PGA Strokes Gained Statistics Explained

Most golfers are familiar with many of the stats used on the PGA and other professional Tours. These stats include the number of fairways hit, greens in regulation and putting averages. There are plenty of others including a somewhat new set of statistics that came on the golf scene in 2008. This category of stats is under the umbrella title of Strokes Gained.

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The problem is that Strokes Gained is a mystery for some older PGA fans as it is not a statistic that they’ve leaned on for information for decades. It also includes some math when figuring things out. Read on for all the information about how PGA strokes gained statistics work.

Where Did PGA Strokes Gained Stats Come From?

So, how did a new statistic for professional golf come onto the scene? Several years ago, Columbia University professor Mark Broadie, who is also a seasoned golfer and works with the USGA, was not happy with how traditional stats were used. He came up with Strokes Gained to cover the gaps of information being lost. He thought there was a better way to calculate the “value” of different shots.

For example, a player could have a great putting average, but Broadie wondered if that was because the player was a great putter from a distance. Or, did the player’s drive and approach put the ball closer to the pin for an easy putt? There is a huge difference between a tap-in putt and one from 30 feet.

Broadie started using the new Shotlink information being used by the PGA Tour that accurately measured every shot taken by every player during a tournament. The Columbia University professor plugged that info into his new system on how to more accurately show how a player, any player, was doing against the average of every other player in the event.

The PGA Tour liked the amazing amount of information Broadie was accumulating and put his Strokes Gained Putting stat into the mix in 2008. The idea was that players and the public could digest one new stat and after that, more Strokes Gained stats would be introduced. Now there are six Strokes Gained subcategories under the Strokes Gained statistic umbrella. The six are Strokes Gained (SG) Total, SG: Off the Tee, SG: Around the Green, SG: Tee to Green, SG: Approach to Green and SG: Putting.

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SG: Putting Explained

This is the original SG statistic introduced by Broadie and the PGA Tour. Strokes Gained Putting is considered to be the easiest of the SG stats to calculate and explain to someone for the first time. Here’s how it works. Let’s consider that the baseline for the stat is a 15-foot putt. Now, let’s consider that the field’s average for making that putt 15-foot putt on that hole is 1.5 strokes. If a player makes the 15-foot putt they got there in 1.0 strokes meaning they gained 0.5 strokes SG-Putting. However, they miss the putt, they lose 0.5 strokes SG-Putting.

SG: Off the Tee Explained

The first note is that SG: Off the Tee only applies to par 4 and par 5 holes on the course and none of the par 3’s. The best way to think of this is SG: Driving which calculates the performance of a player’s drives from the tee compared to the averages of the other players in the field. Here’s how the math works; (PGA Tour average for the hole) – (PGA Tour average left after your drive) – (1 Stroke off the tee) = strokes gained: off-the-tee.

Let’s use a par 4 hole at 450 yards as an example with a 4.1 scoring average. Now, after your drive as stated in the formula, the ball lands 115 yards away from the pin. Let’s say that equals a PGA average of 2.825 strokes to make it to the hole from that distance. Finally, you can plug the numbers into the formula.

(4.100) – (2.825) = 1.275 – (1) = 0.275. That means 0.275 Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee The goal is to look at the value of a drive – is a short drive in the fairway better than a long drive that puts the ball closer to the hole but in the rough?

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SG: Approach Explained

Unlike SG: Off the Tee, the SG: Approach statistic brings all of the par 3 holes back into the equation. The main factor is the equation starts with your approach to the green outside of 100 yards including a tee shot from a par 3. The second part is the putt to the hole. Let’s pick up with the same 115 yards to the hole with a 2.825 average as used above. Now, factor in the putt – let’s say ten feet from the hole with a 1.61 average. Here’s how the math works.

(PGA Tour average for approach) – (PGA Tour average for putt) – (1 stroke as with SG: Off the Tee) = strokes gained: Approach

Now, plug in the numbers from being 115 yards out with the 2.825 average. Remember, this could be a par 3, par 4 or par 5.

(2.825) – (1.61) = 1.215 – (1) = .215. This shows a total of .215 SG: Approach

SG: Around the Green Explained

Now for some simple explanations. Many golfers know the term scrambling when it comes to PGA Tour golf. In short, scrambling is how a player performs around the green – getting on the green from close in. This is the strokes gained equation for better defining the term “scrambling”. SG: Around the Green uses all of the data from every player for not only the fairway, but also from the rough and bunkers. You do not include putts in SG: Around the Green as it only considers shots from 30 yards out to being on the green.

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SG: Tee to Green Explained

Here’s another simple explanation for Strokes Gained Tee to Green. This is what could be considered the more modern version of Greens in Regulation. This is a combination statistic that combines the total from several Strokes Gained categories. It is calculated by adding the totals from Off the Tee, Approach, and Around the Green. Essentially from teeing off to landing the ball on the green. SG Tee to Green does not use the SG: Putting total.

SG: Total Explained

Finally, we have the most simple of the Strokes Gained categories to explain. SG: Total is when you add up all of the Strokes Gained totals to create a total number for a player’s round and then compare it to the PGA Tour average.

Do PGA Strokes Gained Statistics Work

Yes! PGA Strokes Gained statistics work in several ways. First, as Mark Broadie anticipated, the results show players that some old-school methods of keeping stats were not well suited for improving their games. The easiest to point to would be putting. Broadie showed that there was a huge difference between a player’s “real” stats with the putter when the approach was taken into consideration.

Getting to the green is important in as few shots as possible, but getting to the green and as close to the hole as possible for a shorter putt was more important. Secondly, it gave players, coaches, and trainers new information on shot selection and where a player could gain improvement. Players long off the tee may not feel the need to lay up quite as often. Players with less distance may lean more towards being aggressive from the fairway.

Lastly, it – along with PGA Shotlink – has opened the door for golf broadcasts to include more data for viewers in the form of real-time graphics. This may not be the most important gain from the world of Strokes Gained statistics, but it has made for more informative coverage for fans.

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