Opinion & Analysis
Stats! What are they good for?
For years the world of golf has attempted to quantify the game with the idea that data will somehow improve the experience and provide information as to what and how to improve performance. The various professional tours have invested millions of dollars in order to gather the data that can be boiled down into about 600 statistical categories. Those of us not affiliated with professional tours are encouraged to gather, record and keep our own stats so that we too can improve our golfing experience and provide a basis for improving our games.
And now, many years later we have Greens in Regulation, Driving Distance, Driving Accuracy, Putts Made from every conceivable distance, Proximity to the Hole from every conceivable distance and a whole range of analysis based upon the advanced notion of “Shots Gained.” Some of these stats have added to the experience, but none of them have actually helped most of us improve our games.
And why is that?
For example, if a player had 27 putts in a round, what did he/she shoot? Meanwhile, Phil Michelson shot a 59 to win the 2004 PGA Grand Slam of Golf hitting only three fairways. And, how is missing a fairway by inches automatically a negative while hitting a green leaving a 90-foot putt a good thing?
Instead of beating up on all of the unnecessary and unproductive stats and all of the data points necessary to base averages and the like, I will share with you the one single most useful and helpful stat that I have used and tested — and it only requires a binary response. A simple “Yes” or “No” to the question: “Did the shot produce the result that I tried to produce?”
- For the beginning player, getting the ball off the ground and going generally in the right direction for some acceptable distance would be a “Yes” answer.
- For the high-handicap player, getting the ball off the ground and going generally in the right direction for some acceptable distance without going out of bounds or into a hazard would be a “Yes” answer.
- For the middle-handicap player, a shot that has the general appearance of correctness without going out of bounds or into a hazard would be a “Yes” answer.
For the low-handicap or professional player, more specific definitions or targets are necessary. Meaning, does the ball flight have the “General Appearance of Correctness” (GAC) and is the ball coming to rest within the intended target area. “GAC” refers to direction, trajectory, distance and curve. The better the player, the more exact would be the standard for GAC. For your general information, “targets” are stated objectives into which the player desires the ball to come to rest.
I define targets as:
- Large Target: a “box” being 40 yards wide and as deep as desired (a rectangle, a parallelogram or a square)
- Small Target: an area* having a radius of 10 yards or 30 feet
- Scoring Target: an area having a radius of 10 feet
- Short Game Scoring Target: an area having a radius of 3 feet
*Note: Areas are defined as having the shape of a circle, a semi-circle, a triangle or a fan
As a point of interest, it isn’t usually necessary or desirable to define targets in more definitive terms. You may have noticed that there wasn’t any references to the pin, the green, the fairway or the hole. They may or may not be considerations when targeting, and they may or may not be within the boundaries of the actual targets!
“Byron [Nelson] said that the secret to playing Augusta National was to play to the green, not the pins,” Ben Hogan said after his 1942 playoff loss to Nelson at the Masters.
I concede that there are a few major flaws to this system. First, the player is required to be honest. Second, the player is required to record all of the “No” answers onto a “scorecard” that then becomes a permanent record for that round. Third, the player must determine if the “No’s” were a result of bad decision making or substandard execution. Finally, the player must schedule and then do both the physical and mental practice that turns the “No’s” into “Yeses.”
So, what percentage of the time is a player in the right position for the shot about to be played, how is the right position determined, and how does being in the correct position actually effect scoring? A topic for another time.
Ready to get started? I will email you the scorecard I use by request. Contact me at edmyersgolf@gmail.com.
Aronimink is not a storied club, but when Donald Ross himself proclaimed it to be as good as he can design and build, one had to take notice. Jay Sigel was the pre-eminent male amateur golfer from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He might have called any number of Philadelphia clubs home, but he chose Aronimink. It served him well. Gary Player won a PGA Championship here in 1962, and was followed by the 1993 winner … nobody. Aronimink gave that event away to Inverness, for reasons of which it is certainly not proud. So be it. We had to wait sixty-four years for the PGA to return to Newtown Square, but here we are. Aronimink has been neo-restored by Gil Hanse and team, to return Ross features with an eye toward defense against the dark arts, errrr, high-tech equipment.
Day one saw Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau dig big holes, to the tune of plus-four and plus-six, respectively. Since the first-round lead will be minus-three at worst, many shots will need to be made up for the power couple to reach contention. By nightfall, seven golfers held the day-one lead at three-under par 67. Shots and sticks caught our attention, and we are proud to present Five Things We Learned on Tech Thursday at the 2026 PGA Championship. Thanks to InsideTourGolfer, Today’s Golfer, and GolfWRX for initial equipment research.
First, meet Min Woo Lee
Min Woo Lee, aka Dr. Chipinski, has once again thrust himself into the conversation of Can he, will he, when will he? Lee has so much talent, wins not nearly as often as we believe that he should, and has no major near-misses (much less titles) on his wiki. The young Aussie is getting older and wiser, but is he able to avoid the scarring that holds the older and wiser back from breaking through? Philadelphia offers another opportunity. Min Woo signed for five birdies and two bogeys on day one, and grabbed a share of the opening-day lead at Aronimink. Winners transcend history and the moment, and Lee will need that sort of ascent to lift the Wannamaker on Sunday.
Second, meet Aldrich Potgeiter
The young South African golfer can rip driver with the best of them. Aronimink tips out at nearly 7400 yards, but beyond the fairway bunkers that ensnare only the mortals, Potgeiter can take his chances with wedge from the rough. On Thursday, he spent plenty of time in the spinach. Like Popeye, he used his muscles to gouge and thrash and dig his way out. Six birdies against three bogeys on the card brought AP in a three deep.
Third, meet Martin Kaymer
Not a major event takes place without a where’s he been throwback moment. We know that Martin Kaymer left the PGA and DP World tours for LIV golf, but the two-time (US Open and PGA) major winner has a lifetime exemption into at least one major event, and he seizes the opportunity each May. Kaymer joined the six-seven brigade with four birdies and a solitary bogey on day one. Kaymer was never a long hitter, and the years are kind to no golfer. The German champion will need to uncork every bottle of guile and strategy in his cabinet to remain in contention. For today, though, he occupies a rung on the ladder of Tour Tech.
Fourth, meet Scottie Scheffler
Let’s see, he’s the defending champion at the PGA, and he found his way back to the top tier with five birdies against two bogeys. To be a favorite and then play up to that stature and expectation is quite difficult. Just ask Rory, Bryson, and some of the other pre-tournament heartthrobs. Scheffler’s game is complete, and to knock him off the OWGR #1 pedestal, one needs to defeat him at the majors. Aronimink is the sort of course that fits Scheffler’s game. Better yet, it unfits the game of many of his challengers. Don’t expect Scheffler to go away anytime soon. Come Sunday, he’ll be around.
Fifth, meet Stephan Jaeger
Clocking in for the unheralded players shift are Ryo Hisatsune and Stephan Jaeger. Hisatsune logged seven birdies on day one, but gave most of them back with four bogeys. Still, he’s tied at the top for a time. Jaeger pitched five birdies against two bogeys, including a run of three consecutive, from holes four through six. Odds are that one of the two will hang around through 36 holes. Odds also suggest that both will be gone by Saturday evening. Still, the PGA Championship has historically been the major most likely to be won by an under-known. Both Hisatsune and Jaeger feature on that list, so good luck, lads!
On this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, I head to the Titleist Performance Institute for a full driver fitting with the new Titleist GTS lineup. We dive into the fitting process, talk about what made the biggest difference in performance, and break down how the different GTS heads and shaft combinations compare on the launch monitor. If you are thinking about a new driver setup for this season, there is a lot to take away from this one.
I also get into Brooks Koepka and the gear setup he brought to the PGA Championship, including the putters that caught my eye during the week. There are some interesting equipment trends showing up at the highest level right now and we break down what stands out.
To wrap things up, I talk about reshafting a few wedges, what I learned during the process, and swapping an adaptor onto a new shaft for another build project in the shop. A gear packed episode from start to finish for anyone who loves golf equipment and club building.
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Excited for this week’s WITB as we get to add the new Titleist GTS woods to the bag! I was fit at Titleist’s TPI facility in Oceanside California a few weeks ago and my new clubs just showed up. I am also adding a cool set of irons that I built last year some wild custom wedges into a new golf bag. Speaking of the bag I have a new Ghost Anyday Black Ops stand bag that I will be using on my Motocaddy Remote M7 electric cart.
Driver: Titleist GTS3 (11 degrees @ 10.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 6s
3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-7s
5-wood: Titleist GTS (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s
9-wood: Titleist GT1 (24 degress)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s
Irons: Bettinardi CB24 (5-PW)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (50-09 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (56-12 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (60-08 LB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Putter: Dan Carraher ZT Proto
Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour
Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag
Justin Rose WITB 2026 (April): Full WITB breakdown with new McLaren irons
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Justin Rose on the switch to McLaren Golf, learnings from previous equipment moves
Photos from the 2026 PGA Championship
Patrick Reed WITB 2026 (May)
Driver: Titleist GT3 (9 degrees) Buy here. Shaft: Aldila Rogue Silver 130 M.S.I. 70 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi35 (15 degrees)...
Aaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
Driver: TaylorMade M6 (9 degrees) Shaft: Aldilda Synergy Blue 70 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue...
Michael Block WITB 2026 (May)
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black VeloCore+ 5 X 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (15 degrees @14.25) Shaft: Mitsubishi...
Bryson DeChambeau WITB 2026 (May)
Driver: Krank Formula Fire Pro (6 degrees) Shaft: Project X Prototype 3-wood: Krank Formula Fire (10 degrees) Shaft: LA Golf BAD...
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3puttPar
Jul 29, 2018 at 1:08 pm
Stats! What are they good for? CONFUSING THE AVERAGE GOLFER leading them to poor practice routines, if they even practice.
DaveyD
Jul 29, 2018 at 9:39 am
My goal to to make greens in regulation. This one stat means I’m staying out of trouble & avoiding penalty strokes. It’s giving me the best chance for a par or sub-par. I don’t track it, I simply know if I make it or I don’t and where the extra strokes came from.
CrashTestDummy
Jul 28, 2018 at 1:31 pm
It is good to keep track of putts, gir, fairways hit, and proximity to the hole. However, at the end of the day the score is what counts. Most tour pros know and high level golfers where they are losing strokes.
Adam
Jul 28, 2018 at 11:55 am
I agree with everything here but technically… turning “No’s into Yeses” requires some sort of stats, right? Maybe not actually tracking and analyzing numbers but to get better, you must eventually improve the areas of the game referred to as “stats.”
Mike
Jul 28, 2018 at 9:13 am
I used to keep tons of stats (I work w/ # so it’s a habit). I ditched all that except for 1 stat…what did I shoot. # of putts is a fairly useless stat. If u hit every green in regulation & 2-putted each, you have 36 putts & shoot par. If you missed every green but got up & down every time, you shoot par w/ 18 putts. Which is better? At some point, after playing for a few years, you should know your game, meaning, where you s/b focusing on for improvement.
Blaise
Jul 28, 2018 at 1:01 pm
Still pretty useful, isn’t it?
If you had 18 GIR and 36 putts you can be fairly sure that your game from the tee box is solid (hard to hit greens when behind the trees) and thus your wedge game and putting is where you should focus your efforts.
Conversely if you get up and down that often you know it’s the longer clubs.
But, I mostly agree. The stats aren’t always a perfect indicator as there is much nuance.
Frankie
Jul 28, 2018 at 6:07 pm
Why would you need to work on your wedge game if you are already hitting 18 GIR’s…? Strokes gained around the green offers the lowest strokes gained out of any strokes gained categories so therefore it is the most negligible part of the game to work on; not to mention the short game is so random on the course because they are a result of misses that there is no way to practice it off the course without making it block practice, which is the wrong way to practice such a random part of the game. Everyone is better off practicing from the driving range and putting green and then practice their short game creativity while playing on the course.
Prime21
Jul 27, 2018 at 11:54 pm
Thanks for saying it again, not sure what would have happened w/o your approval.
R k
Jul 27, 2018 at 6:50 pm
I will say it again.. Ed Myers produces the best golf improvement articles on this or any other golf outlet.
While I have not used his scorecard(s) specifically, I have heeded only some of his advice on and off course and have had my best rounds ever this year, multiple rounds not just one.