Equipment
How often do you make GIR?
Hitting a green in regulation, no matter your ability, is always a fantastic feeling. Striking the ball just as you wanted and watching it sail down to land on the short grass knowing you have a birdie putt to look forward to feels like golf as it’s meant to be played.
Think back to last round of golf you played. We know most of our readers are weekly golfers, so hopefully it wasn’t too long ago. How many greens in regulation do you think you made on that particular round? Is it something you take notice of?
Today we want to take a look at the Green in Regulation (GIR) data collected from a wide range of players, from tour pros right through to high handicap players to help you consider how your own performance weighs up.
What does the data tell us?
First let’s take a look at how the pros perform. If we asked you how many GIR you thought the best players on tour made per round, you may well think 15 or 16. Surely at that level players must be hitting the greens pretty regularly? What if we told you that on any given tournament round, pros are making GIR only 66% of the time.
Having consulted trusted Shot Scope data, GolfMonthly.com found that Tour pros regularly hit 12 out of 18 greens while mid-teen handicap players only find 4 out of 18 greens on their approach shots.
Still, being able to hit 2/3rds of all greens on your approach shot is no small feat, and it demonstrates how great the pros are at scrambling around the greens. How does that make you feel about your own game? It should make it feel all the more of an achievement when you do make GIR!
Now that we’ve established how often players of differing handicaps make landing the greens on their approach shots, we want to dig a little deeper. When you happen to miss the green, do you feel you’re more likely to over or under hit the green? Are you more prone to missing it to the left or the right?
Shot Scope themselves found that according to data taken from players who have faced a 150yard approach shot, the most common means of missing the green was hitting it to the front right of the green:
There are multiple reasons why players might miss their approach shot to the left or right of the green. Not only may you not know your distance to the green, you may not know the gap between each of your clubs. For example, if you knew you hit your 3 wood 210 yards and your 7 iron 140 yards, do you know which long iron you’d take for a 168-yard approach shot?
We offer gapping sessions in the pro shop whereby we take you on the range, have you strike each club in the bag, and record the range of distances you strike each one. It’s a hugely beneficial experience that will help reduce the inconsistency in your game and have you selecting your club with more confidence ahead of each and every shot you take.
Going back to the graph above, Shot Scope also found that the closer we get to the green, the more chance we have of successfully landing our approach shots. So, what does all this data tell us?
Essentially, the lower your handicap is, the more likely you are to make GIR. The more greens in regulation you land, the more likely you are to score well on any given hole.
We're here for you
As we’ve been saying throughout, we’re here to help you play your best, and both custom fitting and gapping sessions will set you on the right path to playing better, more enjoyable golf.
The data tells us that finding more GIR is the key to cutting your handicap, and you’ll strike the ball better with more accuracy if you’re equipped with the right irons in the bag and you know each of their relative strike distances. If you’re unsure of which clubs may be right for you, we have an excellent recommendation…
The latest Wilson irons
Here in the pro shop, we’re always available to help you get the most out of your game. If you want to land more greens this season, the latest Wilson Staff Model irons will help you get the job done.
Crafted from 8620 carbon steel, the Wilson Staff Model CB offers the best of both worlds through blending elite workability and subtle perimeter-weighted forgiveness. It features a modern, compact profile with a thinner topline and reduced offset that aligns visually with the Staff Model Blade, while a precision-milled face ensures consistent spin and stopping power on approach shots. This club feels effortlessly stable and provides the buttery feedback of a player’s iron with the added confidence needed for long-iron consistency.
The Wilson Staff Model XB is the brand’s first hollow-body player’s distance iron designed to deliver high ball speeds and maximum forgiveness while retaining a sleek, tour-inspired profile. This iron features an internal urethane injection that dampens vibrations and provides a refined, solid feel that mimics a traditional blade. With a thinner topline and minimal offset, the Staff Model XB offers a confidence-inspiring look at address, making it a suitable iron for mid-to-high handicap golfers seeking extra stability and carry distance without sacrificing sleek aesthetics.
Another fantastic iron entry from Wilson, the Dynapower Forged irons have a high-MOI construction, essentially ensuring that you get excellent accuracy on every strike. Weight has been positioned low in the clubhead to help you get plenty of launch on your approach shots, and Wilson’s power hole tech helps you get plenty of distance.
If you’re ever in need of coaching or you fancy adding some new clubs to the bag, we’re always happy to help you with your golfing needs in the pro shop.
