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That's where “strokes gained” comes in. Golfers can finally learn exactly where they need to improve their game so that they can get better faster. A lot faster.
Strokes gained compares every facet of a golfers game to other players of a similar skill level. How good are you at short putts, long putts, short game, irons, driving? Strokes gained tells you all this and more.
This article will help you understand what strokes gained is and why it should matter to you.
Where Did Strokes Gained In Golf Come From?
Mark Broadie, a professor at Columbia Business School, invented the strokes gained methodology in the early 2000s. In 2014, he published his book, Every Shot Counts, and unleashed strokes gained on the golfing world.
Strokes gained quickly became a hit on the PGA Tour. You may have seen it during coverage of pro tournaments on television. In the past couple of years, with the development of great strokes gained stats apps for amateurs, average golfers around the world can bring the power of strokes gained to their own games.
How Does Strokes Gained Work?
The easiest way to understand how strokes gained works is to break it down into steps.
Track Shots With GPS Technology
The first step is tracking each shot in your round of golf (distance and lie). On the PGA tour, this is accomplished with the ShotLink system. For amateurs, apps like Pinpoint Strokes Gained Stats can efficiently and easily track each shot.
Choose A Baseline
How good is your game compared to a tour pro, a scratch golfer, or a 10 handicap? Your baseline should be your goal handicap (within reason). For a competitive golfer, a tour pro might be the right baseline. For a 20-handicap golfer, it may make sense to use a 15-handicap baseline.
Compare To The Baseline
With strokes gained, every shot is compared to your baseline, and every shot gets a strokes gained score. Good shots have a positive score. Poor shots have a negative score. Let’s take an example shot from 160 yards in the fairway that lands 5 feet from the hole on the green:
- From 160 yards in the fairway, your baseline averages 2.98 shots to hole out.
- From 5 feet on the green, your baseline averages 1.26 shots to hole out.
- Subtracting these numbers gives this shot a strokes gained score of +0.72.
- You’ve picked up more than half a stroke compared to your baseline with a great shot.
Read more in this detailed explanation of how strokes gained works.
Analyze The Data
Tracking a single shot using strokes gained is interesting. However, tracking several weeks of data can tell you your precise strengths and weaknesses, so you can transform your game. Here are a few examples:
- Do you gain/lose more strokes due to driving distance or accuracy?
- Do your approach shots land as close to the hole as they should?
- Specifically, what area of your short game needs the most help?
- From what putting distances do you perform well, and where do you struggle?
- How do you play from the rough, sand, fairway?
- Where is your game stronger: 100, 125, 150, 175 yards?
Strokes gained data can be your guidebook to creating the perfect game improvement plan.
Strokes Gained vs. Traditional Golf Stats
After all these years tracking fairways hit and greens in regulation, some golfers may want to know whether strokes gained is really so much better.
Here’s a perfect example:
A golfer with a 10 handicap shoots 85. They hit a couple embarrassing slices off the tee and miss a few 6-foot putts for par. After the round, they head to the range to practice hitting the driver and to the putting green to work on 6-footers.
But if you look at the strokes gained stats for this golfer, you will find that they actually outperformed their handicap off the tee. And they were no worse than expected from 6 feet. Their real problems were approach shots that never got close to the hole, and sloppy 30-50 foot putts that left those 6-foot knee-knockers.
So what should the golfer have worked on?
Approach shots and putts from 30+ feet. This type of focused practice could make a real difference in the next round. Traditional stats leave a golfer's practice routine a bit stagnant.
Why Does Strokes Gained Work?
Maybe more importantly than how strokes gained works, we have to look at why it works. Do amateur golfers really need these stats about their performance from 50-70 yards?
The answer is yes.
If golfers want to get better, they need to know where the issues are in their game. Let's face it, it's fun to go to the range and practice hitting 280 yards drives, but that may or may not make you a better golfer.
Strokes gained data will likely tell you that you can keep practicing those drives, but if you want to get better, that 175 yard approach shot is the real weakness in your game.
That kind of information is incredibly valuable for golfers of all skill levels.
Does My Golf Game Really Need Strokes Gained?
Don't be scared off by the fact that professionals are using strokes gained to get better. It's not just a pro thing; it's for all players.
One of the best things to consider here is how busy you are. Do you get to practice as much golf as you wish you could? For most golfers, the answer is no.
With strokes gained data, you can streamline your approach and work on the things that matter for shooting lower scores. In other words, you will stop hitting 7 irons to the same pin over and over again and challenge yourself to fix the real issues in your game.
All golfers can benefit from strokes gained. With the release of great strokes gained tracking apps, it's never been easier to get started.
Final Thoughts
When you first read and learn about strokes gained tracking, it seems complex and mathematical. The good news is that apps now do all the math for you. All you need to do is play your round of golf, glance at a few charts, and use them to become a great player.
Remember when golfers started using graphite shafts, adjustable club heads, and rangefinders, and it changed the game? Strokes gained is the next major change to the game of golf, and millions of players have a head start.
Disclosure: This article was written by Pinpoint Golf, whose owner also owns part of Cantata Media LLC, which publishes Daily Voice.
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