Can tracking your stats lower your handicap? We did it for a year to find out

At the start of this year, I set myself a goal for my competitive golf: to track every single shot I hit in a round that counted toward my index.

So, with the help of my Shot Scope Pro LX+, I took to the course in the hope to find out where I was losing shots, and how I could improve my scores without needing to change anything in my technique.

It’s something I had wanted to do previously, but without the help of technology, it really wasn’t going to be possible. Thankfully, the Shot Scope app made it easy.

Before I hit each shot, I would simply tap the end of my club onto the H4, which sat on the Pro LX+ rangefinder, and the technology did the rest. This might sound tricky, but it soon becomes second nature. Then, after each round, I would go to the app and confirm all my shots were taken from the correct spot. Again, not a long process, and one that was actually quite eye-opening, as I was able to see where I had hit each shot from that day.

Looking back at my performance on the Shot Scope app over the year, some things stood out.

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Can tracking golf stats lower your handicap?

Here are my seven key takeaways…

Putting was a problem, but stats turned it around

If I had to describe my putting in a word, I would go with ‘streaky’. Some days it feels like I can’t miss, while other times it feels like the hole is filled in with cement. But that’s not unique to me, of course.

I was particularly miserable at the start of the year, when it really felt like the hole wasn’t even cut on the greens. The ball just wasn’t going in, especially from close range. Every round it felt like I was missing putts from inside four feet, which really shouldn’t happen that often.

I knew this was a problem, but it wasn’t until I really looked at the numbers did I realise how much of an issue it was, and how many shots I was haemorrhaging with the flatstick in my hands.

Using Shot Scope to track my stats this year has brought some *interesting* findings. This is my strokes gained putting compared to the average 25 handicap.

I play off 4. 😬 pic.twitter.com/pdx6EHIx0V

— Lewis Fraser (@lewisfras98) May 8, 2023

Yeah. Not good. So what did I do? Well, I worked on my putting a lot more than I perhaps normally would. And it also inspired a putter change. Back to an old faithful I went, and this helped turn around my fortunes on the green.

Without seeing those numbers in black and white (and green and orange and blue), I’m not sure I would have really realised just how bad things were.

It was a wake-up call I desperately needed.

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I’m surprisingly good from 9-12 feet

We’re not done with putting just yet. Shot Scope stats confirmed an irregularity in my performance on the greens.

Yes, I was struggling from inside the dustbin lid, but put me a little further away from the hole and things get much better.

From between nine and 12 feet I holed more than my fair share of putts – 57% of them, to be exact. On the PGA Tour from nine feet, the average make percentage is around 47%. (Maybe there is hope yet.)

I really can’t explain this phenomenon, and frankly I don’t even want to try. Whatever I’m doing, it’s working. Something clearly clicks from that range, and having that kind of positive data on my screen in front of me is a huge confidence boost. Onto 2024!

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I’m short off the tee, but not too short

As someone who plays off a fairly low single-figure index, I’ve always thought that off the tee I don’t hit the ball far enough.

Many of the people I play with who are a similar level to me comfortably outdrive me, and that can be a bit of a dent in the ego, but what Shot Scope has showed me this year is that it’s actually nothing to worry about.

My performance average with the driver, after 18 rounds of competitive golf, was 260 yards. Performance average, which is a really useful metric, takes away the outliers – so those rare drives that go absolutely miles, and also those ones that hit a tree and go nowhere.

If we’re going to do a PGA Tour comparison again, that’s only ten yards behind the shortest average. (Sorry, Brian Stuard.)

So, as much as I’d love to hit the ball longer, it’s certainly not something I need to be worried about and I won’t be beefing up like Bryson any time soon.

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Tour pro’s approach play is on a different level

Unsurprisingly, I’m losing shots to tour pros in every aspect of my game, but when it comes to shots into the green, that’s where we’ll find the largest gulf.

From the tee, I lose around three shots per round to a tour pro, in short game it’s around two shots, and on the greens this year, I’ve been pretty close to an average pro.

But, in approach play, I’m losing nearly six shots per round. Six! While I’m never going to be at the level of a tour pro, my iron game is definitely something I’m going to be working on over the winter months.

I suck at par-5s

This is a tough one to write, but I’m hopeless at par-5s. At Bathgate, where I played most of my golf this year, the first hole is a par-5 that plays just under 500 yards.

Then, the fifth hole is another short par-5 that, in theory, is a great chance at birdie. For a low-handicap player, these should be prime chances to pick up shots early in a round, but that wasn’t quite happening for me this year.

Compared to a five-handicap player, I gained shots on par-3s and par-4s this year, but on the par-5s, I was losing shots. In particular, on par-5s under 500 yards, where I was losing 0.2 shots per round. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but in holes where I really should be gaining, over the year, I’m losing. Not ideal. A strategy rethink is needed here!

I don’t miss greens long

This year, I hit just under 400 shots that Shot Scope class as “approach”. Of those 400 shots, only 4% missed the green long. Four percent! When I noticed this, I had my head in my hands.

Why is that so frustrating? Because 39% of my approach shots came up short.

Now, these numbers might be slightly skewed. Sometimes, if I’m in the rough and I’m 200 yards away, I might not be able to reach the green at all, so I’m never going to miss long. But, overall, it teaches a valuable lesson.

In 2024, I’m going to start aiming for the back edge of the green.

I’m WAY too reliant on the lob wedge

I love my 58° wedge. But I think I might love it too much.

I’m guilty of reaching for it as soon as I find myself just off the green and, a lot of the time, I’d probably be better off going for something with less loft.

Honestly, this is a tough one to examine, because my sample size with other clubs around the green is so small.

Apart from the lob wedge and my putter, which I like to use from just off the green, hardly any other club is getting a look in. Should I try a fairway wood as a makeshift chipper? Should I work on the bump-and-run with a mid-iron?

All things to work on and I’ll try and vary things up in 2024.

Final thoughts

Although I’ve not played as much golf as I would like this year, this has been a really useful exercise.

In 2023, I played 18 rounds that counted towards my index. From those rounds, my index went from 4.6 to 3.6, which is actually the lowest it’s ever been, so clearly something clicked.

In my practice time, I would focus on whatever part of my game was suffering in my Shot Scope stats, and lo and behold, it helped me play some solid golf, and get my index down.

In 2024, I’ll be tracking my stats in the same way. This time, hopefully, with some better scores to show for it.

Hopefully it can work for you, too.

If you’re looking for more details on Shot Scope products, including their new line of rangefinders, you can find that here.

Lewis Fraser As bunkered’s Performance Editor, Lewis oversees the content that’s designed to make you a better player. From the latest gear to tuition, nutrition, strategy and more, he’s the man. A graduate of the University of Stirling, Lewis joined bunkered in 2021. Formerly a caddie at Castle Stuart Golf Links, he is a member of Bathgate Golf Club where he plays off four.

Performance Editor