The Data-Driven Golf Game (Mid-High Range Handicappers)

[SHORTGAME2013]

Please understand that there are a number of good ways to shave strokes. The following are merely recommendations, so please use only what helps, and leave the rest! To ease confusion, become something of a note-taker. Find out your habits through a system of markings on the scorecard. The course map is your best friend for marking all kinds of shots. I recommend drawing where your shots ended up on the course map, and marking spots in between with an abbreviation system. If you want to get really into it, plan it out the night before! You could also add up the errant shots vs. shots within a certain range of expected outcome. Say you planned to hit a drive right-center and it went more center but a bit right, you might (or might not) count it as "according to plan" - every golfer has to decide an acceptable amount of error. For mid-range handicappers, making a plan can really help the, as players realize when they work back from the hole they rarely need driver. Sticking to the plan to use 3-woods is a maturing player's course management choice, and strokes can be shaved there, to be sure. Put dots for putts below score. Slashes in an "x" for fairway hit (slash right) green hit (slash left). I also recommend noting if ALL putts are long or short. IF you only hit 2 putts long all day, you may want to adjust your putting approach to become more aggressive (unless you made all the rest!)... You could create a system for effective visualization (you might realize you don't visualize putts, or drives, and that could be helpful information). Another cagetory to analyze is super bad shots. We try to minimize these of course, but if we have a baseline number of really bad shots, we have something to work with. How many good results come from bad swings? IF we're going to be honest about improving we have to be a little tough on ourselves when it comes to bad swings that had good results. Mark on the course map shots which were swung badly but had a good result (GR). I once hit a thin shot to 5 feet, but felt I had to mark GR. This isn't a bad thing - I realized I was doing this often on approaches from 160-180, and that helped my restructure my practice time to get down better at that distance. If you can tell, mark how many thin or fat shots you hit. (T or F) You can analyze your last 10 rounds front and back - do you tend to rock the front 9 and peter out on the back? Or do you take a few holes to warm up and charge after the turn? You might be surprised at what you find. Generalities: Most golfers are short and right on approach, short in putting. Those are two things about 80-85% could focus on as meaningful metrics to measure improvement. Taking more club from the fairway and putting the ball to the hole or just past can yeild good results fast for the mid-range handicapper. Try practicing a little more before rounds. Most golfers show up, hit a few putts and they are off! That is a great way to maintain, but difficult to improve! Good luck!

[DaButler]

I really like everything in this post. I use swing by swing which tracks a lot of stuff in my golf game but planning everything out and being honest with the number of good contact shots could really help me improve.

[RFKFREAK]

I really like everything in this post. I use swing by swing which tracks a lot of stuff in my golf game but planning everything out and being honest with the number of good contact shots could really help me improve.

I use swing by swing, too.

I really like the app.

I'm guilty of just showing up the course and going right at it instead of hitting some balls at the range beforehand.  I should probably do that more.

[Brian W]

I do something similar.  I use the name row (or initials on the second part of the scorecard) to keep track of my score and puts so a 5 3 would be 5 stokes and 3 puts.  I use the second row for Fairways hit, or Missed Right or Missed Left using F/MR/ML along with GIR and Up and Down (which really can be kept track of by the number of putts in the top row but I like to see how many I can get in a round).  The third row is for bad shots so I use FB (fairway bunker), GB (greenside bunker), OB, and any other notes I would like to take

I do like your idea of further tracking puts either short or long and GR.  I will probably use that from here on out.  I like more scorecard to have a lot of info so I can see how my game is progressing based on how I wanted to practice the week of the round

[newtogolf]

I tried using Swing By Swing, but found that just writing the info on the scorecards was faster and easier.  It also gave me time to review everything when I entered the data into OOBGolf that evening.

[Brian W]

I prefer to write it down and enter later as well.  I currently am using The Grint but found that Your Golf is good too.  I have not tried OOBGolf or Swing by Swing.  What is everyone's favorite app for submitting and tracking scores and information?