Are You a Better Putter Than You Think

When you think of the greatest putters in history, you may consider the likes of Bobby Locke, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, Tiger Woods and Inbee Park, but it's fair to say that millions of us around the globe are somewhat behind those legendary practitioners on the greens.

That said, are you a better putter than you believe yourself to be? The only way to accurately determine that is by comparing yourself to other golfers, and specifically their statistics, which is what we can offer courtesy of the Golfshake Score Tracker.

Each week, thousands of players keep a record of their scores and stats with us, including the number of putts they take a round, which is a solid barometer to see where you currently stand.

On the PGA Tour, the average stands at 28.85, while 86 players on the LPGA Tour are presently averaging below 30. 

Now, it's undeniably not a perfect way to judge your prowess on the greens, as it can be influenced by how close you're hitting the ball to the hole in the first place, but it's pretty clear that if you're edging towards the low 30s, then you're probably in a strong place with a putter in your hand.

Consider what your own handicap is - perhaps you even track it on Golfshake - as we can now see how you compare to other golfers at different levels of the game.

Putts Per Round - Handicap Categories

• Handicaps 1-5: 30.04
• Handicaps 5-10: 32.16
• Handicaps 10-15: 33.08
• Handicaps 15-20: 34.15
• Handicaps 20-25: 35.22
• Handicaps 25-28: 36.08

The average golfer on Golfshake has a handicap of 15 and they take 33.70 putts-per-round, meaning that if you're better than that, you're ahead of the pack!

What's striking is that the difference between low single-figure golfers to high-single figure golfers is almost two putts a round, which is roughly the gap separating those with handicaps between 5-10 and those with handicaps between 15-20. That's the target for your improvement, whichever category applies to you.

Putts Per Round - Individual Handicaps

Let's break it down even further for individual handicaps and you can see where you contrast with those at, below, or above your current playing level.

• 1 Handicap: 28.60
• 2 Handicap: 29.00
• 3 Handicap: 30.00
• 4 Handicap: 31.00
• 5 Handicap: 31.60
• 6 Handicap: 31.80
• 7 Handicap: 32.00
• 8 Handicap: 32.20
• 9 Handicap: 32.30
• 10 Handicap: 32.50
• 11 Handicap: 32.70
• 12 Handicap: 33.10
• 13 Handicap: 33.10
• 14 Handicap: 33.40
• 15 Handicap: 33.70
• 16 Handicap: 33.90
• 17 Handicap: 34.00
• 18 Handicap: 34.20
• 19 Handicap: 34.30
• 20 Handicap: 34.80
• 21 Handicap: 34.90
• 22 Handicap: 35.00
• 23 Handicap: 35.30
• 24 Handicap: 35.60
• 25 Handicap: 35.70
• 26 Handicap: 36.00
• 27 Handicap: 36.20
• 28 Handicap: 36.40

Are you surprised about where your numbers stand alongside thousands of other golfers? Perhaps you really are a better putter than you thought, or maybe you have some improvements to make.

Whether it be pace control, alignment, or holding your nerve over those crucial short putts, these are the benchmarks to work towards and strive for this season and beyond!

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