Approach

SG: Approach

Strokes gained on approach shots, including par-3 tee shots.

Unit

strokes

Direction

Higher is better

Minimum sample

5 eligible

Version

1.0.0

How Ringer calculates it

Σ(shot SG where category = approach)

Evidence rules

IncludedOnly current, confirmed shots assigned to this category with usable start and finish evidence.

ExcludedDrafts, voided or superseded revisions, non-strokes, unusable locations, and attempts missing a measurement required by this formula.

DenominatorThe number of eligible attempts after the stated exclusions—not every hole or every round by default.

Missing dataIf no eligible denominator remains, Ringer returns unavailable and displays “—”, never 0% or NaN.

Classification

Benchmarked metric. Par-3 tee shots and non-driving strokes starting more than 50 yards from the hole are Approach, unless they begin on the putting green. Recovery shots follow the same distance rule.

Sources and context

Mark Broadie — Assessing Golfer Performance on the PGA TOUR (2011)benchmark and methodology USGA — The Importance of Strokes Gainedmethodology context

Provenance

Metric key: scoring.strokes_gained_approach
Calculation version: 1.0.0
Effective: September 4, 2026