4 golf stats to follow to shoot low scores

Here’s a truth most recreational golfers don’t want to hear: playing too many rounds not the same and better. Without understanding why your scores are what they are, playing a lot of golf reinforces the same inefficiency, round after round. This is where golf math comes into play.

Don’t just track the “fun” stats, either. We are talking about numbers that tell i the original the story of your cycle. The patterns that emerge will tell you a lot about your game, and what’s calling you to shoot.

Below are four calculations I recommend you follow to shoot for low scores.

1. Bogeys on Par 3s and 5s

Of the 18 holes in any round, the par 3s and par 5s represent eight different scoring opportunities. And for many recreational golfers, they are also the most misunderstood eight.

Par 3s are not birdie holes for the average golfer. Rather, they are holes to avoid bogey. A 15-handicapper makes bogey or worse on about 50-60 percent of par-3s. That’s more than six times the rate of PGA Tour pros who post bogey or worse on less than 8 percent of these holes. Every bogeyed par 3 is an unnecessary stroke back.

On the par 5s, the damage cuts the other way. These are the holes where golfers come to have fun it should take the gun. Tour pros make birdies or better on about 50 percent of all par 5s. Most 15-handicappers bogey par 5s by an average of 40-45 percent.

If you make half of your par 3’s and about half of your 5’s, that means three to four shots are lost on holes you could play par or better.

Start tracking your par-3 and par-5 scores separately. You may find that these holes, not the par 4s, are where your round is won or lost every week. If you can start playing these holes just fine, you will quickly post low scores.

2. The initial distance of the putt

I often tell my clients, “Every putt starts with your shot.” That statement captures why approach to the hole, or how close your iron shot ends up to the hole, is one of the most revealing golf statistics in the game.

Tour pros average 30-35 feet from the hole on the shot. That leaves a manageable two putt and a chance at birdie. Golfers with handicaps of 15 and over usually average 50-70 feet on their approach shots, which is a critical three-putt distance. That means that even though you may hit the green, it’s still possible to make a bogey.

The reason for your three-putt tendency is not to putt wrong every time. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of taking pictures that aren’t accurate enough. The farther you go from the hole for your first putt, the more likely you are to three-putt. On your next round, be aware of how far from the hole your shots will end up. If you always leave yourself 50+ feet, you will probably have your fair share of three putts.

3. Vegetables in regulation

The green in control is arguably the single most important of all golf stats in the game. The green is in “regulation” when your ball is in the putting area in the correct number of strokes: one in par 3, two in par 4, three in par 5.

Tour pros hit greens in regulation about 66 percent of the time, or about 11-12 greens per round. A 15-handicapper hits about four to five greens each round, or about 25 to 30 percent.

The impact below is increasing. Every missed green means a chip or pitch to save value. And that ups and downs happen a lot slower than golfers expect. Recreational golfers only swing successfully 15 to 20 percent of the time, while Tour pros convert about 55-60 percent. That gap alone amounts to three or four fewer shots per round for the average player.

Every additional green you hit in regulation is a real opportunity to keep your score low. Missed vegetables put your score in health support. The statistics do not justify.

4. Birds in the area

Birdies in position are the statistics that golfers use to measure how well a golfer is performing while playing and how often they benefit from being in the scoring position. The methodology defines this equation. Every time you use an 8 iron or less to hit from any distance to the green, it’s a simple lie relative to your current skill level, you’re now “in shape.”

Now that you’re in position, how many times can you turn this opportunity into a birdie? Converting means finishing the approach within 15–20 feet of the hole: close enough that a birdie one putt is a real possibility.

Tour pros get into birdie six to eight times each round and convert about 25-30 percent of these opportunities. A 15-handicapper might get into birdie two to three times around and convert less than 10 percent of the time.

Tour players know how to create multiple birdie opportunities and capitalize on them. For the average golfer, when the rare birdie opportunity comes, you tend to waste it by not being prepared to make money, or your poor swing doesn’t hold up under pressure.

Bird tracking combines several golf stats into one revealing category, letting you know if your scoring problem is a putting problem, a putting problem, or both. Once you know them, you know exactly where to invest your training time.