On the PGA Tour, driving accuracy is calculated using the number of fairways hit in relation to the possible number of fairways (excluding par-3 holes). Aaron Rai currently leads the way with a whopping 72% of fairways hit, but the average for 2024 currently stands at 60%.
If we say for argument sake that there are 14 holes in total on a particular golf course that are either par-4 or par-5, that means that an average PGA Tour player finds around 8 fairways per round. World No.1 Scottie Scheffler only slightly exceeds that average (66%), but how do you compare?
The calculation is simple, meaning all amateur golfers can track their own data as they play. In all likelihood, your figures are going to be much lower than those stated above, but once you have identified your number, the next step is to know what to do with that information.
So, in the spirit of helping you to improve your driving accuracy, we asked Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Keith Wood for his top five tips to hit more fairways…
Driving Accuracy: 5 Tips To Hit More Fairways
Keith Wood
Keith has worked with Golf Monthly for over 20 years and has coached multiple Tour winners, including Sir Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros. As an experienced professional, and one of our Top 50 Coaches, he is a trusted voice on all things relating to the golf swing.
1. Pick A Comfortable Club
First, get a clear idea of what you want to do on a hole. The hole in the image below has ditches and trees both right and left before turning right and up to the green. It’s not long – about 320 yards – so some golfers may not need their longest club to hit it far enough to make the corner and see the green.
But on every hole, you should be leaning towards your most comfortable club anyway – the one with which you are most confident of finding the fairway – because golf is much simpler from the short grass, even if you can’t then reach the green in regulation. This is where your handicap comes in!
Make sure you know what a hole does via a yardage chart or app or by lasering the distances to key points. On this hole, you perhaps ideally want to find the fairway at around 200 yards, so pick your most comfortable club to achieve that goal. For some, it may be a long-iron, hybrid or 5-wood, while for others it may be a 3-wood or driver. It’s different for everyone, but always choose the club you’re most comfortable with to help you find the target, especially when it’s a real…
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