← Blog · Explainers · 21 July 2026 · 8 min read
What is strokes gained in golf? A plain-English guide
Strokes gained measures a single shot against the tour-average number of strokes needed to hole out from that spot. Here is the plain-English version, the four categories, and how to use it on your own game.
By Doug Dinwiddie. Founder of ProPlace. Former DP World Tour caddie.
Strokes gained measures one shot against the tour-average number of strokes needed to hole out from that distance and lie. If the shot leaves you better off than the average would, you gained; if it leaves you worse off, you lost. Everything else in the system is bookkeeping on top of that single idea.
This guide is the hub for our strokes gained material. It covers where the method came from, the four categories, why it beats the old counting stats, and how to use it on your own game rather than on a tour leaderboard.
If your shortlist still includes services that sell selections rather than analysis, it is worth reading how to tell a tipping service from a statistical product before comparing prices.
How the number is built
Every position on a course carries an expected score: the average number of strokes a tour player needs to finish the hole from there. From the middle of the fairway at 150 yards it is a shade under three. From eight feet on the green it is around one and a half, because half of those putts drop.
Take the expected strokes where the shot started, subtract the expected strokes where it finished, then subtract one for the stroke you played. What is left is the strokes gained on that shot. Add up the shots and you have a ledger for the round that shows not just the score, but where the score came from.
Where it came from
The method was developed by Mark Broadie of Columbia University, working from shot-level tracking data. The PGA Tour adopted strokes gained: putting as an official statistic from 2011, then extended the framework to the rest of the bag over the following years. It is now the standard language of golf analysis, on television and in every serious model.
The four categories
- Off the tee (SG:OTT): tee shots on par 4s and par 5s, valuing distance and position together instead of trading one against the other.
- Approach (SG:APP): shots at the green from beyond roughly 30 yards. For most players this is the category that separates good rounds from bad ones.
- Around the green (SG:ARG): chips, pitches and bunker shots inside roughly 30 yards.
- Putting (SG:P): everything on the green, judged against make rates from each distance.
Total strokes gained is simply the sum of the four. That is the whole appeal. Rather than "he shot 68", you get a breakdown that says the round was built on iron play, or rescued by the putter.
Why it beats the counting stats
Fairways hit, greens in regulation and putts per round all record what happened while ignoring where the shot began. Putts per round flatters the player who misses greens and chips close. Fairways hit calls a 320-yard drive in light rough a failure and a 240-yard poke down the middle a success. Greens in regulation treats a 60-footer and a three-footer as identical outcomes.
Strokes gained fixes all three by giving every shot the same currency: strokes against a benchmark, adjusted for the position the shot started from.
How an everyday golfer uses it
You do not need shot tracking hardware to benefit from the idea. Log a few rounds with an app that estimates strokes gained by category against a benchmark for your handicap, then look for the leakiest bucket. Most amateurs discover that approach play, not driving distance, is where the shots go missing.
Then practise the leak. It is far less satisfying than hitting drivers on the range, and it is usually worth more shots. Watch the trend over a season rather than a single round, because one wet Sunday tells you almost nothing.
Read next
The spokes from this hub go into each category in more detail: strokes gained approach on the irons that quietly decide your score, driver distance vs approach play on where the long game really pays, short-putt aim vs stroke and why do I keep three-putting on the greens. The face-aim error glossary entry defines the term used in the putting pages, and strength of field explains why the same finishing position means different things in different weeks. For a worked example of the framework in an argument most golfers have already had, see 300-yard drives or every putt inside ten feet.
Doug Dinwiddie — Founder of ProPlace. Former DP World Tour caddie.
Frequently asked questions
- What is strokes gained in golf?
- Strokes gained measures a single shot against the tour-average number of strokes needed to hole out from that distance and lie. A positive number means the shot gained ground on that baseline; a negative number means it lost ground.
- Who invented strokes gained?
- Mark Broadie, a professor at Columbia University, developed the method from shot-level tour data. The PGA Tour adopted strokes gained: putting as an official statistic from 2011 and later added the tee-to-green categories.
- What are the four strokes gained categories?
- Off the tee (SG:OTT), approach (SG:APP), around the green (SG:ARG) and putting (SG:P). Total strokes gained is simply the sum of the four.
- Why is strokes gained better than fairways hit or putts per round?
- Counting stats ignore where a shot started. Strokes gained prices every shot against a benchmark for that exact position, so a 30-foot birdie putt and a three-footer are not treated as the same event.
- How can an amateur use strokes gained?
- Track a handful of rounds against a benchmark for your handicap, find the category losing the most strokes, and practise that. For most golfers the leak is approach play rather than driving distance.