Statistics

Well guys what would be the most important stat to collate/record for practice planning.

Why do I ask, I am collating figures as suggested by 'Vision 54'. I have started to record;

- Fairways hit

- G.I.R's

- Up and Downs

- Birdies

- Pars

I get a point for everyone of these.

What do you record??????

VP

Putting is the hardest stat to measure. Up/Downs only gets you the combination of the chip AND putt. You don't know if the chip was good and the putt was not needed, or the chip was horrible and the putt great.

Putts per round gets you closer to a measurement, but the problem is that if you have an iron game and hits a lot of greens, you don't know if this leaves you with a bunch of 2 putts, or if you had hit it really close and missed the putt.

The "Putts/green for only GIR" stat is as close as it gets so far...tracking putts in a separate group for only greens in regulation. Higher handicappers should be allowed to define GIR a bit more leniently to allow any green attempted to reach with a mid iron or a true GIR (for those short Par4's).

I messed around with a stat a few years back that was a bit more involved, but interestingly, the PGA also just started to track in their way. They measure "Proximity to the hole" where top players are around 30'. This includes measurements being anywhere from in the hole (0) and up to 30 yards from the edge of the green on an approach shot (so bunkers come into play). This is to measure approach accuracy.

I want to measure putting accuracy. So I came up with a proximity measurement (on the green only) and added a difficulty factor (breaks and speeds) to each putt. If it was straight, the D-factor was 1. If there was a break to it (more then a cup's width, the D-factor was 2. Double breaks or more then a foot's elevation change would get 3. Each putt was graded and calculated based on:

length remaining after putt / (Df * Length)

This number was then averaged per putt and a quotient was established. This however was way to difficult to maintain and keep a straight head during play, so it was abandoned. But the theory still remains that to truly track putting, a system evaluating this CAN be done. Just hire a caddy to do it for you.

__________________
I'm a golfaholic, no question about that. Counseling wouldn't help me. They'd have to put me in prison, and then I'd talk the warden into building a hole or two and teach him how to play. ~Lee Trevino

So Greg,

30 metres from the hole.

Is this right - collate the shots you have to the green that have left you no more than 30m from the pin. Also focus on the up and down within the 30m mark?

Is this right Greg.

Actually a pretty good key to focus on when going for the flag - the target being 30 m in diametre.

VP

I was saying that the PGA's stat "Proximity to the pin" uses a 30 yard diameter range to count. The best player is averaging 30 feet.

I like to break op your stats into par 3, 4 and 5's to get an idea how I am playing various lengths.

To follow up on my putting stat, I had my brother-in-law in town this weekend and I revisited this calculation again (he has his doctorate in physics from Cornell and is a good person to ask these types of questions).

I told him about my earlier attempt to estimate the putting quotient based on distance, difficulty and return length. He liked the idea (statistically), but came up with a better estimation based on some simple yet elegant algorithms:

(Length of the putt) X (Difficulty factor) = weighted length (x)
Remaining Length = (y) where a made putt y=0

Difficulty factor should be somewhere in the range of 1-2. Imagine a putt so hard that is doubles the length of the putt. This is the interesting part to evaluate, but nevertheless, simple in its application to calculate.

All attempted putts that round are used for the following:
1 - (SUM(y/sqrt(x)) divided by SUM(x^2/sqrt(x)))

This gives you a value where the the closer you are to 100 the better putter you were that day. Long putts hit close to the hole count very good. Long putts actually made only count a little bit better, but not that much more.

e.g.
40 ft length putt,
1.0 difficulty (generally straight),
2 feet from the hole
= 95

40 ft length putt,
1.0 difficulty (generally straight),
10 feet from the hole
= 75

any length putt made = 100, but you get to factor in the actual length of the putt into the overall weighted score.

Do this calculation for every putt for that day and you end up with the overall value.

This gives me the ability to evaluate the actual "quotient" and this is something that would be important to me (to get to your overall first question), because if I make 28 putts one day and 30 putts another. How did I really putt? If the quotient is 87 on the 30 putt day, but 75 on the 28, I would actually say that I putted "better" on the 30 day. Even though I had more putts, it could easily had been because I had harder putts (overall longer length in combination with "harder") that I executed better (left it closer to the hole more often).

I now have the spreadsheet done, and it works perfectly...I can't wait to run it on my Blackberry the next time I play! (anyone who wants it I can forward it to you for a small fee but I already gave you the key calculations above)

__________________
I'm a golfaholic, no question about that. Counseling wouldn't help me. They'd have to put me in prison, and then I'd talk the warden into building a hole or two and teach him how to play. ~Lee Trevino

Been doing a bit of thinking and talking with a couple of mates. The above named stats I would say the two most important are;

- G.I.R's
- Up and Downs.

I have gone over my records for the past month (since starting this process). I have scored well when these two rated well.

Given the other - Fairways, doesn't mean much if the second shot is no good.

Gonna do some more research.

I am not one to keep stats. For me I learned a long time ago that trying to keep stats while on the course golfing, caused me grief with my concentration during the round. Some days I play better than on others, and my score (stat) is it for me. But just for informational purposes on stats I will share this. Not my idea, since I read about this formula on another website. I may have even posted it on this site some where before. I sometimes use it, maye once or twice every 10 rounds or so when I find my game going south. It is only one stat, used with consistancy, and that is what your first putt is for. (Eagle, birdie, par, bogey, or worse) Obviously if you are consistantly putting for an eagle, your long game swing has been great up to that point, and you are on tour some where, or maybe taking time off rehabbing a repaired knee. If your first putt is consistantly for birdie, then you are on the green in regulation, and your prior swings to that point have been more than adequate. Perhaps you are making a decent living on a tour some where. If your consistant first putt is for par, then you are getting information on your short game, and/or your approach game is suspect. In this case you are a force to be reckoned with at your local home tournaments. Bogie means your long game, and/or approach/short game is in definate need of practice. Your are still better than most golfers playing the game today. If your first putt is consistantly worse than bogie, then you should just have fun, and/or think about seeing a qualified golf swing guru if you want to play better. One other piece of information. Once these first putts are marked on you score card, it is pretty easy to replay the round in your head later on to know what part of your game you need to work on. If you are consistantly missing what ever first putt you might have, then of course you need to work on two areas. One might be a better putting stroke, and/or hitting the prior shot closer to the hole to make an easier first putt for yourself.

For what it is worth. GJS

That's a good system GJS, I like it's simplicity and will definitely use it in future. I have tended to only mark number of putts but to mark what you are putting for is so much more informative. Thanks

Love the read Senior.

It makes sense. Thank you.

At the moment I am a combination of all. Saying that though - more often than not, I am putting for par with the odd birdie putt thrown in.

Will do the same as the other Senior aka Brian.

Junior.....

Very good GJS. Never looked at it like that before.

Now then, Now then Junior Many a good tune is played on an old fiddle and I am managing to keep the worst ravages of gravity at bay as this recent photo shows

Just thought I would use Snr's little system for my las round albeit a 4BBB S'ford.

I had 3 misses.

My first putts;

- 7 pars.
- 8 birds.

Had a fun day - the above reflects that. Didn't get on the card much as my partner had 17 more strokes than me to play with.

So from Snr's reasonings I need to work on my putting and chipping.

Amazing cos on a good day I don't hit more than 5 - 8 fairways out of the 14. This day I hit 6.

G.I.R.R - "Green in relative regulation" (or Net GIR)

Calculate GIR based on the number of shots allowed by your handicap.

So if you're an 18 handicap, you are allowed one extra shot per hole. That make GIRR on a par 4 hole "3", since 3 strokes +2 putts makes 5 - your Net Par.

It's a good stat, since it gives you a relevant stat compared to your handicap, not to a scratch player.