Golf.Com Article on Aiming for the Flag

[iacas]

This simple formula will tell you when you should aim at the pin

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Wondering when you should aim at the pin, and when you should aim at the middle of the green? GOLFTEC's Nick Clearwater has some answers.

I know Nick Clearwater pretty well, and while I haven't reached out to talk to him about this article, I'll say here (in public, where he can read it), that most of the reason I haven't done so is because I haven't got a clue how badly he borked this one. The article correctly states at the beginning that "More often than not, golfers are better served to simply aim for the middle of the green."

Yes, we agree. In fact, even before we published LSW, we created this topic:

(We were nearly done with LSW at the time, and had compiled the states, so that's where it came from.)

The article, however, quickly goes off the rails:

But if you want to get a little more fancy, Clearwater lays out below the exact yardages you should take aim at the pin, rather than the middle, based on a study of dispersion patterns from GOLFTEC players:

• For those who shoot in the 100s, only aim at the pin if you’re 50 yards away from the pin or closer.
• For those in the 90s, 78 yards is your magic number. Aim away from the pin unless you’re inside 78 yards.
• 80s shooters should be playing towards the middle anytime they’re outside 120 yards.
• 70 shooters (or better) have the most opportunity to go at the green. If they’re inside 172 yards, take dead aim.

Now, I'm not sure if an "80s shooter" is someone who shoots 80 or someone who shoots "in" the 80s. I assume the latter. I also assume that "70 shooters" should be "70s" shooters.

Either way — whether it's guys who shoot 70 or guys who shoot in the 70s, 172 yards? No.

Here's a chart from LSW:

If you remember, the "Smart Target" wasn't always the dead middle of the green. From 50 yards, it was yard or two from the flag, away from the trouble. The pin was on the left side of the green with a bunker and some rough, so the target was a little right. From 130 yards, it was #deadcenter for all players. For the higher handicappers, it stayed in the #deadcenter until much smaller yardages.

Look, average proximity on the PGA Tour, from the fairway, is nearly 30' (27'8" in 2021). The leader in the category only hit the green from that yardage 3/4 of the time, with the average clocking in at just under 64%. From 175-200, those numbers drop to 67%/55% (leader/average), and an average leave of over 34'.

There's no way the 70s shooter should be aiming at the flagstick from 172 yards. Or 152 yards. And I could easily make the case that even from 122 yards, given the chart above, they shouldn't be aiming at the flagstick unless the flagstick happens to be really close to the center of the green.

[imsys0042]

This was measured by analyzing dispersion patterns.   I assume that there was some idea of "average green size".   What it doesn't do is take into account the real world consequences of missing the green.   All things are not equal.   Missing a green can be easily recoverable if you don't have any heavy rough or trouble that you might miss into.  I'm an 80s shooter.   I am not gunning for a 100 yard out flag that has OB threatening it, or a bunker that could easily short side me to where I have a difficult play leaving a make-able put.

I do believe that a fair percentage of the time, I would be fine.   But it's not maximizing my chances for a good score.

[iacas]

6 minutes ago, imsys0042 said:

Missing a green can be easily recoverable…

Still not going to be as "easy" as two-putting from 35 feet. (As you know.)

6 minutes ago, imsys0042 said:

I'm an 80s shooter. I am not gunning for a 100 yard out flag that has OB threatening it, or a bunker that could easily short side me to where I have a difficult play leaving a make-able put.

I do believe that a fair percentage of the time, I would be fine.   But it's not maximizing my chances for a good score.

Bingo.

[ChetlovesMer]

18 hours ago, iacas said:

I haven't got a clue how badly he borked this one. 

Is it possible that Golf.com misquoted him?

[iacas]

7 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Is it possible that Golf.com misquoted him?

No.

The graphic is in there too.

[ChetlovesMer]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

No.

The graphic is in there too.

Yeah, I assumed so. But I thought perhaps Golf.com created that graphic. 
 

[imsys0042]

They also have a useful article on the fact that downhill puts will go further than uphill putts with the same amount of force.   I've been getting it wrong for so many years.....

[Double Mocha Man]

1 hour ago, imsys0042 said:

They also have a useful article on the fact that downhill puts will go further than uphill putts with the same amount of force.   I've been getting it wrong for so many years.....

... and in other news the sun will come up in the east...