The 18STRONG Podcast 107: Why Every Shot Counts when it comes to Strokes Gained with Mark Broadie
Today I am joined by author, educator, speaker, and golfer; Dr. Mark Broadie. Commonly known as the ‘Doctor of Golf’ Mark is at the forefront of a revolutionary new approach to the game. A professor at Columbia Business School, Mark helped the PGA Tour develop its cutting-edge strokes gained stat, and more recently worked with the PGA Tour on their implementation of strokes gained off the tee, strokes gained approach and strokes gained around the green. Broadie uses analytics from the financial world to uncover the secrets of the game of golf, with a focus on crunching mountains of data to show both professional and amateur golfers how to make better decisions on the course.
The strokes gained stat has been influential in changing the way we think about golf, and where we should be focusing. Putting and driving are often touted as being the most important aspects of a golfer’s game, but Mark’s work shows (convincingly) why most of the top golfers win with their approach.
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Mark Broadie’s Background
- Mark Broadie is the Carson Family Professor of Business at the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University.
- He has received a B.S. from Cornell University and Ph.D. from Stanford University.
- He is a member of the United States Golf Association’s handicap research team and is a former club champion at Pelham Country Club.
- Mark helped the PGA Tour develop its cutting-edge ‘strokes gained’ putting stat.
- Mark is the author of “Every Shot Counts: Using the Revolutionary Strokes Gained Approach to Improve Your Golf Performance and Strategy”
Highlights from this Episode
- How Mark started applying the same analytics from his day job (business professor) to improve his golf game.
- Debunking some common golf myths, like ‘drive for show, putt for dough’.
- How Mark came up with the strokes gained stat, and why it’s so important to track. Mark also explains how it’s a more precise version of the intuition golfers have already been using for years.
- The importance of the approach game. About 40% of the advantage top players have over lower ranked players comes from approach shots.
- How anyone can use strokes gained and Mark’s app Golf Metrics to improve their game.
- Why we shouldn’t credit Tiger Woods’ putting game as much his driving and approach game.
- How Jordan Spieth is such a great player by simply being much better than average in every aspect of his game, rather than dominating just one.
CaddyShack or Happy Gilmore?
Happy Gilmore
Who are some notable names you’ve been on the course with?
Luke Donald, Michael Jordan, Justin Rose to name a few
What was it like to walk a course with Michael Jordan, and what were some of the conversations you had outside of golf?
He had a custom built golf cart like a stretch limousine, with drinks and music. He was also trash talking Luke Donald throughout the round!
What’s most exciting for you as you move forward?
There’s a lot more work to be done on golf strategy, and a lot of fascinating questions to be answered. You can improve your game by playing smarter. I’m looking forward to diving more deeply into that.
Where to Find Dr. Mark Broadie:
Website: everyshotcounts.com
Twitter: @MarkBroadie
Other Links Mentioned
App: Golfmetrics
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