Mar 21, 2023

T-Time Podcast // Ep. 22: Keep Your Golf Stats to a Lower Handicap Index

beginner golfers golf drills golf tips and tricks on the course podcast

Keeping statistics from your rounds can be crucial for improving your golf game. By analyzing your stats, you can identify strengths and weaknesses, which allows you to focus your practice on the areas that need the most attention. This helps you make progress faster and can save you time by avoiding practicing areas that you're already proficient in. In addition, tracking your stats over time allows you to measure progress and see how far you've come. Ultimately, you can achieve a better score and become a skilled golfer by keeping statistics and using tools like The Compete Confidence Round Report Card.

For example, if you find that you're hitting a lot of fairways and getting on the green with ease but struggling with putting, you can set a goal to reduce your number of putts per hole. By focusing your practice on this fundamental skill, you'll find that the other areas of your game also become easier. As you continue to improve, you can begin tracking other statistics to refine your skills, such as bunker shots, green saves, and penalties. In short, by paying attention to these more specific metrics, you can hone in on the most relevant areas of your game and make even more targeted improvements.

Christine's Documentation of her Handicap Journey

Christine Fero is on a journey to reach a single-digit handicap in golf and is documenting her progress on Instagram. Her inspiration came from a friend who achieved a single-digit handicap in just two years through practice. Christine's journey started in June last year, and she has been sharing her progress for the past seven months. While the number itself is important, Christine has found that the confidence she's built and improved play are equally significant achievements.

She had her first experience playing at Papago, and although the atmosphere wasn't the problem, she struggled with her internal mindset. As a beginner, she was not expecting the competitive environment of the women's league at Papago. However, she challenged herself to step out of her comfort zone, which led to her joining another league at Encanto. This experience helped her grow as a player and ultimately made her love the game even more.

Why Keeping Stats is Important

Keeping stats is important for golfers of all skill levels because they tell you where you are and where you need to go, whereas a handicap does not. Anyone can keep track of these basic stats, and they provide valuable information about your game. These are the three main stats that any golfer should keep:

1.   Hit Fairway:

This stat tracks how often you hit the fairway off the tee. The fairway is, usually, the ideal landing area for your tee shot, and hitting it consistently can help set you up for a good approach shot to the green. By tracking this stat, you can identify patterns in your tee shots and see where you need to improve. For example, if you notice that you frequently miss to the right, you can work on adjusting your aim or swing to correct that tendency.

2.   Greens in Regulation (GIR):

This stat tracks how often you hit the green in the regulation number of strokes for the hole. For example, if you're playing a par 4 hole, hitting the green in two strokes would be considered hitting the green in regulation. This stat is important because hitting the GIR sets you up to make par or better. By tracking your GIR, you can identify other areas of your game that need improvement, like your approach shots or short game.

3.   Number of Putts:

This stat tracks how many putts you take to complete each hole. Putting is a crucial part of the game. Keeping track of your putts can help you identify poor trends in your putting. For example, if you notice that you consistently take more than two putts to complete a hole, you may need to work on your putting technique or distance control.

How Many Fairways and/or Greens is a Good Goal?

When hitting fairways, a good goal is to hit 40% of them. For example, if there are only 14 fairways on the course, hitting 4, 5, or 6 is a good goal for golfers with a handicap index between 10 and 19. In terms of GIR, a good goal achieve it 8 or more times. For putting, golfers with a handicap index between 10 and 19 should aim for 34 or fewer putts per round. 

Throwaways

Throwaways are mistakes that can cost you shots and should be minimized if you want to improve your game. Examples of throwaways include taking an out-of-bounds penalty shot, taking a drop for an unplayable lie, hitting a punch shot to get out of trouble, making a bogey or double bogey from within 100 yards, three-putting from within 40 or 50 feet, and missing a putt within three feet.

Reducing the number of throwaways is crucial for anyone trying to get better at golf, whether you're a single-digit handicapper or a 20-handicap golfer. Minimizing your mistakes can improve your score and bring it down quickly.

 

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