On average, I get roughly 8-9 reasonable birdie looks per round (within the 10-20 foot range), from 6450 yards. I probably average 3-4 birdies per round over the course of a season. Has more to do with my putting at any given time than anything else... have days when I'm making 5-6 birdies from beyond 6-10 feet, then days when I'm not making much of anything inside of 10 feet.
I don't think moving up another tee box and playing a shorter course reveals much (if any) difference. My proximity to the hole is probably better with a 9-iron as it is with a SW.
Move me back outside of 6500 yards and that's where the numbers start to drastically separate. I'm one of the best putters at my club, as it relates to securing PAR. For some reason I just seem to roll in a lot more 5 footers for par than 5 footers for birdie. Not sure that's a common ailment, but it sure seems that way to me!
So maybe I'm not as good a putter as a lot of people think I am, on paper. But in my mind - I'm pretty good. I guess that's ultimately the difference between a good putter and an average putter. Confidence means everything, but at the same time - there are days when good putts just don't drop. Keeping in mind - I'm competing in a lot of matches and tournaments, so a lot of it is very situational. Why get aggressive trying to make a 15-footer for birdie when par is either good enough for a halve or maybe even an outright win. Forget birdies, for that matter... par is usually a hard score to beat at our level.
I don't get overly frustrated when I stroke the putt on the intended line at the proper pace and it doesn't go in. I know a lot of guys who I play with that can't say that with any sincerity.
One thing I've learned about golf - making putts is the biggest difference - no matter which tee box I'm playing. And those short ones for par mean just as much as the longer ones for birdie most days.
