Thursday 29 January 2015

Fun Fact Friday

Putting Stats

When we watch a professional golf tournament we think pro golfers never miss a putt. In fact, we are usually seeing the best golfers in that particular tournament (or Tiger Woods, no matter what he is shooting). Here are some interesting stats about how good they are (or aren't):

Distance                         One Putt             Two Putts                  Three Putts (or more)

1 foot                                  100%                    0%                                  0%
2 - 3 feet                             95-99%                 .6%                              .1 - .2 %
7 - 8 feet                             50%                      49%                                .5%
12 feet                                30%                      69%                                .9%
20 feet                                14%                      84%                                2%
32 feet                                6%                        88%                                6%
40 feet                                4%                        86%                                10%


So what does all of this mean?  From 3 feet and under pros almost never miss - these guys are great!
Once they are out to 7 or 8 feet, they are still pretty good, making about the same number as they miss, but almost NEVER 3-putt from that distance. Obviously, the further they are from the hole the two-putt number goes up and the one-putt number goes down. The three-putt percentage stays pretty low, even out at 40 feet.
However, have a look at the percentages at the 32 foot distance. The pros are just as likely to three putt as they are to one putt from there. They are actually quite human.

What could we learn from this and use in our own games?