As promised, I used Brian Penn’s, from All About Golf, technique of visualizing my round before I started. It was a very interesting process and it reinforced several aspects of my game that needed attention.
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Golf Stats
Golf Stats – Strokes Gained
This is my last installment on golf stats. As previously discussed in two different articles (1,2), golf stats are deceiving. As with all stats, the analyst can draw many different conclusions depending on the criteria that the data is measured against. The PGA Tour is trying to rectify the confusion by introducing a new set of statistics that measure the player’s performance against the field. Sounds interesting.
I decided to copy Mark Broadie’s explanation directly from this website. I thought by trying to simplify this new golf stat, I would just muddy the waters. So here it is in its entirety.
“Mark Broadie is at the forefront of a revolutionary new approach to the game of golf that uses analytics from the financial world to uncover the secrets of the game of golf. He crunches data to show both professional and amateur golfers how to make better decisions on the course.”
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Golf Stats vs Golf Stats – Pt 2
Scrambling for Par
My last post talked about four common stats track by amateur golfers. These stats are easy to record while playing, however if find that your playing partners are waiting for you to record you data, I suggest finding a quicker way to record the data (little slow play plug). These and other stats can provide valuable indicators on where to focus your practice to improve your game.
The four stats in question are driving percentage, GIR, # of Putts, and scramble percentage. These particular stats are enough for most players to understand their strengths and weaknesses in their game. However, it is important to properly interpret the results to find the root problem that causes a lower stat percentage. As I analyze the data I make try to determine the root-cause of my challenges, not just the obvious! Continue reading
Too Focused on Stats!
Which is the Most Important Stat?
Golf stats are an interesting thing. They provide information about virtually every topic and many players, analysts, and pundits rely on stats to make their point! This is all good for the viewing public who may need to be entertained between golf shots on TV or while reading their favourite article, but do stats have any real value to the average hacker trying to improve their score?
Recently, I received a random email (not from the author) from that someone suggesting that stats could be used to break 80. Ever the skeptic, I read through the paragraph and wondered what others thought. Here is the what the author Mike Tappett from mikeplaysgolf said:
“All golfers I’ve coached do this one thing and do it religiously. Keep track of how many fairways hit, greens hit in regulation and putts you take per round. This exercise alone will tell you the weaker part of your game. The average player who shoots in the mid and high 70’s consistently will average about 8-12 fairways, 9-11 greens in regulation and between 27-30 putts per round.”
On the surface, I can see the value of keeping stats, however without an action play, keeping stats is well – meaningless. personally, I have never kept stats. I have never felt the need or requirement, but this year is different. I am trying new things and keeping an open mind to anything that will improve my game. As I drive towards being a scratch golfer, I do not want to overlook anything!
So my question are: Do keep stats? If so, do you use them to focus you practice? If not, why? I am all ears!
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 