Greens in Regulation Simply Explained

Shot Scope – the global leader in on-course stat tracking – shared some data with us that illustrates where the discrepancies between various skill levels lie, and greens in regulation is easily one of the two or three biggest, (along with driving distance which is closely related) differentiators of low-handicap, mid-handicap, and high-handicap players. 

Check out the greens in regulation percentages for every level of player, according to Shot Scope:

A scratch golfer hits 59% of their greens in regulation on average, while a 25-handicapper hits only 9%. That’s a huge difference. 

For comparison’s sake, that same average scratch player hits the fairway off the tee 50% of the time, compared to 46% of the time for the 25-handicap player, and averages 29.9 putts per round, compared to 33.2 putts per round for 25-handicappers.

The bottom line is, if you want to improve your game, shoot lower scores, and lower your handicap, hitting more greens in regulation is key to doing so.

If you want to improve your greens in regulation, you need to start by tracking that statistic. This can be as simple or complex as you choose. You can easily note on your scorecard whether or not you hit the green in regulation, then tally it all up at the end of the round and use a notepad or spreadsheet to track your progress over time.

Or, you can use one of many golf stat-tracking apps, or take that to the next level by using a complete on-course game-tracking system like the aforementioned Shot Scope.

Whichever method you choose, it’s a great idea to use the benchmarks we noted above to see if your GIR stats match your handicap level, and work toward reaching the GIR% of the next-best handicap benchmark.

Hitting a green in regulation comes down to a couple things, including strong iron play, serviceable or better distance off the tee, and control in both areas.

One way to improve your greens in regulation percentage is to hit the ball farther off the tee. If you have decent accuracy and control, this is perhaps the easiest and quickest way to improve your GIR totals and lower your scores. That’s because speed and distance training in golf is guaranteed to work if you follow prescribed training routines.

If you’re not already speed training, you can add 10 or more yards in a month or less. That means shorter distances into greens, which statistically speaking increases your chances of hitting the green in regulation.

If you’re missing greens because you’re constantly punching out of trouble after an errant tee shot or worse, taking too many penalty strokes off the tee, improving your accuracy off the tee is a great way to help you hit more greens in regulation.

Your specific path to improved accuracy depends on your current swing and game, and the best, most universal way to address that is through the help of a golf instructor.

If your tee shots regularly leave you with great opportunities to hit a green in regulation, and you’re still coming up short of your target, it’s time to get to work on you iron play. This is the most obvious route to hitting more greens in regulation because irons are more often than not the clubs in your hand when you either hit or miss a green in regulation.

Again, your path to improving your individual iron play should be determined through the help of a golf professional, and once you learn what you need to do, you should dedicate the practice time necessary to see noticeable improvements on the course and on the scorecard.

Now you know the meaning of green in regulation, how important it is to your overall golf game, how many you should expect to hit per round based on your skill level and your target handicap range, and how to improve your greens in regulation per round. 

If you begin to improve your greens in regulation percentage, you’ll be surprised at how quickly you start posting better scores.