The Death of “Putts Per Round”: How Strokes Gained Can Improve Your Game
Most golfers track “traditional” stats: greens in regulation, fairways in regulation, putts per round, and score. While that might help you gain a basic understanding of your round, it provides zero insight into the actual quality of your shots.
For example, say you have 28 putts in a round. That sounds great on paper, but what that stat line doesn’t tell you is that you missed most greens, chipped to 3 feet all day, and holed short putts. At a closer glance, your putting wasn't actually elite—your short game was fantastic, while your approach play was lackluster. But if you were looking at just traditional stats, you’d look like the reincarnation of 2016 Jordan Spieth on the greens.
To evaluate the true quality of every shot, we use a metric called Strokes Gained. If you watch golf on TV, you’ve likely heard the term. However, few people explain how this powerful framework actually works. So, what is Strokes Gained, and how can it help you play better golf?
Where Did Strokes Gained Come From?
Strokes Gained was created by Columbia Business School professor Mark Broadie. Broadie realised traditional stats were flawed and set out to measure shot quality rather than simple quantities. In 2003, he gained access to the PGA Tour’s ShotLink database. A radar tracking system capturing shot locations, distances, and lies.
Using this data, Broadie developed the Strokes Gained system. In 2011, the PGA Tour officially adopted Strokes Gained: Putting, expanding to full tee-to-green sub-categories by 2016. At its core, Strokes Gained compares the shot you hit against a baseline average. Today, modern tracking systems allow you to compare your shots not just to PGA Tour players, but to baselines for 30, 20, 15, 10, 5, or scratch handicaps.
Professor Mark Broadie at the University of Columbia
How Is It Calculated?
The math is simpler than it sounds:
{Starting Benchmark} - {Ending Benchmark} - {Shots Taken} = {Strokes Gained}
Say the average score on a par 4 from the tee box for a 10-handicap baseline is 4.2 shots.
You hit a solid drive down the fairway. From your new position, the benchmark average to hole out is 3.2 shots.
To calculate your Strokes Gained: 4.2(Start) - 3.2(End) - 1(Shot Taken) = {0.0}. You hit a perfectly average tee shot for your benchmark.
Now, rewind that shot: suppose you hit a monster drive 30 meters further down the fairway. From that closer position, the average score to hole out is now 2.7 shots.
4.2 - 2.7 - 1 =+0.5 {Strokes Gained}. You gained half a stroke on the field with one swing.
Added up across 70+ shots, your total Strokes Gained number tells you exactly where you outperformed or fell behind your target handicap.
Breaking Down the Game
You don't need to calculate this manually on the course. There are now plenty of apps that do the heavy lifting for you. (I use Circles with my students, but several options exist).
Data is categorised into four primary areas:
Off-the-Tee
Approach
Short Game
Putting
These categories break down further into specific distances and lie conditions (e.g., approach shots from 140m in the fairway vs. 140m in the rough, or putts from 7 feet vs. 25 feet). Over a round, you might gain 2.0 strokes putting inside 10 feet but lose 3.0 strokes off the tee, giving you a clear indicator of what you need to work on.
Surprising Tour Benchmarks
Strokes Gained has completely changed how elite players practice. To show how high tour standards actually are and how unrealistic amateur expectations often become consider these PGA Tour averages:
Off the Tee: Tour pros hit roughly 60% of fairways per round. They miss 5 to 6 fairways every single round.
Approach Shots: The average proximity to the hole from 135m (150 yards) in the fairway is ~29 feet.
Short Game: Pros only make up-and-down saves ~55% of the time from the rough around the green.
Putting: The Tour make rate from 8 feet is only 50%. (Yes, you have read that correctly)
Next time you’re at the course, place two tees 10 paces apart—that’s 30 feet. From 135 meters out, most amateurs expect to stick it much closer than that 30-foot circle. Most golfers also get frustrated missing more than half their 8 foot putts, despite that being better then tour level execution.
Tracking real data isn't just about finding weaknesses; it’s about managing expectations and removing unnecessary pressure from a demanding game.
Getting Started
Implementation requires consistent stat logging. While inputting data takes a few minutes after your round, the return on investment is massive. Circles provides incredible clarity, allowing us to build precise training programs around actual numbers rather than guesswork.
Next time you leave the 18th green wondering where your shots actually went, remember that the data holds the answer.
If you want to dive deeper into your Strokes Gained numbers or book an analysis, reach out via our contact page.
Happy golfing!
