Monitoring your performance.

[Oddsocks]

ok, so how do you guys monitor your performance to see if your getting better getting worse etc?

I tend to use stroke play & stableford points on every card i do due to the playing groups i play in at the time.

Stroke Play is good but a card can be ruined by one or two bad holes.

Stableford is good but you can play rediculously bad and still scramble points.

I also tends to marks birdies/pars/bogeys/doubles on the scroe card along with how many puts.

 

[znuffzz]

i use that golfshot GPS app on my iphone, it tells me everythying i need to know, what percentage of fairways i'm hitting off the tee, what my average put's are on any given par hole, loads of [****] that cant be arse too list...

and of course it gives you accurate GPS!

wahey

 

[USER1999]

Handicap.

The only meaningful statistic.

 

[Oddsocks]

is this the same app that thats struggling on teh iphone 4... (dont even get me started on this dam phone... strongest screen my a***)

 

[iGolf]

I use the golf shot app too, although as a beginner all I really care about at the moment is getting my stroke play PB down.

 

[Oddsocks]

installed golfshot, changed settings to london, uk etc, doesnt find any courses. this is running the lite and not the gps as i wanted to check this before buying the gps version at 18.00

 

[znuffzz]

installed golfshot, changed settings to london, uk etc, doesnt find any courses. this is running the lite and not the gps as i wanted to check this before buying the gps version at 18.00

no idea why it does that mate, i paid for teh full app, it takes 2-3 mins initially to access gps and then download all relevant courses and then off you go. have never not had a course come up to tbh, although if your eplaying out your area then it's worth opening the app up 10 mins or so before round so that i can download most recent maps etc.

it certainly has all the london south east courses i ve ever heard off mapped

 

[pokerjoke]

Handicap.

The only meaningful statistic.

I agree statistics waste of time.

 

[Imurg]

Statistics can give you an insight nto what areas need to be improved. Handicap is the only number that really matters but other stats have a place if they're analysed correctly.

 

[Whereditgo]

I agree that handicap is the only thing that matters and is all I am interested really - can't help it if that means winning a few pots on the way though

I use SS2 to record where specific areas are improving or not!

 

[Billysboots]

I don't necessarily agree that your handicap is the only meaningful statistic, although it is ultimately the one we are all interested in.

I record fairways, sand saves and putts and then input them into Strokesaver - that way I can establish what I need to work on, and then hopefully impact on my handicap.

You can't bring your handicap down without a definitive idea where you genuinely need to improve.

 

[pokerjoke]

I don't necessarily agree that your handicap is the only meaningful statistic, although it is ultimately the one we are all interested in.

I record fairways, sand saves and putts and then input them into Strokesaver - that way I can establish what I need to work on, and then hopefully impact on my handicap.

You can't bring your handicap down without a definitive idea where you genuinely need to improve.

You dont need stats to tell you what to work on you need common sense as the mearcat says Simples!!!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I disagree (quelle surprise) and say that keeping stats can give you a pretty good idea of what is hot and cold in your game over defined periods. Of course the info is only as good as you put in so if you cheat a bit and start counting the apron of the green etc as GIR then the numbers will skew.

The thing with Scoresaver 2 is that you can drill right down and really look at trouble holes and see how you got on over time. Add in the facitlity to record lessons (perfect for looking back if your game dips for a drill) and practice sessions (and see how much time you spend bashing driver v putting) and its an ideal tool. Its relatively cheap (about £35 if you PM SS2 but don't quote me on the price) and easy to load

 

[RGDave]

I don't do much monitoring of anything, but I would say (my feeling is) that it is possible to make some improvements in a general sense without seeing a reduction in handicap. A predominantly "bogey" golfer might well play 18 holes with a variety of shots (good and bad) still amounting to a load of bogeys. I still wait for a round where I make 18 straight bogeys (not in a good way )...t.b.h. I don't see it ever happening....
The point is, I'm trying to turn bogeys into pars, and to do that I need to hit better shots. If I'm hitting better shots (and know it), making more GIR, hitting more fairways, then I know I'm going in the right direction. I challenge anyone to deny they don't feel when they are playing better but not scoring better to dismiss this improvement as irrelevant. I'd rather play to h'cap hitting half decent shots than play to h'cap with a bucket full of rubbish.
Eventually, statistics or not a h'cap will come down if you are getting better....but it takes time and also depends on how you obtained the figure you play off. My h'cap stays constant because I mostly finish in the buffer or play off yellow tees on a Sunday. Recently, I've been sneaking in level par (nett) or a shot under and not getting cut because of the CSS.

 

[kid2]

Stats maybe fine if your a pretty consistent player but i think there useless if your not.....If most are like me in that one week you may be driving the ball well and your pitching and touch around the greens is leaving you down...The following week you iron play is immaculate as well as your putting but your driving and long game is bad....Another given week everything clicks and your handicap drops and the cycle may go on in no particular order....Whats the point in looking at stats for this inconsistency.....I agree that your handicap is a proper measure of how your game is going....

 

[HomerJSimpson]

But surely by looking at the stats over a period of time a pattern will emerge no matter how inconsistant you are. If as per the example you only drive well one weekend in three, what you'll see is where you are missing the drives (left or right). Where do you miss greens? Is it always left or right or do you often come up short?

The point is, you can use these to build up a pattern. If you normally come up short then even if you are having a better iron striking day, club up. If you miss right off the tee and approaching greens, tee up on the right and aim for the left of the fairway. Aim for the left of the green. You can use the information to help plan your game. It won't cure the slice or hook but will give you an idea of how to use what you have to your advantage.

 

[kid2]

But surely by looking at the stats over a period of time a pattern will emerge no matter how inconsistant you are. If as per the example you only drive well one weekend in three, what you'll see is where you are missing the drives (left or right). Where do you miss greens? Is it always left or right or do you often come up short?

The point is, you can use these to build up a pattern. If you normally come up short then even if you are having a better iron striking day, club up. If you miss right off the tee and approaching greens, tee up on the right and aim for the left of the fairway. Aim for the left of the green. You can use the information to help plan your game. It won't cure the slice or hook but will give you an idea of how to use what you have to your advantage.

I agree to a point Homer but you throw wind and rain into that particular pattern and all your stats may as well go out the window......And the other thing with this is that all these figures have to be done during a round whilf fresh in your head.....I dont know about you but im just concentrating about keeping my ball in play and aiming for the centre of the green....Not how many putts it took me 3 holes back or what fairways iv hit or how my chipping is....At the end of the day your final score will tell you how yo have done.That doesnt lie!
I think that this is where so many people get too technical with there game.....There worried about FIR or GIR or Putts per round that they loose sight of the goal in hand which is to improve.....We are club golfers not statiticians!

 

[Imurg]

You can record the basic weather too. If its blowing a gale you can mark that in the data. It needs to be taken into account when you analyse the figures but it can help.

I know from my stats that I miss more greens short than anything else so I need to take more club.
It also shows me which holes I play well and which I don't. I've changed a game plan on a couple of holes that I generally don't play well to try and rectify the situation. Without the stats I wouldn't know for sure what was wrong.
As Homer says - stats are only as good as the data you put in. They're also only as good as the way you read them.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

THe SS2 has a simple scorecard size data sheet. A quick tick if you hit the fairway or green or mark the appropriate arrow to show where you missed. Note the number of putts and if it was a sand save and move on. 10 seconds per hole then enter it up later. Simples

The point is, if you are keen to improve, you can produce a print-out of the main stats and give it your pro. You can both decide where the weaknesses are and custom fit the lessons to suit. TBH I never count any of my putts GIR or FIR numbers during a game. I simply mark the info and move on

 

[GasMan]

THe SS2 has a simple scorecard size data sheet. A quick tick if you hit the fairway or green or mark the appropriate arrow to show where you missed. Note the number of putts and if it was a sand save and move on. 10 seconds per hole then enter it up later. Simples

The point is, if you are keen to improve, you can produce a print-out of the main stats and give it your pro. You can both decide where the weaknesses are and custom fit the lessons to suit. TBH I never count any of my putts GIR or FIR numbers during a game. I simply mark the info and move on

This ^^^^^

Homer's eleventy billion swing thoughts etc can't help him BUT knowing which areas consistently let you down is a Godsend. Bounce games I just mark a card with my score in marker's box, 1st column is fairway in reg, 2nd column green in reg and 3rd column is putts.

The difference between hovering at the same handicap for year after year and coming down over time is putting in the limited practise time where it'll help you the most. Statistics are a very good tool once you gain a consistent swing and your long game is controllable even if it's not great.

@ Kid2 you've only been playing a very short period of time of therefore don't have an intuitive knowledge of how your swing feels that day will translate into your long game. Once you've been playing long enough you'll generally have a stock bad shot for the day that you'll live with and account for all round rather than trying to correct whichever swing fault has crept in. That or trying to hit tour player distances with an amateur novice swing. That's not a dig by the way but a hint your seeming obsession with how far you hit each iron breeds inconsistency. I know I can hit 150 yard PW all day BUT I use an 8i from 150 as it tightens my dispersion right down.