10 Index Differentials by Rating/Slope

[NZ Golfer]

On 11/28/2023 at 3:31 PM, MK4 said:

Very fascinating and makes complete sense.  Makes me wonder: if a person wants to ‘game’ their handicap before a tournament, could they play tees that are sub-optimal for their distance to produce higher diffs (e.g., moving to forward/easier tees that require forced lay-ups, for example)?  Conversely, if a person wants to lower their handicap, the data above indicates that they may want to play longer/harder courses (assuming no hazard issues like above, such as, for example, forced carries from back tees that are impossible for a person’s length).  

yes I know at my local we have many different tee options(and combos) ... RED,SILVER,GOLD - Yellow,white,blue,black..

putting is by far where I lose the most shots perfect example in the SAT medal I had a woeful 36x putts for a total score of 82..even had a 4 putt on a PAR4!!

So playing yellow below will not only take off shots but will force me to really play a much better short game to beat the course 3-4HC I'll get ... my best on average under HC scores comes from the BLUE tees ... the Black makes a few holes so much harder than the 3x extra shots I would get from the usual whites.. 

Also, I know if my goal was just to get to scratch I could just play the back 9 holes at my local course where I'm generally playing 1-3 over on a good day ..not far away from getting a few 35''s 

Edited December 3, 2023 by NZ Golfer

[MiuraMan]

I can attest to this "phenomena." I normally play 6ooo yds, 68.4/131/72. For the Super senior championship, the club has us playing from the forward tees, 5400 yds, 64.6/125/72. The differential for most competitors is usually higher. 

They pay out 1 gross and 2 low net.  If I don't win the gross, I don't ever win the low net. I think my strategy this year will be to play the forward tees for 20 rounds leading up to the championship!

[MK4]

On 12/2/2023 at 10:46 PM, NZ Golfer said:

putting is by far where I lose the most shots

What you've said makes sense to me.  Though, when you say that putting is where you lose the most shots - are you tracking your SG and, as a result, it shows that putting is your weakness over time?  Also, wouldn't your putting SG, to some extent, be unrelated to the tees that you play?  Though, I suppose if you play shorter tees, you might have more GIRs, leaving you more lag putts.  

[Ty_Webb]

I think partly the issue is that not all ten handicaps are the same. If you're short and straight, there's a decent chance you'll score much better from shorter tees. Still avoiding the trouble, but you can reach many more holes in regulation, so less pressure on your short game and pitching. On the other hand, if you're long and wild, the shorter tees could actually make you score worse if you're bringing more trouble into play - combine that with lower course rating and your differentials could see a big increase. 

What I think that means is that any one player can say their issue is x, but it doesn't extend well to all players. Each individual probably has a yardage/course rating/slope combination that will work best for them in giving them the lowest differentials and it will be quite a spread across the full golfing population. Then the fact that the differentials shown at the top of this thread change the way they do is probably indicative of what the proportion of those different types of players are in the population. As with many things golf-related, there is an indication that perhaps you might get lower differentials by playing longer courses, but for you specifically, you may do better by playing shorter courses. 

You'd either have to be testing it and to get statistically significant results there you'd probably have to play quite a lot on both ends of the spectrum. Either that or you build in some kind of subjective analysis. Play one type of course, evaluate how you felt you played that day and what your differential was. Look at what you'd have to do to improve that score that day and how realistic that is. Then play the other and repeat. If you have a decent idea of how your game is you should be able to figure out which type of course is going to benefit you more (with benefit depending on whether you want to increase or decrease your handicap).

[iacas]

4 minutes ago, Ty_Webb said:

I think partly the issue is that not all ten handicaps are the same.

I mean, duh, right? 😀

In general, higher ratings = lower differentials. I know you know that, and that an "average" is the "general."

[StuM]

1 hour ago, Ty_Webb said:

On the other hand, if you're long and wild, the shorter tees could actually make you score worse if you're bringing more trouble into play

That is absolutely true for me but my HCP is much higher than 10.  I would surmise that a 10 HCP is much less "Wild" than I am and my be more likely to shave a stroke or two by moving forward than I. I doubt it would  be an earth-shattering change in average scoring.

Edited December 4, 2023 by StuM

[Ty_Webb]

3 hours ago, iacas said:

I mean, duh, right? 😀

In general, higher ratings = lower differentials. I know you know that, and that an "average" is the "general."

Exactly - if I might draw a parallel. In general, the biggest difference between different levels of ability is long game, not short game. But that doesn't mean an individual can't be behind more on short game than long game. Or even potentially better at the long game, but worse overall because their short game is terrible.