Author: Dave Koster

Tying Up Loose Ends

Which driving stat helps GIR more, accuracy or distance? Does hitting more GIR mean your putting will suffer? Both are good questions stemming from some comments and forum threads last week that are answered.

The Numbers GameIn the past week or so there has been a good discussion in the forum and a comment in last week’s Numbers Game (thanks to valued reader Rafi). One sparked a lengthy discussion and the other peaked my thirst for all things numbers related.

In the heat of the “Drive for show, putt for dough” thread, I thought some things through. GIR is important, but driving is a component. The question is which part, accuracy or distance, is a more critical component. The second area had to do with GIR and its relationship to putting stats. The question raised was, if you hit more greens do your putting stats suffer? Read on and I’ll answer that.

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Where Has Sergio’s Putting Gone?

Sergio has lost his way when it comes to putting. At one time he was among the leaders on tour and not he is near the bottom of the list. Now that he is striking the ball as well as anyone on tour, it is time for Sergio to get back his stroke and take the next step towards greatness.

The Numbers GameSergio Garcia burst onto the scene in the late 90’s. He showed us flashes of flair reminiscent of a young Seve Ballesteros. Sergio had a deft short game and a knack for making the amazing shot. Nobody will forget Sergio bounding up the fairway after his cut 6-iron from behind a tree at the 1999 PGA Championship.

Now Sergio has honed in his ball striking. He ranked first in GIR this year hitting over 70% of his greens. But somewhere, amid his ball striking improvements, Sergio forgot how to putt. Of course he can putt, but he can’t do it like he did when he first came on Tour. That is an undeniable fact. So where does this leave him? Read on to find out.

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Nuggets, Volume One

There are all kinds of little factoids out there. Spending a lot of time researching numbers, I’ve come across a few that I found intersting. You might as well.

The Numbers GameDuring any type of research you are going to come across some things that peak your interest. Whenever I would come across something I would store it somewhere. After a while I got a bunch of these nuggets and thought it would be interesting to share them with you. So without any more delay, here are 10 facts that may only interest me… well, maybe you too.

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Sonartec MD Hybrid Review

The Sonartec MD has been a leader in the hybrid market for years. A solid club with a penetrating ball flight, the MD matches up well with all other hybrids. Golfers looking at hybrids should consider the Sonartec, especially if they have a higher ball flight.

Sonartec LogoThe Sonartec MD has been a consistent performer on the PGA Tour since 2002. Once an obscure player in an obscure market, Sonartec is now a name most will not only consider, but often choose for their long iron replacement.

Sonartec truly broke through back in the 2004 British Open when Todd Hamilton used one religiously around the greens. It was interesting not only to see a pro player use a hybrid in this manner but just to use a hybrid period. From that point forward (so it seems), the hybrid revolution hit the golf market. An explosion of options in hybrid irons and woods from all the manufacturers can now be found. In large part to this event and Sonartec, the hybrid club is found in bags of tour players and amateurs alike.

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Flogging

‘Flog’ may be golf spelled backwards, but it isn’t backwards golf. There isn’t much advantage to this style of golf, but it is here to stay.

The Numbers GameYes, there is such a word. At least in golf there is. It is the term given to those golfers that try and hit the ball as far as they can, not caring whether or not they hit the fairway or not. This gives them a short distance into the green and a supposed advantage. Notice the stress on supposed. I’ve said before that the numbers don’t lie. I’ll show you some figures about flogging that will dispel the myths. Read on…

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Formulating a Formula

Using the results of the Tour Championship, I devise the 40-30-20-10 rule for determine a golfer’s finishing position.

The Numbers GameIn my musings before, during, and after the Tour Championship, I came across some more fodder on our favorite topic: driving distance and how equipment is ruining the game. Readers of this site know where I and most here at The Sand Trap stand on this, so I won’t rehash.

The question remains, how do I prove it? How do I prove that it isn’t all about distance? I’ve beaten it into you about Greens in Regulation like a dead horse. Well, the answer is in a formula… something that over time can be tried and trued… something a bit more tangible than “I’m right and you’re wrong.” The difficult thing about formulas is creating one that is just that: right.

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Top 30 – In Numbers

The top 30 golfers on tour this year have fit right into the mold of previous findings and research. Greens in Regulation continues to be the leading factor in earnings.

The Numbers GameSo my picks were a bit off last week. Choi withdrew and well, I won’t go into the rest. It was a great week of golf though, with a couple of big moves made by Chad Campbell and Tim Herron. At least I was right about the number of players that would drop out. Two guys, Ogilvy and Maruyama, were the unfortunate ones.

Now that we have the top 30 I wanted to look a little further into who these players are. Earlier this year I went into great detail about Greens in Regulation (GIR), Putting Average (PA), and other statistics. I wanted to see where the top players stood in each and if the same trends we found earlier still held up. Let’s have a look…

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Alpha C830.2 Driver Review

The Alpha C830.2 is the one of the newest offerings from Alpha Golf Clubs. Don’t be put off by the obscurity in the name. This club should be one of the first clubs you try, not the last.

Alpha Golf LogoAlpha has been a large player in a secondary market. On the Long Drivers of America (LDA) circuit, you can find the C830.2 drivers in quite a few bags. Not all golfers are going to swing out of their shoes like those guys, but Alpha has designed a solid club that goes toe to toe with the best drivers out there.

Golf Digest even singled out the Alpha C830.2 earlier this year in their Hot List as one of “the best drivers you’ve never heard of.” Titleist, TaylorMade, Callaway: those we’ve heard of. It is easy to dismiss the so-called “second-tier” clubs, but Alpha is a great example of a small company making quality clubs. After spending a few months with the C830.2, I remain surprised.

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The Top Thirty

There are two weeks left for the top 30 to be decided. Who will be in and who will be left out? We can rule out a few, but the rest are going to fight to the finish.

The Numbers GameThe chase for the top 30 continues. All the players are scrambling to get into the Tour Championship at the end of the year. They all want to be invited to the party, but we know that most will be on the outside looking in.

Even the PGATour.com is pumping up the action with a section on their website dedicated to the chase. Heck, they even have a corporate sponsor… the popular soft drink company with the red can. I wonder how much that cost. Anyway, they (PGATour.com) are focusing in on 25-45. Here is the list through last week’s tournament:

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