Keep Stats

[Rafcin]

skygolf GPS is great for tracking distances. It's a little much (IMHO) but if you're stats fanatic - it's a must have tool. You specify club, shot result (left, right, short, long, target) and once you're at your ball you "mark" the spot to get the distance. The stats you get after a round are awsome - you get not only your min, max and avg distance for each club, you also will have spread of your misses - makes game management and targeted practice so much easier.

[iacas]

skygolf GPS is great for tracking distances. It's a little much (IMHO) but if you're stats fanatic - it's a must have tool. You specify club, shot result (left, right, short, long, target) and once you're at your ball you "mark" the spot to get the distance. The stats you get after a round are awsome - you get not only your min, max and avg distance for each club, you also will have spread of your misses - makes game management and targeted practice so much easier.

I think Dave meant distances from the ball to the hole when you get it on the green. I keep track of the distance of my first putt. It tells me how close I'm hitting it in GIR and how close my up-and-down (chips, sand shots, etc.) are.

[DBake]

DBake:

What stats do I have that you think I do not need to keep?

[iacas]

What stats do I have that you think I do not need to keep?

I keep these stats, and from them I can figure out all other stats:

1. Fairways hit (left/center/right) 2. Greens hit 3. UD and SS percentage 4. # of putts per hole 5. distance of first putt The only reason I keep #3 is so I can differentiate between up and down and sand saves. Otherwise, "missed green, still made par" would suffice. As for combining them, well, I can combine them. I guess technically I should have listed "score" as a stat, but given the above I can do things like figure out what my average score is when I hit the fairway, how frequently I find the right rough and still hit the green (versus the left rough or the fairway), how close my approaches and/or chips and/or sand shots are, and on and on and on.

[NCGolfer]

What stats do I have that you think I do not need to keep?

I think Erik has it right. Looking at your spreadsheet, everything right of 'Scrambling' are interesting stats, but may not be helpful in the long run. I would guess that those might drop off after some time. That's just a guess though. Sometime its fun to look at that type of info over a few years to track progression...so if you think you want it, keep it. Like I said, keep more than you think you'll need.

Recording stats like Erik has shown not only gets a lot of information, but does it in a way that is easy while on the course. This is the method I'll be using next year...

[huphtur]

The only reason I keep #3 is so I can differentiate between up and down and sand saves. Otherwise, "missed green, still made par" would suffice.

what is an "up and down" ?

[DBake]

what is an "up and down" ?

For example on a par 4, tee shot goes in the woods, second shot chip back to the fairway, third shot miss the green in the rough , fourth shot chip to 4 feet, fifth shot 1 put = "up and down"

because you got it close enough on your fourth shot from the rough to make a one put. Say everything is the same but instead of missing the green in the rough you hit sand, fourth shot is sand play and hit it to 6 feet, and on your fifth shot you 1 put again this time it = "sand save" because you got it close enough on your fourth shot from the sand to make a one put. Now, since you understand those there is one more stat we are considered with "Scrambling". For example on par 4, tee shot hits fairway, second shot hits rough or sand than you still one putt for a par = scrambling stat because you still made par on the hole. Compared to up and down/sand save it anything number higher than par. Up and Down is the percent of time a player was able to get 'up and down' when not hitting a green in regulation. Note: This up and down is computed regardless of score on the hole. 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. Scrambling is the percent of time that a player misses the green in regulation, but still makes par or better.

[joel745]

3 is 3, 4 is 4, 5 is 5......what else do you need to know?.lol
everyone just knows on that day what is weak and what is strong part of their game........i just think being to technical and mechanical for a recreational amateur is losing focus on what's really important........getting the ball in the hole !

[iacas]

3 is 3, 4 is 4, 5 is 5......what else do you need to know?.lol

I think many of us are competitive amateurs, or amateurs that want to be more than a recreational amateur.

[DBake]

I think many of us are competitive amateurs, or amateurs that want to be more than a recreational amateur.

+1

[majorchamp]

Yea, I keep stats. Usually the standard

Fairways, Greens, Putts, and up / downs.

If I am on the fringe and I putt, I don't consider that a green in regulation.

In college, we always had to fill out stats at the end of our rounds/tournaments and our coach would print out our stats at the end of every month for us to review.

It got pretty detailed.

[Ben]

Stats shmats, that's what I say!

[NM Golf]

I keep the stat DP (drives in play) I think it is more important, to me at least, than fairways hit. I tend to bomb it a bit on certain courses and holes and even though I might miss the fairway it has been a calculated risk and I might even be in better shape than someone in the fairway. Does anyone else keep a stat like this?

Also I told my father who is a very good golfer and has won just about every tournament there is around here about keeping stats. His reply "Only two stats matter, your score and how much money you won" He may be on to something.

[iacas]

I keep the stat DP (drives in play) I think it is more important, to me at least, than fairways hit. I tend to bomb it a bit on certain courses and holes and even though I might miss the fairway it has been a calculated risk and I might even be in better shape than someone in the fairway. Does anyone else keep a stat like this?

I don't. I know what holes I can do that on or how a course fares in general, so I know whether I can be a little looser on a course or whether I really want to be in the fairway. "Drives in Play" is a weak stat because what if you slice one but happen to have a shot into the green? Does that count? Who knows? I get all I need from my DA stat, mentally adjusted depending on the course and conditions.

Also I told my father who is a very good golfer and has won just about every tournament there is around here about keeping stats. His reply "Only two stats matter, your score and how much money you won" He may be on to something.

He's not on to something. I'm not trying to insult your dad here, but PGA Tour pros, to a man, know what their stats are. They look at them and work on them. They use them religiously. If you're way, way back in putting every week, you ain't gonna be doing well on the two stats your dad says are all that matter.

In other words, they may be all that matter, but it's all those other stats your dad is implying don't matter that determine how good his "two stats" really are.

[NM Golf]

I don't. I know what holes I can do that on or how a course fares in general, so I know whether I can be a little looser on a course or whether I really want to be in the fairway. "Drives in Play" is a weak stat because what if you slice one but happen to have a shot into the green? Does that count? Who knows? I get all I need from my DA stat, mentally adjusted depending on the course and conditions.

The DP stat I spoke of does not apply to weak shots that by dumb luck end up alright. It gives me the freedom to show myself in my stats whether or not I am hitting the driver the way I want to or not. There are holes where I hit the driver exactly where I want to but don't end up in the fairway. For instance there is a hole at my home course where there is big trouble left, the fairway crunches in to about 10 yards wide and there is a large area right that is rough but there is no trouble at all and it leaves about 90 yards to the green. I always aim at the right edge of that fairway if I hit it straight I have a 50/50 chance of being in the rough. To me it is an important stat to MY game. I rely a lot on my length, it is my strength, and I give up alittle in accuracy sometimes. The Drives in play stat tells me whether or not I need to reign it in some or not. To count sh#$ty drives that end up alright would be counter productive as would only counting fairways as both would give me statistical information that would not help me improve.

[iacas]

The DP stat I spoke of does not apply to weak shots that by dumb luck end up alright. It gives me the freedom to show myself in my stats whether or not I am hitting the driver the way I want to or not. There are holes where I hit the driver exactly where I want to but don't end up in the fairway. For instance there is a hole at my home course where there is big trouble left, the fairway crunches in to about 10 yards wide and there is a large area right that is rough but there is no trouble at all and it leaves about 90 yards to the green. I always aim at the right edge of that fairway if I hit it straight I have a 50/50 chance of being in the rough. To me it is an important stat to MY game. I rely a lot on my length, it is my strength, and I give up alittle in accuracy sometimes. The Drives in play stat tells me whether or not I need to reign it in some or not. To count sh#$ty drives that end up alright would be counter productive as would only counting fairways as both would give me statistical information that would not help me improve.

The point of a statistic is to be rather binary: either you did something or you didn't. You've left room for judgment - your own judgment - which I consider alien to good stats keeping.

That's all.

[All4Golf]

I keep the stat DP (drives in play) I think it is more important, to me at least, than fairways hit. I tend to bomb it a bit on certain courses and holes and even though I might miss the fairway it has been a calculated risk and I might even be in better shape than someone in the fairway. Does anyone else keep a stat like this?

I do and find it contributes to a positive outlook when you start a hole.

Regards, Todd All4Golf

[NM Golf]

The point of a statistic is to be rather binary: either you did something or you didn't. You've left room for judgment - your own judgment - which I consider alien to good stats keeping.

The point of keeping statistics for me is to use them to better myself as a player. You are right it does bring judgement into the the picture but I tend to be tough on myself, and as I do not share my stats with anyone it would do no good to artificially inflate them. I still keep a fairways hit stat and it its important especially on a course where I hit a lot of 2 irons and 3 woods off of the tee. (By the way I only have a DIP stat for my driver because if I am hitting another club off the tee it is because fairway and only fairway is the premium.) So whatever it does not really matter as what works for someone might not work for another.