How important is greens in regulation?
William Rodriguez
Published Jan 06, 2026
Greens in regulation are an important stat, but by no means is it a tell-all stat. A player can hit a green in regulation and be far from the hole, leaving them a longer, more difficult path to the hole.
How many greens should you hit in regulation?
So how many greens in regulation should amateurs strive to hit per round? Tina Tombs, a former LPGA pro and a GOLF Top 100 Teacher, said a high-handicapper should set a goal at seven greens in regulation, while a lower handicap should strive for 10 per round.
What is a good greens in regulation percentage?
What is a good percentage of greens in regulation? It depends on your handicap and skill level more than anything else. Some players might average a few greens in regulation. While others might have a green in regulation number between 6-9 and highly skilled players will be 10 or more.
What does it mean when a green is in regulation?
Greens In Regulation and Recreational Golfers
Or, as the PGA Tour defines it, "if any portion of the ball is touching the putting surface after the GIR stroke" - the first stroke on a par-3, second on a par-4 or third on a par-5 - then it counts as a green in regulation.
How do you hit more greens in regulation?
If you tend to bend the ball from left to right, aim toward the left side of every green. The natural curvature of your ball flight will work its way toward the center. Don't aim at the center and have the ball curve toward the side. Using this approach will infinitely increase the size of your landing area.
41 related questions foundHow far do you hit a 7 iron?
The average distance golfers hit each club varies widely. A PGA Tour player hits a 7-iron between 172-215 yards. Meanwhile, a short-hitting amateur male golfer averages 120 yards with the same club. Men, women, seniors, juniors, professionals, amateurs and beginners all hit their clubs different distances.
What percentage of golfers can break 80?
Only about 2 percent of all golfers ever break 80, which generally is considered the Holy Grail of scoring. To legitimately break 80 — no improved lies; no 3-foot gimmes; no free drop from out of bounds — is to breathe the rarefied air of good, if not great golf.
How many GIR does it take to break 80?
According to my research, you need to hit three greens on average to break 90 and eight to break 80. Keeping these stats will show you what you have to do to raise your GIR percentage.
How many putts does the average golfer take?
The USGA statistics states the average male golfer shoots a 98-99 and has at least 40 putts per round or 2.2 putts per hole. Most recreational and amateur golfers are well above this number while professional golfers average about 1.8 putts per hole and 32 putts per round.
How many greens are in regulation by handicap?
The way to read this is: Golfers with Handicap of 30 or more hit 6% of greens in regulation on average, golfers with Handicaps of 25-30 hit 10% of greens in regulations, etc etc.
How often do pros hit the green?
Only 80.4 percent of PGA Tour pros hit the green from 115 yards out in the fairway, which means that 1 in 5 miss the green altogether. Less than half their approach shots are ending up inside 18 feet.
How often do pros hit greens in regulation?
Yes it can be argued that golf courses are longer today, but so is the ball and the driver. The simple fact remains that greens hit in regulation is a statistic that hasn't changed much in a long time, and in-fact 12 greens per round average has been the pro standard for at least 50 years and probably much longer.
How often do pros hit driver?
Pros hit just under 1.0 percent of tee shots into one-stroke penalties and only 0.4 percent into two-stroke penalties. Think about that. Pros hit into stroke-and-distance trouble just one in 250 par-4 or par-5 tee shots — or about one big miss every 18 rounds. How do us weekenders do?
How often do pros get up and down?
Pros only get up and down from the sand 50% of the time. Pros average 15 feet from 100 yards in the fairway. Pros only hit it on the green half the time from 150 yards in the rough. Pros only make 20% of putts from 20 feet.
How many fairways do pros hit?
The PGA Tour tracks the fairways in regulation statistic so you can click here to check the current PGA Tour average fairways hit. The top 10 tour players all average 70% fairways in regulation with the leader over 80%!
What score does a 12 handicap shoot?
In other words, if your Course Handicap is a 12, you'll likely shoot about 12 strokes above the Course Rating on that course and set of tees. Generally speaking, you should play to your Course Handicap (net score of even par) about 20% of the time.
Is a 10 handicap in golf good?
If a golfer has a handicap between 10 and 18, she is a skilled player with a moderate handicap.
Are 33 putts good?
Anywhere between 31-35 putts per round is acceptable good putting for the average golfer. 26-30 putts per round and you have now crossed over into the realm of great putting.
What is a respectable handicap?
A good golf handicap is ten or less. With a handicap index of ten or less, you will generally shoot somewhere around 82. Shooing in the low 80s is better than average but certainly not good enough to be considered a scratch player.
How do you avoid double bogeys?
5 Tips for Avoiding Double Bogeys
- Practice. Everybody talks about practice, but some golfers just go through the motions. ...
- Course Management. Playing a golf course instead of having it play you will make a big difference in your handicap. ...
- Being Realistic. ...
- Keep Your Shots in Play. ...
- Get Up and Down.
What percentage of golfers ever break 70?
Less than one percent of all golfers are capable of breaking 70. This statistic includes breaking 70 consistently and breaking 70 even just once.
How many golfers shoot their age?
The percentage of golfers who shoot their age on golf courses that are at least 6,000 yards is 0000089%, or less than 9 per million.
Is 77 a good golf score?
Golf courses normally have a par that ranges between 70 and 72; any score that is at par or under par is considered good.
How hard is it to break 100 in golf?
Believe it or not, you don't need any pars or birdies to break 100. Shooting a 99 on most golf courses is 27 over par. All you need is 9 bogeys and 9 double bogeys to finally break 100! To break 100 in golf, you need to play the percentages, have a game plan, and don't try to be a hero.