jd1623

Here is my data after about 28 rounds. There are a few missing because I either didn't charge my GG, or forgot it (this was when I first started using it, now it's part of my routine). However, I feel this is pretty spot on after doing an in-depth analysis of my year-end results. After going through my tee shots, and key distances on approach shots, I realized that I am probably playing a little too conservatively off the tee. It turned out I am was more accurate with my driver than I believed (about 50% fairways), and my GIR % from the rough isn't all that bad. So next year I'm going to try using driver more, and seeing if my increased distance off the tee will result in any gains in scoring. There is about a 30 - 45 yard gap in distance between my driver and 3wood/hybrids, so I am leaving myself significantly farther from the hole when I use clubs less than driver off the tee. Additionally, my scrambling just isn't as good as it should be, so I'm going to need to continue doing some work there. I think this is a decent start for them using strokes gained, but certainly the results could be refined a bit more (which I am sure they will do).

Agreed, and I don't think there's any problem with that. If you can have fun with that approach, then I believe you're still a successful golfer. I know plenty of players who take the game seriously, practice hard, but are generally unhappy with the game. If it's not fun, then why spend all that time??!!

@iacas don't disagree with anything you've written. I've spent thousands of hours trying to figure out how to hit that little white ball at my target, and will continue doing so for the rest of my life! Ball striking it certainly the key to continuing your improvement as a golfer. I believe for players who have largely ignored their short game, there is an opportunity for quick improvement. I've witnessed so many golfers who spend almost all of their time trying to hit their drivers as far as humanly possibly at the range, and they are shocked when they make a mess out of their wedge shots around the greens. There are 3-6 strokes just waiting to come off their scores if they just adjust their practice routine a bit. However, you are right by saying your progress will get tapped out eventually. I think the ratio you talk about in that post on practice time is spot on, and it's pretty much how I devote my time these days. I love talking about this topic because I think purposeful practice is one of the keys to improving as a golfer. Having a plan before you show up to the range, or course can help so much.

It would certainly be useful information to a knowledgeable fitter. Knowing your actual distances and tendency on where you miss your shots can help them have a better understanding of what actually goes on with your game vs just hitting balls into a net. In conjunction with your data from a launch monitor I imagine it could only help. Great idea though!

A local club fitter that I know and respect has been doing some testing with this. They are undoubtedly going to be getting some requests for this once DeChambeau starts winning (which I believe he will). So far he is saying best results have only been with players who can swing a 7-iron around 95mph, which is interesting. The concept of having shorter long irons is certainly intriguing, but ultimately you would have to do some testing to really find out. Might be hard to find club fitters who are even willing to try this out. If he does become one of the young stars in the game, I'm sure some companies would be willing to give this a shot if there is interest. Either way, I think he's a really special player and I'm hoping he has success at the pro level.

Very interesting discussion, and I love to debate this kind of stuff. I agree that putting is mostly overrated for the average golfer, and most players give it more significance than they should simply because the psychological impact of making or missing a putt seems to cement your score for the hole. Looking at the stats your chances of actually making a putt are quite terrible, and most players have no idea. I always felt if you are going to practice putting, your time is best spent on the putts you actually have a decent chance of making (inside 8 feet). I've spoken to several pro golfers who said if they had one piece of advice for an amateur it was to practice nothing but five to six footers. As for proximity to the hole and scoring...There's no doubt that being able to hit the ball farther with more accuracy is the quickest way to improve scores, the stats back it up. However, for the typical recreational golfer that might require a decent amount of work because you are dealing with fixing a swing. That is both time consuming, costly (if you get lessons), and there is certainly no guarantees of success. It's a worthy pursuit, but sometimes players just don't have the time or resources to do it. That is why I always felt working on your short game (100 yards and in) with your wedges is the best bang for your buck in terms of time invested vs impact on scores. Bob Rotella had a great quote (i'm paraphrasing) - All golfers don't have the ability to have a great long game, but every golfer has the ability to have a great short game. Learning how to hit a wedge shot properly is not nearly as difficult as learning how to hit your driver 250+ yards and straight. So my advice to someone who is looking to get down from a 23 handicap to an 18 is to spend about 2 months practicing nothing but their wedge shots. Learn how to execute them properly so you can eliminate those chunks and skulls around the green. I consider this to be a low-hanging fruit because it will save strokes, and it's not terribly complicated or difficult to improve performance in that part of the game. Golf is a endlessly complex game, and every player has different skill sets, so there is no one solution. But if you are someone who has largely ignored practicing your wedge game I would suggest giving it some attention, it can dramatically improve your scores. I have been around great golfers my whole life, every single one of them had an above-average short game, and could get up and down from almost anywhere on the course. Just my $0.02

Glad to hear this. They are the most comfortable golf shoes out there IMO. It would have been utterly depressing to see a smaller, independent company go out of business that was making a superior product.

Hope you're enjoying! So the book was initially formatted for a 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 trade paperback. I did convert to Kindle, and double checked everything on my own. However, since there are essentially 101 mini chapters all with their own heading it's impossible to make sure they fit in properly because Kindle users can change the size of the text (which is why you will see a few hanging titles). You can see a sample of about 10% of the book on Amazon with their look inside feature.

Thanks David! The 101 items are a collection of mistakes I have made, witnessed, and figured out through research over the years. I've been a student of the game for a very long time, and my approach to golf has been shaped by my own trials and tribulations and what I have learned from some of the better golfing minds. The book is firmly in my own voice, but I do make reference to certain products, books, or instructors that I might have learned something from. The book is not heavy on technical information, and I tried to make everything as easy to understand as possible. It's more coaching than it is instructional.

Thanks for starting this thread Erik. I'm the author of the book so I thought I would briefly chime in here. I tried to write a book that I wish someone had handed to me when I was first starting to take golf seriously over 20 years ago. My goal was to create an informal guide to the game that would point players in the right direction on course strategy, how to practice effectively, the mental game, and a few other topics. I tried to keep everything as easy to understand as possible, and I believe that beginners through intermediate golfers stand to gain the most from reading it. I don't necessarily expect a more advanced player to learn anything new, but it might remind them of a few things they forgot along the way. It's only been out for a few days, and I doubt anyone here has had the chance to read it yet, but I'd be happy to answer any questions.

rookie mistake! I'm sorry about that. I tried to delete the post but it won't let me do that. I'll let the moderators take care of it (and hopefully I can send them a copy to review)

I wanted to let everyone know about a new book that I wrote called, "101 Mistakes All Golfers Make (and how to fix them)" It covers a wide range of topics including course strategy, the mental game, practice routines, and a few other areas. One of my goals was to write a book that would serve as a complete guide to the game for a beginner through intermediate golfer. I always felt that some golf books were a little too complicated, and I wanted to produce something that was easy to understand.I've given some advance copies to people in the golf industry. It's gotten some very positive reviews so far from instructors like Andrew Rice and Jim Hackenberg (Inventor of the Orange Whip).I don't have a publisher behind me, so I'm trying to spread the word online through a grassroots effort. The book is available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback format. Here is the link if anyone is interested in taking a look.Thanks!