Every year it seems Tiger Woods wins more PGA tournaments than anyone else. In most years that's probably true. Overall, Tiger has won 65 PGA Tournaments, including 14 majors. And he's only 32, soon to be 33. Players are eligible for the Senior Tour at age 50. If we assume he joins the Senior Tour at 50, he still has at least 15 or 16 years left on the Tour. No one will be shocked if Tiger ends his career having won more professional tournaments and more majors than any one else.
Ever wondered why Tiger wins so much? A research project conducted by Golf Digest in 2004 gives the answer. And it may surprise you. It isn't what many people think. In fact, it's something quite different. Nevertheless, the results are instructional. They tell what makes Tiger tick golf-wise. More importantly, they are a valuable lesson for weekend golfers chipping away at their golf handicaps—one that will help them determine what golf lessons to take and what golf tips to read.
The Research Project
The research project was conducted at the South Course at Torrey Pines, La Jolla, California. A 7,568-yard, par-72 course, it's the home for the Buck Invitational and the municipal course of choice for about 72,000 golfers annually. (It also was the home for the 2008 U.S. Open.) Tour pros scored an average of 73.3 during three rounds in 2003, a tournament Tiger won by four strokes. The data collected was matched to the Tournament's stats.
The project day was randomly chosen. Data during the day was taken from 87 males. Unfortunately, only three women golfers showed up, too small a sample to analyze and include in the project. Of the players, 33 had golf handicaps lower than 10 and under. Seven were scratch players, which helped lower the group's average golf handicap to 12. The national course handicap is 17. The average score for the day was 96.
Key Project Findings
Overall, the project revealed that the amateurs fell far short of Tiger and the pros in nearly every phase. Here are some findings:
* The average driving distance on holes 9 and 4 during the Buick Open was 285 yards. Tiger averaged 298 yards. The amateur golfers—the Joes, let's call them—averaged 212.
* Woods' driving accuracy during the 2003 Buick Invitational was 48.2 percent. The Tour's was 66.2 percent. The Joes was 44 percent for the 10 and under and 40 percent for the rest.
* Tiger hit 73.6 percent of greens in regulation during the Tournament. The Tour averaged 64 percent.
* The 10-and-under group hit 30 percent of the greens in regulation. On hole 9 (347 yards), 66 percent of the 10-and-under group hit the green in regulation when they hit the fairway. Only 7 percent hit the green in regulation when they missed the fairway.
* When the 10-and-under group missed the fairway, they got up and down 44 percent of the time. The Tour the averaged 58.3 percent. Tiger's averaged 60.2 percent.
* On the greens Tiger averaged 1.51 putts per hole. The Tour averaged 1.78 putts per hole. The Joes averaged 2.10 putts.
Conclusions
So what conclusions can we draw from the project. First, when you miss a shot, your chance of missing the next one greatly increases. Remember, only 7 percent of the players who missed the fairway hit the green in regulation.
Second, the difference in putting averages gave Tiger a 10.6 stroke advantage over the Joes on the greens alone. Multiplied over a four-round tournament that's a huge 42.5 stroke advantage.
Third, the biggest difference between Tiger, the pros, and the Joes was in getting up and down. When they missed, the Joes got up and down 44 percent of the time. The average rate for the pros was 58.3 percent. Tiger's was 60.2 percent.
What is most telling in this data isn't the mis-match between Tiger and the Joes, but the difference between Tiger and his competitors. When it came to the short game, Tiger beat them hands down. He had a better up-and-down average and a better putting average. In other words, the player with the better short game won.
If you're serious about lopping strokes off your golf handicap, focus on your short game. Take golf lessons and read golf tips on chipping, pitching, and putting. Master this area of the game. The effort will pay off.
Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book "How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros." He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.
