Do you keep track of your statistics on the golf course?
The statistic that I hear most golfers talk about is the number of fairways hit during a round of golf. For one reason, or another, many of you are convinced that your scores will be lower if you could just learn to hit more fairways.
There are plenty of statistics to keep track of, but by focusing on just two it can help you learn to shoot lower scores. And the best part of it all is that hitting more fairways isn’t one of them.
The numbers I am most interested in tracking with my students is number of greens in regulation, and number of putts.
These stats alone can help predict the score you will shoot.
Begin with these two numbers: 18 and 36. Eighteen represents the possible number of greens you can hit in regulation, and 36 represents your total putts if you were to two-putt each hole.
Keeping these numbers in mind, a player who shoots even par should expect to hit approximately 12 greens and have 30 putts.
This would be based on the idea of a player missing six greens in regulation, but having six one-putts to balance out the score.
Let’s take this a bit further.
Many of you may have a goal of simply playing bogey golf on a consistent basis. This would mean your scores would range between the high 80s and low 90s.
By avoiding any major mistakes during your round, you should be able to play bogey golf by learning to average 36 putts per round. You might occasionally chip close to the hole and take only one putt, while on another hole you may take as many as three putts. Either way, by averaging two putts per hole, you will most likely be scoring closer to your target number.
Keeping statistics on the golf course can be a great learning tool. By tracking certain numbers, you will be better equipped to focus on the areas holding you back from shooting your desired scores.
Begin keeping track of the number of greens you hit in regulation and the number of putts taken. These stats will go a long way in allowing you to predict the scores you are shooting.
