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- #1
I have always battled the putts per round number as a telling statistic. On one hand it tells you clearly how many times you are using your putter. But in my game of golf, I think that is the only thing it does. Why dont I keep a Drives per round, or wedges per round? Let me explain ( my weird thinking anyway).
PPR does not tell me if I am making good putts or bad putts. It does not take into factor any type of scoring whatsoever. I decided to do a little study. My last 5 rounds out (clearly a small sampling), the rounds that I had less putts per round, I had a higher score than the rounds I had more putts per round. Why?
Because in the rounds with less putts, it did not mean I made more birdies. It in fact meant I missed more greens and was chipping on close rather than having a 12-20 foot putt for birdie or par.
To me it is a very misleading statistic. On one hand we all want to make more putts, but on the other hand, someone could quite easily have 18 putts total if they missed every green and chipped on. GIR is a far more telling number and maybe the two combined give some players some semblance of what their round is going to end up or what they have to work on, but I just dont get it.
I think its another number that we worry far too much about when playing rather than just hitting greens and 2 putting. Maybe this is more of a thought than a thread, but I just do not see how the total putts per round plays that much role in score unless you are hitting every green and 3 putting. Because if you miss the green, odds are you are going to have less putts per round, thus rewarding the statistic for taking away from another one.
Thoughts on my rambling?
PPR does not tell me if I am making good putts or bad putts. It does not take into factor any type of scoring whatsoever. I decided to do a little study. My last 5 rounds out (clearly a small sampling), the rounds that I had less putts per round, I had a higher score than the rounds I had more putts per round. Why?
Because in the rounds with less putts, it did not mean I made more birdies. It in fact meant I missed more greens and was chipping on close rather than having a 12-20 foot putt for birdie or par.
To me it is a very misleading statistic. On one hand we all want to make more putts, but on the other hand, someone could quite easily have 18 putts total if they missed every green and chipped on. GIR is a far more telling number and maybe the two combined give some players some semblance of what their round is going to end up or what they have to work on, but I just dont get it.
I think its another number that we worry far too much about when playing rather than just hitting greens and 2 putting. Maybe this is more of a thought than a thread, but I just do not see how the total putts per round plays that much role in score unless you are hitting every green and 3 putting. Because if you miss the green, odds are you are going to have less putts per round, thus rewarding the statistic for taking away from another one.
Thoughts on my rambling?