Goods sentence from "Moneygolf"

[drewyallop]

"Golf has always been an object of fascination, a sport that attracts, inventors, cranks, self-appointed gurus. There's an insecurity that lies at the heart of the game. When you become decent at a sport like tennis, you know that you will hit a forehand or backhand with a reasonable degree of proficiency. Even the best golfers will miss a very short putt or unleash a shot that is tremendously bad. Except on rare days, your skill at golf seems tenuous, a loose handhold on the edge of a cliff. It's no surprise that golfers turn toward motivational teachings, shrinks-turned-authors, or some guy who's selling a swing trainer he built in his garage in Palo Alto."

 

[OLIVER1]

Interesting. Drew, what's "Moneygolf"?

 

[drewyallop]

eBook by Michael Agger. From Amazon and I don't think it is available in another format. Very interesting review of the current state of the art of statistical golf analysis. Describes the Shotlink system and the millions of shot observations in the PGA database. Academics are allowed to access the DB for analysis and the creation of new metrics. The only only significant metric available today is "strokes gained, putting" and this on the PGA site. The calculation is described in detail and, in my view, the only meaningful way to measure putting.

The other important work is around calculating "shot values", although it is unclear where this stands since nothing appears on PGA.com. But if I interpreted it correctly, shot values plus putts gained will tell you why and how winners became winners. He demonstrates this nicely with an analysis of a Tiger win. It clearly shows why conventional statistics and popular "wisdom" cannot fully describe the reasons for success or failure. Interesting throughout.

 

[OLIVER1]

eBook by Michael Agger. From Amazon and I don't think it is available in another format. Very interesting review of the current state of the art of statistical golf analysis. Describes the Shotlink system and the millions of shot observations in the PGA database. Academics are allowed to access the DB for analysis and the creation of new metrics. The only only significant metric available today is "strokes gained, putting" and this on the PGA site. The calculation is described in detail and, in my view, the only meaningful way to measure putting.

The other important work is around calculating "shot values", although it is unclear where this stands since nothing appears on PGA.com. But if I interpreted it correctly, shot values plus putts gained will tell you why and how winners became winners. He demonstrates this nicely with an analysis of a Tiger win. It clearly shows why conventional statistics and popular "wisdom" cannot fully describe the reasons for success or failure. Interesting throughout.

Thanks Drew. Looks interesting. Gonna check it out.

 

[drewyallop]

Correction: it is the PGA Tour site not the PGA.

 

[DCgolf]

eBook by Michael Agger. From Amazon and I don't think it is available in another format. Very interesting review of the current state of the art of statistical golf analysis. Describes the Shotlink system and the millions of shot observations in the PGA database. Academics are allowed to access the DB for analysis and the creation of new metrics. The only only significant metric available today is "strokes gained, putting" and this on the PGA site. The calculation is described in detail and, in my view, the only meaningful way to measure putting.

The other important work is around calculating "shot values", although it is unclear where this stands since nothing appears on PGA.com. But if I interpreted it correctly, shot values plus putts gained will tell you why and how winners became winners. He demonstrates this nicely with an analysis of a Tiger win. It clearly shows why conventional statistics and popular "wisdom" cannot fully describe the reasons for success or failure. Interesting throughout.

I agree 100% and it's a compelling issue because it reveals real strengths and weaknesses. Maybe for the first time ever. Strokes gained putting tells exactly how well (or poorly) you putt vs the rest of the field and explains why Luke Donald is #1. Should open a lot of eyes on what needs work and whats working!