Number crunchers are becoming as important as swing coaches for most PGA touring pros. And for the most part, pro’s swear by it. Many of us saw Moneyball, and saw how stats have forever changed baseball and the NFL tracks tendencies and trends more than they ever have. PGA Tour players are inundated with stats as well…some are helpful…some are not. The one that seems to get all of the pro’s attention is “Strokes Gained”. The term is now just part of the lexicon and we’re expected to know what it really means.
It’s not easy to explain, in fact it may take a college professor to explain it. And so last week on “The Golf Arizona Show” we went to the source, Columbia professor Mark Broadie. He came up with the strokes gained stat. It’s a golf metric that compares each shot you take to the field average. Hence, if you hit it farther than the average player, and keep it in the fairway, you will have gained on the field. It’s the same for approach shots and putting. It gives a good indication of what you should be working on, and what strategies to employ during your round.
For example…you will gain more on the field if you try to kill your drive, even if it strays a bit off the fairway. Stats show that the distance you gain from getting further down the fairway, even if you occasionally hit it wide of the mark….put you closer to the hole on your second shot…and give you a better shot at getting it closer to the hole for your putt.
And secondly, on a par 5, laying up on your second shot to a distance that may give you a more comfortable approach is not a winning formula. Pounding a three wood on your second shot
, is the better play. It will get you closer to the hole. Eventhough the shot may end up in the rough, or in a green side bunker…the odds are better that you’ll get a par than had you tried to land your second shot at the hundred yard marker.
Professor Broadie has written a book called “Every Shot Counts” which goes into more detail on the Shots Gained concept, and how it can help the average, weekend golfer. In addition, he’s developed an app for your phone called “Golfmetrics”. The Golf Arizona Show is off November 23rd, but will return at it’s regular time (8:00 am) on Saturday November 30th…on ESPN Tucson/1490 am and 104.9 fm.
by Mike Boyd
