Understanding Strokes Gained Approach

Strokes Gained Approach reflects your performance on shots taken from more than 50 yards from the flag, including layup shots. It takes into account the lie you were hitting from, as well as distance and accuracy. Your Arccos Approach Handicap also includes tee shots on par 3s but excludes recovery shots required to get back into position after a poor drive.

How Strokes Gained Approach works

Strokes Gained Approach places a value on the shots taken after the tee shot (Par 4 and Par 5 holes) and up to within 50 yards of the green. As an example, Mr. Scratch will average 3.227 strokes when in the rough 180 yards from the flag and averages 2.662 strokes when in the fairway 40 yards from the hole.

If you played an approach shot from 180 yards in the rough and ended up short of the green, 40 yards from the flag, you would have lost 0.435 strokes against Mr. Scratch, meaning that your approach play was worse than a 0 handicap golfer. The calculation is below:

No. of strokes Mr. Scratch would take from the rough 180 yards from the flag (3.227)
LESS
The approach shot (1.000)
LESS
No. of strokes Mr. Scratch would take when chipping from the fairway 40 yards from the flag (2.662)
=
Strokes gained for the shot (-0.435)
Meaning that the approach shot was 0.435 strokes worse than Mr. Scratch.

If you were maintained this level of performance then your Arccos Approach Handicap would be approximately 25.