With a new golfing year well underway, some of us will already be on the way to achieving our goals for the season. Maybe you’ve already posted your best score in the Spring Medal, or you’ve finally committed to a series of lessons that are going to help you to reach the next level. After all, one of the main reasons we play this game is to experience the joy of getting better.
However, if you feel as though you’re treading water – perhaps you’re at a loss to explain why you’re continually shooting something in the mid 80s, or you’re striking the ball well but it’s not being reflected in your scores – you’d do well to join the growing number of golfers who are tracking their shots.
Why? Well, here are six just six reasons to do so, brought to you with the help of leading GPS and rangefinder company Shot Scope. It’s very simple to do, and it can help you to start shooting lower scores in no time at all.
1. Know your game better
A lot of golfers will think they know their own game inside out, and whilst the more discerning player might well do, your typical club amateur tends to make a lot of assumptions. How far do you hit your pitching wedge? What about your best drive? You might have an idea, but sometimes – and this isn’t unusual – club golfers think they hit the ball further than they actually do. Ask Tour pros what the most common fault is they witness during pro-ams and a large number will tell you it’s not taking enough club.
Tracking your shots when you play allows you to build up a set of statistics in no time at all. When you remove any guesswork – and your ego – you’re giving yourself a much better chance of hitting the ball closer to the pin – it’s that simple. Tracking your shots will also help you to ensure that you have even gaps so that each one of your 14 clubs can hit a certain number. You might find that you need to tweak your set make-up.
2. Smarter decision making
If not taking enough club is the number one fault amongst amateur golfers, poor decision making must be a close second. When you know for certain how far you hit each club, you should be able to plot your way around a course with a lot more confidence. Of course, you still have to make a good swing, but with the right information you have a far better chance of steering clear of hazards and putting your ball in the right spots.
One area where you could quickly find yourself making significant improvements is off the tee. If you know what your tee shots tendencies are, you can make adjustments and keep destructive tee shots and big numbers off the card. In short, you can make course strategy a strength.
3. Practice smarter
We’ve all been guilty of going to the range and pounding balls away without a purpose, or hitting the same favourite club over and over. When you track every shot, you’ll arm yourself with a comprehensive database of statistics that clearly highlight what your strengths and weaknesses are.
It might be that you’re pushing your wedges, or pulling your mid irons. A closer look at your short game, meanwhile, might reveal that your sand save percentage is alarmingly low or that the majority of your putts are coming up short. Now you can really make your practice sessions productive.
4. Pre round preparation
So, you’ve got a big competition coming up – one that’s being played on a course that you’ll be playing for the first time. The beauty of tracking your shots means that you can prepare for such occasions more thoroughly than you’ve ever done before.
Perhaps the course requires you to play most shots from right-to-left, or its length means that you’ll be hitting a lot of long irons and hybrids into the greens. You’ll be able to practice what you need to in the same way the best players in the world might prep for an Open Championship on a demanding links. With a clear game plan, you could be a serious contender for the silverware.
5. Understanding your bag makeup
Talking of Tour pros, it’s not unusual for the game’s elite players to change their line-up on a week-to-week basis depending on where they are playing and the type of course they face. For example, you might want to put a long iron in the bag if you’re playing a links course to make use of the extra run on offer, or opt for an extra hybrid on a course where there are a number of really tight driving holes.
6. Goal setting and challenges
One of the other advantages of tracking your shots is that it allows you to compare your stats to other golfers. There’s nothing like a bit of healthy competition to help you improve. For example, your friend, or your coach, might challenge you to reach a certain make percentage from 6ft.
Having access to so many Strokes Gained statistics also helps you to set goals and targets. With a target to aim towards, there’s something on the line, and a bit of extra motivation to work hard on the areas of your game that might need sharpening up.
If you want to start tracking your shots this season, visit the Shot Scope website.
