Putts Per Green in Regulation
Putts per green in regulation is the average number of putts a golfer takes only on holes where they hit the green in regulation. It measures putting on its own, separate from chipping and scrambling.
What is putts per green in regulation?
Putts per green in regulation, often shortened to putts per GIR or putts/GIR, looks at how a golfer performs on the greens they actually reach in regulation. A green in regulation means the ball is on the putting surface with at least two putts left for par: the tee shot on a par 3, two shots on a par 4, or three on a par 5. The stat counts only the putts taken on those holes, then divides by the number of greens hit.
The reason it exists comes down to a flaw in the older, simpler measure. Total putts for a round mixes together two different situations: the long first putt after a good approach, and the short tap-in after a chip from beside the green. Putts per GIR strips out the second group. The PGA Tour tracks its own version of this, listed officially as Putting Average, and describes it as the average number of putts per green hit in regulation. By using greens hit in regulation, the Tour notes, the calculation removes the effect of chipping close and one-putting.
That makes it one of the cleaner ways to judge putting without special tracking technology. Most stat-tracking apps, including Shot Scope and Arccos, report it automatically, and plenty of golfers work it out by hand from a marked scorecard.
How putts per green in regulation is calculated
The calculation is straightforward. Add up the putts taken on every hole where the green was hit in regulation, then divide by the number of greens hit.
Say a golfer hits 12 greens in a round and takes 22 putts on those 12 holes. That works out to 1.83 putts per GIR, a strong number. Golfity uses almost exactly this example to show why the figure is more telling than a raw putt count: those 22 putts all started from greens the player reached in regulation, so none of them are inflated by a lucky chip-and-tap-in.
One detail trips people up. Putts from the fringe or apron do not count, because those holes were not greens in regulation to begin with. As instructor Eric Peyton points out, a putt from just off the surface can look like a two-putt on the scorecard, even though the green was missed and a chip did the work. Only putts on holes actually hit in regulation belong in the calculation.
Putts per green in regulation vs. putts per round
This is where the stat earns its keep. Putts per round, also called total putts, is the number most golfers reach for first, and it can point in the wrong direction.
Consider two players, both shooting par 72. Player A hits all 18 greens, leaves every first putt 40 feet away, and two-putts each one for 36 total putts. Player B misses every green, chips close, and one-putts all 18 for 18 total putts. Back2Basics Golf runs through this exact scenario. Judged on total putts alone, Player B looks like the far better putter with half as many strokes on the greens. Yet Player B never made anything longer than a tap-in, while Player A rolled in nothing at all from range. Total putts flattered the worse putter.
Putts per GIR does not have that blind spot, because only putts on greens hit in regulation get counted. Here is how the two stats compare.
| Feature | Putts per round | Putts per green in regulation |
|---|---|---|
| What it counts | Every putt on all 18 holes | Only putts on greens hit in regulation |
| Affected by short game | Yes, chip-close holes lower it | No, those holes are excluded |
| Rewards hitting greens | No, more greens often raises it | Yes, isolates putting from ball-striking |
| Best used for | A quick round total | Judging putting skill on its own |
There is a twist here, though. Hitting more greens can push total putts up, not down. Shot Scope data analysed by MyGolfSpy found that when 15-handicaps hit far more greens than usual, their total putts climbed by more than three per round, and the same pattern held for scratch golfers. The reason is proximity: a green hit in regulation often leaves a 20 to 40 foot first putt, while a missed green usually leaves a short chip and a tap-in. Reaching the green is still the goal, but it naturally produces more putting, which is why putts per round can mislead and putts per GIR cannot.
What is a good putts per green in regulation?
For most amateurs, the target is simple: under two putts per GIR. Averaging exactly 2.0 means two-putting every green hit, so anything below that shows putts being saved through one-putts. Eric Peyton frames the amateur goal the same way, as getting the average under two.
The benchmarks by level fill in the picture.
| Level | Putts per GIR |
|---|---|
| Tour goal | 1.70 |
| Scratch golfer | 1.85 |
| 15-handicap | 2.1 |
| 25-handicap | 2.18 |
Putting instructor Mark Sweeney of AimPoint sets 1.70 as the mark a Tour player should aim for, which lines up with converting roughly 30 percent of birdie chances. Shot Scope figures published by Golf Monthly put the scratch golfer at 1.85 and the typical 15-handicap at 2.1. MyGolfSpy’s data has the 25-handicap at 2.18. The gap between a scratch player and a high-handicapper looks small on paper, a third of a putt per green, but across a dozen or more greens a round it adds up quickly.
Why the stat matters for scoring
A putts per GIR figure sitting above 2.0 usually tells a specific story, and it is rarely about missing short putts. It points to long first putts and three-putts on the greens a golfer does reach.
The data backs that up. MyGolfSpy found scratch golfers three-putt about 3 percent of the time, against 13 percent for 25-handicaps, and the difference comes mostly from how close each group leaves the first putt rather than how many long ones they hole. That is what putts per GIR captures that a total-putt count hides: whether a golfer is protecting the greens they work hard to hit, or giving those strokes back with loose lag putting. For anyone trying to see where their scoring leaks, it is a far more honest read than the number at the bottom of the scorecard.
Related Golf Terms
- Inward nine — The second nine holes of a round, holes ten through eighteen.
- Par 5 scoring average — A player’s average score on par-5 hole.
- Birdie or better percentage — The share of holes played in birdie or better.
- Outward nine — The first nine holes of a round, holes one through nine.
- Par 3 scoring average — A player’s average score on par-3 holes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does putts per GIR mean?
It is the average number of putts taken only on holes where the green was hit in regulation. It measures putting performance without the distortion of short chips that set up easy tap-ins.
Is putts per GIR the same as putts per round?
No. Putts per round counts every putt on all 18 holes. Putts per GIR counts only putts on greens hit in regulation, which makes it a fairer measure of pure putting.
What is a good putts per GIR for an average golfer?
Under 2.0 is the goal for most amateurs. A 15-handicap averages about 2.1, a scratch golfer around 1.85, and the Tour benchmark is roughly 1.70.
Do putts from the fringe count toward putts per GIR?
No. A hole where the ball finishes on the fringe is not a green in regulation, so any putt from there is left out of the calculation.
Why do my total putts go up when I hit more greens?
Hitting a green usually leaves a longer first putt, while missing one often sets up a short chip and a tap-in. More greens can mean more putting, which is why putts per GIR gives a clearer read than total putts.
Sources
- PGA Tour. “Putting Average (Stat 104).” Accessed 2026.
https://www.pgatour.com/stats/detail/104 - Golf Monthly. “How Many Putts Does The Average Golfer Take Per 18 Holes?” Accessed 2026.
https://www.golfmonthly.com/features/how-many-putts-does-the-average-golfer-take-per-18-holes - MyGolfSpy. “Putting Make Percentage By Handicap.” Accessed 2026.
https://mygolfspy.com/news-opinion/putting-make-percentage-by-handicap-full-chart-are-you-above-or-below-average/ - MyGolfSpy. “How Hitting Greens In Regulation Affects Putts Per Round.” Accessed 2026.
https://mygolfspy.com/news-opinion/instruction/how-hitting-greens-in-regulation-affects-putts-per-round/ - Golfity. “What Is a Good Putting Average? Benchmarks by Handicap.” Accessed 2026.
https://golfity.com/blog/what-is-a-good-putting-average/ - Eric Peyton Golf. “Golf Stats You Need to Track.” Accessed 2026.
https://www.ericpeytongolf.com/blog/golf-stats-you-need-to-track - AimPoint Golf (Mark Sweeney). “How Many Putts Is Good?” Accessed 2026.
https://aimpointgolf.wordpress.com/2016/06/25/how-many-putts-is-good/ - Back2Basics Golf. “Putts Per Round (PPR) vs. Strokes Gained: Putting.” Accessed 2026.
https://back2basics.golf/blogs/news/putts-per-round-ppr-vs-strokes-gained-putting
