Track Stats That Matter For Better Scores

With thousands of dollars riding on every shot, tour players like to track every shot they make. ShotLink (www.shotlink.com) helps Tour players do that. A revolutionary platform for collecting and disseminating statistical data on every shot for every player in real-time, ShotLink provides key information that can benefit all tour players using the system. Tracking stats tells players not only why they’re shooting what they’re shooting, but also what parts of their games need work.

Tracking one’s stats can also help weekend golfers lower their golf handicaps. Unfortunately, weekend players don’t have a ShotLink system to help them. If they want to know critical information about their games, they have to track them themselves. That could be a lot of time and work for weekend players depending on how diligent golfers are. Smart golfers streamline things by tracking only the stats that really matter: total driving, greens in regulation (GIR), up-and-downs, and the number of three-putts per round.

Total Driving

Accuracy is great. But accuracy without distance isn’t. Track not only how many fair-ways you hit but also how far the ball goes. This doesn’t mean you need to belt 300-yard drives every time. Instead, try for “useable accuracy.” Useable accuracy, we tell students in golf lessons, is hitting the fairway with sufficient distance to help the cause. For exam-ple, a player with a golf handicap of 10 hits the fairway about 50 percent of the time with a distance of 225 yards. That’s accuracy with distance.

Also, be more conscious of you’re target—something we emphasize in golf lessons as well. If you’re going to miss, miss on the side with the easiest approach—not out of bounds. That’s what the pros do. They know not only where they want their drives to go and not go. But you don’t have a tour player’s club control, so you must take a different tact. Try playing your natural shot shape away from trouble—even if it means hitting it in the rough. Hitting from the long grass is always better than taking a penalty shot.

Greens In Regulation

Hitting more greens in regulation takes your game to the next level. Pro golfers hit any-where from 60 percent to 70 percent of their greens in regulation (GIR). GIRs can cut scores dramatically. It’s a key stat. A 10-handicapper hits about 39 percent of her greens in regulation. A 20-handicapper hits about 22 percent of them.

To improve GIRS, figure out how far you hit each iron—and not just under perfect conditions. Wind, temperature, elevation, and stress level are just some of the considerations. Once you know how far you hit each iron, pay close attention to how far your target is on the course. Even if you’re off on the distance a little, as we say in golf instruction sessions, your misses will be better. Also, aim for the middle of the green—unless you’re a scratch golfer and the hole fits your shot shape.

Up-And-Downs

Work on mastering the most straightforward short-game shots to dramatically cut your golf handicap. When you feel comfortable hitting these shots, try to give yourself more of these shots. Miss shots in places that facilitate getting up and down —the wide side versus the narrow side. Also, work hard at avoiding the two-chip: When you duff one chip or hit it over the green, then hit a mediocre second chip. Also, work on making the tough ones. The key to a good chip: Take your wrists out of your chipping stroke. Use an arm and shoulder movement with a little body turn, as well tell students in golf instruc-tion sessions.

Three-putt Avoidance

Three-putting tells you how good a putter you are AND of how good your iron play and short game are. If you’re missing greens and chipping poorly, you’ll have a ton of longer approach putts. Since even the pros miss a lot of 8-foot putts, the way to improve your game is to master the 20-, 30-, and 40-foot putts . You must hit these putts to within tap-in range—as I tell students in golf instruction sessions. To do that, work on distance control rather than direction. Also, determine where to leave your lag putt. It’s better to have a five-footer uphill, than a downhill putt with 7 inches of break.

If you’re serious about taking your game to the next level, track the four key stats dis-cussed above—total driving, greens in regulation, up and downs, and the number of three putts per round. These stats will tell you not only why you have the scores you have but where to work on your game to cut strokes from your golf handicap.