Max Distance Needed To Be 1000 Rated?

[mshelton]

Probably depends most on what area you live in. If you live in a place with, and play lots of tournaments on, long open courses, you probably need to throw a lot farther than someone who is really good at 350-400ft tunnel shots and plays woody course events.

This

A center of the country player is going to have a hard time on those large open courses with under 400' of power, especially when you bring the wind into play. On the east coast though (VA,NC area) there are a lot of courses where 300' accurate power would be more than enough to shoot over 1000 rated rounds.

 

[JC17393]

Hey, Johnny V, wasn't Terry rated 1000 for a while? (Or very close to it?)

I don't think he had that much power, but was an excellent putter back in the day, and I think that's still the strongest part of his game.

According to his ratings history, he topped out at 995 in September 2007. It shows how time has changed the game a bit. 350-foot distance probably was sufficient in 2007...probably need closer to 400 foot range to get to the 1000 level now.

While it can depend on locale and the type of courses the player sees most often, distance alone is never enough to allow a player to get to a 1000 rating. It has to be complimented by a strong approach and putting game. Plenty of people can throw 400+ or 500+ but can't jam a 20 foot putt or throw a 200 foot approach within 10-15 feet of the pin to save their life.

 

[Steve West]

The question is not how far you can throw, but the distance at which you can shift from merely throwing as far as possible to actually thinking about placement. Call this your Range. You may be able to throw farther, but Range is what matters.

I've actually measured this. Here are the values - if you have average accuracy, putting, rules knowledge, course management, demeanor, and all the other skills for that skill level.

1000 Open, range of 446 feet
950 Advanced, range of 375 feet
900 Intermediate, range of 330 feet
850 Recreational, range of 291 feet

 

[SonicGuy]

The question is not how far you can throw, but the distance at which you can shift from merely throwing as far as possible to actually thinking about placement. Call this your Range. You may be able to throw farther, but Range is what matters.

I've actually measured this. Here are the values - if you have average accuracy, putting, rules knowledge, course management, demeanor, and all the other skills for that skill level.

1000 Open, range of 446 feet
950 Advanced, range of 375 feet
900 Intermediate, range of 330 feet
850 Recreational, range of 291 feet

This is interesting to me, because I remember Chuck had some statistics on how often a 400' wide open hole would be birdied by 1000 rated players and it was surprisingly low. If their range is 50' past that I would expect the 400' wide open hole to average 2.5 for those players.

Am I remembering these stats wrong?

 

[mullethead326]

The legend of swatso was once 1000 rated, 350' max maybe.

On two rounds...

I don't think the original poll goes low enough. I can think of several courses and tournaments near me where a player who could throw a straight golf shot an effective (e.g. flat ground) distance of 300 ft and make everything inside the circle could be close to 1020. Be picky about what to play (and execute perfectly) and 1000 is definitely possible.

One way to view this discussion is in spin vs. arm speed, and what styles "age" well--for example, players like Yeti or Joe Mela are still competing at close to 1000 without 350 feet of distance. Touch and accuracy go a long way when you execute your game plan.

 

[Halcón]

We could also ask the question, "What are the overall skills you need to become a competitive touring pro."

 

[Moose33]

That I think is a better question.

I routinely throw 450 can throw 400 accurately most of the time and have a solid scramble/ approach game.

Wouldn't say I'm a bad putter, but probably more on the Will side of the spectrum. I've thrown up some 1050 rounds but my rating hasn't topped 970 yet.

 

[eegor]

Probably the best measure would be FPO where Paige Pierce flirts with 1000 rated rounds fairly regular. She can throw far (over 400 for sure, probably 450 or more in the open) and putt really well. IMO, there you have it.

 

[eegor]

At the moment, Paige is rated at 979.

 

[armiller]

A rating is a rating. Do you mean to be 1000 rated for a pro who's playing national tour events? Or a local pro who picks and chooses his tournaments? Does a player who picks 5 tournaments a year and score well in them count as 1000 rated?

It would be pretty easy (or at least pretty feasible) for a guy who throws 350' accurately, putts lights out, has a good approach/scramble game, and so on, to hit 1000. This is especially if he's picking and choosing tournaments to showcase his abilities. Now if he started playing all NT events, including lots of open bomber courses, it would be less likely.

 

[anonyduce]

At the moment, Paige is rated at 979.

This has to take into account that unfortunately FPO is not at as high a level as MPO. I'd say that in FPO somewhere around 950 is equivalent to 1000 in MPO.


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[anonyduce]

That I think is a better question.

I routinely throw 450 can throw 400 accurately most of the time and have a solid scramble/ approach game.

Wouldn't say I'm a bad putter, but probably more on the Will side of the spectrum. I've thrown up some 1050 rounds but my rating hasn't topped 970 yet.

I'm the same way except worse. Have about 400' of accurate distance and can put almost anything inside 425 inside the circle, but I can't putt. It's improving but with my putting and heavy woods I'm around 900 rated.


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[Steve West]

This is interesting to me, because I remember Chuck had some statistics on how often a 400' wide open hole would be birdied by 1000 rated players and it was surprisingly low. If their range is 50' past that I would expect the 400' wide open hole to average 2.5 for those players.

Am I remembering these stats wrong?

I don't know what stats you are remembering, but here are some things to consider.

For a hole that is within their range, most players will land short. The disc also doesn't always land exactly on the line from tee to target. The best data I have is that the median distance from the target would be 95 feet. So, yes, only a fraction of 1000-rated players will get a 2 on a 400 foot hole.

I have scores for 1000-rated players for 34 holes that are 390-410 feet in length. On those holes, 15% got 2s and the average score was 3.2.

 

[Halcón]

I'm the same way except worse. Have about 400' of accurate distance and can put almost anything inside 425 inside the circle, but I can't putt. It's improving but with my putting and heavy woods I'm around 900 rated.

No offense, but if you could really put "almost anything inside 425 inside the circle," you wouldn't be rated 900. Well, unless you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with your putter. And even then you should be rated higher.

Edit: ^ Steve just gave data for this point.

 

[eegor]

This has to take into account that unfortunately FPO is not at as high a level as MPO. I'd say that in FPO somewhere around 950 is equivalent to 1000 in MPO.


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As far as I know, but I'm not the wizard of oz... women are rated the same and playing from the same tees as men at NT events. Her ratings are what she would be rated a man. I don't think (again, I could be mistaken since I have nothing to do with it) there is any difference in the way they're rated.

 

[Inverted]

As a 1000 rated player, you will be playing Open or Advanced most likely, which means you will be playing long pads. Many par 3's at this level will be in the 400+ range. So having 400' of length will give you the best chance at par.

If you're only throwing 300'-350' you'll be facing a lot of `100'+ upshots. That will put a lot of pressure on you to make par consistently on those long holes. Especially in winds or inclement weather.

Par 4's and 5's it's not as important imho, as you can make par easily. Maybe not birdie as often as the long throwers, but you'll have to get your birdies elsewhere, which should be doable if you make up for your lack of distance with accuracy.

 

[Turnipseed]

In my own case, I never broke 350' as a rated player and topped out at 968 before losing interest in paying membership fees. I'm a much better putter now than then, but still keep it under 400' most of the time.

Everyone has their own skills. This question has no answer. Player ratings cannot accurately predict the "better" player across a wide variety of courses. I can only compete with truly good players on a fairly narrow range of courses, as is true of quite a few 1000-rated players.

Johnny Sias is an example of a specialized skill set that created a 1000ish rating without much distance.

 

[biscoe]

On two rounds...

I don't think the original poll goes low enough. I can think of several courses and tournaments near me where a player who could throw a straight golf shot an effective (e.g. flat ground) distance of 300 ft and make everything inside the circle could be close to 1020. Be picky about what to play (and execute perfectly) and 1000 is definitely possible.

One way to view this discussion is in spin vs. arm speed, and what styles "age" well--for example, players like Yeti or Joe Mela are still competing at close to 1000 without 350 feet of distance. Touch and accuracy go a long way when you execute your game plan.

what fish said... i shot a 1020 round a few weeks back in leagues at loriella and i throw 300 tops at this point in my career. i would wager that perfect accuracy at 250 plus perfect in the circle putting would yield 1000 plus over the long haul. tim haynes posted something similar on here years ago with a little more numerical detail.

 

[SD86]

I answered with the idea of competing at the higher levels, and also with the idea that those who consistently CAN throw farther will ultimately score better, especially on the longer, more open courses used today. So 450'.

 

[SonicGuy]

If I could choose to throw 450' or throw 400' with a 350' thumber, I would choose the thumber every time.