MESSAGES · DATA RULES

The Median: The Most Important Data Rule for 60+.

Senior golfers save the best shot of the season and plan around it. This systematically leads to approach shots that come up short. The most important senior data rule is simple: Save the median, plan the median, accept the median.

My 7-iron goes 145 meters - I've been saying that for 15 years. In reality, the median is 125 meters. This 20-meter difference has cost me more strokes than any wrong tee choice. Every second 7-iron approach systematically came up short. With median values in my bag chart, I hit the green almost twice as often today. A simple rule, gigantic effect.

Best values systematically distort senior decision-making. Human memory stores outstanding experiences – the best 7-iron shot of the season becomes the standard expectation. In reality, the median is typically 8-20 m below the best value. Those who plan with the median get onto the green – those who plan with the best value end up in front of it.

Three examples of best-vs-median bias

Example 1 — Driver Distance

BEST 175 M, MEDIAN 158 M.

Senior-Driver-Best (perfectly centered, tailwind, best form): 175 m. Median of all drives in a season: 158 m. Planning with "best" results in 17 m less distance—systematically missing approaches.

Example 2 — Wedge Distance

Best play weight 110 million, median 90 million.

Senior-PW-Best (perfectly centered, optimal conditions): 110 m. Median: 90 m. 20 m difference. Approaches with PW-Best planning systematically land 15 m before the green.

Example 3 — Putt Distance

Best putt 6m, median 2.5m.

Best senior putt from 6 meters: holed. Median from 6 meters: 30 % holed (i.e., 1 out of 3). Using best values for senior putt expectations leads to frustration—using the median yields realistic strategies.

8–20 m

Typical difference between best and median score per club in senior golf

TrackMan Senior Performance Database 2024

Those who plan with best-case scenarios will systematically fall short — the most common avoidable senior score error.

Three Steps to Median Discipline

Step 1 — Bag card with median values

WRITTEN IN THE BAG.

Median-Carry for club, write on a card, put in the bag. Not Best — Median (50th percentile value). When deciding on an approach shot on the course, consult the card, not your feel.

Step 2 – Determine Launch Monitor Median

✓ ONE HOUR WITH THE PGA PRO.

A launch monitor session with a PGA pro provides exact median values. 80-120 €. The first ball doesn't count, nor does the best one — the median over 10 balls. Investment with a great score ROI.

Step 3 — Median by Each Club Choice

DISCIPLINE ON THE TRACK.

With every approach decision, ask yourself the right question mentally: Median of this club? Distance to the green? Which club fits? Banish best-case scenarios from your head. Senior measurement discipline in action.

The single most expensive mistake in senior golf is planning shots with maximum distances instead of median distances. It costs every senior player strokes—every single round.

— Dr. Mark Broadie, Strokes-Gained researcher, Columbia Business School

Three Principles of Median Discipline.

Bag card as a senior standard

Median values in writing in the bag — prevents emotional decisions under pressure.

Delete Best Memories Consciously

Mark one best hit mentally as best (not median). Prevents memory bias during planning.

Follow-up measurements semiannually

Median values shift. Bi-annual Launch Monitor update — avoids outdated bag cards.

Common misunderstandings about the median rule

Misunderstanding 1 - „Median is Average”

Incorrect. The average (mean) is distorted by outliers—a particularly long drive skews the value. The median is the 50th percentile and is robust against such outliers. For golf distances that are not normally distributed, the median is the realistic reference instead of the best.

Misunderstanding 2 — „I know my distances”

Only to a limited extent. Studies show that over 80 % of amateur golfers overestimate their median distance by 5–15 %. The reason: memory tends to retain personal bests. Only measurements taken with a launch monitor provide reliable median figures—feel alone isn’t enough.

Misunderstanding 3 — „Median is too defensive”

Wrong. Using the median instead of the best is not a defensive strategy, but a realistic one. If you plan based on the median, in 50 out of % cases you’ll be right for longer, and in 50 out of % cases you’ll be right for shorter—that’s the definition of the 50 percent figure. The 25 percent figure would be more conservative. The median is the neutral middle ground.

THE SYSTEM

My Path to a Better Score

Complete method

On this page

ON THIS PAGE

01 Three Best vs. Median Examples

02 Three Steps to Median Discipline

03 Common Misunderstandings

04 What Median-Discipline Doesn't Replace

Mathias Struwe

PUBLISHER · HCP 31 · 68 YRS.

8-20 m

Difference between Best vs. Median per club.

REFERENCE

Broadie, M. (2014): Every Shot Counts. TrackMan Performance Database 2024. MyTPI Senior Performance Research. PGA Tour Stats 2014–2024. IAGTO Senior Golf Analysis 2024.

What Median-Discipline Doesn't Replace

Median values determine the right club choice — but they don't replace practice itself. Those who plan with medians but hit the club poorly only benefit partially. Median discipline + hit quality training = the complete senior approach leverage.

THREE FIRST STEPS