Counting Putts

[slackhouse]

So, I started counting putts today for the first time. I shot a 95 on a par 72, which is my best round yet (I just started playing this summer). But, I was most surprised that I putted 32 times. That is by far the best I've done putting. I only 3 putted once, 1.7 putts per hole.

[rmgr]

I don't see how by just counting them would really help your score. I should start counting them, and that way I can keep track of how I'm improving.

[lamebums]

Yes, indirectly. When I found out I shot a 92 with 45 putts for example, it doesn't take a genius to know that putting's killing my game. Keeping track of stats and then comparing it to how other people are doing tells you where you're strong, and where you need work. Four months ago putting was the bane of my existence, now I can almost always two putt, even from eighty feet, because I knew what to work on and improved in that category.

[aidanmcg33]

Yes i shot 97 the other day and my best round to date but i took 40 puts, if i had of taken a few less puts and cut out some really stupid chips then i could have broke 90. And two of my puts sat on the lip of the hole!! Im finding that just keeping track of my puts is helping me track my progress in better detail and giving me more of an idea of where i need to work more.

[jcrew]

no, all it does is it tells me that i'm a terrible putter
what's actually going to help is spending a lot of time on the practice green

[Benefactor]

  slackhouse said:

So, I started counting putts today for the first time. I shot a 95 on a par 72, which is my best round yet (I just started playing this summer). But, I was most surprised that I putted 32 times. That is by far the best I've done putting. I only 3 putted once, 1.7 putts per hole.

It's not hard to only have 32 putts when you probably missed every single green in regulation.

[blue_crush]

  rmgr said:

I don't see how by just counting them would really help your score. I should start counting them, and that way I can keep track of how I'm improving.

acually after I voted and thought about it...

counting your putts doesn't make you putt any better. what it does is to show that you may need some practice on putting and if you do practice and get better it will show with fewer putts per round, so no counting putts doesn't make you putt better, practice makes you putt better.

[doublesuited77]

no but practicing putting does.

the number of putts in a given round really depends on how many greens you hit and how close you can hit the ball to the pin.

The only way counting putts makes any sense is if you are keeping track by putt length.

e.g. if you improve from 10 feet out from 40% to 60% then that is much more meaningful than improving from 31 putts to 29 putts.

[allin]

Yes assuming you separate out the puts per GIR and pay special attention to any 3 putt greens. This way you can identify areas of weakness and focus on them. Total putts per round isn't enough.

[Fourputt]

By itself, counting putts does NOT improve your putting. Only practice can improve your putting. Tracking stats can only point out where you need to spend your practice time.

In fact, just counting putts can be a very misleading statistic, because a low number of putts may simply tell you that you are missing a lot of greens and then making short putts after chipping. If you are going to track them, you need to track greens in regulation, chips (and approximately how close you chip), and putts (with how far you start from).

I'd rather have 36 putts with 18 greens in regulation than have 25 putts with only 2 or 3 greens hit.

[getinthehole]

No, because this would just put me off, and make me try too hard on putting.

[JumpHigh_HitHard]

I like to track most of my stats (putts, GIRs, fairways, and even how close my approach shots are). So afterwards I can where I am hemorraging shots, and determine if I usually 3-putt from 70 feet or 10 feet.

I have been keeping these stats all summer, and I am starting to paint a really clear picture of my game, and where I need improvement.

[Sowbug2000]

  JumpHigh_HitHard said:

I like to track most of my stats (putts, GIRs, fairways, and even how close my approach shots are). So afterwards I can where I am hemorraging shots, and determine if I usually 3-putt from 70 feet or 10 feet.

I track my stats too....Fairway, GIR, Number of putts. How do you specifically track your game......can you track on the scorecard, do you printout form....if so, can you provide example.

Good point about the chips....I probably putt under 2 per hole...but I don't hit many GIRs either. Thanks for the tips!

[AndrewM]

I shot 73 a couple nights ago (on the course that hosts the final stage of q-school, from the "q-school tees") hitting 16 greens.... So, I had more putts than the original poster, and yes my putting was TERRIBLE!

total number of putts doesnt address everything as others have said...

its best to evaluate weaknesses:

lag putting
short putts
6'-10'
any 3 putts

etc

[JumpHigh_HitHard]

  Sowbug2000 said:

I track my stats too....Fairway, GIR, Number of putts. How do you specifically track your game......can you track on the scorecard, do you printout form....if so, can you provide example.

I keep all my stats on the scorecard, but there are some nice templates on-line.

I usually use the line on the scorecard below my score to track my stats: I put a number to record my putts (1,2,3, 5 ), a circle around that number if I hit the fairway, a dot on the lower right hand corner if I hit the GIR, and a dot in the lower left hand corner if I had a penalty stroke. I then write the distance of my first putt in the line below that. This is just my method, but you can pick any marks you want to denote your stats; it is really up to you. Sounds complicated and time-consuming, but once you get used to it, it becomes as natural as writing down all those 2's and 3's on your scorecard (ok, maybe not that natural).

[Sowbug2000]

  JumpHigh_HitHard said:

I keep all my stats on the scorecard, but there are some nice templates on-line.

By 2's and 3's do you mean doubles and triples???? I'm trying to get rid of those!!! Ha!!!

By distance of your first putt....you mean the distance to the hole before you putt, right? Thanks, good tip.

[slackhouse]

  Benefactor said:

It's not hard to only have 32 putts when you probably missed every single green in regulation.

no need to be an ass. i hit 4 GIRs. not great, but i have only been playing for 4 months. i know guys who've been playing for 30 years who shoot the same as me.

[Kperkins]

I think that counting putts alone is not that valuable.

Each hole has a 2 putt rating for par.

Par 3 is a drive and 2 putts,
Par 4 is a drive, approach and 2 putts,
Par 5 is obviously drive, 2 approach, and 2 putts.

In order to accurately track where your game is having problems, I feel you need to track Fairways, Greens, Chips, and Putts. I consider chips anything inside 35 yards.

The goal should be not more than 36 chips and putts combined, because that allows you to track your up and downs as well as your legit fairway+green+2 putt pars.

Additionally, it's valuable to track OBs, Hazards, sandys, etc. I pretty much use a 4 person scorecard just for my game.