We're drowning in putting data, and most of it is useless.
Your golf app tracks putts per round, but that number lies to you constantly. Miss every green and get up-and-down each time? Thirty-six putts. Hit every green and two-putt everything? Also, thirty-six putts.
Same statistic, completely different skill levels. This is why putts per round tells you almost nothing about how well you actually putt.
In this article, I'll let in you on the putting metrics you should actually care about to help improve your game.
The Putting Statistics You Should Be Tracking
Mark Broadie changed everything with Strokes Gained, but even that revolutionary metric doesn't reveal the secret to better scoring. After analyzing thousands of rounds, here are six factors that actually predicts lower scores.
Six to Twelve Feet Putts
Six to twelve feet. That's it.
This distance range separates good putters from everyone else. Putts inside six feet? Nearly everyone makes them. Putts beyond twelve feet? Nobody makes enough to matter statistically. But in that sweet spot from six to twelve feet — that's where rounds are won and lost.
Think about your typical round. The eight-footer for par after a missed green. The ten-footer for birdie after a good approach. The comeback putt after you blew the first one by. These putts determine your score more than any spectacular thirty-footer you might drain.
Move your make percentage from eight feet from 50% to 65%, and you'll drop strokes faster than any other putting improvement you can make. That fifteen-percentage-point jump translates to roughly two strokes per round for most golfers.
Not sure where to start? Check out my putting guide for tips you can use right away to get more consistent from 6-12 feet.
3-Putts
The second most predictive stat? Three-putt avoidance from beyond thirty feet. Not making those long putts — just avoiding the three-putts. The difference between three-putting 5% versus 15% of the time from long range costs you 1.5 strokes per round. Every round.
First Putt Performance
Here's something that surprised researchers: first-putt performance matters more than overall performance from the same distance. The pressure of that initial attempt creates different dynamics than comeback putts. Golfers who handle that first-putt pressure score better overall.
Breaking Putt Consistency
Breaking putts reveal more about your game than you might think. Golfers who maintain similar make percentages on breaking versus straight putts from identical distances consistently shoot lower scores. This captures green-reading ability, which traditional stats completely ignore.
Clutch Putting
"Clutch putting" exists, but not where you think. It's not about the final hole or Sunday's back nine. It's about putts that directly impact par: par saves after missed greens, birdie attempts from inside fifteen feet, second putts after missing makeable first attempts. Excel in these pressure putting situations, and your scores will reflect it.
Speed Control
Speed control might be the most important unmeasured factor. Golfers who consistently leave putts twelve to eighteen inches past the hole make significantly more putts than those with erratic speed control. This becomes critical on fast greens, where speed trumps line every time.
The Practical Takeaway?
Stop obsessing over putts per round. Stop trying to make everything from twenty-five feet. Focus your practice on six to twelve feet, especially breaking putts under pressure. Work on lag putting to eliminate three-putts, not to make more long ones.
The golfer who makes 70% from eight feet and never three-putts will consistently beat the golfer who occasionally drains bombs but struggles with mid-range putts and speed control — every time.
Your scorecard doesn't care about your longest made putt. It cares about consistency in the situations that actually determine your score.
