As 10-handicap golfers, you regularly shoot in the mid-to-low 80s, you're careful to keep the number of penalty strokes to a minimum, and you average around 230 yards with driver in hand.
But according to data from Arccos, a 10-handicap golfer is also only likely to hit all 18 greens in regulation once in every 51,000 rounds they play. That equates to playing golf once a day for 139 years. So if you have managed it, that is quite literally a once-in-a-lifetime achievement!
The stats in this article come courtesy of Arccos Golf, with data gleaned from more than 800 million shots worldwide using its Smart Sensors. Another statistic from Arccos which makes our headline fact seem all the more head-scratching states that 10-index players only hit large greens (10,000 square feet or bigger) from 150 yards out in the fairway with a 51% success rate. That drops to 35% when the green is 3,000-4,000sq ft. or larger.
And when those players do miss the putting surface, their usual 15-yard shot from the rough takes the same number of average shots to hole out as a 91-foot putt. Using a similar example, a player with a handicap of 10 takes an average of three shots to hole out from around 35 yards in the fairway. That highlights the importance of trying to hit greens in regulation as often as possible to lower your score.
But be warned about going for the green regardless when there are bunkers around. For a 10 handicapper, a 15-yard bunker shot has a scoring average that is 0.25 strokes higher than its equivalent from the rough. A 15-yard bunker shot is also roughly 0.66 strokes higher than a 15 yard putt from approximately 45 feet.
To further illustrate our point at the difficulty behind hitting all 18 greens in regulation in a round, according to stats guru, Lou Stagner, you are more likely to see an ace on the PGA Tour than to see a player hit all 18 greens. The chances of a PGA Tour player hitting every GIR happens once in every 582 rounds, while it takes an average of 563 rounds per hole-in-one.
On the PGA Tour you are more likely to see an ace than to see a player hit all 18 greens. 🤯Chances a player hits all 18 greens▶️Once every ~582 roundsChances of a hole-in-one▶️Once every ~563 roundsNovember 19, 2021
On average, a PGA Tour golfer hits around 12 GIR per round and, as such, instances of even the best completing the mind-blowing feat are few and far between. Recent examples include Adam Svensson at the 2022 Honda Classic, Russell Knox at the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic, and Akshay Bhatia in the same year at the 2021 Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Also during 2021, LPGA Tour pro Jin-young Ko recorded an utterly astonishing 60 consecutive greens in regulation. Golf journalist Justin Ray pointed out that Tiger Woods' longest streak during his incredible 2000 season was 29, while the last PGA Tour player with a streak of 50+ was Mike Heinan in 1995.
LPGA doesn't have historical GIR streak numbers, but a couple notes for a broader perspective:Tiger's longest streak during his incredible 2000 season was 29Last PGA Tour player with a streak of 50+ was in 1995 (Mike Heinen)November 21, 2021
And not to dampen the mood further of those 10-handicappers who still believe it's possible, but amateurs often play far friendlier courses from the yellow or white tees while pros have completed the full set of GIR off the tips of some really difficult championship layouts.
It is certainly possible for amateurs to achieve 18 GIR in a round, but you might just have to forgo a few birthdays, anniversaries, and Christmas parties to make it happen. And live until about 150...
