Home Grown Metrics

[Effington]

Hi guys,

One of my friends recently shared their key stats that I loved and never heard of before, so wanted to see if others here use something similar.

Most golfers talk about GIR, nGIR, putts, up/down saves, fairways, the typical stats you see on TV.  But if the point of the statistics are to tell you what it is that led to your score, my friend shared me his simple, one stat that said it all:

For each hole, what shot made you lose strokes to par?  The stat is simple and it's just a score for each type of shot: Driver, approach, pitch/chip, sand, putt.  The lower the better, as you get one point for each shot that caused you to lose a stroke on the hole.  It's a little subjective but can be scored based on your skill level.

Example: Par-4, 380 yards: Driver is hit 180 yards, leaving 200 yard approach shot.  Approach shot lands 30 yards off the green, then pitch on and two putt for bogey.  I would score this 0.5 for driver and 0.5 for a pitch that doesn't get close enough to one-putt, or 0.5 for putting if the chip was good but missed a short putt.

There's obviously some grey area, but I have done this for the last few rounds and it seem to be insightful.  It straight up tells me, this shot is where you lose strokes.

Anyone else have this kind of metric?  Would love to hear any feedback.

Thanks!

[measureoffsetinnm]

This doesn't sound dissimilar in concept to strokes gained. Lot of benefits to analyzing on a stroke to stroke basis imo so not surprised you have found it insightful.

[criley4way]

  On 5/1/2021 at 12:47 PM, Effington said:

Hi guys,

One of my friends recently shared their key stats that I loved and never heard of before, so wanted to see if others here use something similar.

Most golfers talk about GIR, nGIR, putts, up/down saves, fairways, the typical stats you see on TV.  But if the point of the statistics are to tell you what it is that led to your score, my friend shared me his simple, one stat that said it all:

For each hole, what shot made you lose strokes to par?  The stat is simple and it's just a score for each type of shot: Driver, approach, pitch/chip, sand, putt.  The lower the better, as you get one point for each shot that caused you to lose a stroke on the hole.  It's a little subjective but can be scored based on your skill level.

Example: Par-4, 380 yards: Driver is hit 180 yards, leaving 200 yard approach shot.  Approach shot lands 30 yards off the green, then pitch on and two putt for bogey.  I would score this 0.5 for driver and 0.5 for a pitch that doesn't get close enough to one-putt, or 0.5 for putting if the chip was good but missed a short putt.

There's obviously some grey area, but I have done this for the last few rounds and it seem to be insightful.  It straight up tells me, this shot is where you lose strokes.

Anyone else have this kind of metric?  Would love to hear any feedback.

Thanks!

Expand  

I have done this in the past with a 1-3 or 1-5 grade. 1 is shot lost or requires an amazing recovery  due to a poor swing, 2 maybe a shot due to a bad spot due to the direction and/or shape, because the shot was not what you planned (a double cross) or terrible contact (thinned or fat), 3 is acceptable outcome general shape was right, contact was ok to good, 4 is good contact he shot you planned but not great, 5 is exactly what you imagined it terms of distance, reaction, shape and contact. Add to that distance and club.

[billchao]

This is pretty much a simplified version of strokes gained.

[criley4way]

  On 5/1/2021 at 2:10 PM, billchao said:

This is pretty much a simplified version of strokes gained.

Expand  

Sort of but the focus is on the quality of shot vs outcome and it is a relative  scale.

[Shorty]

  On 5/1/2021 at 12:47 PM, Effington said:

 

For each hole, what shot made you lose strokes to par?  The stat is simple and it's just a score for each type of shot: Driver, approach, pitch/chip, sand, putt.  The lower the better, as you get one point for each shot that caused you to lose a stroke on the hole.  It's a little subjective but can be scored based on your skill level.

Expand  

Losing strokes to par isn't a metric that is meaningful for the majority of golfers.

Most recreational golfers are playing reasonably well to very well if they are 1 over par per hole if they have genuine handicaps of, say, 15 to 20.

Rather than getting bogged down by "metrics" I would focus on a simple question:

"Where am I wasting strokes"?

Are your drives so wild you're punching out on to the fairway half the time?

Are you incapable of regularly getting onto the green from inside 100 yards?

Are you missing a lot of putts inside 4 feet?

If you have to go over a bunker from inside 20 metres do you expect to skull it into that bunker?

Identify weaknesses. Acknowledge that they exist. Work on them.

You don't need to assign scores or points to shots that are satisfactory or perfectly adequate.

Scoring is about how good you bad shots are, certainly not how good your good shots are. Most of us hit a couple of shots a round that you'd see on a highlight reel. Those great shots don't make your score, the three doubles you had in a row do because you haven't eliminated one side for your "big miss" for example  - or despite seeing a million bunker shots played languidly and easily by pros on TV you persist in closing your clubface and trying to scoop the ball out somehow with no follow through.

Also, how does a holed bunker shot or a chip in for par help with "metrics on shots lost to par" when those shots are holed for par after a crappy tee shot? You've still hit an awful drive and need to work ob driving even though you've fluked a par.

Edited May 2, 2021 by Shorty

[billchao]

  On 5/1/2021 at 9:28 PM, criley4way said:

Sort of but the focus is on the quality of shot vs outcome and it is a relative  scale.

Expand  

I was responding to the OP.

[measureoffsetinnm]

  On 5/2/2021 at 12:31 AM, Shorty said:

Losing strokes to par isn't a metric that is meaningful for the majority of golfers.

Most recreational golfers are playing reasonably well to very well if they are 1 over par per hole if they have genuine handicaps of, say, 15 to 20.

Rather than getting bogged down by "metrics" I would focus on a simple question:

"Where am I wasting strokes"?

Are your drives so wild you're punching out on to the fairway half the time?

Are you incapable of regularly getting onto the green from inside 100 yards?

Are you missing a lot of putts inside 4 feet?

If you have to go over a bunker from inside 20 metres do you expect to skull it into that bunker?

Identify weaknesses. Acknowledge that they exist. Work on them.

You don't need to assign scores or points to shots that are satisfactory or perfectly adequate.

Scoring is about how good you bad shots are, certainly not how good your good shots are. Most of us hit a couple of shots a round that you'd see on a highlight reel. Those great shots don't make your score, the three doubles you had in a row do because you haven't eliminated one side for your "big miss" for example  - or despite seeing a million bunker shots played languidly and easily by pros on TV you persist in closing your clubface and trying to scoop the ball out somehow with no follow through.

Also, how does a holed bunker shot or a chip in for par help with "metrics on shots lost to par" when those shots are holed for par after a crappy tee shot? You've still hit an awful drive and need to work ob driving even though you've fluked a par.

Expand  

I think he was just using "to par" as shorthand for wasting strokes since he still goes shot by shot on each hole so his system as he describes it would still identify a terrible drive even if he got a decent score.