Don’t do this when you miss the green – Shot Scope

Whilst we would like to hit every green every time we play, sadly, the chances of doing this are incredibly small. Shot Scope data shows that the average amateur will miss roughly 14 greens per round – here is what not to do when you miss your next green.

Use lob wedges for every shot regardless of where you are.

We all are guilty of attempting to hit a high lofted club around the green from time to time, typically after watching the professionals on television at the weekend. However, there is a reason they are on the T.V and we are not!

So perhaps our approach to short game should be slightly different, and yet looking at club usage from the Shot Scope database, most amateurs elect to use the wedge.

Here we have some stats for 5, 10, 15 handicappers around the greens with a Lob Wedge.

Not great really for any of the players, getting up and down around 1 in every 5 attempts, slightly less for our 15hcp. When we compare this to the lesser lofted 8 iron we see a remarkable improvement:

So the amateur golfer elects to use more loft but leaves themselves longer putts and gets up and down less often? Makes sense. 

Hopefully, upon reading these stats you will be inspired to head to the chipping green and practice your bump-and-run technique, it really will save you strokes.

Not only will it save you strokes, but you will also enjoy your game more as there are few things more frustrating than a duffed wedge around the green that leaves you a 40ft putt to save par!

Lastly, in terms of club selection considerations, where possible, the putter is a superb option. Below we have the short game statistics for amateurs with a putter in hand around the green.

Based on those stats in comparison to the 8 iron and lob wedge, the wedge in particular, it begs the question, why not use a putter more often?

The chances of getting up and down are significantly higher and the proximity is drastically closer.

In terms of putting, proximity is crucial.

Shot Scope data has insight into over 100 areas of your game, like what the Tour Pros have, for free with no added subscriptions and this also includes detailed putting stats. 

This allows us to see how likely we are to make a putt from different distance increments and compare our likelihood to Handicap Benchmarks.

Now there is a fair chance that you will miss from 12-24ft. However, the 10hcp and 15hcp player are significantly more likely to make their putt from 12-18ft compared to 18-24ft.

The likelihood of making the putt when we move them to 6-9ft from 12-18ft increases considerably again, more than 2x for each handicap. 

So, when you next miss the green, keep in mind the information above! What is the main takeaway?

Less loft, fewer strokes, more enjoyable?

When you miss the green, consider a lesser lofted club, although you might think you are better with a wedge, statistically less loft will help.

Chances are you will hit it closer with a short iron instead of a wedge; if you can, the putter is your best option.

 Shot Scope can help you track your shots and highlight which areas of the game you are performing well in. Maybe you hit more greens than the average golfer, maybe you don’t. Maybe your short game is above average, but how do you know? That’s where using a simple shot tracking system from Shot Scope can help you measure and improve your game.