Keeping statistics distracts you?

[caniac6]

The only stat I keep is my score. I have an old school approach to golf. I play a lot, and don't practice much. I kind of make it up as I go. I don't worry too much. I just hit, find it, and hit it again. I try to keep things very simple, and not let thinking get in the way. It might not work foe everyone, but it works for me.

[kobalt]

i use golf logix on my cell phone. when i get to the next tee it takes about 10 seconds to answer questions on stats. i keep score, putts and putting outcome, fairways hit, GIR, chips, sand chips, and penalties. i never look at stats during a round and will seldom even look at my score at the turn. i tend to combine the stats of 4 rounds to see if i have a trend going that needs attention.

[JoeC36]

the score doesnt distract me, its the FIR, GIR, putts, and so on.  i used to  record the stats i want to do, then realize that even though i scrambled and made par or bogey, which is good for me, i sucked stats wise and that would screw with my mind, so i dont keep them at all anymore.

[Elvisliveson]

Originally Posted by caniac6

The only stat I keep is my score. I have an old school approach to golf. I play a lot, and don't practice much. I kind of make it up as I go. I don't worry too much. I just hit, find it, and hit it again. I try to keep things very simple, and not let thinking get in the way. It might not work foe everyone, but it works for me.

And for me too. 30+ years of golfing has taught not to be obsessive about my game.

[wmiller]

My skycaddie keeps track of fairways, greens, and putts, but I barely glance at the numbers after the round. I don't bother to keep them.

As I seldom practice, I don't see the need.

[jamo]

It doesn't distract me at all, I like having all of the statistics about my game. It's fun to go back and find interesting correlations and trends in my game through stats. For example, in my best and worst rounds I tend to hit a similar amount of fairways and greens, but in my worst rounds I tend to leave my irons farther from the hole and I don't get up and down as often. Nothing distracting about that to me.

[Crab Daddy]

So I did an experiment and took statistics for 10 rounds and didn't for 10 rounds.  I alternated for the 20 rounds so I didn't skew the results by biorhythms or something like that.  The result was that I was a stroke and a half  (on average) better not taking statistics.

You haven't given us enough data. Without knowing the standard deviation of the scores, the difference between the two groups cannot be determined to be statistically significant. Sorry, I couldn't resist... :-\. ... it's what I do. Oh, and next time, don't alternate, randomize - much more robust estimate.

[SamW]

I might start recording a new stat to help me concentrate on what I know is my weakest scoring zone. This will be shots per wedge zone (50-100 yard approaches), at the moment this would be over 3 for me I have a bad habit of attacking difficult pins and getting into trouble from that range when I'd be smarter to go for the middle of the green and sink 2 putts. At my handicap I should only need to attack difficult pins from sub 50 yard ranges. I figure I leak 3-4 shots a round this way.

So I'll keep the stat and a side effect of me keeping the stat will adjust my course management and hopefully improve my scoring. I wouldn't use it to change my swing I just need to play smarter golf until I'm regularly breaking 80 as I hit the ball way better than average for my hcap.

[Jack]

I keep my stats, but as soon as I have made a note of what happened on the hole I tend to forget about it as I am starting to think about my next shot on the next hole.

[shades9323]

Originally Posted by awmgolfer

I keep my stats just like I do my score and I don't look back on them until the round is done. At the end of each hole I record my score, putts, fairway hit or not, and sand save. I tend to watch my putts through the round and can sometimes be a bit motivated by that as I average about 29 putts per round so I like to try and really go low for that and challenge myself. It hasn't been too much of an issue yet but I am trying not to concern myself with any of it.

29 putts per round avg?

[sonicblue]

Being a golfer, with a math degree and a mathematical job, this subject is near and dear to me.  IMO, statistics are often wrongly interpreted, or rather, the USE of statistics can be wrongly interpreted.  I think you can use them to compare pieces of your game, maybe describe yourself as a player (i.e., low FH and GIR % but low PPH = "scrambler"), or compare yourself to others.  But my statistics don't seem to really ever surprise me.  I know I miss fairways and greens way too often, but that I pitch and chip well, and my putting is very good.  Say I scramble at around 40%.  One could say, 'raise that to 75%, and you could drop four strokes a round.'  Well, yeah, I know that.  I know every time I don't make the par saver that I just cost myself a stroke.  And even if I do make a few more, and my scramble % goes up, the fact remains, if I hit more greens (likely through hitting more fairways as well), I may not have to scramble as much, and that would drop strokes, too.

I also think sometimes statistics puts the cart before the horse.  Now on the Tour, you'll see an immediate stat pop up, while Goosen is over a 15 foot put: "Chances of making 15 foot putt: 41%" or something, based on Goosen's actual statistics.  Well, every 15-footer is different, and those stats don't know if his misses were off by 3 feet or not.  A statistics from past results is not a looking-forward probability.  Still useful if you're betting with your buddies, I guess, but it's not like Goosen would say, "hmmm, gee, I really need to get that statistics up to, like, 55%."  He just looks at (nearly) every 15 footer and says, "I want to make this."

Which brings me back to the elegant simplicity of golf.  Sure, after a round, if you hit 11/14 fairways, 15/18 greens, 1.8 putts per hole, you'd think, 'damn good round!'  But, you'd probably know it was a good round the second it ended.  And it's not like you'd look back and say, "gee, I wish I only hit one more green," you'll likely really have wished you hit three more!  The fact is, the large majority of us aren't capable of hitting a ton of greens or fairways, or putting lights out, but that's the beauty of golf psychology.  With very few exceptions (really difficult holes, unreachable greens, etc...), you'll be on the tee thinking, "I want to hit the fairway."  On your approach, you want to get on the green.  If you don't hit the green and you're around it somewhere, you're thinking, "hit this up there somewhere close to get a chance to make a putt."  Lastly, unless you're truly in 'lag-only' range, you should be over a putt thinking, "let's drop this thing."

Basically, regardless of your stats, I believe in (I should trademark this phrase) "one shot, this shot" philosophy.  That has a binary result: success or failure.  Hit a fairway or don't.  Hit the green or don't.  Make the putt or don't.  You don't tee it up and think, "let's hit 70% of this fairway," or get over a putt and go, "let's get down in 1.80 putts."  Ok, my little rant is over...

[The_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by wmiller

As I seldom practice, I don't see the need.

You hit the nail on the head here. If you don't practice there is no point in keeping stats.

[The_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by sonicblue

Say I scramble at around 40%.  One could say, 'raise that to 75%, and you could drop four strokes a round.'  Well, yeah, I know that.  I really need to get that statistics up to, like, 55%."  He just looks at (nearly) every 15 footer and says, "I want to make this."

This is my point above. Nobody stands over a shot during the round thinking about their stats. However, it is a good idea to study those stats in the clubhouse afterwards so you can plan your practice sessions from then onwards. If your sand saves %age is only 20% it means you should be practicing your bunker play. I like to set myself a goal of maybe hitting 20-25 bunker shots a day for the next month, then check my sand saves %age after that period. It's a nice feeling to see it go up to 35-40%. If you analyse your stats carefully and do this across your game you can make great improvements. The key, of course, is to find time to practice.

[ks8829]

I always keep stats while I play with the following:

Fairway

Greens

Putts

Up & downs to one putt

Front

Back

Combined total for 18 holes

This helps me more after the round to see what I need to work on, usually putting and my short game or scrambling.

[ezmorningrebel]

i keep stats sometimes but my best rounds have come when i just wrote down my score after each hole and didn't add it up until the end and kept track of no other stats.  i find this way lets me just think shot to shot and not focus on the overall round.

[MiniBlueDragon]

I'm a lazy stat keeper (probably worse than not keeping stats at all!)

I record:

• Shots
• Putts
• Tee shot landing point:
• < F = Left of fairway
• F < = On the fairway to the left
• F = Middle of the fairway
• F > = On the fairway to the right
• > F = Right of fairway

The main idea for me is to check my tee shot consistency and whether I'm playing ok or not. I could keep a lot of other stats with iPhone apps (I know the iPhone is illegal in tournaments) I guess but I'm too lazy.

[Doctorfro]

If you click on my scorecards below you will see I've been doing this for four seasons and it really doesn't take any time or focus away from the game.  I don't keep anything "tallied" in my head as I go except maybe my over/under.  Score/Fairway/green/putts/length of first putt/penalties.  It ain't hard. And I have stats that help me AFTER the round as I prepare my game going forward.

[darkhunter139]

I use golfshot on my iphone to keep score and it automatically keeps track of GIRs and I am able to keep tracks of putts and FIRs easily.