With Peter Finch, in partnership with
Featured on cutting-edge devices like the Shot Scope X5/V5 watches, CONNEX mobile-enabled tracking tags, or the PRO LX+ laser rangefinder, Strokes Gained allows us to compare our performance with every section of the bag against our handicap and discover where we are better and worse than them.
Dig deeper into the data to see what is actually happening – for example, your driving may be costing you the most shots per round, but is that down to distance or accuracy? If accuracy, what is the miss pattern?
Enlist professional help to work out what is causing the problem, and put a plan in place to deal with it.
The data shows a slight tendency to leave the face open and miss right (21% left rough, 32% right rough) so aiming at the left side of the fairway could give Gavin a marginal improvement. But in truth, his progress here will be based on longer-term swing work.
Create a tiny space between the putterface and the ball, and focus on that. Some golfers find it easier to focus on negative space rather than positive – in other words, the gap between two objects rather than two objects themselves. I asked Gavin to try this and his tendency to peek instantly vanished. He also reported a subtle visual imprint after the ball had been struck, almost as if the gap was still there – a strange but useful sensation in anchoring your attention.
Find a point on the line of the putt, within the first 18 inches, and lock your eyes on that through the stroke. For golfers like Gavin, conditioned to looking at the ball, this takes a small leap of faith. He voiced a fear this would cost him strike consistency, but after hitting a few putts the fear evaporated. We are only talking shorter strokes for putts under 10ft, and we don’t have to be looking at the ball to find the putter’s sweet spot. While this focus shift certainly improved Gavin’s peeking, this approach needs a little more time to get used to, with some practice green sessions advisable before taking it to the course.
The final tip from Peter, is to persevere with the adjustments made in the lesson, and monitor how the changes effect performance. The best way to monitor performance on the golf course is by tracking your game with Shot Scope.
The final tip from Peter, is to persevere with the adjustments made in the lesson, and monitor how the changes effect performance. The best way to monitor performance on the golf course is by tracking your game with Shot Scope.