[bomondus]

I think the higher your handicap the more dangerous stat analysis can be - especially GIR. Low GIR + High putts can just as easily (if not more likely) mean you need to work on your chipping/short game more than your putting.

jwalker497 - think back to one of the holes where you missed the green and 3-putted. Where did the trouble begin? If you narrowly missed the green and couldn't chip to an easy 2-putt distance then chipping may be a bigger issue than putting. If you couldn't chip anywhere close to the pin because your approach shot left you in a terrible position, look there. If your approach was bad because you drove it into a tree, look there.

[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.

[neguoogleX]

Here are mine from today, you guys can plug them into your formulas and see how it comes out. Shot 84 on a par 71 with a rating of 72 and slope of 121. FIR-5/14. GIR- 5/18. Putts-32. It was first time on this course, had 1 OB and 4 h2o.

Obviously the GIR and Putts are not where they need to be but neither are the OB and h2o.
Maybe this helps.

[Sierabiera]

I play to ~6 handicap and average ~84 each round. I hit 53% of my fairways, 37% of my greens, and average 32.5 putts per round. Dunno if it helps you lol

[BuyNetHosting]

Great thread, I love this kind of stuff. I've been working to try to shave off a few strokes per round as we all do. Everyone is different in regards to their stats...My F.I.R. generally is decent hovers around the upper 50's to low 60's. My issue is inconsistent iron play by far. My G.I.R. typically is 20% or less, frustrating for sure. I'm not the best putter in the world but i'm usually in the cup in 2, my putts per round stay near the 34 to 35 mark. All I know is that if i'm on in regulation I pretty confident in walking away with par.

[kylsq0Ln]

I like those statistical correlations. They certainly seem spot on for me. I average between 85-90 and everything on his chart fits me. I hit 3-5 GIR, I make around 1 birdy/round, 5-7 pars, etc. I hit a lot of fairways but struggle with my irons on the second shots. That's my focus right now - better iron consistency. I know if I could hit more greens my score will go down because I am a decent putter and don't have many three putts except on very bad days. More GIR = more pars for me almost always.

[NarunapyCalry]

The most telling thing I see and totally agree with is that it says putts per round is a WEAK indication of your scoring.

I will do as it says and compare my last 5 rounds to the chart and see what it says.

I think it depends on the level you are playing at. Putting is not a good indicator if your long game or short game is poor or lacking in some significant way but if your long and short game is in good shape then putting can be the only difference in the score you record from one day to the next.