Getty Images
Welcome to Live Well, Play Well, the health and wellness franchise that will help you make smarter lifestyle choices so you can feel better on and off the golf course.
A great way to improve your game is to focus on statistical tracking during your runs. This gives you a clear idea of where your game is strong and where you need the most work. To start, golfers must track three statistics in particular: fairways hit, greens in regulation (GIR), and golf strokes.
Then, once you’ve tracked them down, comes the most important part: setting goals, which will help you identify areas for improvement and, ultimately, overall improvement.
For the track, you’ll want to keep track of whether your tee shots hit the track, as this is an essential skill and a very good indicator of how accurate (or not so) you can be when it comes to driving accuracy. Greens in regulations will tell you how many scoring opportunities you give yourselves, and for putts, you’ll want to keep track of just how many putts you have on the fetch surface.
Here are some statistical targets based on your disability index:
By collecting these stats during your run, you can then review this information and get some feedback from a coach. These above stats are very important because they go a long way in determining what you need to work on and which parts of the cycle seem to give you the most trouble.
Next, know what are the strongest (and weakest) parts of your game, and therefore, where you need to start directing the most work and attention.
Advanced golf stats you should be looking at
Now, if you want to take your game to the next level, you need to look at some advanced golf stats. Here are three important statistics for developing a better overall golf game.
feet of strikes. This is important because it can give you a more in-depth look at how well your racket is performing. You don’t have to track this very scientifically – you don’t need to bring a tape measure! – But you should be able to put a good estimate on your tour.
Approach distance and club used. This helps you understand how far each club goes and will help you see certain patterns with your distance and club selection. Are you missing more with the Iron 9 than the Iron 7? This will help you figure that out, and you can adjust your practice because of it.
First hit distance. Your first stroke distance can give you feedback on how accurate your wedges, irons, and woods are.
So there you have it. A beginner’s guide to stat tracking, plus an advanced set of goals for when you’re ready for the second step. Both should help you understand more about your golf game.
Tori Totlis is the founder and host of Compete Confidence Golf T-Time with Tori Toutles Podcast. It covers everything from golf fitness, instruction, lifestyle, and more. You can follow her on Instagram here.