Using On-Course Statistics to Improve Your Golf Scores

While learning something new in the golf swing it is imperative to have feedback on whether or not an improvement is being made. However, many golfers do not have any form of feedback for tracking what is going well on the course and what is not. Keeping on course statistics can show areas in need of improvement as well as help a player learn about their game and make better decisions. Depending on a golfer’s ability level the type of statistics being recorded may differ greatly. Much like learning which type of feedback is most appropriate for learning something new in the swing, there are also different statistics that are much more meaningful than others.

First we will look at the common metrics that many golfers actually do track: fairways hit, greens in regulation, and putts. While any type of stat tracking can be helpful, these numbers alone don’t always tell the whole story. Here are a few extreme examples:

• A well struck drive that finishes a yard off the fairway with a wide open shot to the green would count as a missed fairway, but a topped drive that rolls down the middle of the fairway but leaves over 300 yards into a par 4 would count as a hit fairway. Personally, I would rather have the one in the rough.
• A golfer that hits 18 greens, has 36 putts, and shoots even par didn’t necessarily putt worse than a golfer that hits 9 greens, has 27 putts, and also shoots even par. It is much easier to 1-putt after a chip shot than it is after a long approach shot. The total number of putts isn’t always a great indicator unless taken in context with the number of greens hit in regulation as well.
• All missed greens aren’t created equal. A ball that hits the green and just rolls off the back side leaving a straightforward chip or putt from the rough is very different from one that lands in the bunker short of the green. Also, missing a green with a wedge from 80 yards is much “worse” than missing with a 4 iron from 200 yards. That being said, over time the Greens in Regulation statistic is going to be a very good indicator of your overall ball striking.

The “Tiger 5” (+1)

Tiger Woods has all the data in the world at his fingertips when it comes to golf, but he knew that if he could minimize errors around the course he would at least be in contention at the end of the weekend. An amateur golfer can track these scoring rules on their scorecard and aim to eliminate these errors through deliberate practice on what is causing them. His 5 scoring rules are simple and can apply to nearly all golfers (*along with a 6th of my own that I added):

1. No bogeys on par 5s
2. No double bogeys
3. No 3-putts
4. No bogeys with 9 iron or less into the green
5. No blown easy saves (a simple chip shot from just off the green)
6. No penalty strokes*

Even Tiger Woods has broken these rules multiple times, but minimizing the amount of times these rules are broken can drastically lower scores. Since golf is incredibly nuanced it should be noted that every golfer no matter how good will fall victim to some of these rules, but setting yourself up for success is what is important. For example: many double bogeys are caused from being too aggressive after getting out of position off the tee or with an approach shot. While most of the time chipping out to the fairway and hitting a wedge into the green will result in a bogey it will rarely result in a double bogey. One note from Rule 6 is that penalty strokes are unavoidable sometimes, but the key is to not take any when they are avoidable. An example of an unavoidable penalty stroke is hitting a wedge heavy going over water and hitting it in the hazard. While unfortunate, there isn’t really an option to take water out of play on that shot. An avoidable penalty stroke would be going for a par 5 with a 3 wood over water from 250 when you know that only the best 20% of your shots would clear the water, because that means that 80% of the time you won’t clear the water. Tracking how many scoring rules are broken each round is a good indicator of how well a golfer understands their own game and plays within their ability level. I believe Tiger aimed for 6 or less for a 4 day tournament, so adjust accordingly.

Strokes Gained

While most Strokes Gained statistics are based off of PGA Tour data, there are some resources available that will calculate Strokes Gained compared to scratch golfers and sometimes even higher handicaps. Many golfers have heard the term but still do not fully comprehend what Strokes Gained is or how it is calculated. Essentially Strokes Gained is a representation of how far you are away from the hole in terms of strokes, and using that data we can easily calculate how good or bad each individual shot is at advancing the ball towards the hole. Here are a few examples starting basic and getting more intricate:

• A 466 yard hole has a stroke value of 4.16, so a 4 on that hole would gain 0.16 strokes and a 5 would result in a loss of 0.84 strokes. Remember, Strokes Gained is all cumulative, so gaining or losing even 0.01 shots with any level of frequency adds up. For example, adding yardage off the tee and gaining approximately 0.05 shots on every drive (let’s say 14 per round) equates to 0.7 shots per round, or nearly 3 shots (2.8) over a 4 day tournament. Professionals will gain and lose small fractions on each shot, so even the slightest improvement can provide a tremendous advantage. 
• Strokes Gained putting is fairly easy to understand, so on a shot for shot basis we will start here. The average tour player will make 50% of their putts from 8 feet, giving that 8 foot putt a stroke value 1.5 strokes. Every putt made will gain half a shot, every putt missed will lose half a shot. 
• Here is the formula and an example for how Strokes Gained is calculated on a shot by shot basis on that 466 yard hole mentioned above. The calculation is essentially how many expected shots a golfer has advanced the ball with each shot that they hit. 

Formula: (Expected Strokes Start) – (Expected Strokes Finish) – 1 = Strokes Gained per shot

*The “- 1” at the end of the formula represents that shot that was hit.

• Shot 1 hit from: 466 yards, Tee Box, Shot Value 4.16 expected strokes to hole out
• Shot 1 finished: 181 yards, Fairway (meaning a 285 yard drive), Shot Value 3.06
  • Drive Quality = (4.16) – (3.06) – 1 = 0.10 Strokes Gained on that drive
    • The golfer advanced the ball 1.10 expected strokes in one shot.
• Shot 2 hit from: 181 yards, Fairway, Shot Value 3.06 expected strokes to hole out
• Shot 2 finished: 35 feet, Green, Shot Value 2.02
  • Approach Shot Quality = (3.06) – (2.02) – 1 = 0.04 Strokes Gained
    • The golfer advanced the ball 1.04 expected strokes in one shot.
• Shot 3 hit from: 35 feet, Green, Shot Value 2.02 expected strokes to hole out
• Shot 3 finished: 1 foot, Green, Shot Value 1
  • Putt Quality: (2.02) – (1) – 1 = 0.02 Strokes Gained
    • The golfer advanced the ball 1.02 expected strokes in one shot and then tapped in for par on their 4th shot from 1 foot.

In total, 0.16 strokes were gained making par on that hole, 0.10 from the drive, 0.04 from the approach, and 0.02 from the first putt. While these numbers seem small, imagine them in a different scenario, such as a shorter hole. A drive that gains strokes leaves a slightly easier approach shot, which allows the approach shot to be hit slightly closer. Now the golfer has a putt from 15 feet instead of 20 feet, which significantly increases their chances of making it. So while most often hitting good drives and approach shots simply results in easier pars, a few times a round they will provide players with better than average opportunities for birdies.

Using this formula, it can be determined where good scores are made from and where bad scores are made from. It might become apparent that a player is a good lag putter but not great close, or that they are a bad lag putter but really good at making 5-6 footers. We can also learn if a player is gaining strokes by hitting good approach shots or if they are relying on a good short game to save them. Finding weaknesses by looking at trends in Strokes Gained over time can provide incredibly valuable insight into what makes up a particular player’s game since everyone plays the game so differently. 

In my opinion, a lower handicap golfer that plays frequently or has competitive aspirations should be using Strokes Gained regularly to track how they are performing in all aspects of the game. Everyone that desires to improve should track a baseline level of statistics such as those listed below.

1. “Good Drives” – defined as a relatively well struck drive tee shot that presents a good, clear opportunity for a shot at the green, even if it’s in the rough.
2. Greens in Regulation – trends in where a golfer misses greens are valuable too. A golfer that consistently misses short and right should move their aim to the left side of the green and take an extra club.
3. Penalty Strokes – especially from unforced errors or poor decision making. It should also be noted whether the penalty stroke is off the tee or on an approach to the green.
4. 3-putts – make note of whether it was due to a bad first putt, a missed short putt, or if the first putt was overly long or difficult making for a challenging 2-putt so that improvements can be made.
5. Double Bogeys – specifically those caused by an overly aggressive play after getting out of position, such as trying to hit a punch shot through a narrow gap instead of pitching out to the fairway.
6. Up and Downs vs. Opportunities – even professionals don’t get up and down every time they miss the green, but it’s great to see if there are improvements to be made. It is worth noting the difficulty level of the up and down as well as whether the conversion (or lack of conversion) was due to the short game shot or the putt. If a golfer finds themself with too many difficult up and downs, it may be time to reevaluate target selection on approach shots.

Monitoring on course statistics, whether it is the 6 listed above, the “Tiger 5” (+1), or using Strokes Gained will give a golfer information that can help them make informed decisions on the course, guide their practice, and help them maximize their scoring potential. Anyone looking to improve their scores should get as much feedback on their game as possible, whether in practice or on the golf course.

About the Author

Kyle Pecka is a graduate of Western Michigan University and has been with SMART Golf & Fitness Instruction since 2017. He has had an interest and passion for golf his entire life. Between caddying at Sunset Ridge Country Club in his youth and working at a standalone golf shop and golf course in college prior to working for SMART Golf & Fitness he has spent plenty of time in and around the game. The golf shop is what sparked his interest in equipment and club fitting, helping him lead the expansion of club fitting services offered at SMART Golf & Fitness Instruction to include many of the top manufacturers in the game of golf today.

Click here to learn more about Kyle.