Strokes Gained Calculator

Enter a shot and see what it won or lost. Add more shots for a round total by part of the game.

Lie before the shot

Distance to the hole (yards)

Where it finished

Distance left (feet)

Penalty stroke on this shot

Strokes gained, approach

+0.07

Expected strokes before2.945

Expected strokes after1.878

Strokes this shot cost1

How this is worked out

Every shot is priced against a published table of expected strokes: the average number of shots it takes a tour player to hole out from a lie and a distance. One shot is worth

gained = expected before - expected after - strokes taken

A shot in the hole has zero strokes left. A penalty makes the shot cost two instead of one. Add shots and each one lands in its own part of the game: off the tee, approach over 100 yards, short game inside 100, and putting on the green.

Worked example. From the fairway at 150 yards a tour player averages 2.945 strokes to hole out. Hit it to 20 feet and the expected putts are 1.878. So the shot gained 2.945 less 1.878 less 1, which is 0.067 strokes.

Why zero is the bar

A number near zero means you played that shot like the tour average from that spot. Most golfers are surprised by which part of their game is actually costing them: three putts feel expensive and rarely are, while a drive into the rough quietly costs more.

Frequently asked questions

How is strokes gained calculated?

Strokes gained for one shot is the expected strokes from where the ball started, minus the expected strokes from where it finished, minus one for the shot itself. A penalty makes the shot cost two.

What is a good strokes gained number?

Zero means you played that shot exactly like the tour average from that spot. Positive means you beat it. Over a round, tour winners are often near plus 8, and the field average is zero by definition.

Do I need a launch monitor to use this?

No. All this calculator needs is the lie and distance before the shot and where the ball finished.

Which baseline does this use?

The published PGA Tour expected strokes tables by lie and distance. Every row is shown on the expected strokes table page.

By The PinFlag Team.

Before the swing, not after

This page prices one shot once you already know where it finished. PinFlag prices any target you are looking at, live on the hole you are playing, on 40,000+ courses. You pick the target and see the number before you swing.

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