In this guide I’ll share recent data on putting statistics by handicap so you can see how well golfers like you are putting in different categories. Tracking putting stats is important to improving your short game so you can see where your weaknesses and strengths are and adjust strategy on the golf course.
One of the fun aspects about tracking your putting stats is you can compare them with the putting statistics of professional golfers to see how you fare. Putting is one area where amateur golfers can actually become as good as professionals.
In order for the amateur golfer to better understand how well the best players in the world actually putt, let’s take a look at the putting statistics on the PGA Tour.
Putting Stats
The following key putting statistics will give the amateur golfer perspective about how good or bad the pro’s actually putt in reality. Track these putting stats in your own golf game to see how you compare.
- Putts per round
- Putts from 3 feet
- Putts from 6 feet
- Putting from 10 feet
- Putts made from over 20 feet per event
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Putts Per Round
The PGA Tour keeps record of basically every putting stat that can be tracked via their Shotlink system. You can find a full page of putting stats here.
One of the most common stats that most golfers, even high handicap amateur golfers, know about are putts per round.
This tracks how many total putts a golfer has during a round of golf. If you are giving yourself 2-putts per hole as a goal and you play 18 holes, then that would calculate out to 36 putts per round you’d expect to hit.
The leader on the PGA Tour each year has usually averaged around 28 putts per round, so 8 shots lower than the 36 putt goal.
Looking at this stat will make the average golfer realize that having 30 putts or less per round is a very solid goal to strive towards instead of setting the goal at 36.
Putts per round by handicap:
- Professional golfer = 28-32 putts
- Scratch golfer = 30-34 putts
- Average golfer = 36-40 putts
- High handicap = 45+ putts
Putts from 3 Feet – Make Percentage
Normally during a round with friends most amateurs are very quick to give each other 3 and 4 foot putts, calling them good and letting the putt be picked up, rather than putted out to finish the hole.
If your playing partner is Patrick Cantlay then yes you can go ahead and give those putts to him, but on average social golfers don’t make nearly as many short putts as they should.
Patrick Cantlay made every single 3 footer that he had on the PGA Tour season. That’s over 700 3-footers made in a row to be exact!
You don’t have to make every single 3 footer that you have, but it will definitely improve your golf score if you can at least make 80% of your 3 footers on average.
Before you give yourself that 3 footer, ask yourself, is this going to benefit me by skipping the putt or will it help me get extra practice under pressure by making myself putt out?
3 Foot Putts by Handicap:
- Professional golfer = 99% (10 out of 10)
- Scratch golfer = 95% (9 out of 10)
- Average golfer = 60% (6 out of 10)
- High handicap = 40% (4 out of 10)
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Putts from 6 feet – Make Percentage
Patrick Cantlay making a 100% of his 3 footers during a golf season is very impressive, but the human aspect in putting begins to show from the 6 foot mark.
Brian Harman was the leader in this recent PGA season with a 6 foot make percentage rate of 91%, which is still an incredible feat to achieve.
6 foot putts are your money range. They’re going to help you save pars and set you apart from the average golfer. Spend a lot of your putting practice time on this distance.
If professionals are averaging 80-90% from 6 feet, then set a goal for your game to achieve a 75% or better make rate at 6 feet. This will take 1000’s of reps to build skill but it’s a great goal to aim for and impress your opponents on the golf course.
6 Foot Putts by Handicap:
- Professional golfer = 85% (8 out of 10)
- Scratch golfer = 75% (7 out of 10)
- Average golfer = 20% (2 out of 10)
- High handicap = 10% (1 out of 10)
Putts from 10 Feet – Make Percentage
At the 10 foot mark, the percentage of putts made decreases considerably.
Zach Johnson held the top spot this recent season with a 70% make rate at 10 feet on the PGA Tour, and the last place player was at just 23%
Amateur golfers can learn a lot by looking at this statistic, having perspective about what realistic expectations are to have of yourself is a great start.
If a PGA Player only makes 3 out of 10 of his 10 foot putts for a 30% make rate then you definitely can’t get mad at yourself for missing them out on the course.
The average make percentage at 10 feet for the PGA Tour fell around 40%. Anyone above 50% was top 20 in the league.
10 Foot Putts by Handicap:
- Professional golfer = 40% (4 out of 10)
- Scratch golfer = 20% (2 out of 10)
- Average golfer = 0-5% (0 out of 10)
- High handicap = 0-1% (0 out of 10)
Green in Regulation Made Putts from 10-15 Feet
This putting stat tracks your birdie make percentage. When a professional golfer hits the green in regulation, what are the chances he makes the putt.
In this stat we chose to highlight the 10-15 foot birdie putt, and the leader on the PGA Tour was Adam Scott at 42% conversion.
Therefore, if he can hit his approach shots inside of 15 feet, Scott has a good chance of making 1 out of every 2 putts for birdie.
Putts made from over 20 feet per round
We all remember that long putt we made to save par or better yet that 30 foot birdie putt to win the money game against your friends.
No surprise that Jordan Spieth is right up there at the top of the leaderboard in this statistic.
Patrick Cantlay is technically the leader in this category with 2.3 putts made over 20 foot per round.
Spieth ranked 2nd in this category with 2.2 putts made over 20 foot per round.
Justin Rose is also high on the leaderboard for make percentage from 20 feet or beyond. He sank 10% of his 20 foot putts overall, and when he was on the green in regulation that stat jumps to 28%.
How to Track Your Putting Statistics
Start by giving yourself a couple blank lines on the scorecard for writing in putting stats. Then transfer these stats over to a spreadsheet or an app like 18Birdies so you can keep data digitally on your smart phone.
During practice I like to pull up notes on my phone and log putting stats for different drills I complete.
For example, if I do the make 100 putts from 3 feet drill, I’ll write down “99/100 – 3 feet” and then “70/100 – 6 feet” so I can compare my stats later on in future practices.
Golf Round Stats to Track on Scorecard
- Putts made at various distances
- Total putts per round
- Total 3 putts
- Birdie putt conversion rate
Conclusion
To some these putting stats might sound confusing, but if you take the time to read through it and process what they are portraying then they might actually give you perspective to use with your own putting skill level.
It is important to have realistic goals and expectations of your golf game, as having unrealistic expectations will only add pressure and anxiety to your mental game, causing worse performance.
These statistics can also add value to your practice regime. Knowing how many putts the best players in the world make from a certain distance can provide you with a good goal to work towards.
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Follow these step by step practice plans and watch video lessons to learn how to improve your golf swing, chipping, and putting fundamentals.
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Work hard,
Nick Foy, Instructor