Golf is ____% Execution and ____% Strategy

[Mike Hendren]

Fill in the blanks. Note to Hillbillies: the numbers must total 100.

Second question: What were those numbers 50 years ago?

Mike

[Michael Huber]

Probably 75% execution, 25% strategy. 

As much as I enjoy golf architecture and analyzing golf holes,  there really aren't as many situations where strategical decisions have major implications. 

Another question:

When talking about golf's all time great collapses/choke jobs/drama (Mickleson at the us open, Van De Velde, even Dustin Johnson), how much of the failures were strategical and how much was execution?

[JMEvensky]

Good execution overcomes bad strategy.Bad execution renders good strategy worthless.So,I vote 100% execution.

I don't know why this would have been different 50 years ago.

[Richard Choi]

Agree with JM, if your execution is perfect, you don't need strategy. You need strategy because you are playing the percentages.

[Bill Shotzbarger]

Golf is 90% mental. The other 10%? Mental.

[Gary Slatter]

In my case the strategy kicks in AFTER the t-shot!   24% Execution and 76% Strategy.   Of course executing the strategy often requires good execution.   I hear so much about "Game Plan", would that count as pre-round strategy?

50 years ago I was 15, my numbers were 99% execution, 1% Strategy.  

I expect designers would like to think that golfers favour more strategy, but I think, after watching Average Joes for many years, they don't consider much strategy, other than buying the longest balls and the longest clubs.

[David Whitmer]

I think the number for execution alone should be 100%. Your strategy can be flawless, but if you don't execute the shot what have you achieved? Sure, you can say, "At least I didn't make a mental mistake." But, the result is most probably a score higher than you wanted.

I think that to score how you want to score, your execution needs to be 100%. Poor startegy can certainly hurt you, but even if your strategy is flawed, if you hit the shot the way you want to, most probably your result will be a good one. You probably just hit the lower-percentage shot.

Phil at Winged Foot was poor execution. Sure, his choice to hit driver can and should be looked at with skepticism, but if Phil had executed the tee ball with his driver he would have been in the fairway, and most probably would have won. Same with Van de Velde. If he had made a better choice to lay up with his second he probably would have won, but if he had hit his second at the green he would have won, too.

I don't mean to say that you can't make a bad decision. To score well you have to make some smart decisions, but even more so you need to hit good shots.  

[Sean_A]

For a guy of my skill level (meaning 80 ain't bad) and on my favourite courses I think 65% execution and 35% strategy is about right.  As always, the strategy usually comes into play after the tee shot is hit, but the firmer the course, the less true this is.  In fact, on firm courses, which is what I am guessing was more the case 50 years ago, I would say the ratio could get as cllose as 50-50.

Ciao

[Peter Pallotta]

Mike - I think JM is probably right. But - I wonder if it's not a a sliding scale, i.e. for a 25 handicapper, I think utilizing good strategy, a strategy that understands both the architecture and his own game, would go a lot further and faster in lowering his score than anything he could as quickly and consistently develop/use in the skills/execution department.

In the era of the 'bogie score' and mor ematch play, I'd assume strategy was the way to go.

Peter  

[David_Tepper]

In the immortal words of Yogi Berra: "Baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical"

[PCCraig]

Golf is 95% Execution and 5% Strategy.

As important as strategy sometimes is on the courses we all enjoy, 95% of golf is hitting shots and looking for the best execution. Let's be honest, most golf courses don't feature that much stragey on individual holes. Point and shoot unfortunatley.

[JESII]

Faith and Luck need a place at the table.

What if the Redan kicker happens to not...kick?

Peter - 18 words!

[Brent Hutto]

In reality, it's as Pat says. About 95% vs. 5% but to our own perceptions we can convince ourselves it's anywhere from there up to maybe 50/50 or so if we choose to think about it that way. Purely a mind-job of course but that's mostly what golf is. When I'm playing every weekend at my club it feels about 95% to 5% but when I'm on a GCA outing I can temporarily suspend reality and make it about 20% strategy for a couple days.

[Chip Gaskins]

90 % execution, 10% luck.

[Peter Pallotta]

Faith and Luck need a place at the table.

What if the Redan kicker happens to not...kick?

Peter - 18 words!

Show off.

Insightful nonetheless.

You just didn't want to say "100% execution" -- then we'd think you lacked imagination.

18

[JESII]

I don't execution is more than a small portion if we're speaking about just one individual and the reasons they might shoot 10 strokes higher one day than the next. If we're talking about the difference between a scratch and a 10 or a 10 and a 20, well then it must be equal parts physical appearance and golf architecture IQ...

[Carl Nichols]

Match play or medal?  

[JESII]

And I'm getting dumber and uglier every day...

[Sean_A]

I'll buy the Sully Luck Proposal for as m uch as 5%.  

I can't understand how any high capper can say its 5% strategy given their ability.  Shit, the ones I know could knock off several shots a round by not trying shots which the pull off 1 in 50.  I see loads of shots wasted around and on greens by being too aggresive.  Rather than accepting one lost shot these guys risk losing three lost shots - thats strategy for a 20 capper.  Accepting the mundane resukt is strategy when a guy has a ratio of 1 in 50.  I am not sure guys are looking at strategy as away to play to their handicap, but then guys at all levels are not as good as they think.  There is no point in saying "if I only executed that shot I see on tv every week..."

Ciao

[JMEvensky]

In my case the strategy kicks in AFTER the t-shot!   24% Execution and 76% Strategy.   Of course executing the strategy often requires good execution.   I hear so much about "Game Plan", would that count as pre-round strategy?

50 years ago I was 15, my numbers were 99% execution, 1% Strategy.  

I expect designers would like to think that golfers favour more strategy, but I think, after watching Average Joes for many years, they don't consider much strategy, other than buying the longest balls and the longest clubs.

Was it Mike Tyson who said "everybody has a game plan until I punch them in the face"?

[JESII]

Yep - and it's dead right.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Michael,
What's the goal, shooting 59, 69, 79, 89, etc.?
 
There's no way to honestly come up with the total you're asking for because mediocre execution can work just as well as perfect execution and a total disregard for strategy can work just as well as being totally aware of the strategy.


 

[Brent Hutto]

Sean's point is well taken and I think there needs to be separate categories for "physical execution" "mental game/stupidity" and "strategy".

I was taking "strategy" to mean tacking your way around the course, playing angle and bounces and contours and generally approach certain holes in non-obvious ways. That's the GCA sense of "strategy". I do not include questions such as whether to chip the ball 50 yards to the edge of the water versus taking on a 170-yard carry off a downslope from a thin lie. That's more like tactics or knowing your limitations and I was lumping that into "execution". Just as surely as knowing that it's going to take you a 6-iron to get over that front bunker on a 40F day instead of the 8-iron you use when it's 80F is "execution".

[Melvyn Morrow]

Here we go again, we seem to know very little about golf yet we are not all Duffers.

Michael has posed a good question but has not defined a course but leaves the subject matter open to golf in general. On that basis this question just cannot be answered.

To give us a chance we need to know some additional information. To present a realistic answer rather than a total guestimate the percentage details can only be submitted against a specific course(s) – i.e. a known golf course otherwise the whole point of the exercise will dead in the water.

Golf is      % Execution and       %  Strategy, now are we to consider a Links course on a fine day or an inland course on a wet day. Are we talking about 18 or 36 holes.

As I said an interesting question but ultimately of zero value as the experiment set no defined ground rules. – Michael is this from one of the R&A new test for future employees?

How some of you have been able to answer is very interesting but what have you to rate the percentage - are you comparing a Redan or The Road Hole or The Cardinal, The Himalayas or The Alps. The Execution & Strategy requires a constant per known hole/course.

But if its just for fun lets say 100% & 100% but as you can see its totally meaningless.

Melvyn

[Jim_Kennedy]

Melyvn,

Sit down, then read:               I totally agree with you.