{"id":5582,"date":"2023-07-01T05:43:14","date_gmt":"2023-07-01T05:43:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/?post_type=article&p=5582"},"modified":"2023-07-03T14:50:08","modified_gmt":"2023-07-03T14:50:08","slug":"pga-tour-splits-bermuda-vs-non-bermuda-courses","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/article\/pga-tour-splits-bermuda-vs-non-bermuda-courses\/","title":{"rendered":"PGA Tour +\/- Splits: Bermuda vs Non-Bermuda Courses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this series, we will examine how current PGA Tour players have performed above or below their baseline on specific types of courses or in specific conditions. For this research, and in order to draw sharper contrasts in player skill, it will not be a golfer\u2019s Strokes Gained (SG) Total baseline that will be analyzed. Instead, it will be their baseline in the opposite data point of what we are comparing it with so as to best identify those players with the greatest SG Total disparity between the two categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this case, we are analyzing player performance on PGA Tour courses that are 100% Bermudagrass. We will compare it to their performance on all other courses that do not have Bermuda grass surfaces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Out of all the different grasses that golf is played on, Bermuda, and specifically Bermuda rough, is often the most frustrating to hit from. Known as a warm-season grass found mostly in the American south, players that have grown up playing on its surface typically have an advantage over those less experienced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the main reasons it can be so demanding is that when chipping on short grass lies around the greens, the grain (the direction the grass is growing) of the grass can have a considerable influence on the clubface when making contact with the ball. Lies can either be “down-grain” or “into-the-grain”, and both can strongly affect the quality of impact along with trajectory and spin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bermuda rough is an entirely different and yet no less challenging issue. It can be very unpredictable to play from due to the grass stems wrapping around the ball. This typically produces either “fliers” over the green or low-tumbling approaches that finish well short of the hole. Either way, spin control is almost non-existent from the rough, and players are typically left scrambling to save par.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bermuda greens often have severe grain that can affect how much a putt will break. More often than not the ball will break in the direction of the grain which makes green-reading even more of an important skill on this surface. Lag putting on longer putts is also typically more difficult because the grain affects the speed of the greens as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enough of the agronomy, let’s get to the best and worst performers on Bermuda grass courses since 2018, followed by the best and worst above or below their non-Bermuda course baseline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best SG: AVG on All-Bermuda Courses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worst SG: AVG on All-Bermuda Courses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best +\/- SG: AVG on Bermuda Courses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worst +\/- SG: AVG on Bermuda Courses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are asking, “Where is Sam “Bermuda” Burns, and why is he not on top of the “best” ranking?”, it’s because his Strokes Gained average on Bermuda is almost exactly the same as on non-Bermuda surfaces. On “All-Bermuda” courses he averages 0.79 SG per round while on non-Bermuda he averages 0.78 per round. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A couple of other surprises for me is how astoundingly good both Alex Smalley and Denny McCarthy have been on Bermuda. It’s also clear that Bermuda grass is the favored surface for upper-tier players like Matt Fitzpatrick, Keith Mitchell, and Aaron Wise. On the other hand, the likes of Patrick Cantlay, Taylor Pendrith, Tony Finau, and Adam Scott greatly prefer other surfaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ron Klos analyzes the best and worst golfers on Bermuda grass golf courses played on the PGA Tour since 2018.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":7497,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":""},"bs_types":[14,15],"bs_tags":[29,73],"class_list":["post-5582","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","bs_type-betting","bs_type-fantasy","bs_tag-golf-betting","bs_tag-golf-dfs"],"acf":false,"featured_image":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/CIMG9190.jpg","tags_list":[{"id":29,"name":"Golf Betting","slug":"golf-betting"},{"id":73,"name":"Golf DFS","slug":"golf-dfs"}],"types_list":[{"id":14,"name":"Betting"},{"id":15,"name":"Fantasy"}],"bs_author":{"name":"Ron Klos","profile_image":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Ron-Klos-150x150.jpg"},"bs_term_name":null,"is_paid":"false","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/5582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"bs_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bs_types?post=5582"},{"taxonomy":"bs_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bs_tags?post=5582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}