Analyzing professional golf performance and earnings: insights from strokes gained analysis

Purpose In golf, strokes gained (SG) unify different shot types under a single system, including off the tee (SG: OTT), approach (SG: APP), around the green (SG: ARG) and putting (SG: PUTT). Despite SG having equal value across types, each shot type requires different skills and physical attributes. This paper analyzes how professional golfers leverage these diverse shot types to achieve wins and maximize their earnings. Design/methodology/approach This paper explores shot type consistency, demonstrating the superior consistency of the long game compared to the short game through regression and correlation analyses. These analyses are conducted season-to-season, tournament-to-tournament and round-to-round using seven seasons of professional golf data. Additionally, we examine the types of shots that contribute to improvements within the field. Findings Through analyzing average gains across evenly distributed groups and employing a regression model, we find that SG: APP is the most important type of shot, followed by SG: PUTT, SG: OTT and finally SG: ARG. Additionally, when considering both empirical earnings data and a regression model, we find that SG: PUTT becomes less important. Top players primarily win their earnings through SG: APP, followed by SG: OTT, SG: PUTT and finally SG: ARG shots. Next, we examine where strokes are gained at different levels of earnings and find that SG: APP makes up most of the SG increases across the field, followed by SG: PUTT, then SG: OTT and SG: ARG. Originality/value In this paper, we extend previous research by analyzing the entire professional golf association field rather than focusing solely on amateurs or small sections of the professional field; we also conduct our analysis using SG instead of traditional stats.