Strokes Gained Golf: What It Means and How to Use It

Strokes Gained: Putting: Measures putting performance relative to a PGA Tour or amateur baseline average for putts from specific distances. If the average golfer takes 1.8 strokes from 20 feet and you take 1 stroke (hole it), you gain 0.8 strokes in putting on that putt.

Strokes Gained: Approach: Measures the quality of your full shots into the green from 20 yards or more. A shot that ends up closer to the hole than expected for that distance and lie gains strokes. Approach is typically the highest-impact category for single-digit handicappers.

Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee: Measures tee shot performance on all holes. Accounts for distance, accuracy, and the resulting lie. A drive that finds the rough 250 yards out may lose strokes compared to a 230-yard drive in the fairway, depending on the course difficulty at that position.

Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green: Measures shots from within 20 yards of the green, excluding putts. Chips, pitches, bunker shots, and bump-and-runs. This category is often the largest source of strokes lost for mid-to-high handicappers because the variability in short game is high.

Strokes gained is the statistical framework that changed how golf performance is analyzed at every level from PGA Tour analytics to amateur improvement apps. The insight it provides is simple: instead of just measuring what you scored, measure how each shot compares to what should have been scored from that same position.

The Core Concept

Every shot in golf starts from a position with a known expected number of strokes to hole out. A ball in the fairway 150 yards from the green has an expected score — based on millions of shots from that position — of, say, 2.9 strokes to hole out. If you hit the shot to 5 feet and then make the putt, you took 2 strokes from that position. You gained 0.9 strokes versus the expected 2.9.

If instead you mishit the shot and made 4 from that position (approach into a bunker, explosion shot, two putts), you took 4 strokes where 2.9 was expected. You lost 1.1 strokes.

Strokes gained aggregates these comparisons across all shots to show total performance versus baseline.

Why Four Categories?

The four categories (putting, approach, around-the-green, off-the-tee) exist because improvement opportunities differ across them. A golfer who loses 1.5 strokes per round in approach shots and gains 0.3 in putting has a clear priority: the approach game is costing far more than the putting game is saving. Without strokes gained, that golfer might focus practice on putting because they “feel like” they putt badly, while the data shows the opposite.

The Amateur Application

Mark Broadie’s original research on strokes gained showed PGA Tour patterns — the best ball-strikers in the world separated by fractions of strokes per round. Arccos translated this to amateur golf using their database of amateur rounds, creating baselines that are relevant to golfers shooting 80–100.

The finding that surprises most amateur golfers: putting and around-the-green shots are where amateurs lose disproportionate strokes. The drive that goes into the rough costs less than commonly believed compared to the chip that is left 30 feet from the hole or the putt from 15 feet that becomes a three-putt.

Getting Started with Strokes Gained

You do not need hardware sensors to start using strokes gained. 18Birdies’ premium tier calculates it from manually logged shots. For golfers who want to understand their game patterns, even approximate strokes gained data from 10+ rounds of manual entry reveals the categories that need the most attention.

What does a strokes gained number actually mean in practice?

If your Strokes Gained: Putting is +0.5 in a round, you gained half a stroke on the field (or against baseline) through putting alone. If your SG: Approach is −2.1, you lost 2.1 strokes compared to baseline through approach shots. The categories sum to your total strokes gained for the round, which reflects your total performance versus the baseline. Positive overall = better than baseline, negative = worse.

Can amateur golfers use strokes gained?

Yes, with two caveats. First, the baseline used matters — Arccos uses an amateur golfer baseline, not PGA Tour data, which makes the comparisons more relevant. Second, you need enough rounds of data to generate reliable averages. Single-round strokes gained numbers are noisy; averages over 10+ rounds reveal genuine patterns. Apps like Arccos and 18Birdies provide strokes gained on their premium tiers.

Which strokes gained category matters most for improvement?

It depends on your skill level. For PGA Tour players, SG: Approach distinguishes the best from the field. For 15–20 handicappers, SG: Around-the-Green and SG: Putting are typically the most negative categories and the areas with the fastest improvement potential per hour of practice. For 5–10 handicappers, SG: Approach becomes the primary differentiator.

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Where does the strokes gained baseline data come from?

The PGA Tour's ShotLink system originally developed strokes gained using data from thousands of professional rounds. Arccos built an equivalent system using millions of amateur shots across their user base, creating an amateur-appropriate baseline. The academic foundation comes from Columbia Business School professor Mark Broadie, who pioneered the framework and published it in 'Every Shot Counts.'

Is strokes gained the same as scoring average?

No. Scoring average is a raw number (e.g., 85.2). Strokes gained is relative — it tells you how you performed versus a baseline, and it can be broken into components. You might average 85 and have excellent strokes gained in putting but poor strokes gained in approach. Scoring average would not reveal this breakdown.

Do I need Arccos to use strokes gained analytics?

No. 18Birdies includes strokes gained on its premium tier using manual shot entry. The trade-off is accuracy — manual entry introduces human error that automatic sensors eliminate. Arccos is the most accurate source of amateur strokes gained data, but 18Birdies provides a viable alternative at lower hardware cost.

How do I improve my strokes gained in each category?

SG: Putting — practice distance control for long putts, direction for short putts. The 6–10 foot range has the most strokes gained impact for most golfers. SG: Approach — focus on consistent contact from your most common approach distances. SG: Around-the-Green — practice a reliable chip and pitch technique from multiple lies. SG: Off-the-Tee — for most amateurs, fairway accuracy matters more than raw distance.

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