Another statistical question: Approach

[slickpitt]

So my little intelligolf program will track approach shots. My understand of "approach" alway meant the shot you took to get you on the green in regulation. I might be mistaken so correct me if I'm wrong. But there are a couple of situations I'm unsure about...

- Par 4. Tee shot goes bad... under a tree, zero chance of going for the green or anywhere near. Pitching Wedge out, 7-iron to the green. What was your approach shot? Obviously your second shot would have got you on in regulation, but you weren't going for the green until your third.

- Long Par 5. Grood drive. You take a 3-wood and go for the green. You miss(only by about 5 foot or so). Wedge pitch shot on your on. What was your approach shot here? Technically you used a Wedge to get on in regulation... BUT you went for it with the 3-wood.


I personally would think it could be the intention on getting on the green or not. Statistically speaking to show how well you do with X club trying to get on the green. I don't think a pitch back into the fairway should be counted as an approach, but I also don't think a little chip onto the green(because you missed by 5 foot with that 3-wood) should be considered an approach. For those of you that track this how do you handle it? How does the "official" stats handle it?

[rubber314chicken]

I think I would call any shot where my intention was to get it onto the green an approach shot.

[JEFF4i]

This is why I've switched from just taking some information to writing down all pertinent information and summarizing with key aspects I need to work on.

[slickpitt]

Originally Posted by JEFF4i

This is why I've switched from just taking some information to writing down all pertinent information and summarizing with key aspects I need to work on.

What do you keep track of?

Right now I'm tracking:
Score
Drive accuracy(fairway, miss right, miss left)
Penalty strokes
GIR(and approach club, which is where the orig question came from)
#Putts
Length of first put

[JEFF4i]

Tee shot
-Fairways
-What driver I used
-Was I placing it or not? How aggressive?
-If not in fairway, where?
-If in rough, how were my lie and chances?
-In in bad trouble, did I punch out or take a drop?
Approach:
-Go For Flag or Center?
-What club?
-How'd I actually hit the shot? Common miss? Good solid shot?
Chipping:
-What shot did I use? Bump and run? Flop? Check shot?
-How close did I get it?
-Which side did I try and leave myself on?
Putting:
-Distance of first putt
-How many putts
-Was it my lag putt or my short putt that caused the 3 putt(if I had one)?
-What did I do right?
-How were my reads?
Gameplan:
-How was my strategy?
-Course management?
-Well timed and thought out aggression?
-In tournament, what would I have done differently?
Correction:
-After analyzing, what did I do better than last round and why?

Essentially I ask myself all of these questions, right down answers if pertinent, and try to find trends between rounds to know what needs work. Generally its something straight forward that people can know without the labor, but its great for future reference. "Ah, I'm pushing it again, what did I do last time to fix this?"

[cwo2lt]

Jeez Jeff, are you the reason it took me 5 hours to play the round Sunday?

Seriously, how the heck to you find time to write all that down?

[rubber314chicken]

I keep:
score, putts, GIR, fairways, and sand saves.

The rest I can remember to the extent I need to use it

[JEFF4i]

Originally Posted by cwo2lt

Jeez Jeff, are you the reason it took me 5 hours to play the round Sunday?

Seriously, how the heck to you find time to write all that down?

Oh this is all after the round, I just write basics during the round.

No way I'd do that out on the course.

[eclark53520]

Originally Posted by cwo2lt

Jeez Jeff, are you the reason it took me 5 hours to play the round Sunday?

Seriously, how the heck to you find time to write all that down?

+1 i hardly find tiem to write my score down...


But i guess if i was better at golf, i could play faster thus leaving me more time to write my score down...

[slickpitt]

Originally Posted by JEFF4i

Oh this is all after the round, I just write basics during the round.

No way I'd do that out on the course.

haha man I was gonna say. Screw carrying a caddy... you need to carry a court reporter who knows shorthand

[Par7]

Originally Posted by JEFF4i

Oh this is all after the round, I just write basics during the round.

No way I'd do that out on the course.

Was gonna say, dude you need a life, haha.

[cwo2lt]

Can't you just feel the love Jeff?

After I posted I read your post again and saw a lot of that was post round, but it still looks like you track a lot during a round as well. I track FW, GIR, and putts right now but I am considering expanding the list a bit. I like your last part, gameplan section. I might borrow that.

[FATC1TY]

I need to start writing some of it down.

When I play in the evenings alone after work, I do a quick 9. I have no one behind me and no one in front, and time usually to play 2 balls if I wanted, or re play a hole.

I've been trying to remember my GIR, and what clubs I'm using generally for certain holes as my approach. However, I'm so terrible, it's usually easy to remember only getting 4 GIR in 9 holes if that sometimes.

But to answer the question at hand. I believe if you INTEND to go for the green, that is your approach shot. Punching out of the muck when your 150 out, doesn't get called an approach even if you COULD have if you were in the FW. If your 250 out and try and lob it in, thats your approach, missed and had to chip.

[gwlee7]

It is very rare that I cannot recall every single shot of a round that I have played after I get home.

[JEFF4i]

To be fair, I remember every shot I hit, how and why, up to a week after a round without flaw.

*shrug*