How did you get to a single digit handicap?

[Phil Marsh]

Hi, started playing golf properly 2 years ago, now playing off 7 (7.2). The last 4 competition rounds played scored 78,75,73 and 74 and a par 72. Had a natural ability for sports, and as a county hockey player thought transition to golf would be easy as the ball is stationary and you're not running at full pelt..... Anyway, I am a long hitter, 6 iron 185yd carry, but had a nasty slice. I have worked on various practice techniques and I am now straight with the driver, and draw irons. The biggest cut in handicap was made following a conscious effort to REALLY know my distances, not what I thought I could hit with a fair wind and perfect strike. It was a massive shock to see  what I hit to what I thought. I am now at a level where ball striking is consistent, but I still average out my clubs. Know your distances on the coarse, I use a GPS on my phone. My short game is where the biggest improvement has come. Practice, practice, practice. I spend more time practicing from 60yds and putting than any other. If you can't hit a wedge you can't hit a 5 iron. I also know my limitations, don't go for the miracle shot, I play percentage golf, If I think I will make a shot 85% of the time then I know I am comfortable playing it. Going for the 1 in 100 shot, looks spectacular, but probably will put a double bogey+ on the card and ruin the round. Also be confident with 3 to 5 ft putts, not only will it help with scoring, it adds confidence to long putts as you know you will put the return putt should you miss. I have also used Zepp Golf for the last 6 months. This small bit of technology really helps your swing. It is like a personal coach.  Really straightened my swing. Sorry I rambled but a 2 year adventure has provided a lot of experiences.

 

[JBailey]

I know my philosophy is not so popular, and I'm sure is not the right way for all, but to get to single digits (8 or 9) for a handicap shouldn't be that hard.

This is my advice, for what it's worth.

1.  Always choose accuracy over distance and hit away from trouble.

2. Always use one more club than you think.

3.  Always aim for the open part of the green.

If you do these 3 things you will cut down drastically on double and triple bogeys.  You'll be in single digits before you know it.

Once you get to the single digits, getting lower will become exponentially harder.

Later,

John

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[imsys0042]

For me it took taking some lessons and applying what I learned and not thinking that my own swing could carry me too far.    I had to change a lot and it took a long time and a lot of practice.   I'm currently an 8.  I feel I can get better but I need to work on all aspects of my game.   JBailey is correct.    The lower you are, the harder to get lower. 

I think to get lower than an 8 index I need to learn how to effectively hit the ball from more difficult positions and lies and come up with better strategies   At the same time it's practice, practice, practice.  

With decent distance and the ability to hit the ball mostly straight plus decent short game and putting anyone can be an 8 or 9 handicap 

[No Mulligans]

I wonder about the talent factor.

If, after reaching maturity, say 18 years or older, and you then applied yourself with lessons, practice, and play and couldn't get to single digits in 5 years... what are the chances you'll ever get to single digits?

Anyone out there get to single digits for the 1st time after 5 years of solid practice, lessons, and play?

[JBailey]

39 minutes ago, No Mulligans said:

I wonder about the talent factor.

If, after reaching maturity, say 18 years or older, and you then applied yourself with lessons, practice, and play and couldn't get to single digits in 5 years... what are the chances you'll ever get to single digits?

Anyone out there get to single digits for the 1st time after 5 years of solid practice, lessons, and play?

I believe you are correct in your "talent" assessment.  I spent many years at a 16 handicap, then with a good pro and lots of practice quickly got down to an 8.  I stayed there quite awhile until I was fitted for a more accurate driver and got down to a 5.  After that, no matter how hard I practiced or how much I played, I couldn't break that 5.  I got below a couple of times, but it didn't last.  I always returned to a 5.  I believe I reached my talent level.

When I see pros hitting out of divots in the fairway, or choosing to hit off cement instead of taking a drop, I know my talent would never allow my shot making to be so accurate.

Having said that, I truly believe most average golfers could get to single digits by proper game management for their individual talent.  (see my 3 rules above)

Later,

John

[The Recreational Golfer]

I got there by learning how to hit the ball very straight, chip close, and leave approach putts close. Hitting the ball straight is an absolute requirement, though. I don't care how good you are around the green, if you can't get up to the green quickly, you are, on the whole, losing strokes you can't get back.

[GrinderUK]

On ‎24‎/‎08‎/‎2014 at 1:44 PM, Mark141 said:

Just last week I was able to make it to a single digit (just barely), descending from a 20 to a 16 to a 13, and now 9.9.  Here's what I now know:

 

* I'm not sure my drives are better, but I've eliminated (usually) the OB's, hitting into hazard, etc.  Some days I'm often in the fairway, but other days I'm in the rough.  Essentially I've gotten my drives "good enough" for a single digit.

 

* I've worked had to round out my game:  distance wedges, sand, chipping, punch shots, etc.  Again, I don't think I'm great in any one of these areas, but pretty much good enough.

 

* One thing that has made the difference is mastering the six foot putt (or at least making most of them). You've got to be able to get down in two putts on nearly all of the greens.  For me that was making sure I made nearly all the six footers and less, and getting up and down with less than perfect chips. I still bogey more often than not when in a greenside bunker, but at least I'm eliminating doubles.

 

* Perhaps most important is that even though my irons have gotten better, I've gotten much more conservative when aiming at the greens.  I almost always go for the middle of the green on shots greater than 100 yards.   For distance wedges from 100 to 50 yards I might favor one side a little more.  However, I never shoot directly at a pin unless that pin is also in the middle of my "safe area" in the green.  Get it on the green, two putt, next hole. If I birdie, probably because I hit a good putt, not an aggressive approach shot.

 

* Finally, I've become a believer in "boring golf."  The first hole at my course is a Par 5.  I could hit a driver, and maybe hit a FW wood that might be on the green that might allow an eagle putt, that ....you get the idea. Instead, I hit a three iron the the safe area before the bunker, then a 4 iron then a short iron to the middle, then two putt.  Keep it boring.

 

Obviously I have a lot of room for improvement, but at least can now claim single-digit status.

Good luck.

I don't want to be pedantic, but 9.9 is not yet single digit golf, that's actually a playing handicap of 10 - well, it is here in the UK anyway. The exact handicap is rounded up or down to a whole number [9.4 =9, 9.5 = 10], so you've still got a little bit more to go yet. I'm off 9.8 exact at the moment and so I'm off a playing handicap of 10 as well, so not quite a single figure golfer at the moment either.

I was however a single figure golfer up until 2 years ago when I got down to 8.0 exact. If I'd gone down to 7.9 exact I wouldn't have classed myself as a 7 handicap golfer [which was obviously my next target], I'd still be 8, so in the same way 9.9 exact can't be classed as 9, and so therefore is a 10. 

I'm not trying to belittle your achievement, well done in getting to 9.9, but you need to get to 9.4 to be really classed as single figure golfer with an actual playing handicap of 9. The good news is that as you've got to 9.9, you probably do possess the skills to go all the way to being a single figure golfer - maybe you're there already?

Getting to 9 is not overly hard, nor do I think is 8. I know because I'm not that great, I have lots of weaknesses, I rarely practice, I've had 4 lessons in my whole life [although they WERE useful], I only play on average once a fortnight, but I still got to 8. However, I do believe to progress past 8 I will definitely need to put some practice in.

I had a bad year due to personal circumstances and went from 8 to 12 in one year following the annual handicap review. I'm back down to 9.8 now, and I've been scoring consistently below my handicap throughout the winter and fully expect to get back to single figures when the new season starts, i.e. 9.4 and below. If I put some practice in [which I've been saying I'll do for the last 5 years, but don't actually get around to it] then I'm extremely confident of getting back to 8 or maybe lower.

I believe everybody is different, Some people have natural skill and can progress towards single figures either steadily or rapidly, depending upon how often they play and/or practice. Others, with less natural talent, have to put plenty of practice and effort in to get to single figures - if they ever get there at all.

We are all searching for that holy grail of single figure golf status, I know always was. I think every golfer would like to reach that stage at least once in their golfing life. I wasn't really too bothered about winning competitions [although it's nice to win some], and I wasn't overly bothered if somebody beat me into second place on a countback, as long as I was below my handicap and beating the course, and lowering my handicap in the process, that was a enough of a win for me. Each handicap reduction was a step closer to single figures. It's always nice, when somebody asks what your handicap is, to respond with a single digit number, and the lower the number the better.

If you're looking to get to single figures I believe you have to be able to do these basic things well, and repeatedly. This is what I focussed on to get to a handicap of 8.

[1] Drive the ball straight, [2] hit it long enough to reach the greens in regulation for the majority of the time, [3] chip well, [4] putt well. I know that's like stating the b****ing obvious. But if you can't do those things repeatedly well you will never get to single figures, nor will you stay there.

 

[1] I can drive the ball straight for most of the time. However, I don't expect to hit all the fairways, but the less I miss is less trouble, and less dropped shots. If I do miss the fairway badly and can't get forwards towards the green, I will take my medicine and get back out onto the fairway as quickly as possible. Know your capabilities, don't try to play miracle shots, sometimes it's about damage limitation. And remember, you can still get up and down from the fairway!

[2] I can drive the ball far enough to reach most greens in regulation. You don't have to keep trying to hit 300 yard bombs [with a much, much, higher chance of error, and which I can't do anyway unless there is a very very strong tailwind], but you do have to try and get yourself a good way up the fairway. It's less error-prone to approach a green with a 7 or 8-iron rather than having to take a 4 or 5-iron, rescue, or fairway wood [which I'm rubbish with - need to practice]. As long as the majority of the time I am up somewhere close to the green in regulation, i.e. within a short chipping distance [10 - 15 yards] that's all that matters.

[3] If I've missed the green, but I'm on short grass then my goal is to get the ball within 6 feet of the hole to give myself a chance of a par putt [6ft. should be easy, and 3ft. should really be my goal, but that's not always the case as I'm not so great at chipping these days - I'm not bad, but I'm not great either - need to practice]. If I've missed the green but I'm in long grass, then my goal is to just at least get it onto the green to give myself a chance of a par putt. If I've missed the green into a bunker then its probably a dropped shot as I'm hopeless at bunker shots [need to practice]. I just make sure I get it out and hopefully only two putt at worst. 

[4] If I've hit the green and I'm over 15ft. away my goal is to get the ball within at least 1 foot of the hole [SHORT or LONG] with my first putt to make sure I don't three putt. If I'm within 10-12 ft. of the hole [which would be a fluke as my distance control and accuracy is not that honed] then the goal would be within 6 inches and to at least REACH the hole [not up, not in as they say]. If it drops for a birdie that's a bonus - it means I'm allowed a bogey on another hole and still remain on par, but I definitely don't want to race the putt too far past and leave myself something tricky coming back.

By doing the above reasonably well for most of the time you can play at single figures.

By doing the above reasonably well, PLUS being able to chip to within 2ft regularly, being able to play fairway woods and rescue clubs well of the grass, play greenside bunker shots to within 5ft regularly, being able to play 3 and 4 irons well off the grass, by being able to draw AND fade the ball as required, then you will be a very low single figure handicapper.

By just thinking about this and writing it all down I believe I can already improve my own game. My driving and putting are my most reliable and repeatable skills, I just need to improve on the shots in between those two clubs.

From compiling this list I now know what I need to practice this upcoming season, and I know in which order. If I practice and improve my technique on the above [which is a big if in my case] then I should be able to get to at least 7 by the end of the season. I'll post back here at the end of the season and let you know what happened.

Sorry for such a long rambling post.

Happy golfing!

 

[boogielicious]

Welcome to the site @GrinderUK. You've outlined how hard it is to get down to that level. I think a lot of average golfers don't understand what it takes. Thanks.

[Dan42nepa]

I am about a 16 now but have been playing for 50 years. I was sort of a prodigy when I was young. Made the varsity HS team when i was in 7th grade. I loved golf, played golf worked at golf courses but never took it seriously. My only fault now is distance, My short game, accuracy, putting, concentration are good and i just joined a course where I can play every day instead of once a week as I did previously. I expect to be a single digit by summer. I live eat and breathe golf right now. Have new irons and am hitting the ball great. I just need to drive longer than 200 yards. I can never reach a certain level if I cant reach a par 5 in two.. Its possible but not probable. I just dont have the clubhead speed.

[Buckeyebowman]

I've only read the last page of this thread, but there were some really good thoughts. I've been playing golf for 50 years and am self-taught by reading articles in Golf Digest during my youth. I have never taken a lesson in my life, yet I was a scratch handicap in my early 20's. Some tips in the mag I wouldn't even try since they made no sense to me on their face. Others I would try, but if they didn't work I'd discard them immediately. Get back to what you know will advance the ball. Once I found things that worked for me I would practice them.

And practice, practice, practice them! There is just no substitute. It got to the point where I could tell if I was so much as 1/4" off in my setup! I'd hit balls at least 5-6 days a week, and play at least 3! The result was a situation where I could self diagnose problems, even during a round.

Obviously my situation was unique, and everybody can't do that. For those who can't, I remember a video lesson I watched by Hank Haney. He had 3 tips that could immediately improve your scoring by thinking properly on the course while playing whatever game it is that you have at the time.

Tip #1. Eliminate "penalty shots". Haney's definition of penalty shots might be different than what you're thinking. Say you put your drive in a place where it is not OB, but you can't advance the ball toward the green. All you can do is chip or pitch out sideways, and then advance the ball. This costs you a stroke with little benefit.

Tip #2. Eliminate "two chips". I can't tell you the number of times I've seen guys put their approach shots in heavy greenside rough, try to get "cute" with the chip or pitch, then either chunk it or skull it and leave the ball in heavy rough! You're not Phil! Just get the ball on the green somewhere so that you're putting! Which brings up the third tip.

Tip #3. Eliminate "three putts". Good lag putting is vitally important for all golfers, especially for us chops! Yes, making the 3-4-5 footers is important, but you have to get the ball there in the first place. Saw an interesting tip by David Toms the other day. When he's practicing lag putting he does not putt to a hole. He putts toward an area of the green or to the fringe, seeing how close he can get. He does his "close work" putting to a hole.

[Big Lex]

On April 1, 2008 at 0:42 AM, mrobbie said:

For those who are playing off single figures, how did you get there?

It's always been my goal, and I assume the same with many other golfers.

I've seen a number of players who get to this point in a very short time. Are you a naturally 'gifted' player, who picked up a club and everything just made sense and you got there with ease, or have you worked hard at it as often as possible to develop a single figure game? Have you had lessons over the years, or have you worked on your game yourself?

Only read the OP and this last page.....I'm 51. I'm a 7.5 index. Here is my story.

I have always been above average at sports and games, but never the best or even second best on teams.

I started playing golf at age 24, in med school. I never played more than once a week; average was maybe twice a month. I learned to break 100 after about 8-10 rounds. I took no lessons but read Ben Hogans 5 lessons. About 4 years later I began playing or practicing about twice a week and took about 15 lessons from a PGA pro. This got me to about a 13-15 handIcap index (breaking 90 about half the time). Then my kids came along and for the next 10 years or so, it was back to maybe once a week or less, with not much practicing and no lessons.

I stopped playing golf about 8 years ago, except for maybe 2-3 times each year.  In May of 2014, I joined a country club. I began playing at least twice a week. I started out around a 14 and got to about 11 that year. Last season I went from 11 down to as low as 6.7 before bumping back up a little at year's end. Last year I played a ton. I practiced mainly long game and bunker shots (my sand game was atrocious). I took some lessons last year.

This year, the goal is to get below 5. I am going to take lessons for long game, and plan to spend most of my practice time on green side shots, green reading, and putts from 5-10 feet. 

Overall I attribute my progress in recent years to mainly playing lot more, on a difficult course. I play three to four times as often as in the past. This year I plan to sacrifice a bit of that playing time for practice time,,but still plan to play a lot. I think being good at ball-stick games has helped me a little, but I'm by no means a natural. I believe almost anyone can make it to single digit, but unless you are very gifted, it takes lots of time. I think lessons are great but I also think you have to figure out things for yourself. Something you figure out yourself is more easily retained and trusted. Swing a club every day and practice every chance you get, even if it's for five minutes. Buy Lowest Score Wins so,you optimize your practice time. 

[Yukari]

As @Big Lex says, practice long game.  You have to get your long game controlled before even thinking about getting to a single digit.

I practiced mostly ~80-90% long games before my handicap started to improve dramatically.

I still spend >60% on long games (full swings with driver and mid- and long irons), spend s little more time with short game on practice range. 

I hit a lot of 3 and 4 irons on practice range and my 4 iron has become one of my most trusted club. That's my 215-225 club on second shots for par fives. I also use it in short par fours with tight fairway. 

A consistent swing eliminates a lot of penalties off the tee - that in and itself will drop your HI more quickly than any short game improvements. 

[paininthenuts]

On 4/1/2008 at 5:42 AM, mrobbie said:

For those who are playing off single figures, how did you get there?

It's always been my goal, and I assume the same with many other golfers.

I've seen a number of players who get to this point in a very short time. Are you a naturally 'gifted' player, who picked up a club and everything just made sense and you got there with ease, or have you worked hard at it as often as possible to develop a single figure game? Have you had lessons over the years, or have you worked on your game yourself?

I joined the two and the eight together, and have managed to maintain it beautifully. 

[BigUnit68]

A lot of great ideas in this thread...just to add, I think you need to keep this game as simple as possible. Keep your swing, your thoughts, etc very elementary so to speak.

The less you get in your own way with trying to do too much, the better more consistent you'll play.

[gatsby47]

Wearing a golf glove and golf shoes is an essential part. I started playing in 1975 and this being my 42nd year, I no longer have a booming drive, and I let my game slide without practicing,  But with putting practice and some lessons and the help of George Knudson's natural swing book (which I re read every year) I was able to get my handicap down to 8 but I could not put in the time and effort to go lower.  Advice is  in the above postings.  Practice putting, avoid the woods/water. use one more club than your first thought, and keep the drinking to après round. And for heaven's sake use golf shoes ! lol

[golfncowboy]

I worked like hell at it. I'm not a natural athlete, and as far as anything with a moving ball is concerned I'm not very good. Golf has been my passion since I was 13 and but I wasn't a single digit until I was in college. My body had finally stopped growing and I was able to grove my swing. What really pushed me over the edge was making consistent contact with the center of the face and improving my game from 50 yards in. Once missing a green isn't as big of a deal the strokes really start to fall off and you don't worry about missing so you miss less. May be a bit of confirmation bias but confidence is key. 

[Lihu]

On 3/27/2016 at 5:47 AM, Yukari said:

As @Big Lex says, practice long game.  You have to get your long game controlled before even thinking about getting to a single digit.

I practiced mostly ~80-90% long games before my handicap started to improve dramatically.

I still spend >60% on long games (full swings with driver and mid- and long irons), spend s little more time with short game on practice range. 

I hit a lot of 3 and 4 irons on practice range and my 4 iron has become one of my most trusted club. That's my 215-225 club on second shots for par fives. I also use it in short par fours with tight fairway. 

A consistent swing eliminates a lot of penalties off the tee - that in and itself will drop your HI more quickly than any short game improvements. 

I'm still working on long game 95% primarily because it's more satisfying, but still not quite in the single digit territory (currently 9.3L but I expect it to fluctuate above 10 for a while unless I have another phenomenal round soon). It takes a lot of effort to learn the long game and I feel like it will continue to consume the majority of the time even just to maintain it.

Chipping/pitching using the brush method taught by this site works very well, and it seems like a month or two of concerted effort and getting distances should help that. Putting is not impossibly hard, but still takes some effort.

At some point, I'll follow the practice 65/20/15 ratios.

[Dave2512]

A somewhat reliable full swing miss was definitely key for me. I still hit the occasional WTF shot and my driving needs work but on the course I usually have a chance to hit nGIR 16ish times a round.

Some of that is playing smart. If I have been hitting hooks all day I don't whack another with my driver on a hole with OB tight left. But identifying my most prominent swing issue and working on just that is what got me under 10 couple years back. Quality instruction and a plan that I committed to stick with took me from 12 to 9 in just a few months. The improvement was instant just had to play enough rounds to cycle all the higher differentials out through a few handicap revisions. The trend down was immediate. Knowing what to expect from my play is what kept me there.