantage to be 100 and in on every hole.

Her and I are going to have to try this one afternoon when our course isn’t busy
 

Edited December 10, 2020 by jgonz69

[TheCityGame]

Just checked back in on this thread because there were new posts. 

 

I was talking to a friend about those pro proximity yardages and he made a very good point. . .whenever you see pro proximity distances, you need to keep in mind those are proximities from the pin. They are not proximity distances from the target. 

 

Yes, for 100 yard shots, you wouldn't expect much difference between "target" and "pin", but there ya go. 

 

Also, the practice that I had playing this game over the summer has continued to bleed over into my normal game. I don't know why this should have made a difference but there was something about trying to make the putts that has carried over. Like, I really got used to making '2's and I think I've become more efficient on birdie putts inside 25 feet. I don't track this, but it's something I feel. 

 

We've learned to downplay the importance of putting as we've all educated ourselves on where strokes gained primarily come from, but when you take a huge component of ball striking out of the equation (the skill and variation in actually getting the ball to 100 yards), putting becomes much more important. 

 

Sticking shots close is still the best way to score in this game, but putting becomes way more important when the shots become a lot easier. 

[bladehunter]

I’m jealous that you guys have enough time to “ waste” a round playing from 95 yards.  All of 2020 I’ve been able to get out once a week.   Mostly due to kid at home school and the fact that you can’t get a tee time until 3 pm at least since everyone is home. 
 

what I’m saying is when I’m able to get out I don’t have the time to try this.  I’d love to.  

[TLUBulldogGolf]

47 minutes ago, bladehunter said:

I’m jealous that you guys have enough time to “ waste” a round playing from 95 yards.  All of 2020 I’ve been able to get out once a week.   Mostly due to kid at home school and the fact that you can’t get a tee time until 3 pm at least since everyone is home. 
 

what I’m saying is when I’m able to get out I don’t have the time to try this.  I’d love to.  

 

This is the boat I'm in. I'd like to think I would shoot at least 4 under but I don't imagine I'll be able to get out and try it. 

[Obee]

20 minutes ago, TLUBulldogGolf said:

 

This is the boat I'm in. I'd like to think I would shoot at least 4 under but I don't imagine I'll be able to get out and try it. 

 

Yeah, I'm very fortunate for sure. Member at a private club that gets very, very little play in the summer afternoons. Easy for me to do. In fact that day I did my initial run through, I think my wife and I passed only 4 people, total.