In “Feature Friday” we show off the best features of Roundabout so you can get the most out of your golf game.
In the new and improved Round Summary, we have condensed the key analytics and feedback into easily digestible and shareable images. Let’s cover exactly what you’ll see on Strokes Gained which requires a PAR subscription or higher after your first few rounds with Roundabout.
Strokes Gained
If you are not familiar with Strokes Gained, the concept is relatively simple. For every shot on the golf course, there are an ‘expected shots to hole out’ depending on your skill level. If the average 5 handicap golfer takes 3.5 strokes to hole out from 160 yards in the fairway and you are able to do it in 3, then you gain a half a stroke on the average 5 handicap. This concept can be extended to every shot on the golf course to break down exactly how you compare to your desired reference.
Target Handicap -> Reference
Roundabout supports 7 references for both male and females from Tour Pro to 25 handicap. You selected your reference as a target handicap when you set up your account, but you can change it at any time under Settings -> Target Handicap. The Strokes Gained section of the Round Summary shows the benchmark you’ve selected in the top left—in this case, “Scratch.” That means today’s round is being compared to the performance of a 0-handicap golfer. On the chart, your results for this round appear as white dots, while the blue lines show your typical performance across past rounds. This makes it easy to see both how you stacked up against your chosen target and whether your results were in line with your usual play. For example, the screenshot shows you losing strokes on Approach compared to scratch, but since your average performance is also lower in this category, it’s clear this is a recurring challenge rather than a one-off.
Strokes Gained Putting – Shots on the Green
At the top of the graphic is Putting. Strokes Gained Putting measures every shot taken from the green (lie = “Green”). In this round, I gained +4.7 strokes on a scratch golfer — an excellent result that shows my putting was a major strength. The blue line indicates that I usually putt a little better than scratch, but +4.7 is well above my typical baseline. This highlights how much the flatstick contributed to my overall score on the day. Strokes Gained Putting, first adopted on the PGA Tour, is a far better measure of putting skill than simply tracking the total number of putts.
Strokes Gained Short Game – Shots <75 yards
Next on the graphic is Strokes Gained Short Game. In Roundabout, Short Game includes all shots inside 75 yards (69 meters), where most players rely on partial swings rather than full shots. For this round, I gained +1.5 strokes on a scratch golfer. Put another way, I took one and a half fewer strokes to finish short-game situations than the average 0-handicap player would have. Because my usual performance in this area is closer to even, this result reflects a solid day around the greens.
Strokes Gained Driving – Tee shots on Par 4 and Par 5 holes
Skipping over Approach for a moment, Strokes Gained Driving measures performance on tee shots. In this round, I gained +4.5 strokes on a scratch golfer off the tee—meaning driving was a major contributor to the score. The white dot shows today’s result, while the blue tick marks my typical average; since that average sits well below +4.5, this round was significantly better than usual with the driver. A look at the driving detail charts will tell me whether it was accuracy, distance, or both that powered the gain.
Strokes Gained Approach – Everything else
Anything not covered by Driving, Short Game, or Putting rolls into Strokes Gained Approach—that includes tee shots on par 3s, punch-outs, and fairway approaches. In this round, I gained +0.5 strokes versus a scratch golfer, a modest win in this phase of the game. The blue tick shows my typical approach play is slightly below scratch, so today’s +0.5 is better than my usual baseline. I’ll keep an eye on this trend to see if I’m moving in the right direction, and the detailed Approach view will help pinpoint which distances and lies deserve the most practice.
Summary
The Strokes Gained graphic in the Round Summary of Roundabout quickly breaks down your game into four primary buckets of golf competency. This allows you to set intermediate targets as you chase your target handicap as simply scoring better is difficult. One other quick note… You may hear the term in other forums of Strokes Gained Tee to Green (T2G) which is simply a combination of Driving, Approach, and Short Game. This detailed Round Summary is available to everyone with a PAR subscription or above after your first couple rounds. If you really want to improve, a BIRDIE or higher subscription gets you the details of each category so that you can focus on the right areas to improve with Roundabout.