What is golf?

Golf is a collection of games within the game. Each of these sub games has separate techniques, strategies, and challenges that add up to the overall score. I bet you’re better at one of them.Why do we separate into these 4 ‘games’? Because each requires different strategies and techniques. It is hard to improve score, but it is easier to improve these sub games. First you have to know which one is most critical for you.Tangent can automatically break down your game for you so that you know what will give you the biggest returns in the least amount of time. At the highest level I’d rank them like in this order:

1. Approach

2. Driving

3. Putting

4. Short Game

It’s really hard to measure progress with just score. That’s an aggregated stat with a lot of noise. Start showing progress in one or multiple of these sub games and you’ll start seeing lower scores.

Here is how Tangent defines each sub-game:Driving. Tee it high let it fly. Most benefit from an upward angle of attack and distance control is less of a concern. It’s start line and how far can you hit it that becomes the most important. Only place you get to use a tee and define your lie.Putting. Everything on the green. Usually with a putter. If you can call these new clubs putters… completely different skills. Only game played primarily on the ground. Green reading, speed control are important. Don’t need any physical traits to excel.Short game. Simplest way to bucket this is less than full shots. Shots around the green. Lot of debate on AoA, but this is the only game where you’re manipulating the face (open/close), purposely hitting some shots fat, and one shot could be hit with an 8 iron or a lob wedge.Approach. Basically everything else. Want a descending AoA. Distance and direction are super important and for almost all golfers this is the biggest bucket of shots. Most shots in a round are approach shots regardless of handicap for most players.So why did I rank them in the order I did? Because most of your shots are going to be approach shots for most players and skill levels.

As shown in the above plot, the majority of shots for all players will be approach shots regardless of skill level with approach shots becoming an increasingly large percentage of shots as skill level increases. 

   A quick word of warning… While data is immensely powerful, it is also easy to misinterpret without the correct context. A few quick points I’d make on the data above based on some observations you may have.

“Putting is almost a quarter of my shots! I should really focus on putting after approach game!”

Wrong. For most players almost half of your putts are inside 3 feet and what most would consider a ‘gimme’. This would reduce the amount of ‘meaningful’ putts to around 10-12% of your total shots.

Why are 3 footers not ‘meaningful’? 

    While every shot counts, the difference between the best putter in the world from 3 feet and your average 10 handicap is not nearly as significant as the difference between the best driver in the world and your average 10 handicap. Another way to say this is… If you were given a choice between having the best 3 foot putter in the world hit all of your 3 foot putts or having the best driver of the golf ball in the world hit all your drives… Which one do you think would have a bigger impact on your scores? It’s not putting and it’s not close.

“Okay… well I’m a 20 handicap and short game is 26%. Surely I should focus on short game?!”

Not exactly. The reason why short game is 26% (and increases as handicap increases) is because less skilled players miss more greens, so of course they are going to have more opportunities for short game. However, there are two ways to get better at short game:

1. Have less short game shots by hitting more greens.

2. Improving your short game.

Oftentimes for high handicappers there are some easy gains that can be made by becoming competent with short game, but unless you are missing the green entirely from inside 50 yards (what Tangent calls a two chip)… I would focus elsewhere.

So we have defined golf. Golf is a game made up of four physical skills. These skills have overlap, but it is often difficult to be equally great at all of them. There will be one or two that will be your strengths and one or two that you are constantly working at, find out which those are by tracking with Tangent.