Sep 22, 2026

Throwaways: The Shots You're Giving Away

golf routines golf tips and tricks on the course tournament golf

The easiest strokes you'll ever save

You don't need a new swing to shoot lower scores. You need to stop giving shots away.

That's what throwaways are. And tracking them might be the most eye opening thing you ever do on the golf course!

What counts as a throwaway?

A throwaway is any stroke or penalty that 95% of your direct competition would not make.

It's a little subjective, and it's personal to you. But here are the usual suspects:

Out of bounds
Penalty shot or drop
Unplayable lie
Sideways or backwards punch out
Bogey from inside 100 yards on a regulation hole
Three putts inside 50 feet (not over shelves or tiers)
Missed putt inside 3 feet
Not getting up and down, or down in three, when 95% of your competition would

How to fill it out

Simple. If you had a throwaway on a hole, put a check mark in the Throwaways box. Then total them up for the front 9, back 9 and full round.

Be honest with yourself. Nobody else sees this card!

What my Anthem rounds showed me

Across my two rounds at Anthem, I had 5 throwaways.

Four of them were three-putts from 30 to 50 feet. The fifth was a bogey from 66 yards with a sand wedge in my hand.

Not one penalty shot. Not one ball out of bounds. Zero trouble off the tee.

So what does that tell me? My swing wasn't the problem. My lag putting and my wedges were. That's a totally different practice plan than I would have guessed from my score alone!

Why throwaways matter so much

Throwaways are the difference between a good round and a great one. They're also the shots that stick with you on the drive home.

The good news? They're usually about decisions, not ability. Taking your medicine and punching out sideways instead of going for the hero shot. Clubbing up. Getting your lag putt to tap-in range. You can fix a lot of these today!