[machpamb]

I found this a while ago and it was quite useful when I was putting some targets together for myself. I think these probably need to be taken with a pinch of salt but it helped give me an idea of what I should be aiming for..... (Apologies for the length of the post, I can't post links yet)

The charts you see here explain what you need to do to play at certain handicap levels. For example, the chart at the top right shows that if you're an 18 and you want to become a 9, you've got to go from hitting five fairways per round to hitting at least eight.
These data were compiled from tests of more than 100 amateur players. Just for fun, we also charted every shot Tiger Woods hit in 2000 and threw in his numbers, too. Consider those your ultimate challenge.

Greens in regulation per round
This is the most important statistic in golf. To break 90, hit at least three or four greens in regulation. To break 80, hit eight or nine. To play with the big boys, hit 12 or more. Here's Riccio's Rule: Double the number of greens you hit in regulation, and subtract the answer from 95. If you broke 95, the result is probably within two strokes of your actual score.

If you handicap is X / You hit this many greens
36 / 0
18 / 3
9 / 8
4.5 / 10
Scratch / 12
Tiger / 14

Fairways hit per round (out of 14)
If you want to move your handicap from double to single digits, you must improve your driving accuracy--but driving accuracy by itself doesn't necessarily translate into lower scores for the best players. Tiger may hit fewer fairways per round than a typical scratch golfer, but he's hitting it much farther on narrower courses.

If you handicap is X / You hit this many fairways
36 / 0
18 / 5
9 / 8
4.5 / 10
Scratch / 11
Tiger / 10

Greenside up-and-downs (%)
A player trying to break 100 will do well to get up and down from just off the green once or twice a round. To break 90 regularly, you need to get up and down about 20 percent of the time. What separates the single-digit player from the hacker? The good player can get up and down about 50 percent of the time. Tiger is almost automatic.

If you handicap is X / You get up & down this often
36 / 0%
18 / 17%
9 / 46%
4.5 / 60%
Scratch / 77%
Tiger / 85%

Sand saves (%)
High handicappers rarely get up and down from greenside bunkers. But look at the difference between a 9-handicapper and a scratch golfer. This is one of the areas where good players become great players.

If you handicap is X / You get up & down from Sand this often
36 / 0%
18 / 0%
9 / 7%
4.5 / 31%
Scratch / 51%
Tiger / 57.3%

Putts per round
Some of us may never be able to hit the ball as accurately, powerfully or consistently as a scratch player, but with work, we can realistically hope to putt like one. If you're struggling to break 90, about a third of the difference between you and the players who shoot even par are those six putts per round that they make and you don't.

If you handicap is X / You take this many putts per 18
36 / 41
18 / 35
9 / 32
4.5 / 30
Scratch / 29
Tiger / 28.76

Pars or better per round
You hear a lot of talk about the virtues of "bogey golf," but you should start thinking in terms of making more pars and birdies. It's like focusing on a specific part of the fairway as your target, rather than the entire fairway--you'll improve your accuracy. These numbers tell us one thing: Set your goal at par or better, and you'll shoot lower scores.

If you handicap is X / You make or beat par this often per 18
36 / 0
18 / 5
9 / 10
4.5 / 12
Scratch / 15
Tiger / 17

My Average stats for all rounds this year are: GUR per round 3.4, Fairways hit per round 6, Up & Down 11%, Sand Saves 1%, # Putts 35, # Pars 3.8 - Not that far off what they predict for my handicap (19) but as MDV123 says above it doesn't tell the whole story.