The table below shows how many more strokes it takes from the rough rather than the fairway to finish a hole from various distances by handicap index.
Yes, playing from the fairway is better but the difference is negligible.
For example a 10 handicap index golfer will only take 0.06 shots more from the rough than the fairway when playing from 200 yards.
If all 14 fairways were missed with 200 yards remaining this would result in just 0.84 shots more per round, less than 1 stroke
The farther from the hole the smaller the difference becomes
The chart below shows the number of fairways hit by different handicap indexes during their best rounds (top 20% of recorded rounds) and worst rounds (bottom 20% of recorded rounds).
That’s right, less than a single fairway difference for all skill levels between their best and worst rounds!
So if the number of fairways hit is not a major difference between a golfer’s best and worst rounds, what is?
Arccos data shows that the main reason why FIR is overrated is because of penalty shots and recovery shots. We’d all rather play from the rough than take a penalty or hit a recovery shot.
When playing a bad round, players at every skill level are hitting more “poor” shots resulting in penalties or having to hit a recovery shot.
The chart below shows the average number of penalties per round by different handicap indexes during their best and worst rounds.
The difference in the number of penalties varies by skill level. Scratch golfers have a difference of 0.72 penalties between their best and worst rounds, whereas 15 handicap index players have a difference of 1.22.
When it comes to recovery shots, scratch players average 0.39 recovery shots during their best rounds and 1.19 during their worst, a difference of 0.80. In contrast a 15 handicap index golfer has a difference of 1.40 recoveries between their best and worst rounds.
So rather than tracking FIR, track how many drives are “in-play” where you have a chance to go for the green and that don’t result in a penalty or recovery shot!
