I Still Here People Arguing About Fairways Hit. Isn't It All About Strokes Gained Now?

[ChetlovesMer]

Just today on the radio I heard people arguing on the radio about how Bryson DeChambeau's fairway hit percentage has gone down blah blah blah.  

Am I wrong or is that a discussion for a decade ago? 

Isn't it all about Strokes Gained now? Doesn't BDC lead the PGA tour in Stokes Gained off the tee? 

Is there still a place to discuss Fairways hit? Or should we all jump on the Mark Broadie Bandwagon and get with Strokes Gained?

[klineka]

38 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Doesn't BDC lead the PGA tour in Stokes Gained off the tee? 

Yup. 

SG: Off-the-Tee | PGA TOUR Stats

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Strokes Gained | Distance (All Drives) | Distance (Measured Drives) | Accuracy | Scoring | Other | Radar

 

39 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Or should we all jump on the Mark Broadie Bandwagon and get with Strokes Gained?

IMO there's not really a bandwagon to jump on, it's just about whether or not you choose to back up your opinions with facts. People that do will be more likely to look at strokes gained numbers and data, people who don't will be more likely to blindly cite the fairways hit stat or putts per round or something similar that doesnt tell the complete story.

[DaveP043]

When Bryson misses more fairways, with his length being relatively unchanged, his SG Driving goes down.  There's more "value" in hitting a fairway 360 yards from the tee than there is hitting in the woods at 360 from the tee.  So fairways hit is a part of the equation, and fairways hit is a stat that most casual golfers understand.  But consider that his SG driving goes down some, and he doesn't pick up the loss somewhere else in his game, he's at a relative disadvantage as compared to normal.