Distance You Can Count On: A Strategy Analysis Tool

The ANSWER project is building a golf strategy model. As part of that, we've added an interactive dashboard to LAB focused on distance analysis.

Four Main Areas

The tool visualizes:

1. Personal attack and defense distances

We look at whether concepts like "Expected Distance" and "Stock Distance" work as strategy metrics. The idea: not just "max distance," but Stock Distance—repeatable, predictable distance—is the basis for score strategy.

2. Shot dispersion and putting

We analyze whether putting can be treated as an outcome of approach quality. The tool shows how variance in second-shot distance ties to first-putt length and 3-putt rate.

3. Quantitative attack/defense thresholds

We check how tools and frameworks (e.g. DECADE, Arccos) define clear thresholds. Many say "inside X yards, aim at the pin (attack); otherwise aim at center (defense)." We look for concrete implementations.

4. Amateur-focused SG-style model

We look for models built for amateurs, not just PGA benchmarks. PGA-based Strokes Gained can be too harsh for amateurs; we’re interested in models that fix or separate putts for a fairer evaluation.

How to Use It

On the LAB page, open the Distance Strategy tab. You can:

• Compare distance concepts: Expected, Playable, Stock
• See dispersion vs. putting: Switch between pro and amateur data
• Use the threshold simulator: Use the distance slider to feel where strategy shifts
• Compare amateur SG-style models: See how they differ from standard models

Goal of the Research

We want to see how far existing strategy theory is expressed in a data-driven way, using distance repeatability and outcome variance as axes.

What’s Next

We’ll use this work to build the strategy model inside the ANSWER app. We’re aiming for release in February 2026 and will keep iterating.

---

Related: LAB – Distance Strategy