Sam O'Brien
4 minutes
We looked at rounds played by Grinters at Royal Liverpool, and wanted to share a few data points we found interesting. We hope this can add some unique perspective as you watch the tournament this weekend!
A Grinter with a +4.4 handicap carded a 64 last year… What a round! It’s impossible to say anything bad about that performance, but it really puts into perspective how crazy some of the scores are from the pros in tournament conditions with millions of people watching.
By the way, this round was played from the furthest tees ( White | 7,341 Yards ). Kudos to you, grinter.
A majority of Grinters that do get to play at Royal Liverpool opt to play this course from the Green tees (6,790 Yards), with the Yellow tees (6,331 Yards) as the second most common.
Hole 1*. This Par 4 plays 425 yards from the green tees, and will play closer to 450+ in the tournament this weekend.
Grinters averaged a 4.9 on this hole, 0.9 strokes over par. Miss your tee shot right, you’re in the driving range. The right side is OB the entire way, also affecting your approach shot. Miss it left, and you’ve got a LONG way home. Accuracy is rewarded here.
Out of all 18 holes at Royal Liverpool, this hole has a handicap index of 5. The data might indicate that it should be the 1 index, but how much of that is “first tee jitters” vs. hole design when the course is set up in its typical member layout and this is hole 1? The clubhouse is off to the left hand side just beyond the fairway and some heather, FYI.
* This hole named “Course” is hole 1 for members, but plays as hole 3 in The Open. The Open uses a different layout for the tournament vs. the typical setup.
The data says this is your best chance to score. This Par 5 plays 550 yards from the green tees, and will play well over 600 for the pros.
Grinters averaged a 5.06 on this hole, only 0.06 strokes over the indicated par. It has a similar shape as hole 1, but a less drastic dogleg. You probably won’t get home in 2, so you’re looking at just a short iron/wedge into the green. The greenside bunkers do look miserable.
Out of all 18 holes at Royal Liverpool, this hole has a handicap index of 6 on the scorecard – But the data shows it might be more scoreable than the rating on the card suggests.
* This hole named “Dun” is hole 16 for members, but plays as hole 18 in The Open. The Open uses a different layout for the tournament vs. the typical setup.
