Player Statistics Guide

Your Complete Guide to Understanding and Using Golf Statistics

Overview

The Player Statistics page is your personal golf performance dashboard. It tracks your scoring trends, analyzes your strengths and weaknesses, and helps you identify areas for improvement. Whether you're a scratch golfer or just starting out, these insights will help you lower your scores and enjoy the game more.

Premium Feature: The Stats page is part of premium membership. If you're signed in without premium, you'll see an upgrade page instead of your statistics.

What You'll Find:

🔢 Round Overview - Total Rounds, Average Score, Best Scores and Courses Played
📊 Performance Summary - Your key metrics at a glance
💦 Trouble Stats - Where strokes are leaking away
🏆 Personal Records - Your best and most challenging rounds
📈 Scoring Trends - Track your score progression over time
🎯 Performance Breakdown - Detailed analysis of your game
🏌️ Course Performance - See how you play at different courses
⛳ Handicap Index - Your official or calculated handicap

Accessing Your Stats

Desktop

Click "Stats" in the main navigation menu
Or visit /stats directly

Mobile

Tap the menu icon (☰) in the top right
Select "Stats" from the menu

Note: You must have completed at least one round to view statistics, and the Stats page requires premium membership.

Round Overview

At the very top of the page, four tiles summarize everything you've played:

Total Rounds: How many completed rounds are included
Average Score: Your average total score across those rounds
Best Scores: Your lowest rounds
Courses Played: How many different courses you've teed it up at

These tiles respect the filters below them, so they change as you narrow things down.

Choosing Which Rounds Count

Two controls sit just above the Performance Summary and decide which rounds feed everything on the page.

On Course / ⛳ Simulator / All

If you've logged any simulator rounds, a round-type selector appears with three options: On Course, ⛳ Simulator and All.

On Course is the default, so your simulator rounds are left out of your stats unless you switch to Simulator or All. That keeps your outdoor numbers clean, and lets you look at your indoor game separately whenever you want.

In-Season Rounds Only (USGA)

Toggle "In-Season Rounds Only (USGA)" on to limit your stats to rounds played inside the official golf season. Handy if you play a few winter rounds that don't reflect your normal game.

Performance Summary

The Performance Summary section displays your key golf metrics in easy-to-read cards, in this order: Handicap Index, Scoring Trend, Current Form, Greens in Regulation, Fairways Hit and Putts per Hole.

Handicap Index

What It Is: Your Handicap Index represents your potential scoring ability on a course of standard difficulty. It allows golfers of different skill levels to compete fairly.

How It's Calculated:

Official Handicap (GHIN): If you've added your USGA/GHIN handicap to your profile, we display that number
Calculated Handicap: If you don't have an official handicap, we calculate it automatically using your best rounds (one eligible round is enough to get a number — the more rounds you add, the more accurate it gets)

What's a Good Handicap?

Scratch (0.0): You shoot par on average
Single-digit (1-9): Advanced player
10-20: Intermediate player
20+: Beginner/recreational player

Example: A handicap of 15.2 means you typically shoot about 15 strokes over par.

Scoring Trend

What It Is: Whether your recent scoring is improving, declining or holding steady compared with the rounds before it.

How the Comparison Works: We compare your most recent rounds against the same number of rounds just before them. The size of that window adapts to how much you've played:

10 or more rounds: your last 5 vs. the 5 before them
6 or more rounds: your last 3 vs. the 3 before them
4 or more rounds: your last 2 vs. the 2 before them
Fewer than 4 rounds: no trend yet — play a couple more

What the Labels Mean:

Green "Improving": Your recent rounds are at least 1 stroke better
Red "Declining": Your recent rounds are at least 1 stroke worse
Gray "Stable": The difference is under 1 stroke either way

Example: "Improving ↑ 3.2" means your recent rounds average 3.2 strokes better than the rounds before them.

Current Form

What It Is: Your average score over your last 10 rounds, shown as its own card in the Performance Summary.

Why It Matters: This shows your most recent performance and is often more relevant than your all-time average. Use this to see if you're trending up or down.

Example: If your overall average is 95 but your current form is 91, you're playing better recently.

Greens in Regulation (GIR) %

What It Is: Percentage of holes where you reach the green in regulation:

Par 3: Green in 1 shot
Par 4: Green in 2 shots
Par 5: Green in 3 shots

How to Interpret:

50%+: Excellent iron play (PGA Tour average ~65%)
40-49%: Good iron play
30-39%: Average iron play
Below 30%: Focus on approach shots

Why It Matters: Hitting greens in regulation gives you birdie opportunities and reduces the pressure on your short game.

Pro Tip: If your GIR % is low but your scrambling is good (making par despite missing greens), work on consistency with irons.

Fairways Hit %

What It Is: Percentage of fairways you hit with your tee shot on par 4s and par 5s.

How to Interpret:

70%+: Excellent driving accuracy
60-69%: Good accuracy
50-59%: Average accuracy
Below 50%: Needs improvement

Why It Matters: Hitting fairways gives you better approach shots to the green. If this number is low, focus on accuracy over distance off the tee.

Timeframe Filter: Use the timeframe dropdown to see fairway accuracy for any period — All Time, Past Year, Last 6 Months, Last 3 Months, Past Month, Past Week, or a Custom Range you set yourself.

Putts Per Hole

What It Is: Average number of putts you take per hole.

How to Interpret:

1.7 or less: Elite putting
1.8-2.0: Good putting
2.0-2.2: Average putting
2.2+: Needs improvement

Why It Matters: Putting accounts for ~40% of your total strokes. Improving from 2.2 to 2.0 putts per hole saves you 3-4 strokes per round!

What to Work On:

Above 2.2: Focus on lag putting (distance control) and 3-putt avoidance
1.8-2.2: Work on making more short putts (5-10 feet)
Below 1.8: You're doing great! Keep it up!

Trouble Stats

Trouble Stats shows where the extra strokes are coming from. Six tiles, each with your total and a per-round average:

Penalties
Bunkers
Water
Lost Balls
Recovery
Trees

The section only appears if you've recorded trouble during your rounds, and you can collapse it if you'd rather not look. It's the fastest way to spot a pattern — for example, plenty of bunkers but almost no penalties points you at wedge play rather than course management.

Personal Records

Personal Records highlights your Best Rounds and your Challenging Rounds side by side, so you can see your ceiling and your floor at a glance.

Use the 9 Holes / 18 Holes selector at the top of the section to switch which rounds are ranked — 9- and 18-hole rounds are listed separately so you're always comparing like with like. Each list can be expanded or collapsed.

Scoring Trends Chart

The Scoring Trends chart shows your score progression over your most recent rounds.

Understanding the Chart

Components:

Blue/Green Line: Your total score for each round
Orange Dashed Line: Your average score across displayed rounds
Data Points: Hover (desktop) or tap (mobile) to see round details

Chart Features:

Gradient Fill: Visual indicator of score trends
Responsive Width: Chart expands horizontally for datasets with many rounds

Using the Filters

Rounds Limit

Under the "Show:" heading, choose how many rounds to display:

Last 10: See your most recent performance
Last 20: Broader trend view
YTD: All rounds from the current calendar year

Note: This sits on top of the timeframe filter. The timeframe narrows the pool of rounds first, then "Show:" takes the most recent ones from what's left.

When to Use Each:

Last 10: Quick check of recent form
Last 20: Medium-term trend analysis
YTD: Track improvement over the season

Course Filter

Select a specific course to see your performance there, or choose "All Courses" for overall trends.

Use Cases:

Compare scores at your home course vs. away courses
Identify which courses you play well
Track improvement at a specific venue

Hole Filter

Filter rounds by hole count. The chart defaults to 18:

18: Standard rounds only
9: Short rounds only
All: Both 9 and 18-hole rounds

Note: 9-hole scores are not converted to 18-hole equivalents. On "All", a 43 and an 86 are plotted exactly as they were shot and averaged together, so the line will zig-zag and the average will sit between the two. For a like-for-like read, stick with 18 or 9.

Interpreting Trends

Improving Trend:

Line slopes downward (lower scores)
Scores consistently below average line
Action: Keep doing what you're doing!

Declining Trend:

Line slopes upward (higher scores)
Scores above average line
Action: Review what changed (equipment, practice, course difficulty)

Stable/Flat:

Line stays relatively horizontal
Scores cluster around average
Action: Time to set improvement goals or try new practice routines

Performance Breakdown

The Performance Breakdown section provides detailed analysis of different aspects of your game.

1. Score Distribution

What It Shows: A donut chart breaking down all your hole scores by category (Eagles, Birdies, Pars, Bogeys, Doubles, Triples+).

Color Coding:

🔵 Blue (Eagles): 2+ under par - Excellent!
🟢 Green (Birdies): 1 under par - Great!
⚪ Gray (Pars): Even with par - Solid
🟠 Orange (Bogeys): 1 over par - Common
🔴 Red (Doubles): 2 over par - Avoid these
🟤 Dark Red (Triples+): 3+ over par - Big numbers!

Center Metric: Displays your scoring average, labeled "Scoring Avg", along with total rounds played. (Current Form is a separate card up in the Performance Summary.)

How to Interpret:

Beginner/High Handicap (20+):

Most holes in Bogeys/Doubles is normal
Goal: Shift distribution left (fewer doubles, more bogeys)
Celebrate pars!

Intermediate (10-20):

Aim for more pars and fewer doubles
Occasional birdies are great
Work on eliminating big numbers (triples+)

Advanced (0-10):

Strive for majority pars and birdies
Minimize bogeys
Eagles show exceptional play

Example Analysis:

Pars: 35% (63 holes)
Bogeys: 40% (72 holes)
Doubles: 15% (27 holes)
Birdies: 8% (14 holes)
Triples+: 2% (4 holes)

What This Tells You:

Consistent play (most holes are pars/bogeys)
Some scoring opportunities (8% birdies)
Need to reduce doubles (15% is high for low-handicap)

Tooltip Information: Hover or tap on chart segments to see:

Raw count: "72 holes"
Percentage: "40%"

2. Fairways Hit %

What It Shows: Trend of your driving accuracy over recent rounds.

Chart Components:

Green Line: Fairway hit percentage per round
Orange Dashed Line: Your overall average
Trend Badge: Shows if you're improving (↑ green) or declining (↓ red)

How to Use:

Identify Patterns: Are you more accurate on certain courses or in certain weather?
Track Improvement: After working on driver accuracy, see if the line trends upward
Set Goals: Aim to consistently stay above your average line

Tooltip Details: Shows: "65% (13 of 20)" meaning you hit 13 out of 20 fairways (65%).

Improvement Tips:

Below 50%: Consider hitting 3-wood or hybrid off tee for accuracy
50-60%: Focus on alignment and tempo
60-70%: Fine-tune with course management (aim for wider parts of fairway)
70%+: Maintain consistency, stay confident

3. Greens in Regulation %

What It Shows: Trend of hitting greens in regulation over recent rounds.

Chart Components:

Teal Line: GIR percentage per round
Orange Dashed Line: Your overall average
Trend Badge: Improvement or decline indicator

Strategic Insights:

High GIR + High Putts Per Hole:

Your approach shots are good
Need to improve putting
Focus: Green reading, lag putting

Low GIR + Low Putts Per Hole:

Great short game, saving pars
Iron play needs work
Focus: Distance control with irons, club selection

High GIR + Low Putts Per Hole:

Elite combination!
You're scoring well
Maintain: Keep doing what works

Low GIR + High Putts Per Hole:

Double whammy - missing greens AND 3-putting
Priority: Pick one to improve first (usually GIR is easier)

Tooltip Details: Shows: "56% (10 of 18)" meaning you hit 10 greens in regulation out of 18 holes.

4. Putts Per Hole

What It Shows: Trend of your putting efficiency over recent rounds.

Chart Components:

Amber Line: Putts per hole average
Green Dashed Line: Your overall average
Trend Badge: Shows putting improvement or decline

Why This Matters: Putting is the easiest part of golf to improve through practice. Small improvements here have huge impacts on scoring.

Breakdown by Number:

2.0 putts/hole = 36 putts/round: Professional level
2.1 putts/hole = 38 putts/round: Low handicap
2.2 putts/hole = 40 putts/round: Mid handicap
2.5 putts/hole = 45 putts/round: High handicap

Improvement Strategies:

Above 2.3:

Focus on lag putting (getting long putts within 3 feet)
Reduce 3-putts (major stroke saver)
Work on green reading

2.0-2.3:

Improve make percentage on 5-10 foot putts
Practice speed control
Work on breaking putts

Below 2.0:

Maintain routine and confidence
Continue pressure putting practice
You're elite!

Tooltip Details: Shows: "2.1 per hole (38 putts / 18 holes)" providing full context.

Course Performance Table

Below the charts, you'll find a detailed breakdown of your performance at each course you've played.

Table Columns

Course: Name of the golf course

Rounds: Number of times you've played this course

Avg. Score: Your average total score at this course

To Par: Average score relative to par (e.g., +8.5 means you average 8.5 strokes over par)

Fairways: Average fairway hit percentage at this course

GIR: Average GIR percentage at this course

Putts/Hole: Average putts per hole at this course

How to Use This Data

Identify Your "Home Advantage": Do you score better at your home course? This is common due to familiarity.

Find Tough Courses: Which courses give you the most trouble? Consider:

Course difficulty (slope rating)
Playing style mismatch
Need more practice there

Track Improvement: Play the same course multiple times over a season to see improvement in specific stats.

Course Management: If a course shows low fairways but good putting, maybe lay up more often off the tee.

Example Analysis:

Pebble Beach: 5 rounds, Avg 92, +20, 55% FW, 45% GIR, 2.2 putts
Your Home Course: 12 rounds, Avg 88, +16, 60% FW, 50% GIR, 2.1 putts

Insights:

You play better at your home course (expected)
Both courses: Similar putting, could improve
Pebble Beach: Tougher course, lower fairway accuracy
Action: When playing Pebble Beach, focus on smart course management

Understanding Timeframe Filters

The timeframe filter offers six presets — All Time, Past Year, Last 6 Months, Last 3 Months, Past Month and Past Week — plus a Custom Range where you pick your own start and end dates.

It affects:

✅ Performance Summary cards (Fairways, GIR, Putts)
✅ Performance Breakdown charts
✅ Scoring Trends — the timeframe is applied first, and the "Show:" rounds limit then picks from the rounds that survive it

When to Use Each Timeframe

All Time:

See your overall career statistics
Benchmark your improvement over years
Most comprehensive data

Past Year:

Seasonal performance review
Compare year-over-year improvement
Exclude old data that may not reflect current game

Last 6 Months / Last 3 Months:

Track a single season or a block of work on your game
Big enough sample to be meaningful, recent enough to be relevant

Past Month:

Recent form analysis
See immediate impact of lessons or practice
Quick performance check

Past Week:

Very recent performance
Best for active players who play frequently
Limited sample size (use with caution)

Custom Range:

Set your own start and end dates
Perfect for isolating a golf trip, a league season, or the weeks after a swing change

Pro Tip: Compare "Past Month" vs. "All Time" to see if recent changes (new clubs, lessons, practice) are working.

Tips for Improvement

Use Stats to Guide Practice

High Putts Per Hole (>2.2):

Spend 30 minutes per practice session on putting
Focus on lag putting and 3-putt avoidance
Practice the "circle drill" (putts from all sides of hole)

Low Fairways Hit (<50%):

Consider lessons on driver swing
Try hitting 3-wood or hybrid off tee for accuracy
Work on alignment and pre-shot routine

Low GIR (<40%):

Practice with irons at driving range
Focus on distance control (same swing, different clubs)
Work on club selection (know your distances)

Too Many Doubles/Triples (>20% combined):

Improve course management (play away from trouble)
Work on scrambling (up-and-down practice)
Focus on avoiding penalty strokes

Set Realistic Goals

Beginner (20+ handicap):

Reduce triple bogeys
Increase pars from 10% to 20%
Improve putts per hole from 2.5 to 2.3

Intermediate (10-20 handicap):

Increase GIR from 30% to 40%
Reduce doubles from 25% to 15%
Improve fairways from 50% to 60%

Advanced (<10 handicap):

Increase birdies from 5% to 10%
Maintain high GIR (>50%)
Reduce bogeys, increase pars

Track Progress Over Time

Monthly Check-ins: Review stats at the end of each month
Set One Goal: Don't try to improve everything at once
Measure Results: After 10 rounds, see if the trend line improves
Adjust Strategy: If not improving, try a different approach or seek lessons

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my handicap showing "N/A"?

Reasons:

You haven't added an official GHIN handicap to your profile
You have no eligible completed rounds yet — the calculation only fails at zero

Solution:

Option 1: Add your official USGA/GHIN handicap in your profile settings
Option 2: Complete a round (one eligible round is enough to produce a calculated handicap, and it sharpens as you add more)
Option 3: Check your filters — if the round-type, in-season or timeframe filters have left you with no rounds, there's nothing to calculate from

Why don't I see Fairways/GIR/Putts data?

Reason: These statistics require hole-by-hole tracking during your round. Older rounds that only recorded total score won't have this data.

Solution: When playing new rounds, make sure to:

Track fairways hit on each hole
Track greens in regulation
Track putts per hole

The app's scorecard interface includes checkboxes/fields for this data.

Can I compare my stats with my buddies?

Currently: There's no side-by-side comparison view yet. But a few of your headline numbers do appear on your buddy profile, where any signed-in golfer who views it can see them:

Your handicap
Your best score
Your scoring streak
Your scoring trend
Your Trophy Room rare scores (eagles, albatrosses, holes-in-one)

Everything else stays on your Stats page. Your round-by-round scores, fairways, GIR, putts, Trouble Stats and Personal Records are not shared this way.

Future Feature: We're planning an anonymous peer comparison feature so you can see how you stack up against players with similar handicaps.

How often do stats update?

Real-time: Stats update immediately after you complete a round.

Caching: The page uses smart caching to load quickly. If you just completed a round and don't see it, try:

Refreshing the page (pull down on mobile)
Clearing your browser cache

What's the difference between "Scoring Avg" and "Current Form"?

Scoring Avg:

Your average across all the rounds currently in view
Displayed in the center of the Score Distribution donut chart

Current Form:

Average of your last 10 rounds only
Displayed as a card in the Performance Summary
More relevant for recent performance

Example:

All-time average: 95 (played for 2 years)
Current form: 89 (recent improvement!)

Why are my scores different from what I remember?

Possible Reasons:

Filters Applied: Check if you have Course or Hole filters active — the Hole filter defaults to 18, so 9-hole rounds are hidden until you change it
Rounds Limit: "Last 10" will exclude older rounds
Round Type: "On Course" is the default, so simulator rounds are excluded
In-Season Toggle: If it's on, out-of-season rounds are excluded
Incomplete Rounds: Only completed rounds count
Spectator Rounds: Rounds where you were only spectating don't count

Solution:

Reset the filters to "All" / "All Time" and switch the round type to "All"
Verify round status is "completed" in your rounds list

Can I export my statistics?

Currently: Not available yet.

Future Feature: We're planning to add PDF/CSV export functionality for:

Full statistics report
Performance trends graphs
Course-by-course breakdown

How do I delete incorrect round data?

Deleting happens on the round itself, not from the rounds list:

Go to My Rounds and open the round you want to delete
On the round detail page, choose Delete Round
Confirm deletion

Note: Deleting a round will immediately update your statistics.

Getting the Most Out of Your Stats

Best Practices

1. Play Regularly: Stats are most useful with consistent data. Try to play at least 2-3 rounds per month.

2. Track Everything: During rounds, record:

✅ Fairways hit
✅ Greens in regulation
✅ Number of putts
✅ Penalties (if available)

3. Review After Every Round: Take 5 minutes after each round to review what went well and what needs work.

4. Set Monthly Goals: Pick ONE stat to improve each month. Don't try to fix everything at once.

5. Combine with Practice: Use stats to guide your practice sessions. If putts per hole is high, spend more time on the practice green.

Seasonal Tracking

Spring (Season Start):

Establish baseline stats
Set goals for the season
Identify winter rust areas

Summer (Peak Season):

Track improvement
Fine-tune based on data
Maintain strengths

Fall (Late Season):

Review season progress
Compare to spring baseline
Set winter practice goals

Winter (Off-Season):

Review yearly performance
Plan improvements for next season
If playing, track cold-weather performance separately

Mobile App Tips

Mobile-Specific Features

Touch Interactions:

Tap chart data points to see tooltips
Swipe horizontally on Scoring Trends to scroll through data
Pull down to refresh stats

Responsive Design:

Charts automatically resize for your screen
Legends adapt to horizontal layout on mobile
Touch targets are optimized for finger taps (44px minimum)

Dark Mode:

Stats page supports dark mode
Charts and text adapt automatically
Easy on eyes during night rounds review

Saving Data Usage

The stats page uses smart caching to minimize data usage:

First load: Downloads all round data
Subsequent loads: Uses cached data
Updates: Only fetches new rounds

Tip: Load stats page on WiFi to cache data, then view offline later.

Troubleshooting

Charts Not Displaying

Issue: Charts show "Not enough data available"

Solutions:

Complete more rounds (minimum 1 round for basic stats)
Adjust timeframe filter (you may have no rounds in "Past Week")
Check that rounds are marked as "completed"

Incorrect Statistics

Issue: Stats don't match expectations

Check:

Verify all filters (timeframe, course, holes, rounds limit)
Ensure rounds have hole-by-hole data tracked
Confirm round completion status

Performance Issues

Issue: Page loads slowly

Solutions:

Clear browser cache
Use latest browser version
Reduce rounds displayed (use filters)
Check internet connection

Support

Need help with your statistics?

Common Solutions:

Review this guide thoroughly
Check filter settings
Verify rounds are completed
Refresh the page

Contact Support:

Email: support@buddiesonthegreen.com
In-app feedback form
Help Center: /help

What's Next?

Now that you understand your statistics, here's what you can do:

Set a Goal: Choose one metric to improve this month
Practice with Purpose: Use stats to guide your practice sessions
Track Progress: Check back monthly to see improvement
Play More Rounds: More data = better insights
Share Success: Celebrate improvement milestones with your buddies!

Remember: Golf is a journey, not a destination. Use these stats as a tool for improvement and enjoyment, not as a source of frustration. Every golfer has bad rounds—what matters is the overall trend.

Good luck, and enjoy lowering your scores! ⛳

For the latest features and updates, check our Feature Updates documentation.

Player Statistics Guide

Your Complete Guide to Understanding and Using Golf Statistics

Overview

Premium Feature: The Stats page is part of premium membership. If you're signed in without premium, you'll see an upgrade page instead of your statistics.

What You'll Find:

🔢 Round Overview - Total Rounds, Average Score, Best Scores and Courses Played
📊 Performance Summary - Your key metrics at a glance
💦 Trouble Stats - Where strokes are leaking away
🏆 Personal Records - Your best and most challenging rounds
📈 Scoring Trends - Track your score progression over time
🎯 Performance Breakdown - Detailed analysis of your game
🏌️ Course Performance - See how you play at different courses
⛳ Handicap Index - Your official or calculated handicap

Accessing Your Stats

Desktop

Click "Stats" in the main navigation menu
Or visit /stats directly

Mobile

Tap the menu icon (☰) in the top right
Select "Stats" from the menu

Note: You must have completed at least one round to view statistics, and the Stats page requires premium membership.

Round Overview

At the very top of the page, four tiles summarize everything you've played:

Total Rounds: How many completed rounds are included
Average Score: Your average total score across those rounds
Best Scores: Your lowest rounds
Courses Played: How many different courses you've teed it up at

These tiles respect the filters below them, so they change as you narrow things down.

Choosing Which Rounds Count

Two controls sit just above the Performance Summary and decide which rounds feed everything on the page.

On Course / ⛳ Simulator / All

If you've logged any simulator rounds, a round-type selector appears with three options: On Course, ⛳ Simulator and All.

In-Season Rounds Only (USGA)

Toggle "In-Season Rounds Only (USGA)" on to limit your stats to rounds played inside the official golf season. Handy if you play a few winter rounds that don't reflect your normal game.

Performance Summary

Handicap Index

What It Is: Your Handicap Index represents your potential scoring ability on a course of standard difficulty. It allows golfers of different skill levels to compete fairly.

How It's Calculated:

Official Handicap (GHIN): If you've added your USGA/GHIN handicap to your profile, we display that number
Calculated Handicap: If you don't have an official handicap, we calculate it automatically using your best rounds (one eligible round is enough to get a number — the more rounds you add, the more accurate it gets)

What's a Good Handicap?

Scratch (0.0): You shoot par on average
Single-digit (1-9): Advanced player
10-20: Intermediate player
20+: Beginner/recreational player

Example: A handicap of 15.2 means you typically shoot about 15 strokes over par.

Scoring Trend

What It Is: Whether your recent scoring is improving, declining or holding steady compared with the rounds before it.

How the Comparison Works: We compare your most recent rounds against the same number of rounds just before them. The size of that window adapts to how much you've played:

10 or more rounds: your last 5 vs. the 5 before them
6 or more rounds: your last 3 vs. the 3 before them
4 or more rounds: your last 2 vs. the 2 before them
Fewer than 4 rounds: no trend yet — play a couple more

What the Labels Mean:

Green "Improving": Your recent rounds are at least 1 stroke better
Red "Declining": Your recent rounds are at least 1 stroke worse
Gray "Stable": The difference is under 1 stroke either way

Example: "Improving ↑ 3.2" means your recent rounds average 3.2 strokes better than the rounds before them.

Current Form

What It Is: Your average score over your last 10 rounds, shown as its own card in the Performance Summary.

Why It Matters: This shows your most recent performance and is often more relevant than your all-time average. Use this to see if you're trending up or down.

Example: If your overall average is 95 but your current form is 91, you're playing better recently.

Greens in Regulation (GIR) %

What It Is: Percentage of holes where you reach the green in regulation:

Par 3: Green in 1 shot
Par 4: Green in 2 shots
Par 5: Green in 3 shots

How to Interpret:

50%+: Excellent iron play (PGA Tour average ~65%)
40-49%: Good iron play
30-39%: Average iron play
Below 30%: Focus on approach shots

Why It Matters: Hitting greens in regulation gives you birdie opportunities and reduces the pressure on your short game.

Pro Tip: If your GIR % is low but your scrambling is good (making par despite missing greens), work on consistency with irons.

Fairways Hit %

What It Is: Percentage of fairways you hit with your tee shot on par 4s and par 5s.

How to Interpret:

70%+: Excellent driving accuracy
60-69%: Good accuracy
50-59%: Average accuracy
Below 50%: Needs improvement

Why It Matters: Hitting fairways gives you better approach shots to the green. If this number is low, focus on accuracy over distance off the tee.

Putts Per Hole

What It Is: Average number of putts you take per hole.

How to Interpret:

1.7 or less: Elite putting
1.8-2.0: Good putting
2.0-2.2: Average putting
2.2+: Needs improvement

Why It Matters: Putting accounts for ~40% of your total strokes. Improving from 2.2 to 2.0 putts per hole saves you 3-4 strokes per round!

What to Work On:

Above 2.2: Focus on lag putting (distance control) and 3-putt avoidance
1.8-2.2: Work on making more short putts (5-10 feet)
Below 1.8: You're doing great! Keep it up!

Trouble Stats

Trouble Stats shows where the extra strokes are coming from. Six tiles, each with your total and a per-round average:

Penalties
Bunkers
Water
Lost Balls
Recovery
Trees

Personal Records

Personal Records highlights your Best Rounds and your Challenging Rounds side by side, so you can see your ceiling and your floor at a glance.

Scoring Trends Chart

The Scoring Trends chart shows your score progression over your most recent rounds.

Understanding the Chart

Components:

Blue/Green Line: Your total score for each round
Orange Dashed Line: Your average score across displayed rounds
Data Points: Hover (desktop) or tap (mobile) to see round details

Chart Features:

Gradient Fill: Visual indicator of score trends
Responsive Width: Chart expands horizontally for datasets with many rounds

Using the Filters

Rounds Limit

Under the "Show:" heading, choose how many rounds to display:

Last 10: See your most recent performance
Last 20: Broader trend view
YTD: All rounds from the current calendar year

Note: This sits on top of the timeframe filter. The timeframe narrows the pool of rounds first, then "Show:" takes the most recent ones from what's left.

When to Use Each:

Last 10: Quick check of recent form
Last 20: Medium-term trend analysis
YTD: Track improvement over the season

Course Filter

Select a specific course to see your performance there, or choose "All Courses" for overall trends.

Use Cases:

Compare scores at your home course vs. away courses
Identify which courses you play well
Track improvement at a specific venue

Hole Filter

Filter rounds by hole count. The chart defaults to 18:

18: Standard rounds only
9: Short rounds only
All: Both 9 and 18-hole rounds

Interpreting Trends

Improving Trend:

Line slopes downward (lower scores)
Scores consistently below average line
Action: Keep doing what you're doing!

Declining Trend:

Line slopes upward (higher scores)
Scores above average line
Action: Review what changed (equipment, practice, course difficulty)

Stable/Flat:

Line stays relatively horizontal
Scores cluster around average
Action: Time to set improvement goals or try new practice routines

Performance Breakdown

The Performance Breakdown section provides detailed analysis of different aspects of your game.

1. Score Distribution

What It Shows: A donut chart breaking down all your hole scores by category (Eagles, Birdies, Pars, Bogeys, Doubles, Triples+).

Color Coding:

🔵 Blue (Eagles): 2+ under par - Excellent!
🟢 Green (Birdies): 1 under par - Great!
⚪ Gray (Pars): Even with par - Solid
🟠 Orange (Bogeys): 1 over par - Common
🔴 Red (Doubles): 2 over par - Avoid these
🟤 Dark Red (Triples+): 3+ over par - Big numbers!

Center Metric: Displays your scoring average, labeled "Scoring Avg", along with total rounds played. (Current Form is a separate card up in the Performance Summary.)

How to Interpret:

Beginner/High Handicap (20+):

Most holes in Bogeys/Doubles is normal
Goal: Shift distribution left (fewer doubles, more bogeys)
Celebrate pars!

Intermediate (10-20):

Aim for more pars and fewer doubles
Occasional birdies are great
Work on eliminating big numbers (triples+)

Advanced (0-10):

Strive for majority pars and birdies
Minimize bogeys
Eagles show exceptional play

Example Analysis:

Pars: 35% (63 holes)
Bogeys: 40% (72 holes)
Doubles: 15% (27 holes)
Birdies: 8% (14 holes)
Triples+: 2% (4 holes)

What This Tells You:

Consistent play (most holes are pars/bogeys)
Some scoring opportunities (8% birdies)
Need to reduce doubles (15% is high for low-handicap)

Tooltip Information: Hover or tap on chart segments to see:

Raw count: "72 holes"
Percentage: "40%"

2. Fairways Hit %

What It Shows: Trend of your driving accuracy over recent rounds.

Chart Components:

Green Line: Fairway hit percentage per round
Orange Dashed Line: Your overall average
Trend Badge: Shows if you're improving (↑ green) or declining (↓ red)

How to Use:

Identify Patterns: Are you more accurate on certain courses or in certain weather?
Track Improvement: After working on driver accuracy, see if the line trends upward
Set Goals: Aim to consistently stay above your average line

Tooltip Details: Shows: "65% (13 of 20)" meaning you hit 13 out of 20 fairways (65%).

Improvement Tips:

Below 50%: Consider hitting 3-wood or hybrid off tee for accuracy
50-60%: Focus on alignment and tempo
60-70%: Fine-tune with course management (aim for wider parts of fairway)
70%+: Maintain consistency, stay confident

3. Greens in Regulation %

What It Shows: Trend of hitting greens in regulation over recent rounds.

Chart Components:

Teal Line: GIR percentage per round
Orange Dashed Line: Your overall average
Trend Badge: Improvement or decline indicator

Strategic Insights:

High GIR + High Putts Per Hole:

Your approach shots are good
Need to improve putting
Focus: Green reading, lag putting

Low GIR + Low Putts Per Hole:

Great short game, saving pars
Iron play needs work
Focus: Distance control with irons, club selection

High GIR + Low Putts Per Hole:

Elite combination!
You're scoring well
Maintain: Keep doing what works

Low GIR + High Putts Per Hole:

Double whammy - missing greens AND 3-putting
Priority: Pick one to improve first (usually GIR is easier)

Tooltip Details: Shows: "56% (10 of 18)" meaning you hit 10 greens in regulation out of 18 holes.

4. Putts Per Hole

What It Shows: Trend of your putting efficiency over recent rounds.

Chart Components:

Amber Line: Putts per hole average
Green Dashed Line: Your overall average
Trend Badge: Shows putting improvement or decline

Why This Matters: Putting is the easiest part of golf to improve through practice. Small improvements here have huge impacts on scoring.

Breakdown by Number:

2.0 putts/hole = 36 putts/round: Professional level
2.1 putts/hole = 38 putts/round: Low handicap
2.2 putts/hole = 40 putts/round: Mid handicap
2.5 putts/hole = 45 putts/round: High handicap

Improvement Strategies:

Above 2.3:

Focus on lag putting (getting long putts within 3 feet)
Reduce 3-putts (major stroke saver)
Work on green reading

2.0-2.3:

Improve make percentage on 5-10 foot putts
Practice speed control
Work on breaking putts

Below 2.0:

Maintain routine and confidence
Continue pressure putting practice
You're elite!

Tooltip Details: Shows: "2.1 per hole (38 putts / 18 holes)" providing full context.

Course Performance Table

Below the charts, you'll find a detailed breakdown of your performance at each course you've played.

Table Columns

Course: Name of the golf course

Rounds: Number of times you've played this course

Avg. Score: Your average total score at this course

To Par: Average score relative to par (e.g., +8.5 means you average 8.5 strokes over par)

Fairways: Average fairway hit percentage at this course

GIR: Average GIR percentage at this course

Putts/Hole: Average putts per hole at this course

How to Use This Data

Identify Your "Home Advantage": Do you score better at your home course? This is common due to familiarity.

Find Tough Courses: Which courses give you the most trouble? Consider:

Course difficulty (slope rating)
Playing style mismatch
Need more practice there

Track Improvement: Play the same course multiple times over a season to see improvement in specific stats.

Course Management: If a course shows low fairways but good putting, maybe lay up more often off the tee.

Example Analysis:

Pebble Beach: 5 rounds, Avg 92, +20, 55% FW, 45% GIR, 2.2 putts
Your Home Course: 12 rounds, Avg 88, +16, 60% FW, 50% GIR, 2.1 putts

Insights:

You play better at your home course (expected)
Both courses: Similar putting, could improve
Pebble Beach: Tougher course, lower fairway accuracy
Action: When playing Pebble Beach, focus on smart course management

Understanding Timeframe Filters

It affects:

✅ Performance Summary cards (Fairways, GIR, Putts)
✅ Performance Breakdown charts
✅ Scoring Trends — the timeframe is applied first, and the "Show:" rounds limit then picks from the rounds that survive it

When to Use Each Timeframe

All Time:

See your overall career statistics
Benchmark your improvement over years
Most comprehensive data

Past Year:

Seasonal performance review
Compare year-over-year improvement
Exclude old data that may not reflect current game

Last 6 Months / Last 3 Months:

Track a single season or a block of work on your game
Big enough sample to be meaningful, recent enough to be relevant

Past Month:

Recent form analysis
See immediate impact of lessons or practice
Quick performance check

Past Week:

Very recent performance
Best for active players who play frequently
Limited sample size (use with caution)

Custom Range:

Set your own start and end dates
Perfect for isolating a golf trip, a league season, or the weeks after a swing change

Pro Tip: Compare "Past Month" vs. "All Time" to see if recent changes (new clubs, lessons, practice) are working.

Tips for Improvement

Use Stats to Guide Practice

High Putts Per Hole (>2.2):

Spend 30 minutes per practice session on putting
Focus on lag putting and 3-putt avoidance
Practice the "circle drill" (putts from all sides of hole)

Low Fairways Hit (<50%):

Consider lessons on driver swing
Try hitting 3-wood or hybrid off tee for accuracy
Work on alignment and pre-shot routine

Low GIR (<40%):

Practice with irons at driving range
Focus on distance control (same swing, different clubs)
Work on club selection (know your distances)

Too Many Doubles/Triples (>20% combined):

Improve course management (play away from trouble)
Work on scrambling (up-and-down practice)
Focus on avoiding penalty strokes

Set Realistic Goals

Beginner (20+ handicap):

Reduce triple bogeys
Increase pars from 10% to 20%
Improve putts per hole from 2.5 to 2.3

Intermediate (10-20 handicap):

Increase GIR from 30% to 40%
Reduce doubles from 25% to 15%
Improve fairways from 50% to 60%

Advanced (<10 handicap):

Increase birdies from 5% to 10%
Maintain high GIR (>50%)
Reduce bogeys, increase pars

Track Progress Over Time

Monthly Check-ins: Review stats at the end of each month
Set One Goal: Don't try to improve everything at once
Measure Results: After 10 rounds, see if the trend line improves
Adjust Strategy: If not improving, try a different approach or seek lessons

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my handicap showing "N/A"?

Reasons:

You haven't added an official GHIN handicap to your profile
You have no eligible completed rounds yet — the calculation only fails at zero

Solution:

Option 1: Add your official USGA/GHIN handicap in your profile settings
Option 2: Complete a round (one eligible round is enough to produce a calculated handicap, and it sharpens as you add more)
Option 3: Check your filters — if the round-type, in-season or timeframe filters have left you with no rounds, there's nothing to calculate from

Why don't I see Fairways/GIR/Putts data?

Reason: These statistics require hole-by-hole tracking during your round. Older rounds that only recorded total score won't have this data.

Solution: When playing new rounds, make sure to:

Track fairways hit on each hole
Track greens in regulation
Track putts per hole

The app's scorecard interface includes checkboxes/fields for this data.

Can I compare my stats with my buddies?

Currently: There's no side-by-side comparison view yet. But a few of your headline numbers do appear on your buddy profile, where any signed-in golfer who views it can see them:

Your handicap
Your best score
Your scoring streak
Your scoring trend
Your Trophy Room rare scores (eagles, albatrosses, holes-in-one)

Everything else stays on your Stats page. Your round-by-round scores, fairways, GIR, putts, Trouble Stats and Personal Records are not shared this way.

Future Feature: We're planning an anonymous peer comparison feature so you can see how you stack up against players with similar handicaps.

How often do stats update?

Real-time: Stats update immediately after you complete a round.

Caching: The page uses smart caching to load quickly. If you just completed a round and don't see it, try:

Refreshing the page (pull down on mobile)
Clearing your browser cache

What's the difference between "Scoring Avg" and "Current Form"?

Scoring Avg:

Your average across all the rounds currently in view
Displayed in the center of the Score Distribution donut chart

Current Form:

Average of your last 10 rounds only
Displayed as a card in the Performance Summary
More relevant for recent performance

Example:

All-time average: 95 (played for 2 years)
Current form: 89 (recent improvement!)

Why are my scores different from what I remember?

Possible Reasons:

Filters Applied: Check if you have Course or Hole filters active — the Hole filter defaults to 18, so 9-hole rounds are hidden until you change it
Rounds Limit: "Last 10" will exclude older rounds
Round Type: "On Course" is the default, so simulator rounds are excluded
In-Season Toggle: If it's on, out-of-season rounds are excluded
Incomplete Rounds: Only completed rounds count
Spectator Rounds: Rounds where you were only spectating don't count

Solution:

Reset the filters to "All" / "All Time" and switch the round type to "All"
Verify round status is "completed" in your rounds list

Can I export my statistics?

Currently: Not available yet.

Future Feature: We're planning to add PDF/CSV export functionality for:

Full statistics report
Performance trends graphs
Course-by-course breakdown

How do I delete incorrect round data?

Deleting happens on the round itself, not from the rounds list:

Go to My Rounds and open the round you want to delete
On the round detail page, choose Delete Round
Confirm deletion

Note: Deleting a round will immediately update your statistics.

Getting the Most Out of Your Stats

Best Practices

1. Play Regularly: Stats are most useful with consistent data. Try to play at least 2-3 rounds per month.

2. Track Everything: During rounds, record:

✅ Fairways hit
✅ Greens in regulation
✅ Number of putts
✅ Penalties (if available)

3. Review After Every Round: Take 5 minutes after each round to review what went well and what needs work.

4. Set Monthly Goals: Pick ONE stat to improve each month. Don't try to fix everything at once.

5. Combine with Practice: Use stats to guide your practice sessions. If putts per hole is high, spend more time on the practice green.

Seasonal Tracking

Spring (Season Start):

Establish baseline stats
Set goals for the season
Identify winter rust areas

Summer (Peak Season):

Track improvement
Fine-tune based on data
Maintain strengths

Fall (Late Season):

Review season progress
Compare to spring baseline
Set winter practice goals

Winter (Off-Season):

Review yearly performance
Plan improvements for next season
If playing, track cold-weather performance separately

Mobile App Tips

Mobile-Specific Features

Touch Interactions:

Tap chart data points to see tooltips
Swipe horizontally on Scoring Trends to scroll through data
Pull down to refresh stats

Responsive Design:

Charts automatically resize for your screen
Legends adapt to horizontal layout on mobile
Touch targets are optimized for finger taps (44px minimum)

Dark Mode:

Stats page supports dark mode
Charts and text adapt automatically
Easy on eyes during night rounds review

Saving Data Usage

The stats page uses smart caching to minimize data usage:

First load: Downloads all round data
Subsequent loads: Uses cached data
Updates: Only fetches new rounds

Tip: Load stats page on WiFi to cache data, then view offline later.

Troubleshooting

Charts Not Displaying

Issue: Charts show "Not enough data available"

Solutions:

Complete more rounds (minimum 1 round for basic stats)
Adjust timeframe filter (you may have no rounds in "Past Week")
Check that rounds are marked as "completed"

Incorrect Statistics

Issue: Stats don't match expectations

Check:

Verify all filters (timeframe, course, holes, rounds limit)
Ensure rounds have hole-by-hole data tracked
Confirm round completion status

Performance Issues

Issue: Page loads slowly

Solutions:

Clear browser cache
Use latest browser version
Reduce rounds displayed (use filters)
Check internet connection

Support

Need help with your statistics?

Common Solutions:

Review this guide thoroughly
Check filter settings
Verify rounds are completed
Refresh the page

Contact Support:

Email: support@buddiesonthegreen.com
In-app feedback form
Help Center: /help

What's Next?

Now that you understand your statistics, here's what you can do:

Set a Goal: Choose one metric to improve this month
Practice with Purpose: Use stats to guide your practice sessions
Track Progress: Check back monthly to see improvement
Play More Rounds: More data = better insights
Share Success: Celebrate improvement milestones with your buddies!

Good luck, and enjoy lowering your scores! ⛳

For the latest features and updates, check our Feature Updates documentation.