What should my goals be for driving and GIR?

**plugged** · May 28, 2009

I am a 16 handicap and right now, my driving accuracy and GIR are both around 35%. I know the pros are somewhere in the range of 60% for these categories. As I work on my game, what should I be setting for my goals? I don't want to sacrifice too much accuracy for distance and I want to be realistic, i.e., not shoot for 90% GIR 'cause I know that's not going to happen.

**HSip** · May 28, 2009

I am a 16 handicap and right now, my driving accuracy and GIR are both around 35%. I know the pros are somewhere in the range of 60% for these categories. As I work on my game, what should I be setting for my goals? I don't want to sacrifice too much accuracy for distance and I want to be realistic, i.e., not shoot for 90% GIR 'cause I know that's not going to happen.

My HCP and numbers are similar to yours and I find that playing from the fairway helps a lot, so I'm working on accuracy. If you miss the fairway by a lot that other 65% of the time - work on accuracy. On other hand if your missed GIR is just off the green it won't hurt as much as if you're in the junk. If you're missing the green and getting into a lot of trouble - work on your approach shots. At our level we need to work on the whole game but concentrate on your "worse" miss first. Cheers

**ryohazuki222** · May 28, 2009

I made a list a few months back of "goals with perspective". Basically, I looked up stats or the major categories.... looked at the best, the worst, and what's in the middle. I decided my goals would be to at least match all the worst players results in each category.

Goals as listed:

Avg. Driving distance -- 261
Fairways -- 49%

GIR -- 58%

Sand Saves -- 37%
Scrambling -- 46%
Putts per round -- 31

**denver_nuggs_15** · May 29, 2009

I find about 42% of the fairways and hit about 37% of greens. I haven't been getting off the tee well at all this year and that's lead to low GIRs. I definately think that raising your FIR% will also raise your GIR%. It's very obvious, but sometimes people concentrate too much on the "Drive for show" saying and rarely practice it. (There are the others who practice it too much, too.) Learn to hit a driver and have a decent back up (mine is my 2 hybrid). Also, think where you would want a miss to go. Sometimes missing the fairway isn't all bad...just as sometimes hitting the fairway is bad. There are holes that you may be blocked out from the green if you hit in the left center but you'd be fine in the right rough. Just think if you know the course.

It depends how good you want to get, but 35% FIR seems low. I'd say a good goal is 50%. I'd even say that 60% is attainable. That could increase your GIR% to about 40+%. It's hard to say though. It depends how much you commit to golf and practice. That would determine what a realistic goal is.

**David in FL** · May 29, 2009

I made a list a few months back of "goals with perspective". Basically, I looked up stats or the major categories.... looked at the best, the worst, and what's in the middle. I decided my goals would be to at least match all the worst players results in each category.

58% GIR and 31 putts per round will put you pretty close to scratch.

**ryohazuki222** · May 29, 2009

well there's really a second stat for putts per green in regulation..... but i didnt feel like going into THAT much detail.

The putting stat is tricky. Like right now I'm at like 25-30 putts per round........ but it's really not good when you think about how low my GIR is... since most times I'm chipping before putting. I 'should' be putting better. the more GIR i hit, the worse my putting stat gets :)

But since these are goals.... becoming scratch is one as well.... so i think it fits in with my motif anyway.

**wrx_junki** · May 29, 2009

My stats for 09 rounds.

FW - 72.7% 23.1% 23.1% 14.3%
GIR - 55.6% 16.7% 22.2% 16.7%
Putts - 36 35 32 35

My stats are horrendous. Not getting up and down which results in a lot of putts. Not hitting too many fairways leading to hitting even less GIR's. Hopefully I find my driver swing some time this year.

**plugged** · May 29, 2009

I'd say a good goal is 50%.

I agree. I think I will make both my GIR and FIR goal to be 50%. My chipping is pretty good and half the time I can get up and down. My putting, OTOH, is just OK.

**ninetwothree** · May 29, 2009

58% GIR and 31 putts per round will put you pretty close to scratch.

Even closer to tour. 3 out of 5 greens with 1.72 putts per green. That's solid.

**ApocG10** · May 29, 2009

I guess the only goal you can have with a driver is to be longer and straighter. Too bad its so much easier to type than it is to do! lol

**ks8829** · May 29, 2009

If you want to lower your score track the following:

1) Putts per round
2) Up and downs to save par or make birdie
3) Greens on regulations
4) Fairways hit
(the above is in the order of importance for scoring)

My 14 year old son last time we played

13 out of 14 fairways
3 out of 18 greens on regulations
36 putts
3 out of 14 up and downs
88
44 front nine
44 back nine

If his up and down percentage was 50% he would have dropped is score by 4 strokes and improves his putting stats because he was close enough to one putt and would have 32 putts.

The key to scoring is up and down from around the green and within 50 yards.
in other words fairways hit and green on regulations are not as important as up and down and putts per round.

practice your short game around the greeen and within 50 yards and you will cut 5 strokes and be more consistent golfer and ultimately lower your handicap.

**Leftygolfer** · May 29, 2009

I think 50 percent of greens is way too ambitious for a 15-16 handicap player. I think that would be realistic for a 7-8 handicap and pretty good. I know my best days I didn't hit more than 10 greens. That is a tough thing to do. I would say I have NEVER hit more than 10 greens.

I believe someone who is a 16 could hit 5-6 greens on a good day. 50% fairways (much easier to hit than greens) and 33-35 putts. You do that with no penalities I would guess you would shoot around 85.

Keep the ball in play is the key. Don't three putt. Make no more than a double. You just want to be around the green in regulation and give yourself good putts at par. That is all you can expect and should be happy with that.

**TN94z** · May 29, 2009

I think 50 percent of greens is way too ambitious for a 15-16 handicap player.

I will take the 50% GIR right now!! Of course it may be that I'm working on swing changes....

**lumpuckeroo** · May 29, 2009

Dave Pelz or one of the golf magazines published numbers as to what the average golf (based on handicap) should expect in GIR and Fairways and the like. I can't seem to find it however. But I know the numbers were not very high, for a 12-18 handicap.

**Chas** · May 29, 2009

The putting stat is tricky. Like right now I'm at like 25-30 putts per round........ but it's really not good when you think about how low my GIR is... since most times I'm chipping before putting. I 'should' be putting better. the more GIR i hit, the worse my putting stat gets :)

Yes, I've always thought that putting stats are too difficult to interpret, because the number depends so much on how your ball got to the green in the first place. A player can have an impressive putting stat but mostly because he hits/near misses a lot of fairways but still misses a lot of GIRs (mostly not by very much tho'). Ergo, chips from close to the green will often leave a possible 1-putt for par or a near-certain 2-putt for bogie. Such a player should hardly ever 3-putt. My own putting stats are improving for this reason, sadly NOT because I'm becoming a much better putter.

I agree that a real key is up and down percentage from 50 yards and in, as well as avoiding the double bogey like the swine flu. A high GIR is too much to expect of the more casual player, but getting close to the green in regulation is not.

**TN94z** · May 29, 2009

I thought I heard something like you need to be able to get up and down from 50 yards 75% of the time.

**David in FL** · May 29, 2009

Even closer to tour. 3 out of 5 greens with 1.72 putts per green. That's solid.

Yep.

It's easy to set goals, but at least for me, they don't do me any good if they're not realistic. My goal this year is 50% GIR and 32 putts on ave. That should get me to a 4or maybe a little better.

**lumpuckeroo** · May 29, 2009

http://www.golf.com/golf/instruction...642459,00.html

This is one article.

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