grinter001
4 minutes
We all keep score every time we play golf, however very few of us record that score and use it to calculate longer term performance stats and golf handicap. Even though it is actually a lot simpler than it sounds.
The problem is that 1) it takes a while to have enough data and 2) after a round of golf most people just want to grab a beer. Point number 1 is still valid, however point 2 is no longer valid as there are great golf apps out there (e.g. TheGrint.com) that allow you to keep score or in the case of TheGrint even upload your score just by taking a picture of your scorecard.
Well, there are basically 2 main reasons, the first is to understand which areas to work on in your practice sessions. The second reason, and perhaps more important, is to be able to have a more informed strategy while you play.
There are many important stats to track. The most important of course is your overall score. But it only indicates your overall ability and does not provide insights into what to work on.
However, stats like Putts per round, GIR, Fairway Accuracy, Iron accuracy on par 3's, hole by hole stats, pars per round, avg putts when in GIR, GIR when in FIR, etc... are the kind of stats you want to be looking at.
We at TheGrint provide all those stats and more. One of my favorites graphs are the "Scoring by Yardage" graphs. Which shows how much you score on holes by length. If you are a member you can see yours at http://www.thegrint.com/trend/score_yardage
The easiest part is to identify your weakest areas. To do so compare your stats with that of your friends of your same or better golf handicap. Identify those areas that you are not performing as well as them. Then focus 75% of your practice session on those areas.
The difficult part (but most impactful) is to use this information to strategize your game. And that means understanding your current ability and making your decisions based on that current ability. It doesn't mean you cannot improve it, but just that you should plan your current game strategy based on your current playing ability. For example, if you know that your scoring on short par 4's is worse than in long par 5's, then you should think about stop trying to go for it in two.
We at TheGrint hope you can take advantage of all of our features so let us know if you have any questions and we will be happy to help.
Enjoy your Golf!
