Has scorecard helped?

I was reading Scragger's thread about putting scores, then it strikes me: I don't think my scorecards have helped me improve my game. Sure, it gives me feedback as to the overall health of my game, but I have not been able to leverage that information further.

I feel that after each round, I already know what part of my game is lacking, and analyzing the scorecard does not help.

Am I completely missing the point? What do you think? Apologies for contradicting the previous thread, I am simply scratching my head.

Some times the round is not that obvious what needs to be focused on first as the top cause. Keeping the card will also help keep a trending record for past analysis.

I use a free golfstatistics site called "golfvenner.dk" (which mean "golffriends" in danish).
It's a danish site, but it's available in english and supports any course (since you can enter them yourselves).

For every hole, I record ...

• Score
• Stableford points (calculated automatically)
• Fairways hit
• Fairwaybunkers hit
• Greens hit in regulation (calculated automatically)
• Greens hit in regulation plus stroke allocation (calculated automatically)
• Greenbunkers hit
• Sandsaves made
• Putts

And the site gives me extensive stats and visual representations of the data, making it extremely easy to see the trends and find the areas you need to focus on to improve the most.

It looks something like this ...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3617/...97d4f1_b_d.jpg

I can highly recommend that approach.

__________________
//Mox
2009 bag:
Mizuno MX-700 460cc 10.5* Aldila VS Proto 65 stiff. (I need a 9,5* though) :-(
Mizuno MX-700 3w 15* Aldila VS Proto stiff.
Mizuno MX-700 5w 18* Aldila VS Proto stiff.
Mizuno MX-700 3i Hybrid 20* Aldila NV stiff.
Mizuno MP-60e forged 5i-PW True Temper Dynamic gold R300 steel
Mizuno MP Black OX raw haze 50/6 GW, 54/9 SW, 58/10 LW
Heavy Putter B3-M
Titleist NXT Extreme

I have a spreadsheet that may go to the extreme (but you asked if there is anything that can help improve your putting). It calculates a putting quotient based on length, difficulty factor and the length remaining for each putt. It was more of an exercise to see if it could be done and if it made sense, and I thought it would be interesting to include here.

It's a way to determine from round to round just "Jut how well did I putt today?"

It does not care about how "many" but how "well". You can easily evaluate the number of putts per round, but that never really told you how well you putted. So taking the length and a factor (you determine), and how far you left the putt from the hole, I can get you a value to help evaluate your overall %. 100% is perfect putting. You would have 18 putts (from any length). But a 40ft putt to within 2ft = 95% vs. 40ft to within 4ft = 90%, vs. 40ft to within 20 ft = 50%...you get it. Take all those putts and average them up and you get a total %.

Test it out and let me know if this is interesting.

Attached Files

putting quotient.zip (5.2 KB, 4 views)

__________________
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

I posted this before on this website. Perhaps it will help.

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."

These systems are very detailed and do hold useful statistics. I just cant understand how you have enough time to consider, remember and record all this detail while playing. I often find it difficult enough to find time to fill in the score sheet at times

No question that these stats and methods are for the statistically minded individual. You have to be in a position to want to get to the next level and doing that by focusing on specific areas...what areas? Well, help figure it out through stats.

Otherwise, just play and have fun.

I assure you Greg that I am passionate about getting to the next level but tend to know where I have to focus without recording stats. Just the way it works for me I guess

Well, regardless of any stats, knowing what you know about the weak parts of your game, then practice more on those weak parts, with out neglecting the stronger parts of your game. Just remember to practice with a target in mind at all times. I sometimes play rounds of golf where I don't even keep a score and/or stats. There is something special about just walking along to my next shot, enjoying the day, watching others struggle, while others are hitting golf shots. Those days are usually my best scoring days. I did not keep score, but I just know I played well. GJS

Thanks for all your replies. Some of them raised a few eyebrows (in a good way). I can see how these analyses can be helpful.

I don't think I am able to do such extensive record keeping when playing, so I am still more in the same camp with Brian and GolfJunkie, as I think a typical scorecard does not offer more insight than my faulty memory.