What Would a Top Tour Pro Shoot on a Typical Public Course?

[LongballGer]

I played with danny lee once. Played 9 holes with him at a pretty easy course. He hit ever GIR, but just couldn't make a putt. He shot even.

I'd say the best players in the world would shoot no worse than 5 under and on a good day low 60s.

[mdvaldosta]

I see the answers you guys have posted, but then I look at what they score on an easy tour course and they hand in 65-68's all the time. And those are for 7,000-yd courses with slope ratings in the 130's and course ratings in the mid-70's. On a public course like I described above, I've gotta think they could easily shave off another 6-8 strokes minimum and turn in something in the mid to high 50's.

I think Tiger's average score is around a 69. You see the leaderboards with guys -15 or -20 sometimes after 4 rounds on an easy course... but those are the LEADERBOARDS. Shooting a -5 is a GREAT day for anyone in a PGA field... with more like shooting at or around par for the average professional having an average day. So, give them a few strokes for an easier setup, and I think shooting 3 or 4 strokes under the course rating is pretty fair. That would... afterall... put them at a +4 handicap give or take.

[flopdarock]

not all public courses are short and have slow greens...
the one i played at today was 7124 from the tips and the greens werent lightening fast but they were quicker than most

[kris]

i've wondered this as well, but on a different scale.

There's an executive par 3 course that i play occasionally for fun and also to work on the short game. It's fairly short, with most holes being around 120-160. a couple longer and a couple shorter. no real trouble in water or sand around.

This would be a pretty tame pitch and putt for the pros. i'm guessing if they played this course, they'd have nine or ten birdies easily. par 3's are the hardest to birdie but these are pretty straightforward par 3's.

what do guys think?

[shankapotamus]

I see the answers you guys have posted, but then I look at what they score on an easy tour course and they hand in 65-68's all the time. And those are for 7,000-yd courses with slope ratings in the 130's and course ratings in the mid-70's. On a public course like I described above, I've gotta think they could easily shave off another 6-8 strokes minimum and turn in something in the mid to high 50's.

So everytime a pro played a muni they would break the scoring world record?

[plugged]

Thanks for the perspective. I guess even on a much shorter course with much easier playing conditions, it still comes down to the individual shots. I have always heard the perfect round would be a 54 (birdie every hole, or a couple of eagles to offset pars).

This would be a pretty tame pitch and putt for the pros. i'm guessing if they played this course, they'd have nine or ten birdies easily. par 3's are the hardest to birdie but these are pretty straightforward par 3's.

I do agree with this. Off a tee and onto a fairly simple and short greens, I would bet their aim would be laser-like.

[pittpanther]

So everytime a pro played a muni they would break the scoring world record?

I agree with you, Shanks. Some of these answers are a little "extreme." 50's?

First of all, what are the circumstances for the pro on the muni? - Do they get a caddy that knows the course inside out? - Do they get a week in advance to prepare a full yardage book? - Do they have spectators to find the balls they hit into the woods? Let's assume they have never played this course before, no caddy, no yardage book, no spectators. All they have is a scorecard with a course map. I would guess most would shoot around par. Of course, as they got more familiar with the course, they would shave strokes each round.

[Chas]

Interesting thread.

Rumor has it that Phil M. shot under 60 at a certain (nameless) private course, the one in the development where I live. I'm not a member and have only played it 4 times as a guest. It's a Rees-Jones par 71, 7100 yds, rating 74.1 and slope 135.

I find it hard to. believe tho, it's not an easy course IMO with some punishing rough and tricky elevation changes. But the greens are fast and immaculate and some of the par 4s are reachable for him I suppose..

I'll have to inquire further and see if it's true, It is possible I suppose but a bit embarassing for the club really, since it fancies itself as a possible future pro tournament location.

[David in FL]

FWIW.

Lots 'o pros around here. They own a lot of the local course records. One of my favorite public courses has been open about 6 years now, Eagle Dunes for those that know it. Chris DiMarco played it 2 weeks after it opened. Although it's now considered one of the more consistently well-conditioned courses, early on, as you'd expect, it was a bit rough around the edges. First time out, no caddy, no yardage book, no gps, nuthin', DiMarco shoots a 63 from the 73.3/131, 7,024 yd tips. It still stands as the course record.......and BTW, he was 123d on the money list last year, not exactly "top tier"!

Here's a link to the course description for those who care.

http://www.efloridagolf.com/golf_cou...?CourseID=1284

For additional perspective, I've prob played at least 100 rounds there over the last 6 years or so. Playing off of a 5 and knowing every blade of grass on the damn course, my personal best is a couple of 73's from the 6,600 yd gold tees.

[Chas]

Personally, I'd settle for that ......

Btw, on the nameless course I mentioned, I haven't even threatened 80 yet.

[kris]

Personally, I'd settle for that ......

what would be the name of this nameless course? (in the San Diego area i suppose)

[Awsi Dooger]

Every time a pro is scheduled to play a standard course, let the public set an over/under and I'll take the over while trying to restrain a seizure of laughter. This thread is proof of the absurd projections. For every extremely low round there will be rounds near par and even occasionally above par. The basics still apply -- unfamiliar course, less than ideal conditions, slow greens. The very low scores require getting up and down from considerable distance a very high percentage of the time, which is not reality.

[enarhi]

Going off of handicaps--most pros are in the +4 to +6 range--meaning their best 10 of 20 rounds would be around 63-66 at the course you described (Rating 69.7). Average would probably be around 66, since pros are pretty consistent and would probably have a reasonably low anti handicap. Generally high rating courses in good condition will lead to a lower handicap for a better player though due to the effect of better conditions, truer greens, etc, so I would expect a pro to really average closer to 68 or so. The course you described is a relatively easy course too, so at a normal (slightly more difficult) course with a rating around 72, I'd expect pros to average right around 69 or 70. They're good, yes, but no one, even Tiger Woods, could ever expect to shoot double digits under par consistently at any reasonable course. There's a reason shooting 59 is such a big deal.

[Greg]

Most of the courses around here are pretty short, a pro would birdie most of the par 4's and eagle the par 5's because the par 4's would be a drive and chip and the par 5's are about the same length as par 4's that the pros play, even the par 3's are on the short side. I think the greens are a lot smaller than what are on pro courses and the fairways arent as well groomed, im thinking a pro would shoot at least 10 under, maybe break 60.

[deronsizemore]

I'd guess the average score would be five or six under. Like everyone has said, the greens will be slower and not near as smooth so that will play a huge factor in their scores. The PGA Tour average for proximity to the hole on approach shots is 35' 8". So, just assume that on a shorter course that we're talkin about, the average proximity to the hole would drop down to 17 feet give or take a few. 17 feet is still not gimme range and definitely not on slow bumpy muni greens. I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) that the PGA Tour guys only make about half of their putts from six (can't remember if the stat on that is six feet or 10 feet) feet and that drops dramatically the longer the putt, so assuming that a lot of them will be looking at 15 footers all day, it would be crazy to think they'll make all of them.

There would be a few guys shoot low 60's. Majority of the guys would shoot somewhere from 65-68 and then you'd have a few shoot even or a couple over.

[PATTYFITZ]

Yeah they would definitely shoot mid to high 60s.

[tjy355]

What's the over/under on the pro being offered swing tips from one of the Ledbetter wannabes that always seem to hang out on the range of the local muni?

[senorchipotle]

a few years ago, i heard about fluff coming to play a prestigious country club here in dallas called royal oaks. first time out, he shot par. not bad for an old caddy.