The 4 most important golf statistics to track
GOLF Top 100 instructor Jim Murphy shares the four most important golf statistics players can learn from to improve their game.
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While your score doesn’t always reflect what you did well or where you struggled on the golf course, stats from your round are like an MRI – they tell you exactly what you need to know.
Since the quickest way to see improvement is to work on your weaknesses, you first need to figure out what they are.
Because there are so many golf apps that can track every shot during a round, GOLF Top 100 instructor Jim Murphy explains which statistics are most important to focus on to see improvement. And since not all numbers are created equal, Murphy provides his insights below.
These golf statistics are most important for immediate improvement
From fairway shots to greens in regulation to the number of putts made during a round, most players enjoy keeping track of their stats during a round. This makes sense, because this is the best way to find out your strengths and weaknesses. But Murphy says you should focus most on the following four golf stats!
1. 3-putts
It’s hard to get better at this game if you can’t putt – and 3-putting is like throwing away strokes, so it’s important to monitor the time you spend doing it during a round.
Every player should aim to avoid 3-putts. So work on things like lag putting and speed control, as well as 3-foot putts to start making improvements.
2. Free rides
Many players like to track the number of “fairway hits” during a round, but Murphy says it’s an overrated golf statistic.
Instead, he suggests changing this value slightly to reflect how many drives you have in a playable position for your next shot without an obstacle (e.g. a tree, deep rough, or a difficult lie).
Hitting the fairways is too limiting and a player may only hit four fairways in a round and feel like they are not good off the tee. But if the other drives were all playable, then they would be better than the numbers suggest.
3. Unforced penalties
Golf is already a tough game, but it can be debilitating when you encounter penalties that add unnecessary strokes to your scorecard.
These penalties include things like going out, hitting water hazards, landing in penalty areas, or doing things that result in more shots during a hole (which can even be misses, such as rough iron shots). from the fairway).
4. Mental errors
One of the most challenging things about golf is this: you have to hold on to every shot.
Just when you hit a nice shot and just need to hit it onto the green to have a chance at birdie, you decide to use the wrong club – and cost him a stroke (or more!).
Or if you’re in the rough and have trees in your line of sight, try hitting a hero shot instead of just hitting it back to the fairway.
These are both examples of bad mental mistakes that will inevitably cost you shots during a round.
After your round, go back and add up how many times it cost you a shot or two – if it’s more than one per round, you definitely need to play smarter next time.
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