My Theory on Golf

[gpo]

If I let any one of you hit the same shot 50 times the outcome would be there would be a circle of balls around your target. It could be any shot in golf.

To me the key to getting better in golf is reducing the size of the circle as much as possible. Also keeping the crazy outlier shots to a minimum to almost most none.

Say I let you hit 50 pitch shots from 20 yards one day. We recorded the results and plotted them on a computer and did all that math that we forgot from HS and college. Stuff like Std Dev, avg, mode and whatnot.

Then I told you to practice for a month or two. Then I let you hit that same shot from before 50 times. Hopefully your results would be better and your circle smaller.

This could be done with any shot in golf.

The key is knowing what shot or shots to work on to better your score the most. Plus also having the time to work on them as well.

 

[mddubya]

If I'm hitting driver I hope you have a LOT of chalk, because thats going to be a BIG circle, :unhappy:

 

[eclark53520]

I think if i hit 50 20 yard pitch shots, and then didnt practice at all for 2 months and then came back and hit antoher, i bet my second circle would be smaller as well, probably not as small as if i had practiced for those 2 months, but simply the experience from hitting that shot 50 times before and being able to call on that memory would help me immensely.

So my theory, play all the golf you can because experience on the golf course is what really counts.

 

[295yards]

I share the same beliefs. I hit balls indoors on Trackman. The have a very cool feature called Approach test where it evaluates a handicap for certain distance over 10 balls hit. You punch in the distance to any odd yardage you wish, and hit whatever club you feel and it calculates your handicap for that particular shot based on your shot dispersion ( circle ). It is not real world but it does track within reason to me what is actual, and it is loads of fun.
I love hitting 40, 60, 80, 100, 110, 135, 145yard shots and trying to break scratch.
I've accessed that I do not need to drive the ball any straighter, and stopped senselessly chasing a ridiculously straight drive. It is intersting to see the shot dispersion throughout the bag. The farther you hit it the dispersion goes left to right fairly predictable. Basically all shots look the same but at progressive distances.I figure if I can get my closer game tighter the rest logically will follow or at least my total distances will be more repeatable.
After I'm real good up to 145, than 155...

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

I am sure this is going to probably take this to more of a technical level than you wish, but I think it is pertinent to foundation in what you mention.

I would bargain to guess with most golfers, this is not going to be a circle but more of an obtuse, or blunted off-centered teardrop that favors one side. Most golfers miss right, left or short. They also tend to miss distinctly to one side. It is getting past the assumption that it will be a circle that will allow you to study the pattern in order to know what to practice outside of just "The Shot".

Simply put, I would tend to believe that the affective relation in studying the Obtuse, blunted off-centered teardrop will not only tell you what needs to be practiced, but what needs to be practiced within that shot. In many cases, a bigger circle may not be a worse pattern, assuming the hole is in the center of the circle. A very small circle 30 yards left likely be a much worse fate.

Sorry, just thinking aloud.

 

[gpo]

Yeah, I realize it would never be a perfect circle. Most likely it would be like you said an obtuse, but on shots that are over 125 the middle of the obtuse I would be would be short of the target. My thinking is most golfers think they hit the ball further/farther than they really do.

Anyway the whole idea is to condense whatever figure down as much as possible.

Just thinking out loud it would be cool if there was a practice facility that had balls with RIF's(or whatever they are called) and you just hit a bunch of shots and could quickly look on a computer to see your dispersion.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

Just thinking out loud it would be cool if there was a practice facility that had balls with RIF's(or whatever they are called) and you just hit a bunch of shots and could quickly look on a computer to see your dispersion.

I was kinda hoping these would catch on quicker and they would get them in more locations.
TopGolf, The Only Place to Play

Love the idea.

 

[Esox]

I hope there would be a gathering of my shots short of the hole. Not necessarily because I think I hit the ball farther than I really do, but because it is almost always better to be a little short, which in many cases translates to below the hole.

Kevin