Strokes Gained Calculator
Strokes Gained Calculator – Measure Your Performance Like the Pros
Want to understand where you’re gaining or losing shots during your round? Use our free Strokes Gained Calculator to measure your performance against tour-level or amateur benchmarks — from tee to green.
Estimate your strokes gained (or lost) in different areas compared to the average performance of a tour player or selected handicap level.
What Is Benchmark Average?
The Benchmark Average in a Strokes Gained Calculator refers to the average number of strokes it takes a reference player (usually a PGA Tour pro) or handicap level to hole out from a specific position on the course.
Let’s say you’re 100 yards from the hole in the fairway:
- PGA Tour benchmark: ~2.8 strokes to hole out
- 15-handicap benchmark: ~3.5 strokes to hole out
If you take 3 shots from that position, your strokes gained is:
2.8 (benchmark) – 3 (your performance) = -0.2 → you lost strokes vs. the benchmark
PGA Tour Strokes Gained Benchmarks
Use these averages as your benchmark values when calculating strokes gained from various positions on the course.
| Starting Position | Avg Strokes to Hole Out (PGA Tour) |
|---|---|
| Tee shot on a par 3 (150 yards) | 3.0 |
| 100 yards from fairway | 2.8 |
| 50 yards from fairway | 2.5 |
| Greenside bunker | 2.3 |
| On the green, 30 feet away | 2.0 |
| On the green, 8 feet away | 1.5 |
| On the green, 3 feet away | 1.05 |
What Is Strokes Gained in Golf?
Strokes Gained is a performance metric that compares how many strokes you took from a given position to how many strokes a benchmark golfer would typically take to hole out from the same spot.
Instead of just tracking fairways or greens hit, strokes gained shows where you’re actually gaining or losing shots — in driving, approach, short game, or putting.
How to Calculate Strokes Gained
The basic formula is:
Strokes Gained = Benchmark Average – (Your Strokes Taken + Shots Remaining)
- Benchmark Average = how many strokes a benchmark golfer would take from your starting position
- Your Strokes Taken = the number of shots you took from that position
- Shots Remaining = if you didn’t hole out, this is how many shots are expected from your ending position
Example
Let’s say you’re 100 yards from the hole in the fairway:
- Benchmark average: 2.8 strokes to hole out (for a tour pro)
- You take 1 shot and leave it on the green, 30 feet away
- Shots remaining from that position: 2.0 (tour average to hole out from 30 ft)
Strokes Gained = 2.8 – (1 + 2.0) = -0.2
You lost 0.2 strokes vs the benchmark — meaning you underperformed slightly from that position.
Why It Matters
- It’s a more accurate way to evaluate performance than just fairways or GIR.
- Helps identify where you’re gaining strokes (strengths) and losing strokes (weaknesses).
- Used by the PGA Tour and pros worldwide — now accessible to everyone.