Play Better Golf Thorugh Tracking Stats

My dad and I went and played Ute Creek yesterday in Longmont, Colorado and I decided to show the stats I track every round of golf and why they’re important. I encourage everyone to keep track throughout the season. Feedback is critical and can be used in so many positive ways moving forward.

Above is yesterday’s scorecard. Why are the stats I track important and how do I use the numbers?

If you haven’t already figured out the “F” and “G” stand for fairways and greens. The rest is self explanatory.

Yesterday’s round positive for a number of reasons. I was happy with the score but more excited about the process I went through to shoot that score. My goal for the day was to pick small targets. I told myself on the first tee that if I picked very specific targets for all 18 holes, the round was a success regardless of score. In the past, I’ve had the habit of aiming at the fairway or the green which are both very large targets. Yesterday I was finding a specific tree or a window in a house off in the distance. I remember the best shot I hit all day was a 5 iron on the 15thhole, a 210 yard par 3. I stood behind the ball and picked a red post behind the green that was supporting a deck in someone’s back yard. That was the only thing I focused on in my pre-shot routine. This particular par 3 has a pond on the right and a bunker on the left. It’s a critical shot. That post was so clear in my mind that I can still see it today. This is what I mean by “specific targets”.

The second reason the round was successful is the 28 putts. I have been tracking my putting stats all season long and 28 is a strong number for me. I was particularly excited because I’ve been working seriously on my putting stroke at home and it’s fun to see it pay off on the course. Read my previous blog post titled “Shocking Stats About Putting” from September 22nd. It has valuable information about building a solid stroke somewhere besides the local putting green.

Now on to the stats. Here is what I have noticed this season from the data.
1. When I putt well, I shoot good scores. I very easlily could have shot 78 yesterday; the putter saved my round. And the same will be true for everyone who plays. Many a bad hole can be saved with only 1 putt. Work extra hard with the putter. It’s the most used club in the bag.
2. I miss most fairways to the right. You can’t see “right” or “left” on my card above but I’ve made mental notes all year. This is good to know for a couple reasons. It’s good because it means my misses are fairly consistent. The bad news, being a right handed golfer, is I’m not releasing the club on shots missed to the right. This is not a good habit to build. Accuracy and power are directly related to releasing the club at the target. The data gives me clear directions on how to spend my practice time moving forward.
3. Greens in Regulation is such a key stat and yesterday was not spectacular. I hit 10 of 18 greens which is just over 50 percent. Looking back at the round, I missed 3 or 4 because I made poor club selections. These are mental mistakes I made and they need to be fixed. I remember 3 shots in particular where I tried to swing hard instead of grabbing 1 more club and staying smooth. After all these years, I should know better. Next time will be different.

A couple more things from yesterday that are not recorded on the card due to a lack of room. I missed the 9th green with a 9 iron and I remember not being comfortable over the ball before the swing. This is not acceptable and it frustrates me that I didn’t back off and regroup. I can live with bad shots as long as I go through my routine, get comfortable and make the swing. What is not ok, is making unnecessary mental errors. I’m the guy writing the blog about working on the mind! I’ll have you know that I too am a work in progress.

Another really important key; track the good data as well. I hit a sand shot to 2 feet yesterday and saved par. That was a great shot to record. I made 3, 10 foot putts for par. And I hit every fairway on the front nine. These stats get recorded as well. Keep a running log of all your great shots to read before every round of golf. It does wonders for establishing the right state of mind before teeing off.

The numbers don’t lie! Track a few simple stats in your game and watch how it will guide your practice time and focus moving forward. Anyone looking to play better golf needs to know the numbers.

Good luck. Please check back soon!

Mike Snyder

Twitter: @Mike_Snyder

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