Strokes gained putting

Strokes gained putting measures every putt against the tour average from its starting distance: expected putts from where the ball lies, minus expected putts from where it finishes (zero when it drops), minus one for the putt. Summed over a round it says how many strokes the putter won or lost against a tour field from the same distances.

strokes gained = expected strokes before - expected strokes after - 1

The expected putts table is the whole category. From 3 feet the tour average needs 1.053 putts, from 8 feet 1.515, from 18 feet 1.840, from 30 feet 1.984 and from 45 feet 2.097. Holing an 18 footer is worth +0.840. Lagging it to 2 feet is worth -0.169: slightly negative, because from 18 feet the average player leaves a little less than a two-putt.

Putts per round can move in the opposite direction to putting skill, because it depends on where the approaches finished. A golfer who misses greens chips close and takes 30 putts from short range; a golfer who hits greens to 40 feet takes 31 from long range and putted better. Strokes gained prices each putt from its own distance, so a two-putt from 45 feet (+0.10) and a two-putt from 8 feet (-0.49) are finally different numbers.

A three-putt from 45 feet, lagging to 4 and missing to 2 before holing, costs -0.90 in total, and it is the one ordinary putting mistake that costs a full stroke on its own. Putting carries about a seventh of an amateur’s gap to a tour field on Broadie’s split, spread over roughly 30 putts a round, which is why it is the most practised category and the slowest to move a handicap.

Four putts, priced

Every putt against the tour average from its own distance.

The lag from 45 feet to 4 is a gain and the miss from 8 feet to 2 is a loss, which is the opposite of how a putts per round column reads them.

Expected putts by distance

The tour average number of putts from each distance, and what holing the putt is worth.

Every row is the published baseline, and the full expected strokes table carries every lie and distance.

What amateurs give up putting

The putting share of the gap to a tour field, by handicap, spread over about 30 putts a round.

The model behind the table is printed on the benchmarks page, and the strokes gained calculator runs any shot you like against it.

Putting in PinFlag

On the green you place the leave in feet for every putt, so each one is priced from its own distance against the expected putts table, and the holed putt closes the hole. The scorecard derives putts per hole from those putts rather than asking you to count them.

Insights shows strokes gained putting per round and across the season, three-putt frequency, make rate by distance from your recorded makes, a heat map of where your leaves finish around the hole, and three-putts under Score Killers, so a long-range lag problem and a short-range miss problem show up as different numbers.

The other categories

• What strokes gained is: the formula, a whole hole worked through, and the calculator.
• Strokes gained off the tee: Strokes gained off the tee prices every par-4 and par-5 tee shot against tour: the formula, worked drives, and what a fairway is worth.
• Strokes gained approach: Strokes gained approach prices every shot into the green against the tour average: worked approaches, proximity in strokes and the 150 yard table.
• Strokes gained around the green: Strokes gained around the green prices every chip, pitch and bunker shot against tour: worked shots, the 25 yard table by lie, and up-and-downs.
• The strokes gained formula: seven shots worked, the penalty rule and the identity check.
• Strokes gained tee to green: the three long categories added up, by handicap.
• How to improve strokes gained: each fix priced per shot.
• Predictive strokes gained: the same number, priced before the swing.