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- SG: Around the Green covers all shots within 30 yards of the green when you're not on the putting surface
- The metric accounts for lie type (fairway, rough, sand) and distance, so a good chip from deep rough is weighted differently than one from a tight lie
- Most amateurs lose 3-5 strokes per round around the green compared to scratch, making it the second-largest scoring leak after approach shots
- Getting your chip within 6 feet of the hole is the single biggest factor -- inside 6 feet, par save rates jump above 50%
The Short Game Gap Nobody Talks About
Everyone knows the short game matters. But "practice your chipping" is vague advice. SG: Around the Green puts actual numbers on it. Instead of counting up-and-downs as a binary pass/fail, it measures how much each short game shot gained or lost compared to the baseline.
This distinction matters because not all up-and-down failures are equal. Missing an up-and-down from a buried lie in a greenside bunker is very different from missing one from a clean lie 10 yards off the green. Traditional scrambling stats treat them the same. SG doesn't.
How the Category Works
SG: Around the Green captures shots played from within approximately 30 yards of the green edge when you're not on the putting surface. This includes:
- Chips from the fringe and just off the green
- Pitch shots from 10-30 yards
- Greenside bunker shots
- Shots from deep rough near the green
- Awkward half-wedge shots from tight lies
The baseline accounts for the starting position (distance and lie) and the ending position. A chip from 15 yards in the rough to 4 feet on the green might gain +0.25 strokes. The same distance from a bunker to 4 feet might gain +0.40 because the bunker shot is expected to finish farther away.
the magic distance
The Lie Makes All the Difference
One of the most useful things SG: Around the Green reveals is how much the lie type affects outcomes. Amateur data shows dramatic differences:
From fairway lies (clean, flat, near the green): amateurs perform reasonably well. The up-and-down rate is respectable because the shot is predictable.
From rough (first cut and deeper): performance drops sharply. The ball sits down, contact becomes inconsistent, and distance control suffers. This is where many amateurs lose the most short game strokes.
From sand: the spread is enormous. Some amateurs are decent bunker players; many are terrified of sand. The variance in SG from bunker shots at the 15-20 handicap level is wider than any other short game scenario.
NG Practicing chips from perfect lies on flat ground and wondering why your short game doesn't improve
OK Practicing from rough, uphill, downhill, and sand to match the lies you actually face on the course
Where Amateurs Lose the Most Strokes
The biggest SG: Around the Green losses for mid-to-high handicappers come from three situations:
1. Chunks and skulls. Fat shots that go 3 yards and thin shots that rocket across the green are devastating in SG terms. One chunk from 15 yards that moves the ball 5 yards loses about -0.70 strokes. That's almost a full stroke gone on one mis-hit.
2. Distance control on pitches from 20-30 yards. This is the hardest distance zone in golf. Too far for a chip, too close for a full swing. The partial swing required is something most amateurs never practice, and the results show it.
3. Leaving bunker shots in the bunker. Failing to escape a greenside bunker costs roughly -1.0 strokes per occurrence. Even escaping but leaving the ball 30 feet away only loses about -0.30. The lesson is clear: get out first, worry about proximity second.
How to Improve Your SG: Around the Green
Master one chip shot first
Pick one club (pitching wedge or 9-iron) and one technique (ball back, weight forward, low running shot). Use it for 70% of your short game situations. Versatility comes later; consistency comes first.
Practice the 20-30 yard pitch
This is the distance zone where amateurs bleed the most strokes. Set up a target at 25 yards and hit 20 balls. Focus on landing spot, not result. Build feel for this critical distance.
Get out of bunkers in one shot, every time
Before worrying about bunker proximity, achieve a 95%+ escape rate. Open the face, aim 2 inches behind the ball, swing through. Good enough beats perfect in the sand.
Practice from bad lies
Nestle balls in thick rough, put them on sidehill slopes, drop them in divots. These are the lies that produce big SG losses, and they only improve with specific practice.
The 6-Foot Rule
If there's one takeaway from SG: Around the Green data, it's this: your goal on every chip and pitch should be to get the ball within 6 feet of the hole. Inside 6 feet, amateur one-putt rates are above 50%. Outside 10 feet, they drop below 30%. Outside 20 feet, they're below 15%.
This means a chip to 5 feet is worth roughly 0.35 strokes more than a chip to 12 feet. Not because 12 feet is terrible, but because the putt conversion rate drops so steeply.
You don't need to hole chips. You need to get them close enough that the putt feels makeable.
NG Trying to hole every chip shot with a high-risk flop shot
OK Landing the ball on the green and rolling it within 6 feet of the hole with a simple bump-and-run
The Bottom Line
SG: Around the Green turns vague short game advice into specific, actionable data. It shows you which lies, which distances, and which shot types are costing you the most strokes. Master the basics -- solid contact, distance control, bunker escapes -- and aim for that 6-foot circle. The strokes you save around the green are some of the easiest to reclaim because the fix is practice and technique, not athletic ability.
References & Data Notes
- SG: Around the Green definitions and baselines are from Mark Broadie's Every Shot Counts (2014), using PGA Tour ShotLink data for expected strokes from various lies and distances.
- Amateur short game SG losses (3-5 strokes per round for mid-handicappers) are from Shot Scope's 2023 performance data and Arccos's published analyses.
- The 6-foot proximity threshold and its impact on one-putt rates is drawn from Shot Scope's published putting-by-distance data for amateur golfers.
- Lie-type performance differences are based on aggregated amateur data from GPS tracking platforms.