Laying Up to a Yardage (MyGolfSpy Article)

[iacas]

https://mygolfspy.com/course-management-101-what-layup-yardage-is-your-sweet-spot/

Beyond the "duh" stuff where they demonstrate that you're better off from 60-80 than you are from 100-120… they also include things like "…and the logical extension of that is that they should also dedicate a big portion of practice time to wedge play."

No, golfers shouldn't, because of two things:

• O-Value
• C-Value

As you know the O-Value is the number of opportunities per round to hit any given shot. In this case, a shot between 60 and 100 yards, or a partial or distance wedge. As you also know, the C-Value (ceiling) is how good you can get at a shot.

Neither of these support the suggestion that anyone "dedicate a big portion of practice time to wedge play." You see, the O-Value is low - two to five shots per round. The C-Value is also pretty low - a player averaging 35' might get down to 20' (if they get as good at this shot as a PGA Tour player). Putting from 20' instead of 35' is worth about 0.15 shots and so three opportunities to hit this shot in 18 holes is still under half a shot. One can easily lose half a shot elsewhere - quickly - by diverting practice time away from driving or approach shots. Shots with much higher O- and C-Values.

This is yet more proof that even though some people can still catch on to certain pieces - that "laying up to a comfortable yardage" is often a mistake - they're still missing out on some of the other things, like where and how to spend your valuable practice time.

[billchao]

I found this interesting:

Quote

The 0-5 handicap has a proximity to the hole of 41.38 feet from 60-80 yards out. Comparatively, the 20+ handicap has a proximity of 62.43 feet from that same range. That 21 feet difference will consistently contribute to more three-putts on a player’s card, giving the illusion that putting is the problem. Data reveals the truth – the higher handicappers need to start working some wedge distance control into their practice routines.

I feel like it's presumptuous to assume that practicing wedge play is the difference between the two skill groups. A 0-5 is just better at making contact than a 20+ handicap player and will likely be better at partial wedges even if he/she never works on them.

[iacas]

5 minutes ago, billchao said:

I found this interesting:

I feel like it's presumptuous to assume that practicing wedge play is the difference between the two skill groups. A 0-5 is just better at making contact than a 20+ handicap player and will likely be better at partial wedges even if he/she never works on them.

Also true.

[saevel25]

It would be more telling if they showed the proximity from 20 yards, or 10 yards

https://www.arccosgolf.com/blogs/community/analyzing-the-50-yard-wedge-shot

Even from 40-60 yards the 11-15 HDCP Golfer averages 38.35 FT from the fairway and 45.6 FT from the rough. 

From the Mygolfspy article, from 60-80 yards it's 50.5 FT and from 100-120 yards its 62 FT.

They could get the close to same gain in proximity by just hitting the ball 20 yards closer to the green.

[DeadMan]

I think this article is missing something from the numbers, as well. I would care much more about the percentage here. In other words, do high handicaps get proportionally worse than lower handicaps the further they get away from the hole? The answer is yes:

• 0-5 handicaps: 7.44 feet, or 18% of the distance from 60-80 yards
• 5-10 handicaps: 9.36 feet, or 20% of the distance from 60-80 yards
• 11-15 handicaps: 11.36 feet, or 22.5% of the distance from 60-80 yards
• 16-20 handicaps: 15.55 feet, or 28% of the distance from 60-80 yards
• 20+ handicaps: 21.01 feet, or 33% of the distance from 60-80 yards

That's actually a little more of a gap than I expected.

To me, this means that higher handicaps need to be even more focused than lower handicaps at getting closer to the hole to lower their scores. Don't tell high handicappers to avoid hitting their drivers; they need to control them.

It also means that lower handicappers should take on less risk to get to 60 yards within the hole. It's not even close to worth a penalty to get to 60 yards. You might want a larger buffer for lay ups in front of trouble. I need to look at my numbers more carefully, but there's a par 5 I play with a bunker 50 yards from the hole that I probably need to leave more of a buffer for when laying up.

Edited November 7, 2018 by DeadMan