Q. What is Shot Quality?
A. Shot Quality is the foundation for Clippd’s array of performance metrics. Using the large volumes of data from our data partners, we have developed technology that takes into account the many factors that impact the difficulty of each golf shot.
Shot Quality is an objective measurement of the quality of an individual shot. It is represented as a number between 0 and 200, with 100 being the quality expected of a shot by a typical male PGA Tour player and 200 representing “perfection”.
Shot Quality can be calculated both on- and off-course and is independent of other shots played by a golfer. It therefore makes a fairer comparison of shots played at different times, in different circumstances and on different courses by the same or different golfers. So, the best golfer in the world could stand on the first tee on the Old Course at St Andrews and hit his ball 290 yards into the perfect spot in the fairway. You could hit a drive that finishes in the same spot and score the same Shot Quality score as the world No.1.
By understanding the quality of individual shots, we can then roll up those shots to offer detailed insights into the quality of individual rounds and in the individual facets of the game – Off The Tee (OTT), Approach (App), Around The Green (ARG) and Putting (PUTT). This feeds into the definitive view of an individual player’s overall level of skill – Player Quality. Most importantly, though, Clippd can understand how important different shots are to each individual golfer.
Q. What is factored into Clippd's Shot Quality calculations?
A. Shot Quality currently takes into account distance to the hole, start and end lie, weather conditions, difficulty of the course and altitude, which enables you to compare shots played on different golf courses across different days. For course difficulty, we use Course Rating, which measures the difficulty of a golf course for a scratch player under normal conditions.
Clippd already has the capability to factor in many more variables, and we are building a more detailed model that takes into account the characteristics of individual holes (uphill, downhill, dogleg, hazards etc) and external factors like altitude, all of which impact the difficulty of a shot. As more data integrations are added to the platform, the broader and more powerful the insights become.
Q. Is there a maximum score for Shot Quality?
A. Yes, the maximum score for a given shot is 200. This represents a shot that is better than our algorithms thought possible, such as a hole-in-one or holing out with an approach shot. Players who have recorded a Shot Quality score of 200 are inducted into The 200 Club.
Q. Is there a minimum Shot Quality score?
A. The minimum score for a given shot is 0. This is typically given to a shot where the outcome is worse than the start position of the shot, for example a lost ball, a ball hit out of bounds or a shot that rebounds off a tree and finishes further away from the hole.
Q. How does Shot Quality recognise skill?
A. Shot Quality provides us with the best raw material for measuring skill, which we represent using our Player Quality metric. Shot Quality is not as strongly affected by anomalies or outliers as other performance metrics, which means we are more closely able to represent the skill required to hit a particular shot.
Let’s take an example of a player hitting two shots from 200 yards in the fairway. Remarkably, this player manages to hit one of the shots to 3 feet and holes out with the other! How would we assess the standard of these shots?
Using Strokes Gained, the holed shot is awarded +2.2 strokes gained in comparison to the second shot, which is awarded +1.2 strokes gained. This is a huge difference for two shots which fundamentally required a similar level of skill to execute. You could argue that holing the shot was largely down to chance – maybe a fortunate bounce or a gust of wind to push it more in line with the pin.
In contrast, Shot Quality awards the holed shot a score of 200 and the second (to 3 feet) 195, which are notably more similar.
Q. I have the shot the same score in separate rounds and yet my Average Shot Quality score for each round is different. Why?
A. Average Shot Quality takes into account each individual shot in a round and is more closely linked to the standard of shots you play rather than the number of shots you hit. We’ve all come off the course feeling that we have hit the ball far better than we scored. On other days, of course, the opposite can be true. Average Shot Quality can account for these differences, showing a higher score for the rounds in which you hit a higher number of quality shots but this was not reflected on your scorecard.