Quote:
Originally Posted by CoachKandSportsguy
Sorry to hit a nerve. As a high handicapper and a finance stats guy, I find the stats very interesting, as I have no other means of analyzing golf shot data. Golf with its GHIN index, slope and rating, and Pro players, has alot of common knowledge misinformation. I wasn't suggesting his skill level or his index as anything relevant, but more as my only source of golf stats for referencing performance versus handicap.
peace out. .
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Golfers always seem to have a misconception about how good they are, how good the guys on TV are, as well as the expected quality of their shots.
To throw a local connection at the wall. 1st Stage of Korn-Ferry Qualifying begins to today at the Country Club of Ocala. It was previously scheduled for 2 weeks ago, until the hurricane interrupted things. All the other 1st Stages are complete.
@SkeenJackson is competing there. Jackson is a +6.2 Index (
GHIN - United States Golf Association Service). He has NO status on any Tour in the world. He's trying to make it through the 1st Stage to qualify for the Korn_Ferry Tour ... there are 2 more Stages before he makes K-F (the PGA Tour is a long way away).
So let's put things into a local perspective.
If Jackson came down to visit and played Mallory Hills (Caroline to Virginia, the tougher routing), from the BLACK Tees, he would be playing at +7. He would have to shoot 65 to "play to his handicap". 7 UNDER Par. He would have to average about 67 to maintain that handicap..
Jackson barely slips into the Top 3000 AMATEURS in the world, at #2954.
What's been happening in golf over the last 20 years of so is ... I'll use a economics description ... elasticity of the performance curve.
The very best Professionals (the guys we see on TV) have gotten significantly better than the days of Palmer & NIcklaus. Advances in equipment have allowed the Pros to distance themselves from the average players and surely from the typical "hacker". Scratch players used to watch golf on TV and think, "geez, with a few months of practice, I could play with these guys". Now? Any PGA Tour player could give the typical scratch player, 4-5 strokes a side and beat him like a drum. My club in NH has 12 guys with + handicaps.
Golfers don't realize how poorly they play, in relation to what they see on TV and end up with unrealistic expectations.
In fact, what they're watching on TV are freakishly talented professionals, that mere mortals have no hope of ever emulating.
@Loustagner is great at reminding folks of how badly they play.