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Is a player in or out of form?

It's arguably the biggest question you ask when betting on golf. Is a player in or out of form? You don't want to be backing a guy who is struggling with his game. In the long term, it should become apparent who is genuinely in form and who is out of form. You can only ride your luck for so long. A player who is genuinely playing well should on average, over a number of rounds, score better than a player who is in poor form. Nonetheless, in the short term, it would be helpful to know if a player feels that they are playing well and whether they have had the rub of the green.

Media Information

Keeping an eye on the media is a useful source of information on how well players reckon they are playing. Interviews given after each round can be informative. However, with around 150 players in a tournament it only tends to be the comments of the big name players and the tournament leaders that get reported. For the vast majority of professionals, you are simply left wondering what the story was behind their latest round of golf.

The value of player websites

Well, this need not be the case, as there are some excellent player websites on the internet that keep you up to speed on how certain individuals are doing. The most helpful sites are those that are updated on a daily basis, with a short summary of how the player faired in his last round of golf. If you keep logging on to find out the latest, you should find yourself better informed.

One of the most informative player websites over the past year has been that of Niclas Fasth (www.niclasfasth.com). In 2004, Niclas had endured a disappointing season on the US Tour. Prior to this he had been successful years on the European Tour, finishing inside the top 25 on the Order of Merit in each of the previous three years. The big question was how he was going to fair in 2005 after returning to play on the European Tour.

If you had been reading his website, which includes a daily news update, then you would have known that he was feeling confident. Niclas felt that his game was in good shape, despite a couple of average scores at the very start of the season. It therefore wouldn’t have been a total surprise when he won the New Zealand Open in February 2005.

Subsequent to his New Zealand victory, Niclas began to play some good, consistent golf and this was reflected in both his scores and the comments he was making on his website. At the beginning of May though, Niclas’s form appeared to tail off and he missed a couple of cuts. The conclusion that many would have drawn from this was that Niclas had lost his form and lost his way. However, if you were reading his website, you would have been left with a different impression. A bit of bad luck and a few putts that just failed to drop were the main factors behind the apparent decline. Overall though, Niclas was still confident that his game was in good shape.

As it turned out Niclas was spot on. In his next six tournaments, starting with the BMW Championship at the end of May, Niclas experienced an excellent run of form that culminated in him winning the Players Championship of Europe. Although a review of his form during these weeks would have told you that he was playing well, Niclas’s comments on his website would have reinforced this. The combination of form analysis and self-analysis by the player can prove to be a powerful tool.

The other great advantage of reading player websites is that they can provide analysis of how the courses are playing. Although you can find a number of media outlets offering their opinion on how a course is playing, there are no better judges of courses than the players themselves. It definitely helps to know how a course is playing in order to identify the types of player that will be suited by the prevailing conditions.

Not all player websites are good

Although plenty of players have their own websites, not all of them are good. In some cases the websites are merely an outlet for sponsors and contain limited information. Many websites claim to provide news, but are often hopelessly out of date. Most player websites will provide plenty of historical data, such as listing tournaments won and a short biography, but such information is readily available of the tour’s own websites. The best sites are those that provide regular and timely updates.

Recommended websites

A list of some of the best player websites is provided below. We have selected a number of sites that have consistently provided good information and analysis on a timely basis, and these come highly recommended. We have also listed some other sites worthy of mention.

If you know of any other good player websites that should be added to our list, then please let us know by e-mailing us at info@progolfform.com.

Highly recommended player websites:

Niclas Fasth – www.niclasfasth.com

Justin Rose – www.justinrose.com

Other good player websites:

Michael Campbell – www.cambogolf.com
Ernie Els - www.ernieels.com
Padraig Harrington - www.padraigharrington.com
Paul Lawrie – www.paullawriegolf.com
Peter Lonard – www.peterlonard.com
Phil Mickelson - www.philmickelson.com
Colin Montgomerie - www.colinmontgomerie.com

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