Unlike Fairways in Regulation (FIR), Greens in Regulation (GIR) is actually strongly correlated to scoring, but even so, this stat is not without its weaknesses. The main drawback is that GIR doesn’t help average golfers figure out what is really responsible for a good or bad GIR result. Is it because of your poor tee shot that ended up behind a tree that prevented you from hitting the green in regulation? Or is it the iron that was pulled left of the green on your approach? The GIR stat doesn’t help you figure that out because it is measuring the result of a combination of shots that are dependent on one another. Tee shots and approach shot stats need to be isolated in order to see the impact of both parts of the game on your scores.
In our Golfing Analytics app, we provide visibility of your proficiency to stay out of trouble off the tee with our ‘Good Enough’ tee shot stat. To provide visibility of your approach shot proficiency, we use ‘Par 3 GIR’ percentage. On par 3s, you have a perfect lie, no obstructions and basically no excuses for not hitting the green, so over a reasonable length of time it’s a great proxy for isolating your approach shot capability on its own. We give you the ability to drill down into this stat by distance range and by club and it can really help see where you are strong and maybe where you need some work. With some focused practice on those weak spots, you’ll be hitting more greens and shooting lower scores in no time.
