Chapter 13: Strategy and Course Management
Shot Charts
If I watch a golfer hit 5 shots with his driver on the range that go like this: the first shot goes 180 yards, the second shot goes 220 yards, the third shot goes 200 yards, the fourth shot goes 190 yards, and the fifth shot goes 210 yards. If I ask him, “How far do you hit your driver,” what will he say? “220 yards.” But that’s how far he hits the driver one out of five times, that’s not the average distance for his driver. His average is 200 yards.
According to research conducted by Golf Digest, the average male golfer hits it 198 yards off the tee – but thinks he hits it 227.
And yet, when he plays the course, he will play as if he hits the driver 220 yards every time. What’s wrong with that? He will get into trouble because his shot chart – the one that is in his head of how far each of his clubs goes – is based on his best shots, not his average shots. When he’s playing, he can’t understand why he just hit a six-iron in the creek when he needed to carry 160 yards. The reason is his shot chart is not accurate.