January statistics

So the end of month one draws to a close and a week long break with the family and of course the endless snow played havoc with my practice schedule. I am keeping track of my progress on the Scoresaver 2 statistics package and every month will be letting you know what the stats say. This month includes all data since I began playing in August and will serve as the baseline for the coming months.

One thing the stats won't reflect is the amount of time I have spent reading, which has definitely helped me think more about the mental side of my game. Anyway without further ado the stats.


Practice
This is a critical part of my development and the time spent away with the family, and of course the snow, has played havoc with my ability to practice this month. As a result I have knocked up a paltry total of 9 hours 20 minutes. Though this is dedicated playing time and doesn't include collecting balls etc. In addition to this I have received one hours worth of tuition and played five rounds on par 3 courses.

The practice time has been broken down as follows:

Distance	Time (minutes)	% of practice time
150 – 200 yards	60	11%
100 – 150 yards	80	14%
<100 yards (full shots)	25	4%
Short Approach	240	43%
Putting	155	28%
Total	560	100%

I've focussed most of my time on my short game but as yet there hasn't been any major impact on my scoring.

Rounds
As I'm focussing on my short game I spent all my rounds (except one 15 hole jaunt) on par 3 courses. My thinking being I will hit more shots from 150 yards in, than I will hit to get to the 150 yard point. My average score is 42.6 which is 1.6 above handicap. In terms of core playing stats:

Statistic	Performance	SS2 Handicap level
Greens in Regulation	12%	19
Putts per Round*	35.86	19
Birdie Conversion	0%	28+
Par Scrambles	9%	26
Penalties per Round*	1.85	19

The SS2 handicap level is a calculation made indicating your performance on different facets of your game. The stats marked with * are aggregated up to reflect an 18 hole round.

These stats clearly show the areas of my game that are performing well and not so well. I have yet to convert a birdie opportunity despite having 15 chances and my par scrambling is also very close to my handicap level. This tells me I need to do more short game practice!

However, the short game is improving evidenced by better stats for my chipping and putting. I don't think there is any coincidence that plenty of practice, the use of the V-Easy and reading 'Putting out of your Mind' by Bob Rotella have resulted in a noticeable improvement.

Statistic	2009	Last 10 rounds	Last 5 rounds	Last 3 rounds
Putts per hole (GIR)	2.64	2.7	2.75	2.5
Putts per hole (non GIR)	1.99	1.84	1.76	1.64
Putts per Round*	37.33	34.8	33.2	30.67

What is alarming on these stats is the high number of putts being taken when I do hit GIR, though winter greens have played a part, this is something I'm working on.

So final statistic and that's where I'm missing the greens. 59% of the time I'm short of the green and 17% of the time I'm long. That's 76% on the correct line but still missing the green. A small percentage of those are due to club selection. The majority are due to fat or thin shots. More work required at the range methinks.

I'm finding Scoresaver 2 a really useful way of analysing the flaws in my game and if statistics are your bag I suggest you give it a try. You can download a free months trial version, click here if you are interested.

So this is where I'm at at the end of month one, baseline is set, and hopefully there will be a few more shots coming off next month as in March I will be moving onto the big boys course. As always interested to hear your comments and views and if there are any stats I haven't posted that you would be interested in, let me know I'm more than happy to share.

Comments:

GolfHappy
Hi, Some interesting figures there. I haven’t read every post of your blog yet but it’s definately interesting reading. One thing noticable about high handicappers is their ability to hit long putts 20 feet past a hole or 20 feet short, all over the place would sum it up quite nicely. If you get the pace right then the line is the easy part. Have you had a pro check your putter set-up? eg: eyes over the ball, grip, alignment etc?

Tiger
Hi James, had a putting lesson a little while ago and am using the v-easy to develop my stroke. I think it’s a pyschological thing and greens thing. The greens haven’t been the greatest but I have been hesitant on birdie putts and left it short or pushed it long and then done the reverse on the par putt. Am putting much better now and the stats are getting better so hope I’ll crack it soon. So in response yes I’ve had a lesson and I’m getting better.

Andy from Scoresaver
Good to see that your practice sessions are weighted towards the putting and the short game. Keep it up and good luck with the Project