About Golf Strokes Gained Calculator
Track every shot and unlock your golfing potential with our free Golf Strokes Gained Calculator. This powerful, mobile-friendly tool compares your performance to any benchmark — from PGA Tour level to a 10-handicap golfer — so you can see exactly where you’re gaining or losing shots. Whether it’s driving, approach play, short game, or putting, our calculator uses the strokes gained formula to give you clear, actionable data. Simply select your benchmark, enter your shot details, and review the results in real time. Use your personalised analysis to focus practice on the areas that matter most, lower your scores, and play smarter golf.
Strokes Gained – Quick Calculator
| # | Hole | Start Lie | Start Dist | End Lie | End Dist | Holed? | SG (shot) | Remove |
|---|
Formula per shot: SG = E(start) − 1 − E(end). If holed, E(end)=0. End distance is from new position to hole.
| Dist (yd) | Tee | Fairway | Rough | Sand |
|---|
| Dist (ft) | Green |
|---|
Total SG
Driving
Approach
Short Game
Putting
Categories: Driving = tee shots on par 4/5; Approach = >50y not on green; Short Game = 0–50y not on green; Putting = on green.
Mastering Strokes Gained in Golf: The Complete Guide
Golf has never been more data-driven. Whether you’re a weekend golfer chasing single digits or a competitive player looking for a Tour-level edge, understanding your performance is essential. One of the most powerful tools available today is the Strokes Gained metric — and our Golfissimo Strokes Gained Calculator makes it simple to track, understand, and improve your game.
In this guide, we’ll break down what strokes gained is, why it matters, and how you can use it to lower your scores.
What is Strokes Gained?
Strokes Gained is a statistical measurement developed to compare your performance on each shot to a defined benchmark — usually the average performance of golfers at your level. Instead of relying only on traditional stats like fairways hit or greens in regulation, strokes gained tells you exactly where you’re gaining or losing shots.
For example:
- If you take fewer strokes than the benchmark from a given position, you gain strokes.
- If you take more, you lose strokes.
The concept was first introduced by Columbia University professor Mark Broadie and later adopted by the PGA Tour, revolutionising how players and coaches analyse the game.
Why Strokes Gained Beats Traditional Stats
Traditional golf stats have limitations:
- Fairways hit doesn’t tell you how far down the fairway you are.
- Greens in regulation ignores whether you’re 3 feet or 30 feet from the hole.
- Putts per round doesn’t account for how difficult those putts were.
Strokes gained removes these blind spots by incorporating distance, lie, and context into every shot.
The Four Strokes Gained Categories
When using our calculator, you’ll see four categories:
- Driving (SG: OTT – Off The Tee)
- Measures tee shots on par 4s and 5s.
- Helps you evaluate accuracy and distance, but also your strategic club choices.
- Approach (SG: APP)
- Shots from more than 50 yards that are not on the green.
- Reveals how well you’re positioning yourself for birdie chances.
- Short Game (SG: ARG – Around the Green)
- Shots from within 50 yards of the hole, excluding putts.
- Highlights your ability to recover and save par.
- Putting (SG: PUTT)
- All shots on the green.
- Pinpoints whether you’re holing more (or fewer) putts than average.
How to Calculate Strokes Gained
The formula for a single shot is:
SG = E(start) – 1 – E(end)
Where:
- E(start) = Expected strokes to hole out from your starting position.
- E(end) = Expected strokes to hole out from your ending position.
- If holed, E(end) = 0.
Our Strokes Gained Calculator automates this for you:
- Enter your shot data — lie, distance, and whether the shot was holed.
- The calculator compares your result to editable benchmark tables.
- View your strokes gained or lost for each shot, hole, and category.
How Benchmarks Work
Benchmarks are the secret sauce of strokes gained.
In our calculator, you can:
- Use default benchmarks for Tour, scratch, or handicap levels.
- Edit them to reflect your personal goals or data from your own rounds.
- Save and load custom tables.
Changing your benchmark from “PGA Tour” to “10 handicap” can make a big difference in interpreting your results.
Using Strokes Gained to Improve Your Game
The data itself isn’t the end goal — it’s what you do with it that matters. Here’s how to put strokes gained to work:
- Identify Weakest Areas
- If you’re consistently negative in SG: APP, you know your iron play needs attention.
- Set Targeted Practice Plans
- Work specifically on the shots that cost you the most.
- Track Progress Over Time
- Repeat the same measurements to see if your changes are working.
- Make Smarter On-Course Decisions
- Sometimes your “weakness” isn’t a swing flaw, but a poor club choice or overly aggressive line.
Example: Analysing a Round
Imagine a 10-handicap golfer plays 9 holes and records:
- SG: Drive = +0.4
- SG: Approach = –1.8
- SG: Short Game = +0.2
- SG: Putting = –0.5
The takeaway?
- Driving and short game are strengths.
- Approach play is the biggest weakness.
- Putting is slightly below benchmark.
From this, the player might spend the next month focusing on 120–170 yard shots, not hitting more drivers or grinding 6-foot putts.
Strokes Gained for All Levels of Golfers
- Beginners: Learn where you can save the most shots without overcomplicating stats.
- Mid-Handicaps: Build a smart, targeted improvement plan.
- Low-Handicaps & Pros: Fine-tune your game at an elite level.
Our calculator is designed to work for everyone — from the first-time data user to the competitive tournament golfer.
Why Use Our Golfissimo Strokes Gained Calculator
- Mobile-first design — use it on your phone while on the course.
- Editable benchmarks — tailor the tool to your game.
- Save & load sessions — track your performance over time.
- Export to CSV — for deeper analysis in Excel or Google Sheets.
Tips for Getting the Most Accurate Data
- Be consistent with units (yards or metres).
- Double-check distances — use a rangefinder or GPS if possible.
- Update benchmarks as your handicap changes.
- Record as you play, not from memory afterwards.
The Future of Golf Stats
Strokes gained is here to stay. It’s now used by:
- The PGA Tour
- The LPGA Tour
- Elite amateurs
- Data-driven coaches worldwide
And as more golfers adopt it, the quality of benchmarks will improve, making it even more valuable.
Start Tracking Your Game Today
If you’ve ever wondered “Why am I not scoring lower?”, the answer is in your data.
Our Golfissimo Strokes Gained Calculator takes the guesswork out of improvement — showing you exactly where to focus for faster results.Learn everything you need to know about Strokes Gained here.
Try it now and start gaining strokes where it matters most.