Golf Analytics

Two golfers shoot 30 putts and have nothing in common. One putted out of his mind, the other left strokes on every green. The number alone never tells you which.

A 30-putt round can be excellent or terrible depending on how you got there. Here are real putts per round benchmarks by handicap, plus the context the raw number hides.

Three apps. Three approaches to golf analytics. Arccos requires sensors. Shot Scope requires a watch. golfity requires nothing but your phone. Here is what each one actually delivers.

Sensor systems like Arccos and Shot Scope are useful, but you can build a serious analytics picture with nothing but a scorecard, a phone, and a few seconds per hole.

Pin-hunting feels aggressive and exciting, but strokes gained data shows that aiming at the center of the green consistently produces lower scores for amateurs — and even many tour players.

Most golfers have a "favorite" yardage they lay up to — usually somewhere between 80 and 100 yards. Strokes gained data shows this instinct is costing them shots every single round.