Five shots to make all the difference!

We’ve all been there. Playing a round, whether it be a friendly game or a Saturday competition, when there is a 10-handicapper and a 5-handicapper golfer. It could even be a 15-handicapper and a 20-handicapper. The point is that those five shots seem to always make a significant difference in the abilities of those two golfers.

So that got me thinking. How are those five shots spread across a round? Is it all in the driving? Iron play? Short game? Putting? Or perhaps spread across all areas?

I did a bit of Googling and found the below table that shows which area of your golf game contributes to you jumping up those five shots! For example, if you are a proud 18-handicapper (such as myself), a ‘typical’ 18-handicapper will achieve 39% of their improvement with their irons, whilst only 16% of my improvement will come from pitching.

Now quick little disclaimer, this is for the ‘typical’ golfer – we all have that one friend that can’t hit a fairway to save his life and dresses terribly. The first thing to do is point him in the direction of  Zeon Golf to get his clothes sorted, and I’ll come onto his terrible golf later in this article!

Handicap vs Areas of improvement

Handicap	Drive	Irons	Pitching	Putting
Scratch to 5	32%	37%	12%	19%
5 to 10	29%	38%	13%	20%
10 to 15	28%	39%	14%	19%
15 to 20	26%	39%	16%	20%

For those that aren’t a fan of numbers and percentages, what does the above table actually say? The first takeaway is that as players improve and their handicap reduces, the contribution from improved putting stays pretty similar, around 20%. As your handicap gets lower, improving your pitching becomes less important, whilst driving becomes more important. But the biggest contributor to reducing your handicap is through improving your irons!

And before you send this to your mate that says “but I know it’s my putting that needs improving”, just remind him that the above table is the ‘typical’ golfer.

In our experience, it’s all about becoming a better ball striker, whether that be driving, irons, around-the-green or putting. You master the art of consistent ball striking in a particular area, you’ll see the improvement. Grab yourself an app such as GolfShot and start to track your shots, so you can make the gains you deserve! 

Afterall, there is no point looking like a professional in your Benzion Navy Bomber if you’re playing like you’d be more at home on a crazy golf course!

That’s all from us for now. Keep your eyes out for our new range dropping soon and until next time…

Swing easy out there brothers!

Team Zeon Golf