So, are you new to golf and wondering what you should do to advance your game?
Well, lessons are essential if you want to start off with proper techniques and range time to get in as many repetitions as possible to establish muscle memory. Aside from lessons and range time, you need to make sure you go out with the intention to have fun and enjoy your round. I believe you want to be competitive when you play, because it can really help you focus. However, if you play the great game of golf to enjoy it, you will get so much out of the game including friendships and the best outdoor experience when it comes to sports.
Having said this, let's talk about a simple technique for Juniors to track your game to establish some basic fundamentals on the course.
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.
Junior Stat Tracking Keeps You Focused on the Basics to Understand Where You Need to Improve.
Start Tracking Basic Stats on the Course
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.
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.
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.
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 using a putting line on your golf ball.
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.
We do not focus on scrambling stats for Juniors because we think you need to focus on other basic first, but eventually as you grow your game, you should start to track your scrambling by using an Amateur or Tour Edition Scorelocker.
In Summary
You do not want to overthink your game, but you do not want to ignore the basic stats that are available to you after each round of golf. Take some time to document and understand where you lost the hole and how you could have played it better. Maybe you are making bad decisions on the tee box and thats what you need to focus on to be in better locations for your approach to the green. Maybe you are putting too many times per round, so you should focus on improving your putting.
There are many things to consider, but you need to think about your game a little before you can pinpoint where you need to focus your time.
The Secret is in Your Back Pocket
Here is a quick overview of the Scorelocker Junior Tracking books for your back pocket.
Junior
This is designed for the beginner or Junior golfer. In this tracking scorebook, track the following basic stats:
Basic Stats
- Hole Yardage/Par
- Fairways in Regulation
- Greens in Regulation
- Putts
- Score
- Plus/Minus
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 Junior 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 Junior golf clinics to help junior golfers start off on the right track. Contact sales@scorelocker.com
It's time to Track Like A Pro!
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