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- How Tiger Reads a Green + The Best Bridges in Golf... and they're haunted 👻
How Tiger Reads a Green + The Best Bridges in Golf... and they're haunted 👻
Plus, Putts by handicap after a GIR
Wild Golf
May 28, 2024
Happy Tuesday readers- we hope you enjoyed your Memorial Day Weekend and took time to honor those who gave their lives for our freedom. While this platform is generally accustomed to quippy, golf-related sarcasm and tips to improve your game - we would be remiss if we didn’t address the news that broke over the weekend regarding the tragic death of PGA Tour Pro Grayson Murray.
Murray had been public about his struggle with anxiety, depression and alcoholism. Mental health is becoming more and more of a household topic, especially to those who live in the spotlight. Perhaps the news can serve as a necessary reminder that it is okay to reach out for help, it is okay to admit you’re struggling and it is okay and encouraged to talk with someone if you find yourself in a similar situation or mindset. We are all worthy of attention and help from others.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
In today’s newsletter…
✅ TIPS & DRILLS: Want to learn how to read the greens like Tiger? No better teacher than the G.O.A.T. himself.
✅ COURSES: Did the legend of Sleepy Hollow really start on this New York golf course? Local lure seems to think so.
✅ STATISTICS: How many putts does it take to hole out after a Green in Regulation (GIR)? Check out the stats broken down by handicap below.
✅ TRIVIA: At the 2024 Genesis Invitational, Luke List holed the most feet of putts ever in a single round. What was the total? Answer for a chance to win a 2014 PGA Championship Flag from Valhalla signed by Rory McIlroy!
Let’s get into it!
TIPS & DRILLS
How Tiger Woods Reads The Greens
Follow this simple routine consistently and you will become a better putter
To Recap…
There are 2 phases to any putt- 1. Reading the green and 2. Staying focused and hitting the intended putt in the moment, no matter the pressure. We all know Tiger had #2 covered, but he’s also one of the best green readers of all-time. Here’s his simple method:
-STEP 1: Start behind the ball and try to get a basic read on the overall distance and analyze 2 main points: 1. Uphill vs. Downhill, 2. Overall Trending Break Left vs. Right.
-STEP 2: Walk to the halfway point of the putt and stand directly over your line as if you are hitting a putt from there. Then ask yourself “what is the ball going to do late?”… Will it pick up speed near the hole or slow down? Which way will the putt fall, especially in the last 3 feet near the hole?
-STEP 3: Last, walk behind the hole and re-assess your confidence in your chosen line. If you see something different, start the process over.
PRO TIP: More putts have been missed due to lack of conviction than to poor reads. Once you have your line, hit the putt with confidence and accept the result either way, good or bad. It’s not about holing every putt, but about consistency over time. Putting is a ‘law of averages’ game.
COURSES
Did This Course Inspire the Legend of Sleepy Hollow?
Sleepy Hollow Country Club
Briarcliff Manor, NY
Ranked #36 in the US and # 89 in the world according to Top 100 Golf, Sleepy Hollow is one of the most renowned courses of our sport (with one of the coolest logos, to boot). Sitting high above the Hudson River, the course is full of dramatic holes with “knockout views,” as Tom Doak once put it. “Not many parkland courses deliver this much drama,” he said.
The course was founded in 1911 after William Rockefeller (John D’s brother) purchased the estate on which it sits. Notable members include Bill Murray, James Patterson and numerous members of the Rockefeller family. The clubhouse is a site to see in and of itself, as it was originally an old Vanderbilt mansion with 140 rooms and upwards of 70,000 square feet of interior space, making it one of the largest privately owned homes in the US.
But perhaps more noteworthy than the course or the mansion are the walking bridges on the signature par 3 16th hole. They are made entirely of natural, rustic tree limbs and reach a height of 20 feet above ground. If a course chooses to keep and maintain bridges like these on the property, you know it’s a special place. Legend has it that Ichabod Crane crossed the bridge, giving birth to the tale of Sleepy Hollow. If you’re ever fortunate enough to get an invite to this exclusive club, do not pass it up!
Rates: Private
Check out this video from @golficity
STATISTICS
Stat of the Day: Putts By Handicap After a GIR
presented by
The Stat: Unsurprisingly, the number of putts after a Green in Regulation (GIR) increases in tandem with handicap. The better the golfer, the better the putter, duh. But the surprising thing here is where the number of putts breaks through the 2.0 putt ceiling —> at the 4-10 HCP bracket.
The Takeaway: Naturally, better golfers hit better shots, leaving them with shorter putts after a GIR, which in turn leads to fewer putts per hole. But even a 4-10 handicap is a pretty good golfer, well above the average 13-14 handicap golfer. You wouldn’t expect them to average more than 2 putts to hole out after a GIR. This data suggests that even in the 4-10 HCP bracket, 3-putts occur more frequently than 1-putts after a GIR.
Translation: Putting is really hard- Put in the extra time on the practice green!
TODAY’S TRIVIA
Answer to Win a 2014 PGA Championship Flag from Valhalla signed by Rory McIlroy
(1 winner chosen on 5/31/24 across all May trivia entries, 1,000 respondents minimum)
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At the Genesis Invitational in 2024, Luke List holed the most feet of putts in a single round- How many feet of putts did he make? |
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