Counting Putts from Off Green?

[Dave325]

I have just started to tracking my playing stats, like fairways hit, GIR, nGIR and putts, etc.  On this last one.... Putts...  I was wondering about when you are off the fringe and decide to use your putter. Officially, do you consider this a putt, or a chip with just the use of a putter?

[saevel25]

11 minutes ago, Dave325 said:

I have just started to tracking my playing stats, like fairways hit, GIR, nGIR and putts, etc.  On this last one.... Putts...  I was wondering about when you are off the fringe and decide to use your putter. Officially, do you consider this a putt, or a chip with just the use of a putter?

Not a putt. 

For me putts are only on the green. Anything off the green is a short game shot. Though I am not sure if Game Golf puts this in the strokes gained short game or not. 

I think a good stat might be distance of putts made between 3 feet and 25 feet is a pretty good estimate of a good putting day. The odds of making anything outside 25 feet are slim. 

I would say if you have 50 ft of putts made and one of them is a 45 footer compared to something where you have 3-4 15-20 footers. 

[DrvFrShow]

If the ball is off the green, Game Golf doesn't consider it a putt even if you use your putter.

[David in FL]

I stick with the same standard that those that track tour stats use.  If it's on the green, it's a putt.  Anything other than that can lead to inconsistent stats as the definition becomes subjective, and can change from day to day simply because of your choice in club.  The green is always defined...

Fwiw, I also prefer to look at putts per GIR, as more helpful than total putts.  

[DaveP043]

I'm going to disagree with the other posters a little.  When you're keeping statistics for your personal use, you can define them in any that seems most useful to you.  If you choose to define a putt to include use of the putter from a foot or two into the fringe,  that's just fine with me, as long as you find it useful.  Of course, if you're using a "non-standard" definition like that, you should ONLY use it in your own analysis, not for comparison to anyone else.  If you ARE going to post them in a forum here, or compare to anyone else, you should definitely use the "standard" definition.

[Golfingdad]

1 hour ago, Dave325 said:

I have just started to tracking my playing stats, like fairways hit, GIR, nGIR and putts, etc.  On this last one.... Putts...  I was wondering about when you are off the fringe and decide to use your putter. Officially, do you consider this a putt, or a chip with just the use of a putter?

My answer to this question is always the same: it doesn't matter how you define it as long as you're consistent.  After all, this is for your information only.

That said, I tend to agree with others that the easiest way to stay consistent is to just define a putt as anything on the green only.

[Beachball]

If its on the green, I count it as a putt.  If I'm off the green then I don't.  I use many different clubs to chip depending on the lie, the distance and situation.  Just because I may use my putter instead of my 8 iron, or 52 degree I still consider it a chip if I'm off the green.

 

[Dave325]

Thanks everyone for all the great response.  That helps and answers my question. Thanks. 

[iacas]

2 hours ago, Dave325 said:

I have just started to tracking my playing stats, like fairways hit, GIR, nGIR and putts, etc.  On this last one.... Putts...  I was wondering about when you are off the fringe and decide to use your putter. Officially, do you consider this a putt, or a chip with just the use of a putter?

A putt is a ball hit from on the green.

2 hours ago, saevel25 said:

I think a good stat might be distance of putts made between 3 feet and 25 feet is a pretty good estimate of a good putting day. The odds of making anything outside 25 feet are slim.

Not a good way.

Over 18 holes, the potential for small sample sizes to skew that are high. You could have days where you have a lot of 10 footers and days where you have a lot of 22 footers.

1 hour ago, DaveP043 said:

I'm going to disagree with the other posters a little.  When you're keeping statistics for your personal use, you can define them in any that seems most useful to you.  If you choose to define a putt to include use of the putter from a foot or two into the fringe,  that's just fine with me, as long as you find it useful.  Of course, if you're using a "non-standard" definition like that, you should ONLY use it in your own analysis, not for comparison to anyone else.  If you ARE going to post them in a forum here, or compare to anyone else, you should definitely use the "standard" definition.

Though I agree, I concur with others that the easiest way is to stay consistent with how most everyone else does things. They tend to balance themselves out - the balls that find the fringe close to the hole and the balls that find the green far from the hole.

[vangator]

So, if you chip from the green, is it a putt or a chip?  This is a serious question because I can chip much more consistent from long range than I can putt.  I've thought about chipping from the green on long shots.  I'm sure the golf course would have a heart attack (and kick me off), but I pick the ball clean when I chip.  I don't take any turf.  The greens at my course are so bad, they would never know.

[iacas]

11 minutes ago, vangator said:

So, if you chip from the green, is it a putt or a chip?  This is a serious question because I can chip much more consistent from long range than I can putt.  I've thought about chipping from the green on long shots.  I'm sure the golf course would have a heart attack (and kick me off), but I pick the ball clean when I chip.  I don't take any turf.  The greens at my course are so bad, they would never know.

Also a putt.

And… learn to hit longer putts better. It's not that difficult.

[vangator]

1 minute ago, iacas said:

Also a putt.

And… learn to hit longer putts better. It's not that difficult.

I'm trying.........  I did putt much better today.  I think I may have rediscovered what I used to do when I was a decent putter.  Can't wait until next round.

BTW, I thought it would count as a putt the same way using a putter off the green is still a chip.

[Dave325]

5 minutes ago, iacas said:

Also a putt.

And… learn to hit longer putts better. It's not that difficult.

Agreed! I have improved a lot with my long putts since Erik taught me some of key principles to good putting. Two of them were using the backstroke and follow through as the same distance on either side of the ball and use a quicker stroke at always the same speed.  I may not explaining this right, but Erik can clarify. 

But don't want to get off topic. Oh wait, we are discussing putts here.