Tracking my golf stats has been key to helping me improve my golf handicap over the past 6 years. I’ve used golf stats to transform my game, cutting my handicap from 20 to 10.9 and lowering my scores by 6 shots. But here’s the key: it wasn’t about tracking everything. It was about focusing on the right stats. In this article, I break down exactly what made the biggest difference, and what you can ignore.

My Golf Improvement in Two Simple Measures

My progress is captured using two key measures: handicap (WHS) and average score over 18 holes (Figure 1). My handicap improved from 20 in 2019 to 10.9 in October 2025, while my average score dropped from 92.9 to 87.1, a 6-shot improvement (Figure 1). There’s good reason to measure both handicap and average score over 18 holes. What I’ll illustrate below is how this Handicap and total score Improvement transpires through typical golf stats and data. Be sure to read to the end, otherwise you’ll miss the most compelling reason for how my handicap improved.

Eliminating Big Numbers Matters Most

Eliminating big numbers seems simple, but can be overlooked. If playing stableford regularly you can fall into a habit of ignoring “blow up” holes. This is because you aren’t punished for excessive amount of shots on one hole.

A few years ago I made a point of recording quadruple bogeys so I understood how often I did them. Soon after seeing the data I started to make more effort to reduce mistakes. It didn’t matter how poor the hole was going, I wouldn’t give up. I would simply focus on the next shot. This mentality fed through my game and into the stats. In Figure 2a you can see a big reduction in the number of double, treble and quadruple bogeys with time. Specifically, quadruple bogeys dropped to 0.23 per round in 2025 (one in every four rounds of golf or 72 holes). Ideally I’d like to remove them completely.

Our tip here is simple. Persist. Don’t give up on a hole or pick up your ball. Continue until you finish. Ride out mistakes. My mentality shift was “make it your best bogey/double/treble”. The more you practice and overcome this scenario, the better you will get at scrabbling. I use to find rounds with a lot of scrambling hard work, now I enjoy the challenge. Just the other day I made bogey after playing my third shot off the tee. I then chipped in from the green edge.

How do you compare to others in your handicap?

In comparison to others (figure 2b), my averages compare quite well, sitting between the 6-10 and 11-15, reflecting my 10.9 handicap. If anything, my bogey average of 6.3 per 18 holes is a little less, scoring fewer than the 6-10 handicap range. At the same time, my Treble+ average per round is 1.29. Despite my efforts, there is clearly more I can do to reduce blow up holes and improve my scoring. This is something I will focus on more in 2026.

Par 5s Are Scoring Opportunities

Table 1 is a simple illustration of how my golf improvement for different hole types (par 3, 4 and 5). I started taking this measure in 2023 to see why insight I would get. My suspicion was that I was under performing on par 5’s. This suspicion was confirmed.

It is often said that par 5’s are scoring opportunities, hence this was something I wanted to understand more. I’m aware that these stats can heavily depend on the course you play regularly, e.g., one of the hardest holes at my club course is the par 5 12th (SI 2). This aside, you can clearly see from 2023 to 2025 that my par 5 average dropped by 0.31 shots on average, from 6.1 to 5.79. There are often 3/4 par 5’s on an 18 hole course. That equates to a 1 shot gain over two years, on par 5’s alone!

My par 4’s have also dropped, but not as much. Interestingly, if you assume at least 10 x par 4’s on an 18 hole course, that 0.12 average drop soon turns into another shot dropped: 0.12 X 10 = 1.2 shots dropped on average, for par 4’s over 2 years. There is also a decrease for par 3’s, but too small to be of significance.

How Par 5s Helped Me Improve Golf Handicap

The important point to make here is that my focus for par 5’s changed after reviewing data in 2023. Hence, I started to take a more measured approach to par 5’s. I’m now happy to take three shots as opposed to trying to reach in two. I only do the latter now when the hole is short, conditions helpful or risks low. The result? On average I’m scoring one shot better over just three par 5 holes. That’s a great return for a simple change in strategy and mentality.

My advice. Simple. Be conservative on par 5’s. Three shots into a par 5 is absolutely fine (up to 18 handicap). Or 4 shots if you have a handicap higher than 18. As a guide, if you can hit three 7 irons comfortably to a par 5, then this is sensible. If you need three 5 irons or more, maybe 4 shots is a better choice.

Fairways in Regulation (FIR): Do They Really Matter?

Based on data from my rounds, there is clearly little can be said for Fairways in Regulation (FIR; Figure 3a). In 2025 my handicap and average score is at its lowest ever. Yet my FIR in 2025 was the poorest ever. I’m not saying hitting fairways off the tee doesn’t matter. I’m simply highlighting that it serves as a relatively poor metric of performance and improvement, at least in my case. I would argue, what matters more is missing the fairways in the right place.

I will continue to strive to hit more fairways off the tee. But it’s not something I’m going to beat myself up about. I’d be far more concerned with penalty shots dropped from poor tee shots. Or left/right miss bias, highlighting repeated swing issues.

Greens in Regulation (GIR): Do You Need to Improve Them?

My Greens in Regulation (GIR) improvement is modest (Figure 3a). I hit around 1 in 4 GIR in 2025 compared to 1 in 5 holes in 2021. Compared to players of a similar handicap my GIR of 25% in 2025 is relatively poor (~33%, thegrint.com). The greens at the club course I play are relatively small, but I can’t evidence this easily.

Without doubt, I want to be better with approaches in GIR. But I’m not going to let GIR be the focus of my improvement. What does that even mean? It is a nice indicator to see trending in the right direction. But my advice. Don’t focus on trying to improve GIR. Find weakness in your approach play and work on that. If you improve, this will result in GIR improvement.

The one skill improvement that helped my scores drop most

There are clearly many things that have led to my improvement. Not all of them I have covered here and some I have not captured. Here I want to highlight what I believe is the easiest thing to improve IF you’re not already awesome. This one thing has had a significant impact on my average scores since 2020. The data proves, what I already felt. What is it? It’s Putting!

Since 2020 my average score per 18 hole round has decreased from 92.9 down to 86.9 (6 shots in total; something I’m extremely proud of). One of, if not the biggest single impact on my game is my putting improvement. It has improved by 2 shots per round. Again, this doesn’t sound like much, but it is a sustained improvement. The largest jump occurred between 2021 and 2022. And I’m pretty sure I know why.

2 Simple Putting Tips That Improved My Stats

1. I made a simple putting routine. One big aspect of this is that I practice 3ft putts more than anything else. I practice them over and over again until is becomes habitual. The idea is that 3ft putts become routine, easy and unmissable (almost). For more on putting practice, see our blog “How to Prepare for a Golf Competition Maximising Free Time – How Is My Golf“.
2. Here’s the big secret. There’s a book. It’s by one of the best and most well known Sports Psychologists of our time. Dr. Bob Rotella. Not heard of him? You will. A certain Rory McIlroy has worked with Dr. Rotella as well as many other great sporting achievers. The book is called “Putting Out of Your Mind”. It can be found with relative ease and is one of the best investments you’ll make in your golf game.

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