What does "X feet of putts made" measure?

[Michael Moore]

Because I was curious about Michelle Wie's appearance on tour (as any golf fan would be) I checked out the stat page for her on the PGA Tour web site. It said that -

"Wie in round 2 made 182 ft 10 in worth of putts. More than anyone else in the field. That's an average of 10 ft 2 inches per putt made."

I have heard about this "feet of putts made" stat before. What is it supposed to reflect? I am at once too lazy and too mathematically disinclined to understand this statistic.

[McCloskey]

Just add up the total length of all the putts made during a round.   182' divided by 18 holes  =   approximately  10' per putt.   It seems rather obvious.

[Michael Moore]

I am again reminded that it pays to be literal on this board.

Is this statistic useful for identifying good putters?

[Jeff_Brauer]

I played with Pete Dye at Muirfield when we played this game.  By the end of the fourth hole, I had made exactly 4 feet of putts (we rounded the tap ins up to one foot) and had incredibly made more than 300 feet of putts, some from way off the green, which can happen in Scotland....especially if you have Pete's short game and putting imagination and skill.

If you finish with 20 feet of putts, it may mean you are the worlds greatest lag putter, but probably means you never made a single lengthy or even mid range put putt.  You have to make some putts from some distance to get the number up, and thats all that it measures.  I always thought some system of total feet of putts and total made putts would put that in perspective.  Of course, I don't really need a stinking game to document my stinking putting!

You can play for a dime/quarter/dollar a foot if you care to wager on your own putting skills.

[Doug Sobieski]

Michael:

Mike Shannon, who used to be the Head Professional at Isleworth (I recently heard he now teaches at Sea Island), is heralded as a very good putting instructor (he's worked with a lot of guys on tour). He was the first person I heard that used this tool for statistical analysis. For tracking purposes, he added the feet of putts you made, with 1' being the minimum and 10' being the maximum (if you made a 50 footer, it still counted as 10', a putt from 3" counted as 1'. This keeps your tracking from getting skewed by making a bomb). His benchmark was 50' for a reasonable putting round, if I recall correctly. I think this helped take into account rounds, for example, if you hit 18 greens 40 feet from the hole each time and had 50', you averaged 2.78' on the putts you holed which would be an adequate result in that case. When you start factoring in missed greens, that is when you see how you are really performing. If you hit 7 greens and only made 40 feet of putts, you need some serious help.

I found this tool to be very effective because it helps identify if you are making the putts that help you score. I'm sure there may be some deficiencies in the exercise, but overall, if the average number of feet you make in a round increases over time, you are doing something right. I remember one of Mike's examples of a good putting round was somewhere around 120' (remember, 10' is the highest numner you can use) by Sonny Skinner in the Buick Open. Of course, it helped him shoot 62.

I hope this puts it in perspective. Try it and see what it tells you! I think if you find yourself making 60'-70', you'll be posting pretty good scores.

Regards,

Doug

[Matt Kardash]

I guess it essentially means how many lucky bombs you make.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Michael Moore,

It can mean nothing, or it can be very significant.

ie, if a golfer made 18 ten footers, I would imagine that they had a great round.

On the other hand, if they made 3 fifty footers and an allotment of shorter putts, the results of their round could be quite different, and not necessarily good for them.

It's really round and fact specific.

[Dan King]

Doug Sobieski writes:
Try it and see what it tells you! I think if you find yourself making 60'-70', you'll be posting pretty good scores.

Cool idea. Now the foursome ahead of me at the local muni won't just be plum-bobbing, they'll also be pulling out their tape measure to fill out yet another box on the scorecard. Think there are any other tools they can use from a carpenter's belt? Level? Hammer? Chalk line? sandpaper? Pliers?

Dan King

Progress might have been all right once but it has gone on too long.
 --Ogden Nash

[Doug Sobieski]

Dan:

I would never suggest that anybody get too exact on it!!! After a round, estimating the length of your made putts is how it is tracked. It takes me about a minute to add mine up while I'm waiting for a beer. Sorry if it sounded like you needed to be out there with a ruler

It really is a good frame of reference when you are working with someone on their putting.

Regards,

Doug

[TEPaul]

One time I was playing against this guy I've known for years by the name of Harcourt Kemp in a tournament at Fishers Island---I'm quite sure a number of contributors on this board have heard of Harcourt.

Anyway, that day I swear to God Harcourt made about 300 f...ing YARDS of putts!

What does that mean, Michael? Basically it means Harcourt was putting the f...ing LIGHTS OUT!

But the God of golf giveth and he taketh away. One time at the Coleman at Seminole, not that long ago, Harcourt arrived at the 18th green in the final round of the seniors division of the Coleman with something like a 3 shot lead and God Damn if Harcourt didn't SIX PUTT that last green.

I didn't see him do that but when I saw him next I was gonna ask him EXACTLY how he did that but at the last minute I thought better of asking him!

[Michael Moore]

Mr. Paul -

I know there has been more to your life than hanging out and playing golf on various islands, but I have to say that there is a certain Gatsby-ish mystique to many of your stories.

Therefore, I can clearly imagine your friend Harcourt (see what I mean) turning to you and saying -

"Tommy! I miss, I miss, I miss, I miss, I miss, I make. Now, how about a drink, old sport?"

[Dan Kelly]

Cool idea. Now the foursome ahead of me at the local muni won't just be plum-bobbing, they'll also be pulling out their tape measure to fill out yet another box on the scorecard. Think there are any other tools they can use from a carpenter's belt? Level? Hammer? Chalk line? sandpaper? Pliers?

Isn't this why God made laser rangefinders?

[TEPaul]

"Mr. Paul -
I know there has been more to your life than hanging out and playing golf on various islands."

Michael:

Not really, that's pretty much it. My Dad said I should try and get good at something so I said quite some time ago; "Heh, Dad, how about if I just get real good at squandering my life around great golf courses?" And he said; "Go for it son, what do you think I did with my life?"  

[Dan King]

TEPaul writes:
Not really, that's pretty much it. My Dad said I should try and get good at something so I said quite some time ago; "Heh, Dad, how about if I just get real good at squandering my life around great golf courses?" And he said; "Go for it son, what do you think I did with my life?"

There is a certain Oldest Member sort of quality of having Mr. Paul around.

Dan King

The Oldest Member has not played golf since the rubber-cored ball superseded the old dignified gutty. But as a spectator and philosopher he still finds pleasure in the pastime. He is watching it now with keen interest. His gaze, passing from the lemonade which he is sucking through a straw, rests upon the Saturday foursome which is struggling raggedly up the hill to the ninth green. Like all Saturday foursomes, it is in difficulties. One of the patients is zigzagging about the fairway like a liner pursued by submarines. Two others seem to be digging for buried treasure, unless -- it is far off to be certain -- they are killing snakes. The remaining cripple, who has just foozled a mashie-shot, is blaming his caddie. His voice, as he upbraids the innocent child for breathing during his up-swing, comes clearly up the hill. The Oldest Member sighs. His lemonade gives a sympathetic gurgle. He puts it down on the table.
 --P.G. Wodehouse (Ordeal by golf)

[TEPaul]

Dan:

That's an hilarious quote. Look, maybe I am old but would you mind not making me feel older than I am? Just call me Tom and shitcan this Mr Paul stuff! That goes for you too Michael. I'm sorry to have to say this Michael but I even knew Jay Gatsby a little bit. Or so I thought until he told me his name was actually Robert Redford. But he was a decent enough fellow anyway.

[Dan Kelly]

I even knew Jay Gatsby a little bit.... [H]e was a decent enough fellow anyway.

Tom I -- the Nick Carraway of gca.com: "Gatsby turned out all right in the end; it is what preyed on him, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams."

Who is the Jay Gatsby of gca.com?

(My role? I've got my eyes on T.J. Eckleburg.)

For your amusement: See http://www.stjohnsprep.org/teachers/jmoran/barletta/gatzopen.htm

[TEPaul]

".....it is what preyed on him, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams."

Dan Kelly(tm);

In just a half a sentence there you managed to insult just about everyone I grew up with on Long Island! They were some pretty foul dust alright!

But don't worry about it---I never trusted a single one of that extended group of good-for-nothing slim-balls anyway!