Lou Stagner's Newsletter #141

Short Game Benchmarks

Author

Lou Stagner
July 31, 2026

Weekly Quiz!

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Tour pros make 68.3% of putts from 6'0" when the putt is uphill and a gentle right-to-left break (1.0% to 2.0% uphill and 0.5% to 1.5% right-to-left-break).

What is their make rate when they are faced with a downhill left-to-right slider from 5'0"? (The downslope and left-to-right slope are both 2% or more)

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Short Game Benchmarks

From 25 to 29 yards in the rough, a 10 index finishes 19 feet or farther from the hole 45% of the time. Imagine drawing a circle around the hole 36 feet across, then drop a ball in the rough 27 yards away… most golfers would say they get it inside that circle almost always. A 10 index gets it inside 55% of the time.

Check out the tables below. These are shots from the rough only. They show you what percent of the time the ball will finish within different proximities to the hole.

For example, for a scratch player from 25-29 yards in the rough, they will hit it 7-12 feet from the hole 25% of the time.

Below these 5 tables there is a practice game and another table you can use for that game.

Some players hit better short game shots once they start thinking about it a different way. Rather than be focused on hitting every short game shot stone dead, SOME players are more comfortable when they draw a large imaginary circle around the hole and try to have the ball finish at the center of the circle, but they also know that anything inside the circle is a really solid shot.

The tables above give some great benchmarks. The table below shows you the distance (in feet) where 7 out of 10 balls finish inside that distance. For example, from 15-19 yards in the rough for a 10 index, 7 out of 10 of their shots finish 18 feet or less to the hole.

The table below is fantastic for practice goals. Next time you are practicing short game shots, try to get 7 of 10 shots from a given yardage inside the distance listed in the table below. Start by using the benchmark closest to your handicap index. As soon as you are accomplishing this 7 of 10 times or more on a regular basis, move up to the next benchmark. Try to make this game as realistic as possible by dropping balls in the rough and hitting to different hole locations.

There is a lot of low hanging fruit for many players when they improve their short game. Use these benchmarks to get that chipping/pitching dialed!


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    Have a great week!

Lou Stagner