📈 Junior golfers and stats
When our son Hamilton was younger, we didn’t track every stat under the sun. In fact, I'm from the belief that focusing on too many numbers can overwhelm junior golfers and take the fun out
of playing.
As his game was developing though, we did pay attention to a handful of stats and eventually it became something he tracked on his own.
Shot pattern
One of the most useful things a young golfer can understand is their shot pattern. Does the ball tend to miss right? Left? Short? Long?
When they start recognizing patterns in their misses, they can begin making smarter decisions on the course. Instead of trying to hit
perfect shots, they learn how to play for their natural tendencies.
Number of putts
Putts per round is a simple stat, but it can reveal a lot. High numbers often point to either putting struggles or approach shots that aren’t
finishing close enough to the hole.
Even small improvements on the green can shave strokes quickly and this is a great stat to start with.
Driving
accuracy
Fairways hit became another important stat for us once tournaments started getting more competitive. This stat is less about hitting the center stripe and more about avoiding big misses that lead to penalty shots or punch-outs.
Driving distance
Distance tends to develop naturally as kids grow, but it’s still helpful to keep an eye on it. Understanding how far they typically hit their driver helps with course management and realistic expectations on longer holes.
It's not as much about chasing a certain yardage as it was knowing what was realistic.
Greens in regulation
As Hamilton developed and was looking towards a future with college golf, we also started tracking
green in regulation (GIR) regularly.
This stat simply measures how often a player reaches the green in the expected number of strokes (for example, on the green in two shots on a par 4). It’s a great indicator of overall ball striking and consistency from tee to green. This is a stat college coaches may look at as
well when evaluating a potential recruit.
Last week I mentioned DRVN.golf stat tracker and I thought I'd mention it again. This isn't sponsored at all, but it was created by another junior golf parent and is a great resourse worth considering. The monthly subscription fees range from $10 or $20 (or a custom plan),
