GOLF FELLOWGuides · Updated 12 October 2026
Strokes gained explained for the mid-handicapper
Strokes gained sounds like a tour statistic. The idea behind it is simple, and it is more useful to an 18-handicapper than to a professional.
The idea: a baseline
Every shot starts from somewhere: 150 yards out in the fairway, 8 feet from the hole on the green, in a bunker. For any starting point there is an expected number of strokes to finish the hole, based on a baseline group of golfers. Strokes gained measures a shot against that expectation:
Strokes gained = expected strokes before the shot − expected strokes after the shot − 1
The 1 is the stroke you just played. A shot that leaves the ball in a place that is better than the baseline expected gains strokes. A shot that leaves it worse loses them.
The arithmetic, with made-up numbers for illustration only: if the baseline expects 3.0 more strokes before your shot and 2.2 after it, the shot is worth 3.0 − 2.2 − 1 = −0.2. You lost a fifth of a stroke. The 3.0 and 2.2 here are not real averages. They only show how the sum works.
Why it beats fairways, greens and putts
- Counts ignore distance. Two putts from 40 feet and two putts from 4 feet are both "two putts". They are not the same performance.
- Counts ignore the miss. A green missed by a yard and a green missed into trouble both count as "not in regulation".
- Counts do not add up. You cannot compare "7 fairways" with "31 putts". Strokes gained puts every part of the game in the same unit, strokes, so the biggest loss is simply the biggest number.
Compare with your own level, not a professional's
The baseline matters. Measured against a tour professional, a mid-handicapper loses strokes everywhere, and the figures say little about what to practise first. Measured against golfers at your own handicap level, the question changes to: compared with someone who plays to my handicap, where am I better, and where am I worse?
That is the useful question. A golfer who is level with their handicap in most areas but well behind in one has found the place to spend practice time. A golfer who is ahead in putting may find that the cost of that lead is paid elsewhere.
What you need to use it
Real strokes gained needs shot-by-shot data: where each shot started, where it finished and the lie. Scorecard totals alone give a rough picture. If you track shots on the course, or import your rounds into Golf Fellow, you can see which part of the game costs you most.
Keep the sample in mind. A few rounds can mislead. Look for a pattern across many rounds and several courses before you change your practice.
See where your own strokes go
Golf Fellow reads your scorecards and sessions, finds the part of your game that costs you most against your own handicap level, and tells you what to practise.
Golf Fellow for iPhone is in testing. Ask for an invite and we'll email you a TestFlight link.
Sources
Rules summarised from the 2024 edition of the Rules of Handicapping. Your national association and club handicap committee have the final word.