Girls Driving Distances

[JuniorGolfParent]

The average scores for 8-9 Girls for 2020 Spring Local Tours:

FL: 49.5

CA: 48.5

TX: 47.6

You may not realize this because Austin, the Local Tour you are probably most familiar with, has the lowest scores.

[JuniorGolfParent]

See above

[heavy_hitter]

I had time on my hands this morning. I went back to the USKG 2019 Winter Tour Page and tallied the average for each of the 10 tours. Orlando was the only one that averaged 50 or above. The Average for all 10 tours combined is 44.9.

California

Bay Area 43.04 highest score 66

Central Valley 44.4 highest score 64 through out the 11/24 date because all of the scores were in the 20's.

Orange County 42.5 highest score 69

 

Florida

Jacksonville 49.0 highest score 66

Orlando 50.8 highest score 84

Stuart 41.5 highest score 54

 

Hawaii

Oahu 46.4 highest score 80

 

Nevada

Las Vegas 45.9 highest score 45.9

 

North Carolina

Pinehurst 43.5 highest score 53

Raleigh 47.3 highest score 67

 

[JuniorGolfParent]

I gave you the averages for the entire state. I'm not cherry-picking the data.

Again, Spring 2020 Local Tour averages:

FL: 49.5

CA: 48.5

TX: 47.6

 

[heavy_hitter]

LOL... Cherry Picking the Data? How is taking the EVERY Winter Series 2019 tour and compiling the stats Cherry Picking? I have no dog in the fight. Just know one thing, YOU have been proven WRONG!!

[JuniorGolfParent]

We played 150 and 155 yard par 4s last week. We are playing a 130 yard par 4 this weekend per the distributed scorecard. A few weeks ago there was also a 150 and 160 yard par 4.

[JuniorGolfParent]

Spring 2020 Local Tour Averages:

FL: 49.5 (rounds up to 50)

CA: 48.5

TX: 47.6

Thanks

[heavy_hitter]

Which you have cherry picked because people aren't playing due to Covid-19. We are talking tours that have played one event which doesn't give a large enough sample size. thank you for proving me right.

[JuniorGolfParent]

I would argue better players are actually playing US Kids now instead of other tours.

Our local PGA section, which has a division as young as 7, is still closed with no announced start time yet. I believe you said yourself that your own son is playing US Kids now as well.

[darter79]

Love to come play a tour with 130 yard par 4s put that in Austin tour you see some absurd scores. I know our kids in Austin are better than most but I've played or know of most the kids in the state in her age group. Our Avg is probably lower if you drop the kid who never played before and drops a 73. Take that out only one 50 and that was this past weekend plus my opinion using spring as your avg going to be jacked up due to COVID. Facts springs numbers in terms of number of kids are lower, the two best in our tour didn't play due to COVID which would have dropped our avg down some missing two events each. That being said I understand where you are coming from but to say nation wide I think you're wrong but then again I'm not that bored to check ever tour going back multiple seasons not just using this spring as a reference for avg.

[heavy_hitter]

Your sample size for some tours consists of one tournament played. Sample size is too low. It doesn't matter who is playing. Good or Bad players don't matter, the average is the average.

[JuniorGolfParent]

Maybe it's an uphill 130 yard par 4 - we will see.

It does seem like Austin Tour has a lot of great players, so I can understand why your view of what average is might be better than actual in rest of the country.

[swizbeatz]

Are we talking carry or total? Because conditions matter a lot too. I’m about 30 yards longer off the tee in AZ than I am in MI. My friends girls recently turned 10 and 12 and they drive it around 175 and 200 total distance. The 12 year old hits it much higher and relies less on roll. They are probably the best or close to the best for their age groups in MI at this point. Worlds will be interesting, much of this distance has been picked up in the last 6 months with new clubs. They’ve finished ~70-80th last few years with the step up in competition.

 

[JuniorGolfParent]

Yes true - the average is the average.

I do think a lot of what is posted in this thread is exaggerated. I don't think the average 9yo girl/boy hits it 150/180. Not if you include everyone playing in the tournament, otherwise you'd probably have a lot lower scores than are actually on the US Kids website. If you just focus on the better players, then you might get closer to those driving distances.

There was a tweet that was copied earlier in this thread that showed age/height/swing speed. The tweet was titled "Club head speed development goals." Most people who commented recognized it was a good target to aspire to, certainly not an average of all tournament players. It had 9yo male at 70mph, which equates to approximately 180 yards total.

I only think it's relevant because parents and maybe some kids might read this and think the average level of play is a lot better than it actually is. Of course there are some great players all over the country and it's good to understand how good they really are for perspective. That's why in the summer we travel to go see and compete against the best play in national and global tournaments. But I also think it's important to know what the actual average is, also for perspective.

[JuniorGolfParent]

Total yards. Would agree conditions matter quite a bit.

[heavy_hitter]

The 150/180 average are what it takes to compete. If you aren't hitting it that far they probably aren't competing. That is why average score of a local doesn't make sense. A beginner shooting an 80 over 9 holes isn't competing. They may be in the competition, but they are not competing. The kids competing are never shooting above a 45.

[JuniorGolfParent]

If it helps you understand the level of play better, the median (eliminates the effect of someone posting an 80) Spring 2020 Local Tour score in FL is 49.

[darter79]

I got bored and ran Texas for 2019 only. Here is the breakdown. Houston for example only had one season.

Austin 44.23 (one kid was shooting 70's and 80's last summer)

Dallas 44.51

El Paso 43.92

Houston 49.87

San Antonio 51.47

State Avg 46 (mean 44) . A little lower then the spring 2020 number but I didn't check that one. I don't disagree Austin is better then most other areas but find it hard to buy the girls 8/9 AVG is 50+

[heavy_hitter]

There is not enough data points on Spring Local Tours for 2020. You can use them for 2019. We are in a group text right now about the ludicrous claims you are making. Someone else is going through the 2019 Spring Season as I already proved you wrong with the 2019 Winter Series. I know the Texas average is 46. Austin 44, Dallas 44, El Paso 44, Houston 49, San Antonio 51.

More appropriate for Competitive would be State, Regionals, and Worlds. The Page one post has data points taken straight from US Kids Regionals.

[JuniorGolfParent]

"The kids competing are never shooting above a 45."

There are very competitive players who shot 45 (including posting in this chat) recently and for some others maybe even higher. I don't think this a definitive statement.

And I don't think your comment that "150/180 average what it takes to compete" is definitive either. Perhaps some actual parents of a 9yo girl/boy who are competitive could comment.

[heavy_hitter]

My son at 9 did compete. He drove the ball right around 180 and was short on the local tour he competed on. Was short, but long enough to win the tour because he was long enough. His average was a 39. Over the last 3 was a 36 average.

A 45 is not competitive period as an 8/9 year old girl. Shooting a 45 and winning doesn't mean you are shooting a competitive score. A competitive score is what you will find at the State and Regional tournaments. 45's are not winning or competing in those.

 

[JuniorGolfParent]

I agree a 45 is not winning or competing (most of the time). I don't agree that really competitive players never shoot 45 or higher.

I have a hard time believing 180 is "short" on a Local Tour for a 9yo male, but this is not something we cannot calculate now 6 years later.

Jacksonville 2018 8-9 Girls Local Tour

Average: 52.9

Median: 53

[MB19]

Perhaps the best thing to do here is define what average is. If we're talking average for a USKG local event, then perhaps you are right If we're talking average for States, Worlds or a Regional, then perhaps many others like Darter, HH, etc... are right.

Average on the east coast (plus Orlando) of FL is likely lower than 50 for 8/9 right now. The six girls in that age group in the local we played in Sunday, the scores were 36, 39, 40, 44, 48 and 64. At the Stuart Winter Tour Championship, all seven girls scored 41 or less--35, 36, 36, 39, 39, 40, 41. At the Boca Spring Tour Championship last year, seven girls carded; 37,37,40,40,42, 47, 48 (two other girls shot 61 and 62)... the girl who carded 48 won the Regional here for DCP and has an average score of about 40 over her last seven tournaments. At the West Palm Beach Fall Local Tour Championship, 33, 41, 42,42,45,48--the other girl shot 70 (the girl who shot 48 was top-30 at Worlds). Miami Fall Tour Championship--39,39, 39, 45 and 63--arguably the best player in the tournament withdrew. Jacksonville Winter Tour Championship, now we're closer to what you're calling average--43, 44, 48, 51, 54. Even though Orlando is in the middle of the state, their tour is also no cakewalk. Their Winter Tour Championship--35, 39, 43, 44, 46.

Seven girls shot 50 or over spread over seven tournaments in seven tours. Full disclosure--there is crossover among the players under 50 that amounts to like five girls accounting for 14 of those 37 sub-50 scores. Roughly 28 girls scored under 50 across 7 of these tournaments. Notice the seven over-50 girls scored 51,54, 61,62, 63, 64 and 70. In other words, these outliers aren't just shooting 50--they are shooting quite a bit over 50. Similarly, the girls shooting under 50 are usually shooting quite a bit under 50. The seven-worst scores under 50 were 48(x4), 47, 46, 45(x2).

The west side of the state isn't quite as formidable, but at the Naples Fall Tour Championship the field hit 38, 39, 42, 46, 49, 51. At the Tampa Winter Tour Championship, the only two girls shot 44 and 45. More recently, they have scores all over the board--maybe more typical of what you deem as average. Feb 23, the field went; 40, 44, 50, 58, 59. The Northwest FL Tour doesn't get many 8-9 girls, and most come from Alabama or even LA. The lone entrant in last week's tournament there, who was from FL, shot 40.

Sure, we don't have any data off the tee to go by here. But what I can tell you from last week--the tiny 8-year-old in our group was pounding it 140-150 and the other girl was 10-20 yards farther on every non-par 3 tee sans one where all three girls hit it about 140. The shortest par 4, 135 yards, the long-hitter pulled her hybrid and laid up instead of pounding it over the green (a wedge to within 3-feet of the hole lead her to birdie). Small sample size of nine holes, but it is quite possible that last Sunday's group that I saw shoot 36, 40, 48 is collectively closer to average for a USKG Local event in FL than 50 is. As far as driving goes--who knows? Our group had two eights and a nine-year-old.

[JuniorGolfParent]

2018 (entire year) US Kids Local Tour for the state of Florida

Average: 48.7

Median: 47

These numbers are actually skewed low, because the same girls who shoot high 30s every time play every single event. The typical girl who shoots closer to overall average doesn't play in nearly as many tournaments.

[leezer99]

Don't you have to throw out the top and bottom scores and then take the average for it to be statistically valid?

[JuniorGolfParent]

Ha - the median does that for you (to some extent)

I didn't think it was so controversial to post what I thought was generally accepted knowledge about the typical 8-9yo girl playing a US Kids event. I realize I am closer to the situation than some (have a daughter in that age group) but did not expect to be attacked so viciously.

[leezer99]

LOL, I had to watch a YT video on mean, median and mode the other day to help my son with his homework. I am NOT smarter than a sixth grader.

[heavy_hitter]

Just because you are competing doesn't make it competitive. A regional Average will give you a better value. I don't see kids shooting above a 45 as being competitive, at all. I am sure that would win some local tours, but that isn't being competitive.

[ncalgolf]

Just ask the kids they know what scores it takes - I do agree 45 isn't competitive at least in N. CA - My daughter played her first girls 8 and shot Even Par. I told her "hey you did really good." She said, "I don't think I shot low enough to win."

[JuniorGolfParent]

Yes, by definition the average (49 for FL, 48 for CA) is not going to be competitive to win a tournament.