The Data Revolution

The Mental Side of Things
#1

I’ve been thinking about this alot… I read Moneyball when it first came out, and have watched sports get changed by people better understanding the data behind winning… I think it has some interesting applications in golf, especially long term… I think the DECADE system is revolutionary, but look forward to it be iterated upon. Our sport is slow to change, but change is coming… While I find all that stuff INTERESTING, I want to talk about ACTIONABLE… Things we can do for our own games to improve our overall scoring. So let’s start with a question:

Do you use data to improve your golf game? If so, how? Tracking stats on the course? Spending time in a simulator getting precise and usable feedback? Is there any stat that has changed your approach to the golf game?

One of my biggest “data changes” was my putting… simply tracking my stats more shifted my perception of myself from a “bad putter” to “putting is artificially inflating my handicap”… It’s made me focus not just on practicing putting, but actually working on improving my putting. Everything from a putter fitting to more time spent doing drills on the green vs simply rolling a ball.

Looking forward, my next data driven goal is going to be to better plan my round, especially on Par 5s. We’ve been having a good conversation on 2nd shots into par 5s, and it’s given me 2nd thoughts about my strategy on one of the ones I play… Moving forward, it might make sense to not press my luck to get there in 2, and instead play it in three easy shots, have a putt for birdie and move on. I’m not sure exactly how to chart the data on this one, but it’s something that’s been itching my brain.

My next big data push is going to be in the simulator. As we head into winter, I want to get my swing back to sharp and be ready for spring golf… while I do that, I want to use the advantages a simulator provides… Mainly precise data on how I’m both swinging the club and hitting the ball… I think it will be good for figuring out my miss patterns (to better target greens), help me dial in my wedges / partial swings (getting swing speed read outs will help me separate bad tempo from bad swings), to improving my efficiency with the driver.

I think golf’s data revolution is interesting because we can access our own data and generate enough to draw conclusions, build strategies and make changes… I think it will be helpful for anyone who wants to actively improve their game, if we are willing to embrace it…

I’d love to hear how others are collecting and using personal data, and what they’ve found useful (or rabbit holes to be avoided!)

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Golf Podcasts: What are you listening to?
#2

From a general perspective I want to try and improve my swing this winter. Being able to pop up the net in my garage last winter helped. I was lucky to get a few lessons in before Covid really shut things down and I have some ideas on how to work on my swing flaws like tempo and overswinging.

From a data perspective I started looking at individual holes at my club (this was my 3rd season there) and where I’m having the most trouble. I did this last year and I was able to improve a bit on several of my worst holes, but not on others. I know some of it is just me not liking the tee shot, but some are possibly how I play the hole. There are 2-3 holes I may consider laying back just a bit with 3w or 3h to avoid some trouble.

Also I plan on acquiring some sort of swingspeed monitor and seeing what swing produces the best results. I worked on shortening my backswing last winter and I was seeing longer shots this year. I have 2 buddies that are relatively big hitters compared to the rest of us and I was keeping up with them quite often this year. The guy I played with this past weekend has been outdriving me by a good 30 yards or more, but last Sunday we were pretty even on most holes. I’m not as long as I was, but I still have some power and just need to make my swing more consistent to access it regularly.

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#3

Scott’s commentary around double bogey avoidance and par 5 scoring has opened my eyes.

Lowest score wins was also a paradigm shift.

Tracking NGIR has made me realize that

  • almost all of my double bogeys come when I am not within 10 paces of the green in regulation
  • many of these include my “worst” swings in the long game (widest part of my dispersion)
  • occasionally it is due to bonehead decisions where I ignore my true dispersion

All of this points to improving my long game motion. I need to simulate pressure on the practice tee and develop technique that will improve my strike and tighten my dispersion. I believe this is where 80% of my improvement to scratch sits.

GIR is the stat the most strongly correlated with scoring. To your point about par 5’s, it is more important to be on in regulation than to make birdies. If it is relatively safe and benign near green then being on or within 20 paces greatly improves your chances of getting a GIR and making birdie. If your dispersion needs work (like me), it is not worth risking the GIR with an errant shot. Data on how you hit your 3w and hybrid can be critical to how you handle this situation. It lets you know 1) what to practice and 2) helps you make correct decisions on course. I think that is the real power is that these are not independent. You can be practicing skills that will then enable you to make better decisions on the course that lead to strokes gained

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#4

I obsess about golf data. Whether it’s being able to measure specific things about my swing (launch monitors, swing sensors, pressure-sensing insoles [for crying out loud]) or on-course data (Game Golf for five+ years, then a switch to Arccos this season): I want to have access to as much measurable information about my game as I can.

Does this knowledge improve my game? I have two answers to that question. The first is, yes, incrementally. My biggest example this year was dedicating myself to a clock wedge system. I used my SkyTrak to determine my yardage for 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and full swings with each of my GW, SW, and LW. After repeated testing, I printed those numbers on a chart and taped them to my Precision Pro range finder. And Arccos confirmed for me that this method turned my short game into a relative strength for me.

But the other side of it for me is that, even if I didn’t get better, I find the growth in knowledge enjoyable for its own sake. I like to find out how my swing works, even if I’m struggling to fix where it’s wrong. I like coming to the end of my round and not only tallying up my score, but seeing if what I thought about my performance in the various aspects of golf is something that Arccos agrees with (for me, I’ve found that my satisfaction with a round of golf is strongly correlated with Arccos’s estimation of my Approach play).

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#5

Yeah, some of us just like data! I’m trying to make sure I’m seeking actionable data as I go… it’s always a challenge.

I’m really hoping to develop a clock wedge system in a simulator this winter… I think it will be a tremendous help to my game.

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#6

Everyone need to do this and practice it. Also chart your PW and 9i too.

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#7

Professionally, I’ve lived in the world of data analytics. However, I find there’s a very fine line for me to capture those data sets during my round and playing unemotional boring golf from shot to shot. I don’t use an app. I throw my phone in the bag when I play to eliminate distractions. As you’re capturing manually, its easy to get caught up in your shot performance and either press to recapture or let your emotions tank your performance. Left brain golf vs right brain golf. This is something I need figure out in 21.

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#8

Yeah, somewhat like schroedingers cat… by observing yourself, you can change the outcome.

That’s why I like my watch… I don’t worry about my data during the round and look at it afterward. The struggle for me is remembering to incorporate strategy and data into my shot selection instead of just going off my gut.

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#9

I think the value of something like Arccos is that it captures most of that data passively. It isn’t perfect and requires a bit of editing (esp on where you hit it on the green) but you can easily wait until the end of the round. As a data analytics person, i think you would really dig it.

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#10

I’m familiar with the application. It requires you to use your phone and keep it on you which is what I try to avoid. Believe the system needs access to your device’s mic.

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#11

Garmin watch + sensors would be an answer… honestly, the watch alone keeps track of where you hit each shot and you can go back and fill it it…

It took me a minute to get used to a watch on my wrist during golf, though…

Data collection on the golf course is improving and I think we will see more solutions over time… there are great options now if you want to make the effort, but as you said, it can pull your focus away from hitting the next shot and into analysis.

I haven’t weaponized my data set yet, but it has given me things to focus on… if I’m healthy next season, I’m hoping to have measurable improvement and hopefully the data I collect will be part of that…

Though I’m also hoping to use the data from simulators to improve my practice routines and build better knowledge of my miss patterns!

Plenty of good data available if we want to chase it down… taking action on it is the real challenge.

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#12

I don’t think it uses the mic but you either have to buy a device the clips to your belt or have the phone on you so it can communicate with the little gadgets you put on the end of each club that has accelerometers to detect if you hit a ball with them.

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#13

I’m a giant data nerd. Have kept personal stats in Excel for 20 years, Game Golf then Arccos, launch monitor at home (first Mevo then GC Quad), DECADE, Every Shot Counts, Lowest Score Wins, Salted Golf insoles, Live View camera, Zepp golf, @Fit_For_Golf, Superspeed…

Most useful data insights in no particular order

  • Getting accurate base distances from a launch monitor. Wedges, yes, but also all iron distances… and locking in putting speeds (what putter swing gives me 22’ vs. 32’ vs. 8’). My distance control has never been better putting.
  • Translating feels to driver clubhead and ball speed from a launch monitor. I used to just guess on a driving range. Now I know when a certain feel translates to a change of x MPH in clubhead speed or ball speed.
  • Impact of “stupid” strokes from my personal stat tracking. I’m a 3 handicap, and I can tell you that I lose 4.7 strokes on average from penalty strokes, 2+ chips to get on a green, and 3-putts. Actionable insight: First, do no harm. This has been reinforced through DECADE, esp. re: penalty strokes.
  • Distance >> Fairway >> Angles… from DECADE and Every Shot Counts
  • How to allocate practice time leveraging Separation Value from Lowest Score Wins
  • Too early to tell yet, but I’m confident that @Fit_For_Golf is going to make a difference re: clubhead speed

In terms of rabbit holes to be avoided: Still figuring out how to get value out of my Salted Golf insoles, though I haven’t given up yet. Various strokes-gained data has only been a little bit useful so far. Zepp was a waste of money. Mevo was a waste of money.

YMMV

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#14

Great post/thread.

One data question I have: how many strokes (to their index) do golfers typically add when playing a course for the first time?

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#15

This is awesome. Thanks for your info. My biggest concern is basically collecting data that isn’t actionable. It seems like you’ve honed down this process.

Any good drills or tips for using a simulator as we head into winter?

#16

I’m not sure this question is answerable. Courses vary greatly… a course with a ton of blind tee shots where you aren’t sure where to aim is significantly different than an open course with little trouble.

I’d say, generically, having a home course you play 80% of your rounds on is worth 2-4 strokes… so take that as you will.

#17

There are three things I’d do if I were on my sim for the first time:

  1. Iron distances (duh): What are you flying each iron. Probably don’t need more than ~3 reasonable shots per club.
  2. Experiment with driver feels: What kinds of swing thoughts give you the best clubhead speed and launch conditions. I wouldn’t underestimate launch conditions. With my barely 100 mph clubhead speed, I can carry the ball 230 or 260 depending on the launch conditions (launch angle and spin being two key things to look at)
  3. Wedge matrix: half, 3/4, 90% wedges for whatever your wedge set is. In addition to yardage, I’d also pay attention to landing angle and spin so you can get some sense of what the ball will do when it lands. Note that simulator “physics” don’t always mirror real life, so you’ll have to meditate on the landing angle and spin to give yourself some sense of how you think the ball will react when it lands.

One drill I just made up the other day is to randomize all the numbers between 5 and 30. Then I take my 60 degree wedge and try to fly the ball that exact distance. Take note of the distance between your target number and where you actually landed it. Sum those up. I’ve done it three times now, and my best is 40 total yards of difference.

All advice guaranteed to be effective or your money back :innocent:

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#18

Well, it turns out with 20 years of data, I can at least answer this question for myself…

In the last 20 years, I have played a course for the first time 101 times.

For each of those 101 rounds, I have the score that I shot, and using the slope and rating, I can translate that score into a handicap differential for that round (using the USGA formula).

I also have for each round the average of the handicap differentials for my 20 rounds immediately prior to that round. This allows me to compare my performance on each of those 101 rounds with my general performance trend leading up to that round.

When I compare how I shot on a new course… vs. the average of my 20 rounds immediately prior to that round… the average difference is… exactly 0.0!!!

I was not expecting that result.

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#19

Thank you! Very interesting. Not the result I was expecting either…

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#20

Awesome, I had planned on these drills mostly, so I’m glad to get some confirmation… I’m really excited to see some more data on my driver, as I think I’m giving up a ton of efficiency.

I also really want to prove to myself that my comfortable iron swing goes as far as my “full” iron swing, but I’ll let the data lead the way.

Awesome feedback, really appreciate it!

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