overtheedge:For the others - your deviations will also always exist. Some may be very very erratic, others erratic but either way the deviations in this game have become absolutely OFF THE WALL.
VEM we all accept plays it's role. As said elsewhere I think that exists to punish any miss (however slight)
Just on deviation though. IMHO it is not usually off the wall. This is one of the reasons I highlighted my recent ADP down to 10'. I am no top player and frankly some of the scores I chuck in I was surprised it never went back up to 12 from 11 rather than down to 10 but there you go. Overall this says (surprised as I was) a reasonable ADP is achievable by anyone playing basically all the courses all conditions.
However I do have my good days and bad days, but overall (say a last 6 week period) I have covered my expenses and then some (not much at then some but ahead). Again on any overall basis things are working I think. Nevertheless some rounds I do just walk away from shell shocked, lol, in all honesty thinking how many WTFs??
Now I know I just left a putt out there as I played a down hill twister on V Fast greens stimp 10.5 like a stimp 10. OK asking for trouble but I am not some top L110 player (OK some get better sooner but for this...) who knows so many more putts. The difference between a stimp 10 and a stimp 10.5 can be quite a bit when down 3 with a 26MPH wind up ya a$$. That is experience that cost me more than anything.
I honestly think that with putting it's mostly the player. However, as I have said elsewhere how some just shoot so well at PH day 1 or 2 is beyond me. I simply do not see those reads that allow that all the time - can only go by what I see and therefore perceive. With time I have been able to do better at PH (even won a RG there B9 and top 10 often), but some putts it's only experience that allows me to make them.
IMO greens play pretty true usually though, but some putts for sure you either know or do not with what I see anyway.
EDIT: V good putting (provided the stat comes from most of the courses proper long tee RR type conditions) starts at 50% 1 putt most would say. Excellent putting starts at 60%. I am at near 58% and I can see where there is room for improvement. I can play a bit too quick (17 minutes 9 holes at RSG even with bandicam slowing me), and fire at the pin at bit too often when I should be thinking more about what I am going to be left with. Also some putts are there still to be learned. But again we do get bumped around a little (always will be deviation), and so sometimes gotta putt. Some of those putts you get I have no clue how the top players make so quickly on a new course. Not implying anything I simply don't understand it it personal yet anyway. In the end though this is a fun aside, and I mainly do quick fore 9s in between stuff so only so bothered.....
Approach play: Again it's mainly learning the shot I think. Some holes I find it very hard to pick the wind exactly. Look at both cam angles and WTF, but when up there can see why with the new angle. Now that shot happens again same hole same wind (I pick on just a v few cheapo RGs any one cycle) I am better able to judge things.
I do not have anywhere near the consistency the top players have, but mainly I feel I get punished on misses mainly. Now I will say miss dings cost me a fair bit, and seldom think I got anything than the full weight of the law thrown at me for any slight error, but they are misses. Perfectly executed shots (including slight deliberate misses into a wind, and away from the WTF is going on with that cross wind shots before I hit ) are usually OK. Not saying I don't get bumped around a bit, but gotta putt sometimes we accept.
What I perceive.