Age analysis of Strokes Gained leaders

[golferdude54]

I’ve made a mean, median, and mode age analysis of every season leader in Strokes Gained Off The Tee, Approach The Green, Around The Green, and Putting from 2004-2022. I’ve also assembled the data points from youngest to oldest including repeating ages below each stat, here it is.

 

Strokes Gained Off The Tee

 

Mean age: 30.548 

Median age: 28.41666...

Mode age: 34.25 (2 times)

 

25.333..., 25.75, 26.25, 26.5, 26.91666..., 27.25, 27.333..., 27.75, 27.91666..., 28.41666..., 30.25, 31.8333..., 33.25, 33.8333..., 34.25, 34.25, 34.8333..., 36.8333..., 41.666...

 

 

Strokes Gained Approach The Green

 

Mean age: 34.491

Median age: 35.41666...

Mode age: 24, 30, 33, 36, 37 (whole values rounded down, 2 times)

 

24.5, 24.75, 25.91666..., 27.333..., 30.1666..., 30.75, 31.666..., 33.666..., 33.8333..., 35.41666..., 36.1666..., 36.666..., 37.25, 37.666..., 39.41666..., 40.1666..., 42.41666..., 43.25, 44.333...

 

 

Strokes Gained Around The Green

 

Mean age: 37.32

Median age: 37

Mode age: 32 and 37 (whole values rounded down, 2 times)

 

27.91666..., 28, 31.58333..., 32, 32.08333..., 32.75, 34.8333..., 35.75, 35.91666..., 37, 37.41666..., 37.91666..., 39, 40.25, 42.1666..., 44.1666..., 44.91666..., 45.91666..., 49.5

 

 

Strokes Gained Putting

 

Mean age: 33.754

Median age: 31.75

Mode age: 28.8333... and 31.75 (2 times)

 

26.41666..., 26.666..., 27.41666..., 28.75, 28.8333..., 28.8333..., 29.666..., 30.58333..., 31.75, 31.75, 32.75, 33.8333..., 34.41666..., 35.08333..., 38.8333..., 39.8333..., 42.58333..., 44.58333..., 48.75

 

 

Yes, I looked up every players’ birthdays and calculated their age at the end of the last official event that they played each season, using (x) months old rounded down as decimals. This took a LOT of work, purely out of boredom. 

Edited November 29, 2022 by golferdude54
Updated up to 2022 season

[golferdude54]

Bump, I've updated up to 2022 season, it's pretty peculiar how the strokes gained season leaders around the green tend to be older than the other category leaders. In putting, it seems that past 35 years old, that is when the touch with the flatstick doesn't seem to be sustainable anymore.

[Dutch1008]

3 hours ago, golferdude54 said:

Bump, I've updated up to 2022 season, it's pretty peculiar how the strokes gained season leaders around the green tend to be older than the other category leaders. In putting, it seems that past 35 years old, that is when the touch with the flatstick doesn't seem to be sustainable anymore.

I think each category result makes a lot of intuitive sense. 

 

Off the tee - We all lose speed and athleticism as we age, makes sense that this would be the lowest figure

 

Approach - Possibly the happy medium where most of the athleticism is still there but technique has peaked

 

Around the green - Short game is about what shots you have in your toolkit and do you have the experience (age) to know what shot to play and when

 

Putting - Touch probably peaks w/ athleticism (maybe lower thinking about Jordan & Rickie), but experience helps w/ green reading thus avg age above driving stats 

 

Thanks for sharing 

[smashdn]

23 hours ago, golferdude54 said:

Bump, I've updated up to 2022 season, it's pretty peculiar how the strokes gained season leaders around the green tend to be older than the other category leaders. In putting, it seems that past 35 years old, that is when the touch with the flatstick doesn't seem to be sustainable anymore.

 

When you are young you drive the ball far and well it seems.  As you age maybe you have your iron game come into form?  Also, as you age perhaps you need to rely more upon scrambling?

And you have already brought up that touch putting seems to fade as we get older.

 

Or those hypothesis could mean nothing in regards to the data.

 

---

 

A related but not golf related thought.  Would we be better to have a hypothesis and test it, knowing we may have biases, or would we be better to have tested, gleaned data and then go looking for the reasons that fit the data?

[Soloman1]

I’m going on an age diet to try to lose 35 years.

 

That should bring up my stats.

[golferdude54]

2 hours ago, smashdn said:

 

When you are young you drive the ball far and well it seems.  As you age maybe you have your iron game come into form?  Also, as you age perhaps you need to rely more upon scrambling?

And you have already brought up that touch putting seems to fade as we get older.

 

Or those hypothesis could mean nothing in regards to the data.

 

---

 

A related but not golf related thought.  Would we be better to have a hypothesis and test it, knowing we may have biases, or would we be better to have tested, gleaned data and then go looking for the reasons that fit the data?

 

 

I believe this is large enough of a sample size to come up with hypotheses to the data. It can explain why Tiger was able to sustain his ball striking in 2018-2019 when he won the Tour Championship, the Zozo, and the Masters in that stretch before he turned 44, which is the current age limit in strokes gained approach shots.

 

Mark O'Meara, unless I'm wrong, is the oldest golfer to win 2 majors in the same calendar year, the Masters and the Open in 1998, and he was 41 when he won those. He was different from Tiger's in that stretch as he was relying on his short game and putting, ranking 9th in scrambling and 6th/12th in putts per round and putts per GIR, respectively.  

[GolfTurkey]

I'm guessing there might be a bit of an ego / course management factor in strokes gained around the green.

 

I think younger players will tend to turn up their nose at using anything other than a wedge (usually their most lofted) around the green whereas the older guys will reach for whatever gets the job done.

[golferdude54]

4 minutes ago, GolfTurkey said:

I'm guessing there might be a bit of an ego / course management factor in strokes gained around the green.

 

I think younger players will tend to turn up their nose at using anything other than a wedge (usually their most lofted) around the green whereas the older guys will reach for whatever gets the job done.

 

This sounds plausible, it was Corey Pavin and Steve Stricker who were the oldest in this category, Pavin being 44-45 when he led the tour in strokes gained around the greens and Stricker being 49.

 

I think part of the reason why the old school chipping method with several clubs has gone almost extinct as opposed to using exclusively 56/58/60 wedge around the greens has to do with, drum roll.... golf carts. Yes, golf carts. The tour players on their home course are always using carts when they play practice rounds.

 

They can't really roll right up next to the green directly next to wherever they placed their ball, they have to park a distance away from the ball and they don't want to lug along several wedges and irons back and forth every time so they just pick one wedge and stick with it.

 

Back then when there were no carts but only caddies, they were more likely to use different clubs as opposed to one since they could just walk up and their bag would be right next to their ball.

[smashdn]

I'd say the lack of vagaries of lie found around the greens plays as much a role as any.  They are also just incredibly highly skilled with using those wedges.  Rolling the sod over the ball doesn't really enter their minds with the conditions they play from and the amount of control they have.  Being able to land the ball in a coffee can spot and know it will roll out a certain distance is powerful stuff.

[MUNIGRIT]

Where did Furyk end up in SG when he lead the PGA tour in GIR just a few years ago?

[Dutch1008]

12 hours ago, golferdude54 said:

I think part of the reason why the old school chipping method with several clubs has gone almost extinct as opposed to using exclusively 56/58/60 wedge around the greens has to do with, drum roll.... golf carts. Yes, golf carts. The tour players on their home course are always using carts when they play practice rounds.

 

They can't really roll right up next to the green directly next to wherever they placed their ball, they have to park a distance away from the ball and they don't want to lug along several wedges and irons back and forth every time so they just pick one wedge and stick with it.

 

Back then when there were no carts but only caddies, they were more likely to use different clubs as opposed to one since they could just walk up and their bag would be right next to their ball.

Interesting theory. I know Spieth uses his 60 for everything. I don't know if there is a right answer. What is easier...

 

1. Mastering one technique with many clubs

 

2. Mastering many techniques with one club

 

Beats me

[subrew]

Interesting info in this GD article.  The LPGA finally started collecting stats in 2022.

 

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/pro-golf-best-iron-player-lpga-tour-minjee-lee-stats

 

 

[Dutch1008]

1 hour ago, subrew said:

Interesting info in this GD article.  The LPGA finally started collecting stats in 2022.

 

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/pro-golf-best-iron-player-lpga-tour-minjee-lee-stats

Not sure what is more impressive. The +2 number or the fact that she lead the field from each measured distance. 

[MUNIGRIT]

On 11/30/2022 at 10:48 PM, golferdude54 said:

 

This sounds plausible, it was Corey Pavin and Steve Stricker who were the oldest in this category, Pavin being 44-45 when he led the tour in strokes gained around the greens and Stricker being 49.

 

I think part of the reason why the old school chipping method with several clubs has gone almost extinct as opposed to using exclusively 56/58/60 wedge around the greens has to do with, drum roll.... golf carts. Yes, golf carts. The tour players on their home course are always using carts when they play practice rounds.

 

They can't really roll right up next to the green directly next to wherever they placed their ball, they have to park a distance away from the ball and they don't want to lug along several wedges and irons back and forth every time so they just pick one wedge and stick with it.

 

Back then when there were no carts but only caddies, they were more likely to use different clubs as opposed to one since they could just walk up and their bag would be right next to their ball.

Green speeds is the big reason why IMO. 

[smashdn]

23 hours ago, Dutch1008 said:

Interesting theory. I know Spieth uses his 60 for everything. I don't know if there is a right answer. What is easier...

 

1. Mastering one technique with many clubs

 

2. Mastering many techniques with one club

 

Beats me

 

Might be just me but I don't chip the same way with a 56 with bounce as I do with a 7 iron.  Multiple clubs multiple techniques.

 

I think it is just a decision of whether you feel better contending with the variables of the putting surface or you feel you are better at controlling where your ball will land and judging the roll out.  I would guess if we are being honest with ourselves most amateurs are better at reading the green like a putt and getting a chip to behave like a putt than the latter situation.  I don't trust my greenside game with a 56 or 60 enough that I would get better results doing that than the 7-8-9 iron chip.  But I will say that the condition of the green surround dictates my decision one way or the other at times more than the green itself.

 

If you can put your 56-60 in a five gallon bucket more often than not I'd say do that.  I can't.  I don't have the time to practice to get there either.  I got to skin the cat another way.

[Dutch1008]

1 hour ago, smashdn said:

Might be just me but I don't chip the same way with a 56 with bounce as I do with a 7 iron.  Multiple clubs multiple techniques.

 

I think it is just a decision of whether you feel better contending with the variables of the putting surface or you feel you are better at controlling where your ball will land and judging the roll out.  I would guess if we are being honest with ourselves most amateurs are better at reading the green like a putt and getting a chip to behave like a putt than the latter situation.  I don't trust my greenside game with a 56 or 60 enough that I would get better results doing that than the 7-8-9 iron chip.  But I will say that the condition of the green surround dictates my decision one way or the other at times more than the green itself.

 

If you can put your 56-60 in a five gallon bucket more often than not I'd say do that.  I can't.  I don't have the time to practice to get there either.  I got to skin the cat another way.

I think this is probably right. I happen to be terrible at judging the bump and run. Probably because I don't practice it. I do start every range session with my 56 hitting progressively longer chip shots into a full swing. Because of that I'm usually more comfortable using a lofted wedge around the green and flying it as close to the pin as the slope will allow.