How many....

[Txxxxxxx]

..strokes do you think you lose in a round, if any, from not knowing the exact yardage to the pin?

Obviously it's impossible to get an exact figure for this question, but we could estimate how many times you are playing a round without range finder or gps, and you end up either short of the green or in a bad position on the green due to not knowing exact yardage.

For example....Today I was playing Eagle Creek. There are multiple dogleg holes where the yardage is obviously measured along the line of the fairway. To the right of the fairway, there are waste bunkers and water on different holes. So you have the opportunity to take a shot to the green without going around the water or waste bunker. I ended up short once, and the second hole I found this to be an annoyance, I ended up on the top tier of the green with a long downhill putt.

I guess I've never played with any range finder until recently, with the SkyCaddie last season and range finders before......I just wonder how many strokes I could save by knowing exactly how far I am to the hole...

What do you guys think?

[Leftymoose]

I don't use any gps or rangefinders, so I'd say I lose easily 3-4 shots per round because I'm guessing yardages or I can't see where trouble is or exactly where the pin is on the green sometimes. I find that sometimes using the yardage markers the course has can also be troublesome because they can be marked incorrectly of at least it seems that way after you take your shot

[Txxxxxxx]

Agreed. 3 or 4 is probably pretty accurate for most I'd say.

[golfisforfun]

Probably only 1 or 2 on courses I am playing for the first time... Otherwise, none. I use the red, white, blue markers on courses for yardages and prefer pacing off and playing more by feel... Distance control is one of my biggest strengths and I can't remember the last time I missed a green long or short from a bad yardage calculation.

[Txxxxxxx]

Also a good point. But yardages are measured to the middle of the green. If you play the course all the time, as you said, that would be less of a factor I suppose. I still find I don't know the exact yardage of green depths, so if the pin is at the back, I sometimes find myself with a long birdie putt.

All of this being said, I picked up a yardage book from my course which gives very good info for green yardages etc. That would be a nice thing for courses to carry for sale in their pro shops.

[Sunny D]

I use a rangefinder to give me distances for all kinds of shot options. How far to carry a hazard, how far to make the corner on a sharp dogleg, and most certainly where is the pin. When looking at my stats the one thing that I really need to improve was how close I was getting to the pin on my approach shots. The range finder is a tool that can help with that... of course so does improving my short game but that's another thread....

[golfisforfun]

I find that most courses are pretty good at indicating flag positions (front middle back) with some sort of marker like coloured flags.
Using those, I pretty much use the following plan of attack...
Back pin is 7 yards further than middle of green and front pin is 7 yards short of middle of green. (Unless I know for sure from past experience on a hole)
I find this to be a very safe calculation. I never go long and in most cases, short is rarely a problem.
And to be honest, is I figure 157 yards to a back pin, and it is actually 159, I wouldn't likely chage clubs or my swing speed.

[Txxxxxxx]

I agree. A couple of yards, like going from 157 to 159 is not a big difference.

[golfisforfun]

I know this is a bit off topic, but I also find that by the time I get to my ball, I already know my yardage and what club I will hit. I don't need to put my bag down, get out a rangefinder and figure things out. As I am walking I look for the red or white yardage marker, think about wind, uphill or downhill, front or back pin etc...

Overall, I find GPS and rangefinders more useful on tee shots measuring distance to traps, hazards etc...

[Leftymoose]

I do the same thing while walking to my ball. However, I do find that sometimes, yardage markers can be off on certain courses...unfortunately you don't really know this until after your shot is made. I find the biggest errors by courses in yardage marking is on par 3's on the tee box. I've played with guys who have range finders and take a reading and their number is much different than the one posted on the hole's sign or tee box marker. Tough to know who's measurement is wrong until after you take your shot.

[Txxxxxxx]

That's for sure! It actually drives me crazy that the yardage is wrong for a par 3, especially with multiple tiered greens and trouble short and long...

[Wknd_Warrior]

none, or maybe half a stroke everyonce in a while when I'm in the next fairway and make a good shot after a bad call.

[Txxxxxxx]

Half a stroke? So your score ends up 80.5 instead of 80?

[Steerpike]

I use my GPS at my home course which I play often and know well and still think it saves me on average 2 strokes per round. I find it most useful on shots into the green. Knowing the distance to the front and back of the green is often key. Less chance for a mental mistake if you have info you trust readily available. With the GPS, I have a better understanding how far I hit my irons. The intangible benefit is that I have more confidence in the club I draw from the bag - one less thing to worry about. The tangible benefit is that I play faster as I know what club I am going to hit when I get to my ball without having to look for sprinkler heads or pacing off yardages.

[Txxxxxxx]

I use my GPS at my home course which I play often and know well and still think it saves me on average 2 strokes per round. I find it most useful on shots into the green. Knowing the distance to the front and back of the green is often key. Less chance for a mental mistake if you have info you trust readily available. With the GPS, I have a better understanding how far I hit my irons. The intangible benefit is that I have more confidence in the club I draw from the bag - one less thing to worry about. The tangible benefit is that I play faster as I know what club I am going to hit when I get to my ball without having to look for sprinkler heads or pacing off yardages.

I agree. I played with a GPS yesterday and it helped me out quite a bit even though I know the course. As you said, the distance to the front and back are very helpful.