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7 Stats About Scratch Golfers You Won't Believe.
Dan Parker runs through the 7 most surprising stats about scratch golfers you won't believe are true! From data gathered by Arccos, the leaders in shot tracking and performance analysis tech, Dan is able to unpack some interesting truths around how a scratch golfers plays and - spoiler alert - you might not be as far behind a scratch golfer as you think!
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0:00
Scratch golfers are only top 1% of all amateur players in the world, so they're obviously very, very good
0:06
In this video with data from Arcos, I'm going to be talking through seven surprising stats about some of the best amateur players in the world
0:17
Before we get on with the rest of this video, I want to thank Arcos again for supplying us with this data. I've been using their tech now for the best part of three years to help learn more about my game and how I play, how I can get better
0:26
If you want to start that journey as well, put some handy links down in the description where you can find the best price in your area for a set of their smart sensors to get yourself started
0:37
Okay, so the first start I want to talk about is how prolific, or perhaps not so much
0:41
scratch golfers are from 150 yards and out. So from this distance, they're only making up and down, or probably a birdie in most cases
0:50
7% of the time, which, you know, when you think they've probably got, depending on how far they hit it, a 9 or an 8 iron in their hand
0:56
you might conceive they're going to be doing that more often, but it's only 7% of the time
1:00
I suspect, though, they're not making worse than bogey from here that often either
1:04
Another interesting one is if I move 10 yards back to 160 yards
1:08
I think this speaks to how good a scratch golfer is. 20% of the time from that distance, they'll be hitting it within 20 feet
1:15
which I think is going to give them a really good birdie look, isn't it? So two stats and two opinions there on how prolific or how classy scratch golfers can be
1:23
It's interesting what the stats can give you. I'm going to have a go at trying to have one of those 7% moments
1:28
and try and make up and down from here. It's a long way away and it's a bit of a stinking lie for me
1:35
I'm also not playing that well at the minute, but hey, let's have a little go. It's fun. I've hit it all right, you know
1:44
but I don't think it's going to quite be within that seven foot. Barely made front edge. I'm definitely not making birdie from there
1:50
so probably a surprising stat about scratch golfers is how not prolific they are from this
1:58
range here outside 15 feet i've measured 16 feet out here which to be honest looks a lot longer than
2:04
when you just say it out loud but scratch golfers in this range only hold around 16 of these putts
2:10
they're not you know raking in putts in this range all the time less than a fifth of the time in fact
2:15
now what might be more surprising is when i flip that stat on its head and say that the average
2:20
12 index golfer from this range will three putt more often than they hole out. So the lesson there
2:28
is that scratch golfers, while they're not prolific from this range, they're not three
2:32
putting that often as the 12 index golfer is. They're probably giving it a look, giving it a run
2:37
and then making the one back And I going to try and do that right now and just do what a scratch golfer does Gave it a little look that was a bit low to be fair but make sure I not three And just tiny enough
2:56
Okay, so my next surprising stat is that from this distance here, which is 100 yards to the pin
3:00
scratch golfers are more likely to make a bogey or worse than they are birdie
3:05
That's according to the ARCOS data. And I think this gets rid of a really, a misconception that people have that from this distance with a sandwich in their hand
3:12
scratch golfers making up and down all the time attacking pins they're not maybe they are and
3:17
making some poor decisions on occasion which is why that bogey happens a bit more but i think it's
3:21
helpful for us higher handicappers to to realize that 100 yards and in isn't always a green light
3:27
birdie option perhaps it's more makes more sense to find the middle of the green have a go at one
3:31
putting and if you don't two put and get out of there right this example i've brought up here is
3:36
a really good one as well. Bit of a sucker pin on the left, the wind's out the right
3:40
I've got a hanging lie for me as a left-hander that's going to want to push the ball left. The worst thing I could do here is go at that pin thinking I've got to make up and down
3:47
and putting it left, short-siding myself and making a high score. What I'm going to do
3:51
which is probably what most scratch players are going to do, is aim at the middle of the green, try and bring it back in and just stay nice and safe over there. But it's an interesting stat
3:58
nonetheless isn't it that scratch golfers aren't that prolific from here. I'm going to have a go at
4:02
at this myself and see if I can just find the middle of the green and do something nice and
4:06
sensible for a change. See the wind has brought that back in. A bit short, a bit short but nice
4:17
and safe wasn't it? So from this range when you're playing just realise that scratch golfers aren't
4:22
that great themselves from here, you don't have to be either. So the next surprising stat I think speaks to how efficient scratch golfers are on certain
4:32
parts of the golf course specifically short par fours like the one i'm stood on here so on golf
4:37
holes that measure around 290 yards scratch golfers will average under par so they're averaging under
4:43
par on these short par fours now granted they average 3.99 strokes so it's 0.01 strokes under
4:51
par but that is an average and that's showing you how well they're playing this hole these holes
4:55
and a few more arc-off stats can help us dive into why that might be the case so
4:58
8% of scratch players strike the ball over 275 yards. That means on a hole that's 290
5:04
they're going to be within 15 yards a lot of the time, right? And even those golfers
5:10
those scratch players who don't quite hit it that far are still very efficient on these holes. So
5:14
a scratch golfer out of the rough with 40 yards remaining, their median finishing spot is 17 feet
5:22
and eight inches. So not far from that sort of 16 foot putt we were looking at a little bit earlier
5:27
Now as those golfers get closer to the hole and this is still out of the rough by the way so they can miss the fairway but still be close So if every five yards they get closer that reduces by two feet
5:39
So if a scratch player is 35 yards away from the pin on a short par four out of the rough
5:45
which is Nietzsche, I know, but it's good stuff, they will then be about 15 feet away from the pin
5:50
So kind of adding those stats up together and those facts about what scratch golfers are doing out on the golf course
5:54
just shows you how efficiently they play short par fours and to average under par, to make no worse than a par and attack a hole and make a birdie fairly
6:03
often, just shows you why they're so good. Okay, so this next stat again speaks to the efficiency
6:11
and the quality of the scratch golf when it comes to their scoring. So in nearly half of their round
6:16
scratch golfers won't make a double bogey. So 43% of the time, they will not make a double bogey
6:22
which I'm sure a lot of scratch golfers are going to want to be pushing that more above 50%. 50%. And you can read this in two ways. You can read that as being highly efficient
6:29
because if I compare that to a 10 handicap golfer, they're not making double 7% of the time. So very
6:35
rarely they're going through a round without making a double. Or you could read it that actually
6:38
over half of the time, scratch golfers are making at least one double bogey in their round. So a bad
6:43
score is on the card. So depending on how you want to read that stat is what you can learn from it
6:48
I would take it as a six index golfer. Even scratch golfers are making at least one double
6:53
so it's okay if I am as well. Don't lose your head on the course. A double's probably coming
6:58
Something like that. So following on for the double bogey stat, let's look at bogeys
7:02
And scratch golfers do make a fair few amount of bogeys. Again, something we can learn from, I think
7:06
is high-handicapped golfers. According to the Arcos days, they'll make bogey or worse almost 30% of the time
7:11
So that is about 5.4 holes per round. They're making that bogey or worse
7:17
which is an average of 4.6 bogeys and just 0.7 doubles or worse
7:22
Again, it could be seen two ways, can't it? You see a lot of tour golf and they're barely making bogeys
7:27
Obviously, these guys are a big step ahead of scratch golfers. Scratch golfers are obviously still making bogeys and plenty of them
7:33
so it's fine when you do it as well. I think the thing that sets them apart, 2.2 birdies per round on average
7:40
So minimum of two birdies per round on average. I certainly do that and that will certainly help that occasional trip
7:45
that the scratch golfer makes. right next up and stick with me on this one as i try to explain it but to get a 50 green
7:56
regulation percentage the scratched golfer can be furthest away of all golfers on the handicap index
8:01
as you might expect that number is where i'm stood now is 165 yards away so to hit the green
8:07
50 of the time they can be this far away does that sort of make sense so this drops for a five
8:13
index player to 147 yards away So just by the 150 yards for them to hit the green 50 of the time So for a 10 handicap that 129 yards For a 15 that 110 yards
8:25
And for a 20-index golfer to hit the green 50% of the time
8:29
they have to be 92 yards out. So that's such a huge difference between that 20-index
8:33
and that scratch golfer. What's that? 70-yard yards? That's pretty huge. Obviously, we might expect that
8:40
But I think it's a really interesting stat to get an idea about how scratch golf is playing
8:43
it from this far away, 165, 7, 8 iron, I don't know how far they hit it, probably a 7 iron
8:49
they're hitting the green 50% of the time, giving them the shells, those chance of birdies
8:54
and probably not making worse than part, really, so I'm going to have a go, can I hit this green
8:58
from a much better lie this time, from 165, gloveless, with no practice swing
9:06
oh hold it wind oh no go ah maybe front edge I don't know it's just span off the wind held it but
9:21
listen to be that accurate from this far away it's obviously very impressive
9:25
okay my final surprising stat comes around chipping and short game and what scratch golfers
9:33
are up to and this speaks to how again they're not as prolific as you might have presumed and
9:39
that is a third of shots from out of the rough from 15 yards away will remain outside 15 feet
9:46
so it's 32% of attempts of scratch golfers from this distance will be outside of 15 feet which I
9:52
think is quite surprising and we spoke about putting stats earlier from 15 feet right that
9:56
when a scratch player is outside of that 15 foot circle they're only making what was it 19% less
10:02
than 20% of those putts. No, it was 16% of those putts, so even less. So a third of the time
10:07
they're not getting up and down from here, pretty much, which I think is quite surprising. Obviously
10:12
two thirds of the time, they're doing quite well, but it's not all the time. And I, as I have been
10:17
all day today, I'm going to have a little go at this. I've short-sided myself, which isn't great
10:22
but it's a very soft day and I'm backing myself. Oh, oh, that was a bit flyy. That's going to be
10:31
right on the bubble. I'm going to say it's within 15 feet and therefore I am as good as a scratch
10:35
golfer. So there you have it, seven surprising stats about amateur golfers and I hope what you
10:40
can take from that, if you are a scratch golfer, congratulations, you're in the top 1% of all
10:44
golfers, all amateur golfers, that's a bit about your game but for the rest of us, the 99%
10:49
I still think there's some really interesting nuggets we can take from that about how scratch
10:53
golfers don't compound errors too much and about how they are making the same mistakes we are
10:57
perhaps just less often. So don't beat yourself up too much. Scratch golfers are doing it as well
11:02
Hope you enjoyed this video. Hope you learned a little bit. Thank you for joining me. I'll see you next time
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