Last Updated on March 1, 2024 by Britt Olizarowicz
Do you track your stats on the golf course? I took a long time to become a stat tracker and record information and data from each round. Amateur golfers often think that some of this information is for professionals. That’s not the case. If you ever wondered what GIR is in golf, I’ll give you a complete rundown. As a former golf professional and +1 handicap, I’ll also show you how I use GIR data to improve my long and short game.
What is GIR in Golf?
Greens in Regulation or GIR in golf means reaching the green within a certain number of strokes, allowing for two putts to make par. Specifically:
- On a par 3 hole, GIR means landing on the green in one shot.
- On a par 4 hole, it requires reaching the green in two shots.
- On a par 5 hole, GIR is attained by hitting the green in three shots.
Why Is GIR so important?
GIR is crucial because it allows you two putts to make a par. Most amateur golfers would have a much lower score if they didn’t have to make 15 to 30-foot par putts. When you hit a green in regulation, making a par on the hole may require one longer putt and then a short tap in for par.
A tap in par is something even professional golfers can’t complain about.
GIR is very much a measure of how good your approach shots are. Once the ball is on the putting green, your chance of getting in the hole within one or two shots significantly increases.
The bottom line is that the lower you want to score, the more greens you should hit in regulation.
However, you may be surprised when you see the number of greens golfers hit in regulation during an average round. (It’s less than you think)
Average GIR Based on Handicap
Your golf handicap plays into how many GIRs you get during a round. Lower handicap golfers can hit a golf ball straighter and tend to accurately hit the distances they attempt to hit. Therefore, the GIR stats for a lower handicap player are considerably better than for a higher handicapper or beginner.
This chart clearly outlines GIR stats based on handicap or skill level.
| Player | GIR | Number of Greens |
| Professional (PGA) | Above 65% to 75% | Above 13/18 |
| Professional (LPGA) | Around 65% to 75% | Around 12/18 to 13/18 |
| Scratch Golfer | 60% to 65% | 12/18 to 13/18 |
| Low Handicap | 50% to 65% | 9/18 to 12/18 |
| Mid Handicap | 30% to 40% | 5/18 to 7/18 |
| High Handicap | 10% to 20% | 2/18 to 4/18 |
When I started studying GIR percentages and statistics, I assumed that PGA Tour players hit at least 14 greens in regulation. When you look at the PGA Tour average, it’s much closer to 65%.
If you scroll down a few paragraphs, I go into more detail about the PGA Tour GIR leaders in the last few years.
Where you really see the difference between high-handicap players and professionals is when you look at stats like GIR. Look at a professional hitting 13/18 greens in a round and a high handicapper hitting 2/18. Even if the high handicapper is a great putter, they will never have the chance to shoot as low as the better players. We know you can find that occasional chip in for birdie, but if you want lower scores, you have to be on the putting green in regulation.
7 Strategies to Improve GIR
Knowing your GIR stats is one thing, but ensuring you hit more greens is another part of this process. If you want to hit a lot of greens, you have to get good with your irons. However, there are other strategies I’ll share with you that I used when I was working to try to improve my GIR number. As a +1, I usually hit around 12/18 greens. Scrambling helps me to save score but for the most part, I need to line myself up for birdie putts as many times as I can in a round.
Get The Ball In The Fairway
On a par 3, your main goal is to hit the green. However, on the par 4 and par 5 holes, you must ensure your drive finishes in the short grass. If your golf ball ends up in the fairway, the chance of hitting the green is significantly increased. Head to the golf course for some practice sessions and hit two or three balls from each tee box. Find a club that you can use that will keep the golf ball in the fairway.
Know Your Yardage
You must know precisely how far you have to the hole. Whether you use a GPS unit or a rangefinder, ensure you have a number you can trust. Many professional golfers give themselves the best opportunity to get the ball in the hole simply because they have analyzed the shot and made the proper club selection. (They have a great swing, too – but the club selection matters.)
Forget About the Pin
The pin is typically a bad thing for amateur golfers to chase. Forget about the pin if you want to get your golf ball on the green in regulation. Players who start missing greens are often too aggressive and not giving themselves the best chance. It’s as simple as this. . . would you rather have a 20-foot putt at birdie or a short sided 5 yard chip? Most smart players (tour players, scratch golfers, etc.) would take the 20 foot birdie putt all day.
Practice Distance Control
Of course, accuracy comes into play when working on increasing your best chance of hitting greens. However, distance control is just as important. If you normally hit your 7 iron 160 yards, but you find that you start hitting it 175 all of a sudden, you have to figure this out. The best approach is to learn how to hit each club in your bag while also controlling distance. For instance, hit an 8 iron that goes 100, 115, 125, 145, etc. This type of distance control gives you more shot options when approaching any golf green.
Work on Long Irons and Hybrids
Everybody thinks about GIR as those 8, 7, and 6 iron shots into the green. This isn’t always the case.
You are going to have hybrid and long iron shots into greens on certain holes. Don’t give up on these shots. When you practice on the driving range, pick some longer targets and hit them with your hybrid and long irons.
Many golfers just assume that those are the holes where the green will be missed; don’t do this. Keep working towards hitting those longer greens as well.
Use Course Management on the Par 5’s
Many golfers, especially scratch players with good distance off the tee, have the chance to hit a par 5 in just two shots. Sometimes, going for the green in two is worth it; other times, it makes no sense. A par 5 is a great way to set yourself up for a birdie, but you have to use course management.
From the tee box, get the ball in the fairway.
For your second shot, if you can’t hit the green, leave yourself at a distance you love. Don’t just try to get as close to the hole as possible. Instead, leave yourself with a short iron shot that you love. For many, it’s a 100-yard shot, others like the 125-yard.
During a traditional 18-hole round of golf there are four par 5’s. Make sure you hit each one of them!
Practice Alignment
Alignment is one of the main reasons golfers miss greens on their approach shots. Players with a high GIR percentage make alignment part of their pre-shot routine.
When you are practicing at the range, always use alignment sticks and pick a target.
Play around with different angles and learn to adjust your alignment when necessary.
What is the PGA Tour Average GIR?
PGA Tour players have among the best GIR percentages in the game. The PGA Tour website has dozens of detailed stats about each player. We pulled the golfers with the best GIR for the last five years, and the results are pretty interesting.
| Season | PGA Tour Player Name | GIR Percentage |
| 2022-2023 | Scottie Scheffler | 74.43% |
| 2021-2022 | Scottie Scheffler | 72.29% |
| 2020-2021 | Cameron Percy | 72.58% |
| 2019-2020 | Jim Furyk | 74.22% |
| 2018-2019 | Corey Conners | 73.06% |
In the 2023 and 2022 seasons, Scottie Scheffler had the highest GIR percentage at 72 and 74%. Here’s the interesting thing: in 2023 he also had the lowest scoring average for all PGA Tour players in 2023. If you needed evidence that the number of GIR hit impacts your score, there it is!
The 2020-2021 season was an odd year because of Covid, but as you can see, the GIR percentage is usually between 72 and 74 percent for the PGA Tour.
What is the Korn Ferry Tour Average GIR?
Do you ever wonder if the Korn Ferry guys are as good as the PGA Tour guys? Here’s your proof. As you look through the average GIR percentages across all the professional tours, the only person in the last five years with over 80% was Will Zalatoris. This guy is an incredible ball striker, and hopefully, after his surgery in 2023, he will be back to playing in 2024.
Ben Kohles had a great 2023 Korn Ferry season, and he’s undoubtedly been hanging around for a while. In the 2018-2019 season, he was the GIR leader with 76 % of greens hit.
| Season | Korn Ferry Tour Player Name | GIR Percentage |
| 2022-2023 | Patrick Fishburn | 78.01% |
| 2021-2022 | Augusto Nunez | 75.65% |
| 2019-2020 | Will Zalatoris | 81.13% |
| 2018-2019 | Matthew NeSmith | 76.26% |
| 2018-2019 | Ben Kohles | 76.62% |
What is the LPGA Tour Average GIR?
LPGA Tour players are known for their accuracy and consistency. The GIR winners on the LPGA Tour have all been over 76% in the last five years. Considerably higher than the PGA Tour. LPGA players may not hit longer drives than male professionals, but they are still able to hit greens at a higher rate. Hitting drives straight is more important than hitting them long.
| Season | LPGA Tour Player Name | GIR Percentage |
| 2022-2023 | Olivia Cowan | 76.4% |
| 2021-2022 | Ally Ewing | 77.7% |
| 2020-2021 | Lexi Thompson | 78.8% |
| 2019-2020 | Sei Young Kim | 77.6% |
| 2018-2019 | Jin Young Ko | 79.6% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions about GIR.
What is Tiger Woods’s average greens in regulation?
In 2023, Tiger Woods had a GIR percentage of 59%. This equates to 10/18 greens. His proximity was 45.1 feet to the pin. For comparison, if you go back to 2020, the year Tiger won 9 out of 20 events he entered, his GIR percentage was 75.1%.
What is Rory McIlroy’s average greens in regulation?
In 2023, Rory McIlroy had a GIR percentage of 67.88%. This equates to 12/18 greens. This is just a little below the PGA Tour average but certainly considerably higher than average. Rory McIlroy was in first place for the season in driving distance. The correlation between a longer tee shot and a more straightforward approach to the green may not necessarily be true.
What is Jon Rahm’s average greens in regulation?
Jon Rahm had a 2023 GIR percentage of 70.50%. This put him in 14th place overall in the GIR statistical category.
How Do I Improve GIR?
The best way to improve your green in regulation is to hit straighter drives that land in the fairway. Hitting an approach shot from the short grass is more important than hitting an approach that follows a longer drive. Ensure you are playing from the center of the fairway, and then start working on alignment and distance control.
What is FIR in Golf?
Some people refer to a fairway hit as a fairway in regulation. ON par 4s and par 5s, the goal is to hit the fairway in one shot. This statistic is a little less complicated than the GIR, hitting a green in a prescribed number of strokes. There are only 14 fairways that a golfer has to hit in the course of a round.
What Is Green In Regulation?
Green in regulation is reaching a golf hole in a set number of strokes that you will be able to two putt and make a par. A GIR in golf means you have hit the green in one shot on a par 3, two shots on a par 4, and three shots on a par 5.
Final Thoughts
GIR in golf is an important statistic and a strong measure of a player’s performance. The next time you head out for a round of golf, see if you can get close to hitting 12 or 13 greens in regulation as the professionals do. Sometimes, it’s good to take your mind off scoring and focus on something simple like GIR. YOU may be surprised with how hard it is to hit more than 10 greens in regulation. My GIR average really started to improve when I straightened my drive out and really learned how to hit the 8,7 and 6 iron perfectly. Good luck, and don’t forget to track your stats so you can see if you are improving.
