Are you a competitive golfer and love to play tournaments?
If so, you have just discovered a tool for the golf course you will absolutely love. Scorelocker is a multi-level tracing scorebook for a variety of golfers. The Tour Edition Scorelocker is that tracking book of all scorebooks.
Scorelocker makes sure to make their product from premium construction and well though out design. It is used to track your score and other vital components when playing a round of competitive golf.
If you do not need a competitive scorebook, you may find one of these options is better suited for your game. As we discussed in our article on Junior golf tracking, it is very important to understand where your game is before you can make the changes you need to get to the next level. We also discussed our Amateur golf tracking, so that one steps up the options available if the Junior is to basic and the Tournament is too much for you.
Like our other articles, we want to state the importance of setting goals so you can achieve whatever you need.
So lets review that before we go too far.
Set Goals and Make A Plan to Achieve It.
It's no secret that the more you know, the better you can evaluate your weaknesses and where you need to improve. The more you improve, it is reasonable to believe you will make less mistakes, less mistakes means better score and eventually achieving your goals.
So this is your starting point, make a plan to achieve, once you have a plan, you can then work on achieving it. you have to make a plan that is achievable, be realistic. Don't make a goal that you want to be scratch golfer by the end of the season, if you do, you will set yourself up for disappointment.
I typically make a three year plan. So when I wanted to break 90, 80, etc, I gave myself time to achieve my goals. I know I know, three years is an eternity, right? No, its not, and if you achieve your goal before three years, great! You can then set a new three year plan.
It's very important to not get frustrated with not achieving your goal immediately, you need time to discover, practice, apply and repeat for consistency.
Now, if you want to set one or two year goals, thats up to you, but the key is to be realistic.
Scorelocker offers a premium multi-level solution to help golfers of all levels accomplish their golfing goals.
Before we discuss the options of tracking and which is best for you, we should ask the question. Should I even bother tracking my stats on the course?
Well, if you want to get better, the simple answer is yes. If you want to accomplish anything in life, you need to plan for results you actually want. Let's compare tracking your stats to some other areas of life.
If you were preparing for an exam, you would study to make sure you get the best grade possible. If you do not study, there is a better chance your results would not be as good versus is you spent time to study.
If you decided to open your own business, one of the most important things to do is write a detailed business plan to create a roadmap for you business.
And what if you wanted to lose weight, you would plan to work out, or cut your calorie intake. If you consume or burn off more calories than your body requires, you will eventually burn fat and accomplish your goals.
Well, achieving your golf goals is no different.
If you want to improve your golf game and lower your scores, you need to know what to work on. Golfers tend to go to the range and practice the same old things. This is great to practice, but you need to practice with purpose. So if your goal is to break 80 for example, you need to discover what is holding you back from doing it. Maybe you average 35 putts per round and you are losing strokes on the green.
Solution: You need to work on two things. You need to dial in your approach shots to get closer to the pin, and work on your putting stroke to take advantage of your opportunities and eliminate 3 putts.
Once you start tracking your game after only a few rounds, you will start to notice your strengths and weaknesses. The more and more you refine your game, you will start eliminating the habits that hold you back and enhance the better qualities of your new found game.
Tournament players may have some specific things to dial in and thats the purpose of this article, understand where you can make better decisions and utilize the data you have in front of you.
So, what are some stats you need to focus on?
Depending on where you are and where you want to be, you need to focus on key stats to help evolve your game. Let's work from the tee to green.
Fairways In Regulation
While this may be the most vital stat, it certainly is an important one to refine. Stats will show that as long as you can get to the green, it makes no difference if you are on the fairway or rough. However, let's look at this from the standpoint of confidence.
The more you can pick the right club on the tee and perform the shot you want to achieve, this will really help your mindset on the next shot. Also, it really allows you to set up your planned shot strategy for the hole. If you are not thinking 2 shots ahead, you need to think about this. Especially as you become more refined. Think about golf like a game of chess.
Drive Distance
We will look at this below in more detail.
Hitting greens
This stat is a little more important and can really help golfers get to the next level. You have 18 greens to hit in regulation and the more you hit, the better shot at eagle, birdie or par.
So let's define what a green in regulation is:
Par 3 - hitting the green in 1
Par 4 - hitting the green in 2
Par 5 - Hitting the green in 3
Ideally, you always want a putt for birdie. The more greens you hit, the more attempts at birdie you have and the lower your score will eventually get as you hit more greens.
First Putt Distance
We will look at this below in more detail.
Putts Per Hole
Typically, you want to putt more than you want to chip. Lots of people love to chip and are very good at it, but the odds go up when you can roll a putt and that should always be your objective, seek best chance to get in the hole.
If you putt from the fringe, that does not count as a putt even if you putt, so only count putts that are done on the actual green. As discussed in first putt distance, the closer distance to the hole you can be, the better chance to reduce the amount of putts per hole and per round. Reducing putts per round is a massive stat to achieve lower scores.
Check out the Scorelocker blog article on Use A Putting Line on Your Golf Ball to Save Strokes.
Score
This is obviously a measure that most people use to gauge their game. Yes, it is an important one but people do ignore all the others and tend to look at score too much. While it is the measuring stick, once you get everything else figured out, this one takes care of itself.
This one reminds me of an old saying, save your pennies and the dollars will count themselves. If we think of it this way, once we refine all our other areas, your scores will lower without really even thinking about it, it will just happen.
+/-
This is an extension of score. This basically indicates the amount of strokes over or under par you are for the hole or round. So on hole #1, if you get a bogey, you are +1. If you double bogey hole #2, you are now +3. This should be a running total that will go up and down and tell you where you are for score at a quick glance. Versus adding your score up to see where you are, after 7 holes you can see you are +5.
Now, as mentioned in our article for junior tracking, the stats above are where we stop tracking. However, with the Amateur level Scorelocker, we step up the tracking just a little more.
At this stage, it's time to think about your up and downs along with your sand saves.
Let's review.
Up and Downs - Scrambling
If you miss your green in regulation, you will have to try and get up and down to save your par. A lot of golfers tend to get very good at chipping around the green for a reason, they are not dialling in their short irons and missing greens. Thats why a lot of golfers say, I love chipping.
While chipping is essential around the green to scramble for your pars, once you refine your game, you will find yourself having to scramble less. Which means your puts may increase until you dial in your putting (what a game).
Sand Saves
Sand saves are a form of scrambling. If you miss the green and hit a green side bunker, you need to get up and down for a par. This up and down can be harder to achieve unless you love bunker shots.
The Tour Edition Scorecard steps up from the Advanced tracking of the Amateur Scorelocker. Let's look at a few more keys to the Tour scorecard.
Drive Distance
This does not need to be a concern for the beginner or even sometimes the casual golfer. However, as you progress, understanding your drive distance is important to set up your next shot, especially for dialling into the greens.
I do not personally believe that everyone should get consumed with bombing drives, only because you can lose a lot of control as people tend to over swing. Bow there is that and a proper swing change to add a little more swing speed while maintaining control and impact, that's the desired yardage gain.
Whats more important ti understand when tracking your drive distance, is knowing where your drives will put you. Are you in the fairway, or maybe more important, what is your next shot distance? Do you have a proper yardage to the green and pin to take advantage of the hole? To me, it's important to understand the capabilities of your drives and how to set yourself up, so don't always get consumed with gaining a couple extra yards, understand what your next play should be. This leads us to our next point.
First Putt Distance
Now, this stat will really help you get more birdies.
The goal is to get to a number you really like and confident hitting, 100 yards for example. The closer you can get to the hole on every first putt attempt you have, the better odds you have to make a birdie.
As we discussed above with drive distance, let's look at a par 4. If you hit a drive that goes 260, and the hole length is 350. You now have 90 yards into the green. This puts you in a good spot to get yourself close to the pin for your first putt attempt.
How what if you have a miss hit on your drive and have some fade or over draw which takes you offline. Let's say you hit it 220 versus the above 260. Now you have 130 into the pin.
Now this is not a bad yardage, however if you know you can dial in at 100, you now have to go up typically 2 clubs. The comfort level of you getting closer at 130 versus at 100 will be less. We will talk about this below in the Club management tracking section.
Pace off your distance from your ball to the pin to get how many feet your first putt is and note it in your Scorelocker. One full pace should equal approximately 3 feet, this depends on the person a size of pace. However on average, if you have 10 paces, you have 30 feet. Measure your stride for better accuracy.
At the end of the round, add up every holes first putt distance and divide it by total holes. Then you can start to understand your average first putt distance. To take it to the next level, pick you desired approach distance and try and get to that distance every time, eventually you will master that distance, putts will be closer and you will get more birdies.
Sounds easy but you have to trust the process.
Pin Sheets
So, when you play in a golf tournament, you will be familiar with receiving a pin sheet when you show up to the tee before you start your round. This is something that Scorelocker Tour Edition does very well.
Once you get your pin sheet locations, you can easily transfer the data over to your Tour Edition scorebook to have instant access to the pins while you play. Pin sheets really help you dial in your distance and strategy into the greens.
Another great feature is the hole specific notes. Let's say you go out for a practice round or two before the tournament, make some notes on your pin sheet such as, do not be short, false front, or maybe you need to be short and not too long. Specific notes about the green and how you should approach the hole from the tee box.
Here is an example of the pin sheets.
Pin sheets are a great tool on the golf course, if you want to see a little more about How to Use Pin Sheets, check out our article that dives a little deeper into how they work.
Club Management Distance Tracking
This is a great section in the back of the Tour Edition scorebook.
The Club Management system allows you to track key information about your specific game. I will start by saying, forget about the distance that everyone else plays for every club in their bag. I see many people, me included saying, well if they hit a 7 on this par 3, I should do the same, even if you really think it's a 6. Thats no way to trust your game, take advantage of the clubs in your bag or shoot better scores.
The Club Management section of the Tour Edition is a simple section that can really help you take things to another level. This section allows you to document the distances for all the clubs in your bag. There is also the ability to track your minimum, average and max distances for all your clubs. I like to know what I hit my clubs at normal ball position, a ball ahead and a ball behind. For me, this could be as much as 10 yards less in the front from normal ball position to 10 yards longer a ball back of normal. This is handy when you are trying to get closer to pins.
You can take it to another lever if you can get some simulator time or have your own personal launch monitor. It is getting more affordable to invest into your game and once you get your numbers locked in, you will be hitting more greens and your first putt distance will get tighter.
There are also multiple notes and drill sections for while you are out on the range or on the course. Many people have certain aspects to their swing for short irons, versus long irons or off the tee, place important notes for your game in these sections.
The Secret is in Your Back Pocket
If you are a tournament player, you may want to review the Scorelocker Tour Edition.
Tour Edition
Check out the article on Tournament Tracking.
This scorebook is designed for the competitive or tournament golfer - example would be someone shooting scratch to mid 80's (just to give a ballpark of typical user). This scorebook is packed with tracking, tournament pin sheets and club management to name a few.
Track the following Advance stats:
Premium Tracking Includes:
- Hole Yardage/Par
- Fairways in Regulation
- Greens in Regulation
- Putts
- Score
- Plus/Minus
- Up/Down
- Sand Saves
- Pin Sheets
- Notes Per Hole
- Club Management System
All Scorebooks Come With:
- Tee Time Tracker
- Rounds Played Summary
- Detailed Summary Scorecard
If this sounds like the right option for you, check out the Tour Edition Scorelocker.
We hope this tip helps.
If you would like to see how you can track important stats on the course, store data for handicap tracking, reviewing past rounds at a glance, and so much more.
Check out the Scorelocker multi-level tracking books for your back pocket.
Scorelocker provides discount pricing for golf clubs and associations to help golfers start dial in their game and become the best player possible. Contact sales@scorelocker.com
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