Keep Stats

[skrumple]

During high school we have to and our coach keeps them posted in the hall way for the whole schhol to see. Luckily mine wernt too bad. 1.6 putts per whole ain't bad.

[DBake]

I'm working with a friend of mine on some golf statistics software for the desktop. Of course, it only applies if you've got a Mac, and it'll be out in a few months - after my golf season is over, probably - but it's coming. Should cost around $19.

How did that software turn out?

[DBake]

Once I start to play golf again I am going to keep stats, the question is what stats should I keep. I plan to use excel to keep them. As I look at the PGAtour.com stats page right now I am planning to keep the following stats: fairways in reg, greens in reg, putts per around, Putts per GIR, Putts per MGIR, sand save %, up and downs %.

Also maybe these, avg driving distance, ball striking, scrambling, bounce back, par breaker.

What you guys think?

[iacas]

First, what kind of computer do you use?

Second, regardless of the kind of computer you use, get some software to do this for you. And beware of software that asks you for too much information, because then it will become boring and you won't want to do it.

I am working with my friend Brad on some software for the Mac that's tailored a little bit to the way I've kept stats. Here's how I'll do them on the course. It uses three boxes.

First box: I write the score for the hole. In the lower right corner I write the number of putts. In the upper right I draw an arrow pointing up, left, or right. The arrow indicates whether I found the fairway or missed it (and to which side).

Second box: I write the distance of my first putt. This not only lets me see how good my iron play is (when I hit the GIR), but also how good my short game is because...

Third box: I write G for GIR. If I get up and down or a sand save, I write UD or SS. If I have the chance to do so and fail, I write UD or SS with a line through it.

Now I can calculate all sorts of stats, including nearly all the ones you listed.

Average driving distance is a stupid stat, I think. "Ball Striking" you can't compute because it's a combination of ranks on the PGA Tour... Scrambling you can compute by looking at UD and SS percentages... or look at UD/SS independently. Bounce back is fine, and Par Breaker I wouldn't worry about for a 9 handicap - but any software should be able to break your scores down, too, like "1% birdie, 37% par, 40% bogey, 22% double or higher" or whatever.

If you play the same course a lot, getting per-hole statistics can help. Maybe you're always finding a bunker on a par 3 or you never hit the fairway on a certain par 4 because the shape of the shot is something that doesn't sit well with you.

Regardless, keeping very little info on the card, I have a whole lot of statistics I can get.

(My software will be available in the spring. It's 90% done, though, so we may let some people see it before then.)

[DBake]

I use a PC, and I realized the Ball Striking stat once I reread the message I left. I remember seeing your article on this before, and the image you left with it. I think I am going to try to do my stats on excle, if it does work out I might go to a stats software.

[iacas]

I use a PC, and I realized the Ball Striking stat once I reread the message I left. I remember seeing your article on this before, and the image you left with it. I think I am going to try to do my stats on excle, if it does work out I might go to a stats software.

If you can't keep bare bones stats, you may not have the discipline to actually keep up with a stats program, so starting simple is a good idea.

[DBake]

Question on Up and Down, Say I hit the fairway on a par, next shot goes off the green into the rough so I missed my green in regulation, for my thrid shoot I chip in. Does this count as an Up/Down with 0 putts?

[Everardo]

So far I've tried over 10 different stat trackers and haven't found one that combines good stats and reports, then again I want it all so I'm making my own.

All of them track the basics like fairways, GIR's and putts though. I like having the info and it gives me a goal for every round I play.

[LarryK]

I started too but it got to time comsuming.

Below my score for each hole I enter an "F" or "R" for fairway or rough. Unlike some others, I don't track the direction of my misses. Sounds like a good idea, though.

Below the F or R I put the number of strokes it took to reach the green and then the number of putts to hole out. Thus, an F above a 2/2 on a par 4 indicates I hit the fairway, was on in regulation, and two-putted for a par (hey, sometimes it actually happens). From those three simple pieces of information (easily entered between holes), I've got fairway percentage, GIR, and putts per round. One other stat I have found helpful I simply call "other" I add 18 (the number of tee shots) to my total putts per round and subtract that number from my total score. That gives me that total strokes I have "wasted" between the tee and green. If you are a scratch golfer hitting 100% GIR, that number should be 18. For most of us, it will be considerably more. If I'm playing well, I'll get that number in the upper 20s to low 30s. Anything higher, and I'm in trouble. I also track penalty strokes. Nothing else paints as graphic a picture of the cost of not keeping the ball in play.

[iacas]

Question on Up and Down, Say I hit the fairway on a par 4, next shot goes off the green into the rough so I missed my green in regulation, for my thrid shoot I chip in. Does this count as an Up/Down with 0 putts?

Did you miss the green yet still manage to get a par or better?

How many putts did you take? Up and downs have nothing to do with putts. I think you can only get one - an up and down or a sand save - per hole, but "par or better" is the determinant. You may want to change your method of calculation to include anything you reasonably have a chance to get up and down on, too. In other words, if you miss the fairway and pitch out sideways and still have 170 to the green, and put it on and two-putt, you may not want to count that against yourself as a failed up and down. But if you do get up and down from 170, you can't count that for yourself. There are a few ways to keep stats: 1) like they do on the PGA Tour, which is tough if you're not a low handicapper, because there are a lot of instances where a pro might get a stat but you can't reasonably expect to. If your up-and-down percentage is 5% because you miss a lot of fairways and pitch out and two putt for bogeys, well, then that's not really telling you much and your stats don't actually help you see where you can save strokes. It looks like your short game sucks, but really it's the big misses with the tee (in this contrived example). 2) your own way - you might consider everything inside of 50 yards as "an up and down possibility." anything outside that doesn't count. If you do go this route, the only thing I can say is be consistent, or else your stats become meaningless.

[DBake]

I guess my question was a little long winded, does it count as an up and down if you chip in for birdie? "Par 4, fairway drive, miss green, chip in for a 3"

[iacas]

I guess my question was a little long winded, does it count as an up and down if you chip in for birdie? "Par 4, fairway drive, miss green, chip in for a 3"

Yeah.

Scrambling for the PGA Tour says "This is the percent of time that a player misses the green in regulation, but still makes par or better." Note that for Sand Saves, it's a little different: Sand Saves is the percent of time a player was able to get 'up and down' once in a greenside sand bunker. Note: This up and down is computed regardless of score on the hole. In other words, if you reach a greenside bunker on a par 5 in two and make par, that's not a sand save. But if it takes you four to reach that same bunker and you make 6 on the hole, it is a sand save.

[DBake]

Yeah.

Ok, that makes sense. Thanks iacas

[You'reAway]

I use Golf Wits to plan and record my rounds.

[DBake]

First off I would like to give credit to Dave Koster I got this idea and from his article here on TST, you can read the article here

http://thesandtrap.com/archives/the_...tats_yours.php .

I took his idea and added more stats. More stats that I think would very good information to keep track of my game. Each head line has a comment box with the definition of the stat. For example, Birdie Conversion "This is the percent of time a player makes birdie or better after hitting the green in regulation." and so on. I also will be keeping driving distance, in which I will use two drives, one heading one direction and the other heading the opposite direction and than average them to get my average driving distance for that day, just like the PGA tour uses (I may, if the course allows it. To do 4 drives two on the front, two on the back still both in opposite directions). With all that stats I will be keeping I will only half to keep track for each hole is the score, if I hit a fairway, hit a green, putts on the whole. Any for 2 holes (maybe 4) figure the drive distance. I will try to keep all this information just like Eric does with on his score card seen in this thread,

http://thesandtrap.com/forum/showthread.php?t=852 .

I am use some of you are going to think this is way too much or overbore or whatever, but I like to do things myself and I think it is going to work, we will find out next summer when I begin to play again. Let me know what you think.

[upandown]

Ever hear of paralysis analysis?

I used to keep everything.
It became a chore.

Now I keep nothing.
It's become a game, again.
And, I score better.

[iacas]

Ever hear of paralysis analysis?

I spend a few minutes - if that - looking at my stats each week. The stats application I have makes it that simple. It does all the analysis for me, and if it ever gets paralyzed, why, I force quit the thing and launch it again.

No paralysis here, in other words. Just a few minutes per month spent improving my game when I can't be on the golf course.

[NCGolfer]

DBake:

Very cool. I'm going to make some revisions to my spreadsheet as well. I don't think I'll add nearly as much as you have, but there are a few things I'd like to track that I never have before that I can if I modify my scorekeeping like Erik's. The things I'm interested in are length (I've never really tracked this before) and direction...which way I'm missing fairways and greens.

I think you are headed in the right direction. I'm for tracking as many stats as you find useful. You might throw out a few of them, but it's better to track more than you think you may need.

Good stuff.