Putts per round

When counting putts per hole, do you only count the putts taken when the ball is on the green? Or is it any time the putter is used, regardless of where the ball is?

 Also, when you blow out on a hole and stop counting, how many putts do you allocate for that hole. Say you put 2 balls in the water before you reach the green and blob the hole before you even get the putter out - do you put down 0 putts?

Statistics are to show your skills over the full eighteen holes and if you decide to give up on a hole then your statistics are meaningless.

Robin , as John said, in answer to the first part you only count putts made on the green i.e. if you holed out from putting from of the green no putts recorded.

I hit a putt last week at St. Andrews that went off the green by a good 20 yards, I think.  Then there were times when I putted where I was not sure if I was on the green or still in the fairway!  Damn that place has some nice greens.

I've never seen anyone tee off with a putter, but I have seen someone punch out of the trees with one.  It went 50 yards and was that close to the green he used it again for his next shot!!!

Back on topic, why not try recording both for a few rounds and seeing what difference it makes.  It may show up that your short game is leaving you a lot of putts from just off the green, highlighting an area to work on. 

If it's not on the green it's not a putt, simple as that - in much the same way as a 2nd shot onto the fringe isn't a GIR.

And as for Chris's comment, I've had to use my putter left handed to get out from under a bush and managed to tonk it 20 yds back onto the fairway (you can get quite a bit of loft from the back of my putter) - that certainly wasn't a putt as I was still 300+ from the green....

There are no rules you have to follow for you how you recorded your stats, they are there to be used to help analyse your game.  

I for one count putts from the fringe in my putting stats because if I didn't it would give a false picture of how well (or not) I am putting.  In the end I count putts that I consider a putt, I if I hit a 150ft putt from the fairway I would not count it because it would be pitching I need to practice, not putting!

Actually a similar thing goes for recording my GIR, if I miss the green by 2 inches and am putting then I will count it as a GIR because I want to know how well I am hitting my irons.

A sensible approach, Andrew, what you do is the right way to go, after all one can be two inches off the green but very close to the flag, but the stats, if recorded as the software says, will be telling you something that is not quite true.

Yep agree with all comments in some way.  Stats are they to help and assist based on how you use them and remember the old adage :

There are 3 types of lie:  Lie, more lies and statistics

Not that I'm at the point yet but Putts per GIR is a valuable stat to Pros