LPGA vs. PGA Stats

[fixyurdivot]

I read an article stating that the most accurate driver on the PGA tour would rank 42nd if he played on the LPGA tour. I read another article suggesting the gals are worse putters than the guys. That got me to wondering about how they compare in all the other key statistics.  I've been looking but not yet found a site that shows a complete comparison. Anyone know of one?

[tonyj5]

You can't compare the two tours. Don't even try.

[MDGolfHacker]

Here's an interesting article kind of doing some comparison...

 

http://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/14172488/caddie-confidential-comparing-lpga-pga-tours

 

MDGolfHacker

[cnosil]

I read an article stating that the most accurate driver on the PGA tour would rank 42nd if he played on the LPGA tour. I read another article suggesting the gals are worse putters than the guys. That got me to wondering about how they compare in all the other key statistics.  I've been looking but not yet found a site that shows a complete comparison. Anyone know of one?

 

They are really two different games and in my opinion comparing them side by side doesn't really show anything.   The only way to compare stats would be to pull from the various stat sites. 

[silver & black]

You can't compare the two tours. Don't even try.

Why not? It would very insightful to see which tour rates higher or lower in certain catagories...no?

[Charli]

I'm curious as to why you don't think you can compare. We aren't talking driving distances here. It's the same stats for each Dealing with the same struggles.

[cnosil]

I'm curious as to why you don't think you can compare. We aren't talking driving distances here. It's the same stats for each Dealing with the same struggles.

 

Course conditions would be a primary reason I don't think you can compare.  Men are approaching the greens with shorter clubs which would generally put them closer to the hole on approaches.  Better more consistent greens would give the men the advantage on the greens.  Club speed gives the men the ability to pitch the ball closer because of spin level.    

[revkev]

Courses are radically different, radically - just know that if you aren't playing at a DI school or on the Hooters Tour at least you aren't going to be competitive against an LPGA player.

 

They are way better than you think they are. I get to see a few of them up close and personal fairly regularly on the range. I also get to see a bunch of Canadian Tour guys on the range in the winter. Both groups are impressive - very impressive.

 

 

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[Charli]

Ok and men approaching the greens at a shorter distance would come up in the stats. I'm failing to see why you can't. It's not going to make the lpga look worse. And rev nobody is arguing that they aren't good players also what's a radical difference in courses from men to women?

[Shankster]

I actually read something last week about how the PGA tour has on average 140 ish yards into par 4's and the LPGA on average is more like 150.

 

I played a course last summer they use for the Symetra tour... Id they are playing from the tips that is a long day. 7300+ I think.

 

So if you go by that, the LPGA plays tougher (longer) courses than the PGA. For the average driving distance that is. If I can find the article I'll post it up. Those numbers are just off the top of my head.

[cnosil]

.

I played a course last summer they use for the Symetra tour... Id they are playing from the tips that is a long day. 7300+ I think.

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Neither The LPGA or Symetra tours play from the tips on all the holes. I have volunteered on both tours and I would say they generally play 6500ish yards. Maybe a little less.

[cnosil]

Ok and men approaching the greens at a shorter distance would come up in the stats. I'm failing to see why you can't. It's not going to make the lpga look worse. And rev nobody is arguing that they aren't good players also what's a radical difference in courses from men to women?

Width of fairways, course maintenance, green speeds, consistency from week to week.

 

You can compare but it is probably an apples and oranges comparison. If you just compared numbers the best women in the world would be just within the top 50 of the men's and would truer fall off quickly as they are not as deep talent wise. Even if the approach distance are the same, the men are hitting probably 2 clubs less than an LPGA player. Let's look at putting which is a category they should be able to equal or exceed the men's tours. They don't and one of the reasons given for that is course variations from week to week.

 

I am not knocking the LPGA that are all great players but statistically the don't compare to the men and they play a different game.

 

If you want to compare just for comparisons sake, you will have to match up the best as you can, but the statistics captured on the LPGA tour are far less than the men's. PGA tour uses shotlink to measure all the players shots and distances. On then LPGA we only capture the location from where they hit their shot and driving distance on 2 holes. Basically that gives you fairways hit, up and down numbers, and putts.

[fixyurdivot]

Here's an interesting article kind of doing some comparison...

 

http://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/14172488/caddie-confidential-comparing-lpga-pga-tours

 

MDGolfHacker

 

Thanks.  I had read this one, but it really doesn't provide specific data.  I'm a bit surprised no one has conducted a stats comparison.  Sure, I get many of the points @cnosil and others are making, but the sport has become increasingly data rich and both tours keep track of virtually the same information.  That the best PGA player would rank 43rd in driving accuracy on the LPGA tour really caught my eye. I suspect the women have better stats in a number of categories - thoughts?

[revkev]

Ok and men approaching the greens at a shorter distance would come up in the stats. I'm failing to see why you can't. It's not going to make the lpga look worse. And rev nobody is arguing that they aren't good players also what's a radical difference in courses from men to women?

LPGA courses are shorter, fairways aren't nearly as firm, greens, rough, sand are not prepared uniformly from week to week, crowds are far larger at PGA events which also alters the condition of the course.

 

I would respectfully disagree with the statement that no one is saying they are better than LPGA players. We've had threads in the past where people have made that claim and I guarantee that there are people who have looked at this thread thinking they are.

 

At any rate you can pour through online stats and make comparisons if you'd like - they are out there - the point here is that csnoil makes and that I would echo is that they aren't necessarily apples to apples.

 

 

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[revkev]

Neither The LPGA or Symetra tours play from the tips on all the holes. I have volunteered on both tours and I would say they generally play 6500ish yards. Maybe a little less.

The PGA tour doesn't play from the tips on all holes on the same day either.

 

 

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[cnosil]

The PGA tour doesn't play from the tips on all holes on the same day either.

 

 

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Correct, The LPGA is playing shorter courses even if not played from the tips.

[cnosil]

but the sport has become increasingly data rich and both tours keep track of virtually the same information. That the best PGA player would rank 43rd in driving accuracy on the LPGA tour really caught my eye. I suspect the women have better stats in a number of categories - thoughts?

The LPGA does not track the same information. The LPGA tracks the bare minimum of data which is done by the walking scorer. It is a financial limitation on the LPGA tour.

 

In my opinion The LPGA players probably only lead in the category of fairways hit.

[fixyurdivot]

The LPGA does not track the same information. The LPGA tracks the bare minimum of data which is done by the walking scorer. It is a financial limitation on the LPGA tour.

 

In my opinion The LPGA players probably only lead in the category of fairways hit.

 

Well, just looking at the PGA vs. LPGA tour websites and comparing the two #1's, it looks like much of the same data is recorded.  

 

Avg. DD (Aryia 268.1) | (DJ 313.4)

Driving Accuracy (68.0) | (58.4)

GIR (69.56) | (70.17)

Putts/GIR (1.72) | (1.688)

Putting Avg. (28.39) | (28.15)

Sand Saves (51.1) | (50.88)

Scoring Avg. (69.42) | (68.68)

Birdies (310) | (235)

Eagles (11) | (14)

 

Based on this, I'm not so sure driving accuracy would be the only stat the women would lead.

[Charli]

Looks pretty close to me.

[cnosil]

Well, just looking at the PGA vs. LPGA tour websites and comparing the two #1's, it looks like much of the same data is recorded.

 

Avg. DD (Aryia 268.1) | (DJ 313.4)

Driving Accuracy (68.0) | (58.4)

GIR (69.56) | (70.17)

Putts/GIR (1.72) | (1.688)

Putting Avg. (28.39) | (28.15)

Sand Saves (51.1) | (50.88)

Scoring Avg. (69.42) | (68.68)

Birdies (310) | (235)

Eagles (11) | (14)

 

Based on this, I'm not so sure driving accuracy would be the only stat the women would lead.

I could be wrong, but I would still put the statistical best on the PGA ahead of the statistical best on the LPGA. When you are looking at stats for performance I was also assuming you were looking at the detailed PGA stats and trying to match to the LPGA. You should be able to find the statistical leaders for LPGA online to to the comparison of the stats you identified.

 

Update: Did a quick check and it does look like the LPGA leader is ahead of the PGA leader in a few categories. Would post but too hard to do on a phone.

[NiftyNiblick]

Back in the day, I used to follow Janie Blalock around the course whenever the girls played nearby. We were roughly the same age, I was much bigger physically, not that she was particularly small, and I'd mentally compare my game with hers as she played.

 

We drove the ball about the same distance, although she obviously didn't miss as many drives as i did, and I actually hit less club than she with the irons.

 

And if she gave me my 8 or 9 strokes, she'd still kick my ass inside out because skill aside, she knew how to compete a lot better than I did.

 

Attending the few PGA Tour events that I did, the experience was completely different. At no time was I ever comparing games. I really had nothing to learn there--because distances weren't comparable, thus strategies couldn't be comparable, spin wasn't comparable, nothing was comparable.  It was pure spectator sports with no thoughts about my own game getting involved.

 

And I got bored faster.  I liked to walk the course (which I didn't while playing), not pick a spot from which to watch, and the galleries walking with the people I'd want to watch were so big that I couldn't see much.. 

 

It's the same game and not the same game at the same time.  The LPGA competitors obviously couldn't beat the men head to head, but I got more out of watching them.

[revkev]

Correct, The LPGA is playing shorter courses even if not played from the tips.

Absolutely they do but I think that a lot of people don't realize how much yardage gets lopped off a Tour course on a given day. That doesn't necessarily make it easier either - it creates different looks and options on certain holes.

 

Also it stands to reason that lpga players will be more accurate if your standard for accuracy remains fairways hit. First you are going to hit more fairways if you are 30 yards shorter and have the same level of accuracy and second it's not that important a stat to most PGA players. They are much more concerned about strokes gained driving or eliminating a certain type of miss than they are with hitting fairways.

 

It's easy enough to look online to make comparisons - but I'm not quite sure what the point would be.

 

 

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[Glftips]

I often play with LPGA players and can clearly say that they they are a lot better than most guys think.  They play from the back tees and hit it as far as the low cappers.  I like watching the LPGA more than the Web.com or some PGA tournaments.

[Glftips]

I often play with LPGA players and can clearly say that they they are a lot better than most guys think.  They play from the back tees and hit it as far as the low cappers.  I like watching the LPGA more than the Web.com or some PGA tournaments.

[fixyurdivot]

I often play with LPGA players and can clearly say that they they are a lot better than most guys think.  They play from the back tees and hit it as far as the low cappers.  I like watching the LPGA more than the Web.com or some PGA tournaments.

 

That sounds both fun and intimidating at the same time.  Are these rounds during ProAm events?

[SteddyGolf]

Professional women and men are both incredibly talented. Because of their innate biological and physiological difference I don't think it's fair to either gender to make a comparison.

 

As far as course set up is concerned I would argue courses vary significantly from one to the other on both tours so to say the set up at a PGA event is always more difficult than one at a LPGA event is also not fair.

 

I played a PGA event course the Monday after the Sunday final. It was crazy difficult. Incidentally I played a LPGA event course the Monday after the Sunday final and it to was crazy difficult.

 

I have also worked a PGA event on course walking with the best in the world. What they do with a golf ball is significantly different than us mere mortals. Oh wait......I've made that same walk with some of the best female golfers in the world. While there are few times their shots took my breath away in terms of height and distance, their accuracy is off the chain.

 

I have great respect for anyone who can make it to the top of their given profession. You want to know an interesting stat. Number 100 on the LPGA tour has been on tour for 6 years and has made about $550,000. Number 100 on the PGA tour has also been on tour for 6 years and has made almost $4,000,000. That's prize money only.

 

 

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