Strokes Gained, Explained for Regular Golfers
TL;DRStrokes Gained tells you how much better or worse than a benchmark golfer you are on every shot. Bigger negative number = bigger opportunity.
Strokes Gained is the only stat that answers the question every amateur is actually asking: what is costing me the most shots? Everything else — fairways, GIR, putts per round — is a proxy that misleads as often as it helps.
What Strokes Gained actually measures
Every position on a golf course has an expected number of shots to hole out for a benchmark golfer. From 150 yards in the fairway, a scratch player typically holes out in about 2.9 shots. From 25 feet on the green, about 1.8.
Strokes Gained on a single shot = (expected shots before) − (expected shots after) − 1. Positive means you gained on the benchmark; negative means you lost.
Why it beats every other stat
- GIR is binary. Hitting a green from 200 yards to 40 feet counts the same as from 130 yards to 8 feet. SG rates them honestly.
- Putts per round punishes good approach play. Hit it closer, you 1-putt more, but "putts per round" drops for reasons that aren't about putting.
- Fairways hit ignores distance. A 190-yard straight drive that finds the fairway "counts" the same as a 270-yard bomb into the light rough — even though one is dramatically better.
The four categories
- SG: Off-the-tee — every drive on par-4s and par-5s.
- SG: Approach — shots from outside 30 yards trying to reach the green.
- SG: Around-the-green — shots from inside 30 yards, off the green.
- SG: Putting — every shot on the green.
For most amateurs, SG: Approach is the biggest single opportunity. This is counter-intuitive — everyone talks about driving distance and short game — but the data is clear.
Choose the right benchmark
Coach by ATX lets you compare Strokes Gained against scratch, 5 handicap, 10 handicap, or tour. A 15-handicap comparing themselves to tour will see -8 SG per round in every category — useful for exactly nothing. Compare to the level one bracket above your current handicap. That shows you the gap you can actually close.
FAQ
What is Strokes Gained in simple terms?+
Strokes Gained (SG) measures how many shots you gained or lost versus a benchmark golfer on every shot you hit. If a scratch golfer typically finishes in the hole from your position in 2.9 shots and you finish in 3, you lost 0.1 strokes. Sum it across a round and you get where you're actually bleeding shots.
Why is Strokes Gained better than GIR or fairways hit?+
GIR and fairways hit are binary and don't account for what happened after. Strokes Gained values every shot by its outcome, so a 20-foot approach and a 5-foot approach are correctly rated differently. It also breaks down where you're losing strokes — driving, approach, short game, or putting.
Do I need a launch monitor to calculate Strokes Gained?+
No. You need shot-level data: distance from the hole before and after each shot, and lie type. Coach by ATX captures this via voice in about 10 seconds per hole.
How many rounds until my Strokes Gained is reliable?+
About 5–8 rounds produces useful signal in each category. 15+ rounds smooths out variance across all four categories (driving, approach, short game, putting).
Stop guessing what to work on.
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