Nina Caldwell
Tracking golf statistics is an effective way to improve your game. While there are hundreds of stats that can be tracked, it's important to focus on the key areas of driving, approach shots, short game, and putting. Traditional stats like the percentage of fairways hit can be misleading, so it's recommended to track major mistakes instead. This includes counting tee shots that go out of bounds or result in penalty strokes. Additionally, tracking the number of putts per round can be eye-opening, as a significant portion of your shots will be with the flat stick. Using a scorecard or apps like Golf Status and Anova.Golf can help golfers collect and analyze their stats to identify areas for improvement and track their progress over time.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| How to keep stats | Use a scorecard from the course that you're playing or use a journal or Excel |
| Format | Keep stats in a "raw" format, enabling you to use software like Anova.Golf |
| What to track | Fairways hit, greens hit, scrambling, putts, up and downs, sand saves, total number of greens hit in regulation, total number of putts per round, major mistakes |
| Benefits of tracking | Helps you identify what you did well and what you didn't, allowing you to focus on real problems and improve your game |
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What You'll Learn
Track 'major mistakes' instead of traditional golf stats
Tracking major mistakes instead of traditional golf stats is a more effective way to improve your golf game. Traditional golf stats like fairways hit, greens in regulation, and putts per hole can be misleading as they provide one-dimensional, yes/no answers that fail to capture the complexity of the game. By focusing on major mistakes, golfers can identify specific areas that need improvement and make targeted adjustments to their game.
For example, instead of simply tracking fairways hit, golfers should count the number of tee shots that go out of bounds or into trouble. This provides a more accurate indication of driving performance and helps identify patterns that contribute to costly mistakes. Similarly, counting the number of 3-putts within 20 feet is more beneficial than tracking total putts per round. Golfers can also track chip/pitch and sand shots, marking successful shots on the green with a check and those that miss with an X. This allows golfers to calculate the total number of shots in each short game category and identify areas for improvement.
Another example of a major mistake to track is the number of times a golfer misses the green with a chip shot within 50 yards. This statistic helps separate chipping and putting performance, providing insight into the individual quality of each skill. By tracking these specific mistakes, golfers can cut out emotional analysis and focus on addressing the root causes of their problems.
To streamline the process of tracking major mistakes, golfers can utilize apps such as Golf Status, which offer automated stat tracking and provide insights into strokes lost to hazards. Pairing a phone with a compatible smartwatch also enables automatic shot detection, allowing golfers to capture important performance data without interrupting their game. Additionally, golfers can use scorecards from the course they are playing and record "raw" data such as distance to the hole and lie, which can then be input into apps like Anova.Golf to calculate hundreds of different stats.
By prioritizing the tracking of major mistakes over traditional golf stats, golfers can make data-driven decisions to refine their game, set specific targets, and ultimately lower their scores.
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Record stats in a 'raw' format to enable use of analysis software
Recording golf stats in a raw format is a great way to remember key pieces of information about your round. This information can later be used to calculate a variety of golf stats to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses.
To record stats in a raw format, use a scorecard from the course you're playing and write down the "raw" details, such as the distance to the hole and the resulting lie. Avoid writing down already calculated stats like greens hit and fairways hit, as these will limit you to those particular stats.
With the raw data, you can use analysis software like Anova.Golf, which can deduce hundreds of different statistical variables. For example, from the distance to the hole and the resulting lie, Anova.Golf can calculate stats such as fairway accuracy, greens hit, putts, up and downs, and sand saves.
Other analysis software, such as GRGS, allow you to record each shot in your round by answering two simple questions: where was the shot hit from, and what was the result? This information is then used to calculate over 250 stats per round, without the need for you to manually track each one during your game.
Recording stats in a raw format enables you to use analysis software to gain deeper insights into your game, helping you to identify areas for improvement and refine your strategy.
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Track the number of putts per round
Tracking the number of putts per round is a great way to keep your golf stats simple when you're starting out. This is one of the most important stats to track, as 35-50% of your shots will be with the flat stick. You'll quickly see how your putter is helping or hindering your game.
There are a few different ways to track your putts per round. You can use a scorecard from the course you're playing and write down specific stats in a raw format, such as the distance to the hole and the resulting lie. This information can then be entered into an app like Anova.Golf, which can calculate hundreds of different stats.
You can also use a journal or Excel to track your stats manually. If you want to use an app, Golf Status is a good option, as it has a built-in GPS and advanced scoring to help you learn more about your misses and strokes lost to hazards.
When tracking your putts per round, it's important to have a target to aim for. The number of putts per round you should aim for depends on your handicap level. For example, 30+ handicap golfers should aim for fewer than 40 putts, while 1-10 handicap golfers should aim for fewer than 30 putts.
It's worth noting that tracking your number of 3-putts can be more helpful than tracking your total putts per round. This allows you to identify your major mistakes and focus on improving those areas.
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Track the total number of fairways hit
Tracking the total number of fairways hit is a great way to understand your driving performance. It is a traditional measurement of driving performance in golf, indicating the percentage of time a tee shot on a par 4 or par 5 comes to rest in the fairway, regardless of the club used.
While this is a useful stat, it doesn't tell a detailed story about the quality of the drives. For instance, a golfer might be consistently hitting the fairway but still scoring poorly. Therefore, it is also important to track "major mistakes", such as tee shots that go out of bounds or into trouble. This can be done by tracking which club was used for each tee shot, and whether the shot landed in the fairway or missed left, right, or short. This will help identify patterns and areas for improvement. For example, a golfer might notice they are consistently missing to the right, indicating a need to work on accuracy off the tee.
There are several ways to track fairways hit. Stats can be recorded manually on a scorecard, with an “x” in the bottom left corner of the hole square to indicate a fairway hit, and an arrow pointing in the direction of a miss. This data can then be entered into a spreadsheet program like Excel, or a dedicated golf stats app like 18Birdies or Anova.Golf. These apps can then be used to calculate and visualise further stats.
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Measure performance to understand weaknesses and strengths
Tracking your golf statistics is a great way to measure your performance and identify weaknesses and strengths. This allows you to focus on real problems and improve your game.
A good place to start is by tracking your major mistakes. For example, count the tee shots that go out of bounds or into trouble, rather than tracking fairways hit. This gives a clearer indication of whether your driving off the tee is improving or getting worse. Similarly, counting the number of 3-putts is more useful than tracking total putts per round.
You can also use performance analysis tools to measure your shot dispersion. This helps you understand the reliability of your swing under various conditions and identify inconsistencies. With this information, you can work on achieving a more stable and repeatable swing.
Strokes gained is another invaluable metric that offers a detailed breakdown of your game. It provides a holistic view of where you gain or lose strokes, allowing you to develop targeted improvement strategies. This metric examines the consistency of your shots and measures the spread of your shots around a target.
Video analysis is another useful tool to help you understand your strengths and weaknesses on the greens. It can uncover subtleties in your grip, stance, and stroke path, leading to more consistent putts.
Finally, don't forget that tracking your golf stats is just one part of the equation. Make sure to also focus on practising and refining your skills based on the insights you gain from your performance analysis.
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Frequently asked questions
Tracking your golf stats is a great way to identify what you did well and what you didn't, and to focus on real problems rather than the ones you think are to blame.
Some important golf stats to track are the total number of fairways hit, greens in regulation, total number of putts per round, and major mistakes such as tee shots that go out of bounds.
You can keep track of your golf stats by using a scorecard from the course you're playing on or by using apps such as Golf Status or Anova.Golf.
It is recommended to track your golf stats every time you play. You can also add new tabs for each month or year to see your progress over time.
