Ever feel like you played great but your scorecard didn't show it? Or maybe you think your putting is holding you back, only to spend weeks practicing it without seeing any real improvement. Frustrating, right? There’s a better way to understand your game, and it’s called Strokes Gained. This single concept has revolutionized how professional golfers practice and play, and it’s finally accessible to amateurs who want to make smarter decisions and shoot lower scores. This guide will walk you through exactly what Strokes Gained is, why it matters more than your other stats, and how you can start tracking it yourself.
For decades, we’ve measured our golf games with basic stats: Fairways in Regulation (FIR), Greens in Regulation (GIR), and Putts Per Round. While these numbers aren't useless, they often lie. Let me explain.
Imagine two golfers, Golfer A and Golfer B. They both shoot 90 and have 36 putts. On paper, their putting performance looks identical. But what if Golfer A’s 36 putts came from an average distance of 15 feet, and Golfer B’s came from an average of 40 feet? Suddenly, it’s obvious Golfer A had a poor day on the greens, while Golfer B was a lights-out lag putter whose approach shots were letting them down.
This is the problem Strokes Gained solves. It adds context to every shot. Instead of just counting shots, it measures the quality of each shot against a benchmark - typically the performance of PGA Tour players.
It answers a much more valuable question: “Given where this shot started, how much better or worse was my result compared to a pro?” By doing this for every shot, you get a clear, unbiased verdict on what parts of your game are genuinely helping you and which are costing you strokes.
Strokes Gained analysis breaks the game down into four fundamental categories. This helps you pinpoint exactly where you’re winning or losing against your benchmark.
The math behind Strokes Gained might seem intimidating, but the core concept is straightforward. It’s all based on a massive database of shots, which tells us the average number of strokes it takes a PGA Tour pro to hole out from any given distance and lie (fairway, rough, sand, etc.).
Let's walk through an example. You have 150 yards to the hole from the middle of the fairway.
According to the PGA Tour benchmark, the average number of strokes it takes to get in the hole from there is 2.8. That’s your starting value.
You hit a great 8-iron that stops 10 feet from the cup. The Tour average to hole out from 10 feet is 1.5 strokes. That’s your ending value.
Now, we use this simple formula:
Strokes Gained = Starting Value - Ending Value - 1 (for the one shot you just hit)
For your approach shot, the calculation is:
2.8 - 1.5 - 1 = +0.3
In that single swing, you gained three-tenths of a stroke on a PGA Tour pro. Great job!
Now, let's look at the putt. You’re at 10 feet, and the average strokes to hole out is 1.5. You make the putt in one stroke. The "ending value" is 0 because the ball is in the hole. So the calculation is:
1.5 - 0 - 1 = +0.5
You gained half a stroke with that putt. Congratulations!
But what if you miss and have a 2-foot tap-in? You took two shots to get in the hole. The calculation would be:
1.5 - 0 - 2 = -0.5
You lost half a stroke to the pros on that 10-foot putt. By applying this logic to every single shot over a round, you get a precise measurement of your entire game, broken down by category.
Thinking like a pro is one thing, but how do you actually get this data for your own game? You have a few options, ranging from fully automated to simple and manual.
The most convenient way to track Strokes Gained is with an automated system. Companies like Arccos Caddie and Shot Scope offer smart sensors that you attach to the end of your grips. Once paired with a smartphone app or a GPS watch, these systems register every shot you hit on the course automatically.
How it works:
The Pro: It’s virtually effortless on your part. You just play golf and get powerful insights.
The Con: These systems come with an upfront cost and sometimes an annual subscription fee.
If you enjoy numbers and want full control over your data without paying for a subscription, you can build your own Strokes Gained calculator in a program like Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel.
Step-by-step instructions:
Here’s a simplified look at what a function in a cell might look like in Excel or Google Sheets:
=VLOOKUP(Start_Distance, Baseline_Table, 2, TRUE) - VLOOKUP(End_Distance, Baseline_Table, 2, TRUE) - 1
This method requires effort, but it's incredibly rewarding and gives you a deep understanding of the engine behind the stats.
Don't want to mess with apps or spreadsheets? You can still benefit from the mindset. Instead of formal tracking, you can learn a few key benchmarks and compare yourself to them during your round. This helps with strategy and post-round analysis.
Here are a few benchmarks to remember:
Thinking this way frames your performance in a more realistic light. It pushes you to focus on the shots that truly make a difference in your scoring, rather than obsessing over things like hitting every fairway.
Incorporating Strokes Gained into your golf game will fundamentally shift how you see your performance. It strips away the misleading narratives of old stats and provides an honest, data-driven look at your strengths and weaknesses, allowing you to practice more efficiently and make smarter choices on the course.
Understanding what parts of your golf game are liabilities is one challenge, a lot like when a mechanic hooks up that computer to a car engine. Just having the data can be overwhelming. But what about understanding why an aspect of your game is underperforming and what to do about it? That's the real next step. What do you do when your Strokes Gained data says you're losing shots on the course because of strategy? Having an on course caddie providing real guidance on playing smarter is a game-changer. I designed Caddie AI to be your 24/7 golf coach and caddie companion to provide just that. I can provide the simple, customized strategy and advice you need in any situation so that you can play smarter. With Caddie, golfers on the course, regardless of their skill level, can get a clear-cut strategy right in their pocket or snap a picture of a difficult lie to get expert advice on how to handle it. You are armed with the answers to make a a calm, confident commitment to every swing, every decision, on any course.
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