Golf Game Management III: Shot Pattern Dispersion
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III.
Shot Dispersion
Can be Quite Large
The
topic of this this
series is Golf Game
Management. Can you
shoot lower scores
without physical
improvement? The
answer is a resounding,
YES! Not that
I'm advocating not
improving your ball
striking and short
game skill level.
In the last newsletter, I explained
how you can use your
shot pattern to make
much wiser club selection
choices on the course.
If you would like
an analysis of your
shot pattern, you can send me some
of your round statistics,
I'll analyze it and send you back a report. Just
download an Excel
Spreadsheet using
the link, Download
Excel Round,
and e-mail me your
results.
After my last newsletter, a newsletter
member, Alan Lephart,
graciously volunteered
a study of his own.
His research study,
"Measuring Variability
of Golf Shots," was
published in the
May 2004 issue of
the Wisconsin Journal
of the Alliance for
Health, Physical
Education, Recreation
and Dance (WAHPERD).
I can send you a
complimentary copy
of his study. Just
request one by emailing
me.
Dr. Lephart has a Ph.D. in Biomechanics
and has been in university
teaching in that
field for over 30
years. He spent 28
years at the University
of Melbourne in Australia
in the Human Performance,
Physical Education,
Zoology and Psychology
Departments. His
last two years have
been as a Lecturer
in P.E. at the University
of Wisconsin Oshkosh.
In his study, he analyzed the variability
of golf shots for
a 45 year old male
golfer with a 12
handicap. The golfer
hit irons 1 thru
9. Below is a sample
of the resulting
shot pattern of the
3 iron and 4 iron.
The vertical axis
represents the amount
of lateral (left/right)
variability in the
shots. The horizontal
axis represents the
amount of variability
and distance hit
by the club.
The average distance for the 3 iron was 172 yards
while the variability
of distance ranged
from about 151 yards
to 193 yards. The
variability in lateral
(left/right) error
was from about 19
yards left to 10
yards right.
From his research, Dr. Lephart concluded that:
† The distance
interval between
clubs was about
10 yards, the the
amount of variability
in length was about
20 yards and nearly
the same for each
club.
† The angular error for all clubs remained relatively constant at
just over
+/- 3 degrees.
† Almost all clubs showed the tendency for balls that were left of
the target to travel further and those to the right to fall shorter.
† The dispersion could be shown as an elliptic pattern.
Another interesting finding was the high degree
of overlap in the
distance that different
clubs can be hit.
For example, although
the golfer my estimate
that he could hit
a 5 iron a distance
of 158 yards, he
would do well to
remember that only
about two thirds
of his 5 iron shots
will fall within
a distance of 148
to 168 yards, while
fully one third will
fall outside this
range. The 6 iron
shot would fall in
that same 148 to
168 yard range about
half the time. The
4 iron shots would
also fall into the
148 to yard range.
For most shots, more
t han one club could
easily be selected
which would get the
job done.
This study confirms that understanding one's
shot patterns is essential
to choosing the best
club for each shot.
Sometimes, one can
get away with hitting
the "wrong club"
(because it is hit
unusually far or
short of average).
To achieve the lowest
average score, however,
one must "play the
odds." In some ways,
golf is like a crap
shoot.
I can send you a complimentary copy of his study.
Just request one by emailing
me. I encourage you to become more familiar with
your own shot patterns
with the various
clubs. I find that
most amateurs I play
with really have
an unrealistic idea
of how far they even
hit each club on
average. I little
time invested to
correctly determine
your ranges with
each club can go
a long ways to lowering
your score, without
physically improving
anything.
If you would like
an analysis of your shot pattern, you can send me some of your
round statistics,
I'll analyze it and
send you back a report. Just download an Excel Spreadsheet
using the link, Download
Excel Round, and e-mail me your results.
To see a specific example of what this service
provides, take a
look at this shot
pattern example. The service only costs $12.99. Order it
here.
In future newsletters on this topic, we'll take
a look at Game Management
further in areas
such as club selection
based on shot patterns,
wind, elevation,
altitude, and temperature.
We'll also look at
Game Management as
it applies to your
short game and putting.
There a lots of ways
to make the best
of what you currently
have! We can all
make better choices
on the course.
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Make a Newsletter Suggestion.
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If
you are more interested
in finding out which
golf ball is best
for you and your
game, consider the
following:
Longest
Golf Ball Report -- a statistical
analysis of different
golf balls hit by
an
Iron
Byron Robot machine.
Discover
the secret "missing
link" in your
golf game. Understand
which golf balls
REALLY make a
difference in
each stroke!
A
list of resources that
have been used to produce
this newsletter can
be found on my
web sitehere.
The focus
of my site
is to utilize science
and math to lower
your score. New technology
is one
way to achieve this,
but to be honest,
the technology is
one small piece of
the puzzle.
To actually improve significantly,
we all need to:
1. Improve our swings using CD
Interactive, Hit
Down Dammit!
2. Learn how to swing simpler
like the Iron Byron
with the great coffee
table book, Swing
Machine Golf!
3. Improve our physical fitness
and strength.
The
Golf Trainer Power
Performance Program™ and Ultimate
Golf Fitness Ebook
4. Improve our mental games.
Golf
Mind Software
5. Improve our Probable
Golf games.
Learn how to make better
choices on the course
through knowing how
shot patterns and reading
the elements and course
better.
Click on the links above to
take a look at
ways that I personally
use myself and
recommend you try
as well.
Hope
I provided some useful
ways for to become
better prepared for
you best golf season
ever.
Ken Tannar
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