Journey to Average 30 Putts per Round.

[Trout Bum]

I like this edea and having a goal for putting is a good way to get our scores lower, I'm in on this, the next time I play a round I'll start tracking putts as well and post the results. Hopefully we can get the averages down.

 

[thedue]

I myself do like Smallie mentioned, I don't count it as a putt if off the green even an inch, but I also don't count a GIR or FIR if off by an inch. Yesterday was a pretty solid day of putting for me, but I have to thank my wedge for a lot of that. 15 putts on the front and 11 on the back, however I missed a bunch of greens and was chipping it close all day. I told my buddy that one of those chips would eventually go in and sure enough one did from about 5 feet off the green and about 30 foot to the flag. That saved me a putt or two. I had 5 or 6 one putts on the back with a 0 putt, but again that wedge put me in a position to do that. I will say that the help I recieved from Ted at SeeMore has improved my putting 10 fold over the last 2 rounds. 26 putts yesterday and 28 the day before.

 

[Buckjob]

I myself do like Smallie mentioned, I don't count it as a putt if off the green even an inch, but I also don't count a GIR or FIR if off by an inch. Yesterday was a pretty solid day of putting for me, but I have to thank my wedge for a lot of that. 15 putts on the front and 11 on the back, however I missed a bunch of greens and was chipping it close all day. I told my buddy that one of those chips would eventually go in and sure enough one did from about 5 feet off the green and about 30 foot to the flag. That saved me a putt or two. I had 5 or 6 one putts on the back with a 0 putt, but again that wedge put me in a position to do that. I will say that the help I recieved from Ted at SeeMore has improved my putting 10 fold over the last 2 rounds. 26 putts yesterday and 28 the day before.

great putting round! i just checked my last 20 rounds i haven't even broke 33 putts a round yet. Looks like i have a lot more work to do!

 

[biggsy]

Cool, I really like this thread idea. I think we, as amateurs, give up a lot of strokes around the greens and that includes putts. I've been consistently around 30 putts recently, but nothing gets to me more than a 3 jack. It's part of my game I work on a lot and it saves me strokes.

Quick question for everyone: do you count putts if your ball is off of the green but you still use your putter? I count them in my stats because I'm using a putter, so in my mind it doesn't matter whether I'm on the green or slightly off the green. However, the stats on the pro tours only count putts as those taken on the green; it's why the putts per round stat is so low at a place like Harbour Town in Hilton Head because that course has tiny greens. I guess I could make my putts per round look a little better by only counting when I use my putter on the green, but I don't think that's accurate. What does everyone else say?

Also, I'm looking forward to tracking this thread, I've had way too many 3-putts recently.

You aren't on the green, so it isn't considered a putt.

 

[VA. Vince]

I just searched for an answer. Everything I read states if the ball is ON the green it is considered a putt. If you can mark the ball and pick it up the next stroke is a putt even if you choose to use a wedge,driver or whatever. Anything that is off the green is considered a stroke and on the green a putt. I have always counted putts as being on the green, I don't count putting from the fringe as a putt. I consider that a stroke.

 

[thedue]

I just searched for an answer. Everything I read states if the ball is ON the green it is considered a putt. If you can mark the ball and pick it up the next stroke is a putt even if you choose to use a wedge,driver or whatever. Anything that is off the green is considered a stroke and on the green a putt. I have always counted putts as being on the green, I don't count putting from the fringe as a putt. I consider that a stroke.

Makes sense to me!

Tap,Tap,Tap

 

[biggsy]

Exactly. I think putts per round is a misleading stat. It might show how good you are putting, but it might also show how good you are chipping. You could have 29 putts and hit 18 greens or you could miss every green and chip well and have a low amount of putts. I would guess that putts per GIR would be more telling. Well, for some people. If you are an 18 handicap you might look at putts per Green in 1 over regulation. Doesn't the Tour have a stat like distance of putts made or something?

Smalls, they have a lot of stats just related to putting. Pretty remarkable what they track on tour.

http://www.pgatour.com/r/stats/filter/?1

They have a weekly stat that they post during telecasts of total distance of putts made. That number is generally really high when a guy is on fire.
One of them is

 

[White Rhino]

Smalls, they have a lot of stats just related to putting. Pretty remarkable what they track on tour.

http://www.pgatour.com/r/stats/filter/?1

They have a weekly stat that they post during telecasts of total distance of putts made. That number is generally really high when a guy is on fire.
One of them is

Holy smokes that is alot of putting stats!!!

 

[Buckjob]

ok ive been tracking my stats for the last 20 or so rounds on golfshot it keeps putts per round and putts per GIR. i am currently 2.0 in putts per round and 2.1 in putts per GIR and my GIR is 41%. did the math quick and an average for 30 putts would be 1.66. so thats what im gonna aim for. 1.66 putts per green in regulation. it seems so close but i know im no where near that number. now the question is how do i get to that number. i have been taking short game lessons with Golftec and did a very short putting lesson, but right now i was concentrating on my chipping and pitching. i have a playing lesson on Wednesday so ill prob ask him for some tips then and ill see if he thinks i should do a lesson with video after on my putting. i don't wanna push him on what i want to work on i have been letting him tell me what he thinks i should work on next and its been working well but ill try to get some tips from him to start working on and ill pass them along to you guys. I also will give a quick backround on what i have been working on recently cause i have been working on my putting A LOT this year more than every before because it was HORRIBLE. I have bought 3 putters in the last 2 months and finally feel comfortable with my ghost spider and have been working on a straight back straight through putting stroke. I have been using Dave Stocktons putting routine. where i stand behind the ball find the line and walk up behind the ball put my putter in front of the ball line up the putt while setting my feet put the putter behind the ball, forward press my hands while looking at the hole one last time and then looking an inch in front of the ball and making sure the ball rolls over the spot im looking at. i don't take a practice stroke anymore just because this is what he teaches. He said its either gonna go in or not so just hit it and he also said your practice stroke is never what your putting stroke is like so why bother. this is especially true with me... i have always taken the putter back very quickly and realized it and decelerated in the forward stroke and it has made my putting horrible. me switching to a mallet and this new routine has helped but i still catch myself not putting with a smooth stroke. anyway sorry for the long post but i just wanted to let you know my troubles and where im at and hope i can get them squared away in the near future.

 

[arydolphin]

Thanks for the input everyone. As Kellybo said, counting putts from just off the green does impact slightly how my GIR stats are calculated at the end of the day, so it's a tradeoff. I'm only going to count putts that are on the green from now on. I've also got to work on increasing my GIR!

 

[Fourputt]

Well I think we can agree that if the ball is just on the fringe of the green its a putt. If its say more than 4 feet from the green, then its a chip.

Nope. You have to be consistent, or any sort of statistical evaluation becomes meaningless. Look at any computerized stat program and try to institute your plan - it won't work. My Garmin GPS does stat recording, but it figures greens in regulation by subtracting the number of putts from the total score and comparing that to par for the hole. Your idea would skew the numbers for GIR. You would list a 3 putt bogey (with the first putt from the fringe) and the program would give you a GIR when you didn't actually make one. I know guys who use the Texas wedge from 40 feet off the green, even out of the rough, but it still isn't a putt, statistically speaking.

Putting statistics on Tour are figured solely on putts struck on the putting green, and that is really the only way that makes sense to me or to any statistical logic program.

Right, if you are on the fringe it's not a "putt". Just like if you putt out of a bunker it's not a "putt". But I think I read that once you hit a putt, they are all counted as putts until you hole out, even if you putt your first putt off the green and need to chip back on. Fourputt?

This is not something that the rules are concerned with. Statistics is strictly a tool for either discussion or for measuring change in one's game. In my opinion, if you knock the first putt off the green, then the next one isn't a putt. What if you hit the first putt so hard, or on such a slope that it has to be chipped or even blasted back out of a bunker? Would you still count that as a putt? It comes back to consistency again. For statistical purposes, a putt can only occur if the ball lies on the putting green.

 

[coolbreeze]

Nope. You have to be consistent, or any sort of statistical evaluation becomes meaningless. Look at any computerized stat program and try to institute your plan - it won't work. My Garmin GPS does stat recording, but it figures greens in regulation by subtracting the number of putts from the total score and comparing that to par for the hole. Your idea would skew the numbers for GIR. You would list a 3 putt bogey (with the first putt from the fringe) and the program would give you a GIR when you didn't actually make one. I know guys who use the Texas wedge from 40 feet off the green, even out of the rough, but it still isn't a putt, statistically speaking.

Putting statistics on Tour are figured solely on putts struck on the putting green, and that is really the only way that makes sense to me or to any statistical logic program.

We're way past that now, and have already agreed to do it the PGA tour way. Yes, doing it the way described above would somewhat skew the GIR but in the past if my ball was resting 3 inches on the collar of the green, I would always count that as a putt and give myself a GIR. I know this isn't technically right, but I was more keeping track of a "good shot" into the green, and then putts. For this thread we will be keeping track of our stats the PGA tour way!

 

[Fourputt]

We're way past that now, and have already agreed to do it the PGA tour way. Yes, doing it the way described above would somewhat skew the GIR but in the past if my ball was resting 3 inches on the collar of the green, I would always count that as a putt and give myself a GIR. I know this isn't technically right, but I was more keeping track of a "good shot" into the green, and then putts. For this thread we will be keeping track of our stats the PGA tour way!

Sorry, I was editing as you were posting. Note the addition to that post.

 

[Smallville]

This is not something that the rules are concerned with. Statistics is strictly a tool for either discussion or for measuring change in one's game. In my opinion, if you knock the first putt off the green, then the next one isn't a putt. What if you hit the first putt so hard, or on such a slope that it has to be chipped or even blasted back out of a bunker? Would you still count that as a putt? It comes back to consistency again. For statistical purposes, a putt can only occur if the ball lies on the putting green.

I knew it wasn't a rule, just something I read someplace. And I agree with you, again, just something I read a while back is all.

 

[coolbreeze]

Sorry, I was editing as you were posting. Note the addition to that post.

No problem at all, I'm glad to have you in the thread. I've always kept kind of strange stats anyway. If I sky a driver that only goes 150 yards forward and lands in the FW, I don't count that as a FW hit, but if I hit a 270 yard driver, that runs one foot off of the fairway I do count that as a FW hit, because I hit the shot I was meaning to hit. I know of course its not exactly the true stats but I bet it all comes out in the wash.

 

[TC]

No problem at all, I'm glad to have you in the thread. I've always kept kind of strange stats anyway. If I sky a driver that only goes 150 yards forward and lands in the FW, I don't count that as a FW hit, but if I hit a 270 yard driver, that runs one foot off of the fairway I do count that as a FW hit, because I hit the shot I was meaning to hit. I know of course its not exactly the true stats but I bet it all comes out in the wash.

hahaha, I like how you just make up your own rules. Dude, you can't do that.

 

[coolbreeze]

hahaha, I like how you just make up your own rules. Dude, you can't do that.

Dude, I'm not on the PGA tour, those old stats were just for me on how I'm doing with my game. They mean nothing when it comes to posting your score for the round. I suppose you could say I just kept track of good drives and bad drives, how about that?

 

[TC]

Dude, I'm not on the PGA tour, those old stats were just for me on how I'm doing with my game. They mean nothing when it comes to posting your score for the round. I suppose you could say I just kept track of good drives and bad drives, how about that?

Fair enough buddy. A ball in the fairway is a ball in the fairway. I've hit balls in the trees that spit them out in the fairway, to me, that's a fairway hit. If it's not in the fairway then it's not a fairway hit. That's all. I didn't know you didn't post them when you posted your round stats. My bad.

 

[coolbreeze]

Fair enough buddy. A ball in the fairway is a ball in the fairway. I've hit balls in the trees that spit them out in the fairway, to me, that's a fairway hit. If it's not in the fairway then it's not a fairway hit. That's all. I didn't know you didn't post them when you posted your round stats. My bad.

You guys post GIR, FW's hit and putts when inputting your score??? RCGA just asks for the gross adjusted score and thats it, anything you keep track of after that is just for you.

 

[KellyBo]

LOL! You are too funny CB. Thanks for motivating me to go out and practice. I was on the practice green at 8am today and practiced my putting for over an hour and then went and practiced my short game for another hour or more. I'm keeping stats on % made during my practice too. I will post a copy of my spreadsheet after I get enough sessions on there to give an idea of how it works and to show if I improve much. I sure hope so!!!

 

[TC]

You guys post GIR, FW's hit and putts when inputting your score??? RCGA just asks for the gross adjusted score and thats it, anything you keep track of after that is just for you.

Yeah, I post GIR, FW's and putts when I input buddy. I see what you're saying though, the way you keep up with your stats.

 

[coolbreeze]

LOL! You are too funny CB. Thanks for motivating me to go out and practice. I was on the practice green at 8am today and practiced my putting for over an hour and then went and practiced my short game for another hour or more. I'm keeping stats on % made during my practice too. I will post a copy of my spreadsheet after I get enough sessions on there to give an idea of how it works and to show if I improve much. I sure hope so!!!

I guess I am funny, I've never really thought about it before, I've been keeping "real" FW stats for the past 4 months and I will look back and see if the averages are any different. Anyway, love the idea of keeping the practice stats KB, and nice work getting out and practicing today. I plan on going to the practice green tomorrow before my round for an hour or so and work on some things.

 

[jgiguere17]

This is a good thread.

I am averaging about 1.7 putts per round for this year compared to a previous year of 2.1, so down .4 which is good. I want to be at a 1.5 or 27 putts. My biggest fault right now is speed and leaving it 3-4 inches short on putts that are within 12-15 feet.

 

[White Rhino]

LOL! You are too funny CB. Thanks for motivating me to go out and practice. I was on the practice green at 8am today and practiced my putting for over an hour and then went and practiced my short game for another hour or more. I'm keeping stats on % made during my practice too. I will post a copy of my spreadsheet after I get enough sessions on there to give an idea of how it works and to show if I improve much. I sure hope so!!!

Kelly, a site like oob will keep all those stats for you. And if you want to shell out $20 for a year they will add more stats then I have even thought existed.

 

[KellyBo]

Kelly, a site like oob will keep all those stats for you. And if you want to shell out $20 for a year they will add more stats then I have even thought existed.

Thanks Rhino, I will check it out.