GIR issues

[JCDot33]

Ok, so through 5 rounds this year I have hit 37 of 58 fairways or 63.8% ... I'm pretty happy with that, I am aiming for 70% this year so I am on pace for that goal.

Through the same 5 rounds I am putting at a pace of 36.2 putts per round, which to me, is acceptable at this point, especially since I am breaking in a new putter that I got over the winter and I am still working on the "feel".

My lowest differential has been 10.94 which brings my handicap to 10.4 which is higher than it was last year; but, I am also playing tougher courses currently so I can deal with that sight increase for now ...

Here is my issue, I have only hit 25/90 (27.8%) GIR ... I can't hit a green in regulation to save my life ... the upside of this is that I have gotten a lot of "on course" with my short game, but this is really costing me a lot of strokes, I would say at least 10 to 12 per round ...

Anyone know Satan so I can sell my soul for a better GIR percentage; or, on the other hand, anyone have any helpful advice on this situation ...

P.S. I am going to the range to work on shorter irons, and alignment ...

[goblue107501]

Anytime I am struggling with the irons I do this. Take more club than what you need, choke down a little, hit more of a knock-down type shot, and only aim for the center of the green. That way, no matter how you might miss; short, long, left, right, you have a good chance of being on the green. It can be tough to come out of winter and hit irons well, especially the distance control. This may help you focus in more and not rely on trying to hit the perfect shot each time.

[JCDot33]

The more I sit here and think about it ... I really think that it's a confidence issue ... becuase I am driving and putting real well right now I feel confident with those aspects of my game ... my irons, well - not so much ... seems to me that if I am hitting 65% of my fairways I have the skills to at least be able to hit 50 - 55% of my greens, right?

I will try the choke down approach at the range and see what happens ...

[David in FL]

I'm not a whole lot better (about 38% right now), so take this for whatever it's worth to you......

My goal is 50% GIR. I really focus on it this way.....hit all the par 5's, only hit two par 3's, and hit just three par 4's to get my 50%.

If you just concentrate on the par 5's and hit half the par 3's, you're at 33%. Drop in an accidental GIR on a par 4 and you're right where I am right now at 38%. To do it though, I've really had to fight a tendency to shoot at the pin, even when I really should be able to........and my scoring is improving as a result.

FWIW though, you might want to rethink how you feel about your short game and putting too...... north of 36 putts while only hitting an average of four GIR either means your greenside chipping is really poor, or you're missing some pretty short putts.

My .02.

[Canuck]

well you have a solid fairway % so what are your typical misses? and from what yardage? are you hitting 7 irons and lower or 7 irons and higher? How far are you missing the greens by?

You have a good attitude about it which is great because if you put a little extra work into your irons your GIR will go up.

[Zeph]

"Missing greens" tells us nothing of your problem.

Don't you know your yardages? Ending up short or flying the green?
Do you hit them left or right?

Hitting GIRs is a matter of aiming, hitting the ball where you aim and distance control.

[JCDot33]

... north of 36 putts while only hitting an average of four GIR either means your greenside chipping is really poor, or you're missing some pretty short putts.

100% agree with you on this, but like I said, I am happy with it for RIGHT NOW, I know that it will come around. At 36 per round I am not hurting myself but I am not helping by any means (and I see your point on this issue) but like I said, I am breaking in a new putter and the "feel" still isn't there for me but another few 90 minute putting sessions will work that out ... I'm just seeing the huge flaw in my game right now is that I am loosing strokes by not hitting greens ...

I like the hit the par 5 and par 3 mentality ... that's the kind of stuff that I am looking for here, a different way of thinking around a course that maybe I haven't though of yet ... And yes, Zeph, I do know my yardages and what my "weak" distances are ... I was looking for just "general attack" theories that I could implement and take to the course with me until I can get this worked out ...

[denver_nuggs_15]

At a 10 handicap, I'd expect that you should get about 3 GIRs on just the par 3s. You have a perfect lie (teed up and relatively flat). If you can hit a green from the fairway, par 3s should be easier.
On almost every par 5, I think any relatively long hitter can have a wedge into the green. Lay up to your best club (a wedge for me, maybe a SW for you or whatever) and you should have your best shot at hitting a GIR. Plus, on par 5s, you don't need a great drive to have a mid to low iron into the green; there's a recovery shot to set it up.
Par 4s IMO should be the hardest to hit. You basically need a good drive. I keep the ball very close to the fairway and from your stats, it sounds like you do too. Then it's just a matter of picking the right club and comitting to the shot. I just think the best bet for hitting greens is on par 3s and par 5s...for me anyway.

Where do your misses go? Short? Long? Left? Etc. If you know your misses you can easily help yourself out. Maybe you are drawing the ball a bit too much. Maybe you are setting up for a draw and you just leave it out right. I would take note of where your misses are going. It's something to work at at the range.
Also, if you usually play a draw and you start playing a fade because your swing isn't there, just play the fade. There aren't too many golfers who can fix their swings mid round, so just stick with the ballflight you have for that day...

[ks8829]

If your goal is too lower your handicap GIR are not as important to me as the following:

1) Putts per round
2) up and down percentage around the green

Try focusing 95% of the following week or two on putting and chipping around the green and you will lower your handicap by at least 2 - 5 strokes on your following round.

you can miss most of the green on regulations but if you can get up and down along with one putting you've score consistently in the 70's, remember work from the hole backwards to lower scores.

[Zeph]

And yes, Zeph, I do know my yardages and what my "weak" distances are ... I was looking for just "general attack" theories that I could implement and take to the course with me until I can get this worked out ...

If you take the golf swing out of the equation and want to look at this from an angle where you hit the ideal shot it's all about course management.

There lies within the ability to play the wind, play a draw or a fade, how the green is undulated. How far it is to the front and rear of the green. How hard the greens are. Wether you can rely on spin from preventing the ball from releasing through the green. If you are attacking the pin, try to ignore it and find the spot on the green where you are most likely to hit it and try to get there. The pins are often placed where you have a hard time to play it close from the fairway. You'll also have to take into account if the green is sloped, roll etc. Most greens are soft, so when you hit with a short iron, the ball will lose most of it's speed in the ball mark and bounce once or twice, then it depends on how much spin it's got. From there it will pretty much stop and come to rest. If you don't have much backspin, aim for the front of the green and take a shot where you know you will not hit it short, but if any, a bit longer. On the longer par 4's where you might use 6 to 3 iron or a hybrid, it is of course harder to get onto the green, but the same things applies there. It's a matter of distance control and direction.

[Jay-Bird]

100% agree with you on this, but like I said, I am happy with it for RIGHT NOW, I know that it will come around. At 36 per round I am not hurting myself but I am not helping by any means (and I see your point on this issue) ...

To me, 36.2 putts is 2.7 too many. Your putts could easily come down to 33.5 to 34.5. What's your up and down %? Become very comfortable with your wedge game and you will be close to the pin and have easier putts more often, especially on the holes you miss the green. I hit pitch shots all over my yard almost everyday. My neighbors probably think I'm a little obsessed with golf. That's fine, they know who to ask to when a scramble tournament rolls around . Anyway, I know that hitting the 56* and 60* around the yard has improved my game more than anything else . I shoot about the same score, regardless of the irons, driver, putter in the bag. I'm confident enough to pitch to a tree in the corner of my yard with the neighbor's Lexus being parked across the street. That confidence has translated on the course, and I'm a decent short game player because of it. I just can't hit a fairway . Practice, really practice , your wedge game. Learn how to hit different shots of different lengths with various trajectories and spin rates. Learn every shot you can. Once you get to where you can hit a good wedge, your handicap will be in single digits, and you'll have less putts per round because of it. By improving your short game, you'll be a better ball striker, and because of the confidence in your shotmaking ability, you'll also hit more greens in regulation.

[Fourputt]

All I can say is that with so few GIR and more than 36 putts, either you are missing greens badly (so that your pitching from 30+yards) or your chipping is pretty weak. I'm terrible at GIR too, but I haven't had 36 putts in a round this year.

I just grabbed 10 random cards from this year that were here on my desk and did an average. Over those 10 rounds, my average PPR is 29.6. The low is 27 and the high is 32. I know that if I hit more greens I'd have a higher average because I chip and one putt a lot. I've had as low as 11 putts in 9 holes twice this year, and although I'm a relatively proficient putter, my success results from leaving myself inside of 8 feet with most chips, usually inside of 6 feet.

What this seems to indicate is that my chipping and putting saves me about 4 or 5 strokes per round that you don't save. The question is, are you chipping from longer range than I am (seems unlikely), or am I just chipping closer than you are? I think you'll find that if you start getting up and down more often, you'll relax more on your approach shots. You won't worry about missing them a little bit because you'll be reasonably confident that you can still get up and down. Being more relaxed will lead to better shots.

Confidence in your short game can lead to better, more relaxed attitude on your approach shots. Just my opinion...

[glebert]

There is an article in the current Golf Digest called "How Good are You" that had interesting stats on hitting greens and putts, broken down by handicap. I think they had a 10 cap having a 50/50 shot at hitting a green from 150 yards. Maybe that is something you can use as a comparison point.

[Fourputt]

Just finished a round today. Wasn't having a particular good day of putting since the greens were just aerated... even 3 putted the first hole. I still finished with just 31 putts (17-14). Just seems to me that there is something more wrong with the OP's game than just iron shots. I hit 5 GIR playing most of the day in a 40 mph gale. That's better than he averages, yet my putts per 18 are still 5 less than his.

Just reinforces my feeling that he needs more work on chipping and putting than he does on iron play.