Strokes Gained
Also known as: SG
Strokes gained measures how many strokes a player gains or loses relative to a benchmark (tour average or peer group) on each category of shots. This means off the tee, approach, around the green, and putting.
Strokes gained is a statistical framework for measuring golf performance that compares a golfer's results on each shot to the expected number of strokes a scratch golfer (0 handicap) would need to complete the hole from the same position. Rather than counting raw statistics like fairways hit or greens in regulation. This means which do not account for shot difficulty. This means strokes gained measures each shot's actual contribution to the final score relative to baseline expectation. A shot that advances from a situation expected to take 3.5 more strokes to a situation expected to take 2.0 more strokes represents a gain of 1.5 strokes compared to expectation. At the same time, a shot that lands in trouble gains negative strokes.
Strokes gained was developed by Mark Broadie at Columbia Business School and introduced into pro golf statistics in the early 2010s, rapidly becoming the gold standard for golf performance analysis on tour. The framework is typically broken into components. This means Strokes Gained. This means Off the Tee (SG:OTT), Strokes Gained. This means Approach (SG:App), Strokes Gained. This means Around the Green (SG:ATG), and Strokes Gained. This means Putting (SG:Putt). This means that can isolate exactly which areas of the game a player gains or loses strokes relative to a baseline. For tour pro players, the baseline is average tour performance; for recreational golfers, various handicap-adjusted baselines can be used.
For recreational golfers, strokes-gained thinking provides actionable insight into practice prioritization. A golfer who loses 2 strokes per round on putting and 0.5 strokes per round on driving should logically allocate more practice time to putting than driving. This means regardless of how much more fun driving practice feels. Strokes gained converts emotional allocation ("I want to hit it further") into evidence-based allocation ("my data says work on pitching").
Start tracking your shots by category (tee shots, approach shots, chips and pitches, putts) for 5–10 rounds and count how many shots you take from each area. The area with the most shots relative to par expectations is your largest opportunity for improvement. It is where practice time produces the most scoring improvement.
Use a shot-tracking app (Shot Scope, Arccos, or Game Golf) for a full season and review your strokes gained breakdown at season end. The areas where you lose the most strokes relative to your handicap baseline define your practice priorities for the following season. Golfers who follow data-driven practice prioritization reliably improve faster than those who practice by preference.
Example — Shot-tracking app
A player who gains 2 strokes per round on approaches but loses 1.5 on the green learns to focus practice on putting. This is. This is because that is where the scoring gap lies.
How it shows up on video
Strokes gained is a statistical concept measured through shot tracking data rather than observable in individual swing video. However, the areas where strokes are gained or lost can inform which swing elements should be prioritized in video analysis. A golfer who loses the most strokes around the green would benefit from having short game video analyzed most thoroughly. At the same time, one who loses primarily off the tee would prioritize full-swing video review.
Common mistakes
- Using strokes gained data from a single round — strokes gained results are highly variable round to round. Reliable patterns require at least 20–50 rounds of data before conclusions about areas of strength and weakness can be trusted.
- Treating strokes gained categories as independent. This means a poor driving result can increase the difficulty of approach shots. This makes it appear that approach is a weakness when the root problem is driving. Categories interact with each other, and causation should be interpreted carefully.
- Ignoring strokes gained and practicing what feels good — emotional satisfaction from driving practice does not correlate with improvement potential. Data-driven practice allocation reliably produces faster improvement than intuitive allocation.
- Applying tour-level baselines to recreational golf — the average tour player's strokes gained baseline is not appropriate for calculating recreational golfer strokes gained. Handicap-adjusted databases or apps that use appropriate baselines for each skill level are needed for meaningful recreational analysis.
In SwingVantage Motion Lab
SwingVantage uses strokes gained principles to contextualize swing observations. This means when a golfer's tracked data or stated handicap suggests specific areas of weakness (short game, off the tee), the system prioritizes observations relevant to those areas. The concept informs which swing elements are most worth addressing based on their likely impact on scores rather than on technical interest alone.
Related terms
- Handicap IndexA Handicap Index is the World Handicap System (WHS) measure of a golfer's demonstrated playing ability on a neutral course. A lower index means a better player.
- DispersionDispersion is how spread out your shots are, plotted as a pattern. A tight dispersion means repeatable contact; a wide one signals uneven results in face, path, or strike.
- PuttingPutting is rolling the ball along the ground toward the hole using a flat-faced club (putter). It accounts for roughly 40% of strokes in a typical round, making it the most impactful single skill in scoring.
Related guides & benchmarks
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