Free strokes gained tool

Strokes gained off the tee calculator

Four sliders from any 18-hole round. See how many strokes your driving is worth against PGA Tour or LPGA Tour baselines, and whether distance or accuracy would help you more.

Your round

Set your driving numbers

Use a typical recent round. Results update as you move the sliders.

Benchmark tour
Distance unit
7,000 yds
Total length from your tees
300 yds
Carry plus roll on a normal drive
7 / 14
Par 4s and par 5s only
0
OB, water or lost ball off the tee

Strokes gained off the tee

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Positive means your driving beats the tour baseline. 0.00 is exactly tour average.

How it works

How strokes gained off the tee is calculated

A good drive is one that makes the rest of the hole easier. Strokes gained measures that directly: how many strokes a tour player needs to finish the hole from the tee, compared with how many they'd need from where your drive finished.

Strokes gained = tee-shot baseline − approach baseline (fairway or rough) − 1

  1. Split the course into hole types. Every course is modelled as 4 long, 5 medium and 5 short driving holes sized to your total yardage. A 7,000-yard course becomes four ~590-yard holes, five ~485-yard holes and five ~445-yard holes.
  2. Spread your fairways. Fairways hit are split as evenly as possible across the three hole types, with any remainder going to medium holes first, then short holes.
  3. Score each hole type. Your average drive is subtracted from the hole length. The remaining distance is looked up in the fairway table when you hit the fairway and the rough table when you didn't.
  4. Add it up and subtract penalties. Every tee-shot penalty costs one stroke.

Want to see what your misses actually look like? Read Tracking your tee shot dispersion.

FAQ

Strokes gained driving questions

What is strokes gained off the tee?

Strokes gained off the tee measures how much your tee shots on par 4s and par 5s helped or hurt your score compared with a tour baseline. A drive that leaves you closer, and in the fairway, reduces the strokes you are expected to need to finish the hole. A tee shot that ends in the rough, futher away from the hole, or in a penalty area increases them.

How can this estimate strokes gained without shot-by-shot data?

It an estimate model of a round. The course is split into 4 long, 5 medium and 5 short holes sized to your total yardage, your average drive is applied to each, and your fairways are spread across the three hole types. Each hole scores tee baseline minus approach baseline (fairway or rough) minus one, and every penalty costs a stroke. Real rounds vary, thats why in PARfect we calculate it hole by hole from your actual shots.

Can I enter distances in meters?

Yes. Switch the unit to meters and the course length and drive sliders change to meters. The calculator converts them to yards behind the scenes, because the tour baselines are measured in yards, so you get the same result either way.

Why are fairways out of 14 instead of 18?

Par 3 tee shots are approach shots, not drives. A standard course has 10 par 4s and 4 par 5s, so the calculator models 14 driving holes.

Should I use the PGA or LPGA baseline?

PGA follows the data for the mens tour, therefore distance is at a much higher premium. LPGA follows the data for the womens tour, therefore distance is at a much lower premium, but a lot more accutacy is expected. If you are a male golfer, use PGA. If you are a female golfer, use LPGA.

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