What's Preventing You From Playing Scratch Golf?

[KyleAnthony]

So i thought it would be fun to start a thread where people could write about what issues they feel are preventing them from shooting par. i know that not everyone thinks about what is going on so maybe it will help some people realize what exactly goes wrong in their game. also if any scratch golfers want to chime in on tips, drills, and other stuff that would be cool. i'll start

Problems:

1. Longer Putts

2. Mishits (2-4 per round)

3. If I'm doing very well I get over excited and speed up my tempo

[Hammer 4]

I don't think there's enough time in the day to list all of mine...

[KyleAnthony]

I don't think there's enough time in the day to list all of mine...

Go for it. maybe we can all help each other out. plus i think its good to write down and realize what all is going on

[Hammer 4]

I know, I was being a smarta$$. Played 9 today with very little success...wasn't a pretty sight..lol

[Phil McGleno]

Great-This thread will be a fun resource for showing how delusional people are about how well you have tplay at a scratch level. Lots of guys who cant break 80 or even 90 think theyre somehow good ball strikers-For example. Not to pick on you @KyleAnthony but you mis-hit the ball far more than 2-4 times per round if youre a 13.9 handicap.-I say that in the hopes it opens your eyes to what a mishit is, and to properly assess the state of your game.

[meenman]

For me, it is LOFT (lack of ..... talent)

[MS256]

Pretty simple for me. A swing with too many flaws to consistently hit greens.

Compared to the scratch players I know and play with:

Most of the time I'm pretty decent with a driver. (A little below average).

Very good with fairway woods. (A little better than average).

Fairly good with long irons. (Just below average, but close).

Totally suck with mid to short iron full shots. (Not even in the same neighborhood, or planet).

Around and on the greens. (Quite a bit better than average).

Trouble shots and working the ball. (Better than average).

So it's obvious why I'm not better than I am.

[KyleAnthony]

Great-This thread will be a fun resource for showing how delusional people are about how well you have tplay at a scratch level. Lots of guys who cant break 80 or even 90 think theyre somehow good ball strikers-For example.

Not to pick on you @KyleAnthony but you mis-hit the ball far more than 2-4 times per round if youre a 13.9 handicap.-I say that in the hopes it opens your eyes to what a mishit is, and to properly assess the state of your game.

the mis-hits i am referring to are like thin or fat shots and  a slice. if i get excited and speed my tempo up i don't get the right distance or aim. i didn't really think of it as mis-hitting.

[WUTiger]

For starters, the fact I rarely break 90.

[mdl]

1) Consistency through the bag, from round to round, and from hole to hole.  I have the ability to play really excellent golf.  I'll go through 3, 4, 5, 6 hole stretches feeling totally in control, hitting most of my shots exactly like or very close to how I imagined with clubs all through the bag, ringing off simple pars, maybe with a birdie thrown in.  But I'll hit big blocks and big pull draw/hooks too, and just generally have too many shots that don't go very close to where I'm aiming them.

2) Accuracy with mid and short irons.  Mine isn't even close to a scratch player's.

3) Fewer huge misses off the tee that lead to OB, hazards, or jailed shots.  This has gotten much better for me but still isn't close to scratch level rarity.

4) Better putting.  I feel pretty confident around the green most of the time, but on the green I'm very streaky and will have a bunch of 1-putts and 1 or often more 3-putts and usually more 2-putts that should have been 1-putts than you'd like as well.  I'm not awful.  Just solidly mediocre and well below average for a scratch player.

[Harmonious]

To be scratch:

1) Hit 75% of your fairways. Your drives don't have to be 300+  yards, but they've got to allow you to put a club on the ball for your 2nd shot.

2) Hit 60% of your greens. Not within 5' of the pin, but close enough to make a routine 2-putt.

3) Get up and down at least 50% of the time. This includes out of the sand, from tough, grassy lies or easy chips. You should have a legitimate chance to save par EVERY time.

4) Have your putts per GIR be under 2.0.Three putts are a big no-no.

In short, there is no ONE THING that will make you scratch, it is an accumulation of all your golfing skills. Making routine pars hole after hole goes a long way to lowering scores. Birdies for amateurs are not all that common in reality.

[David in FL]

Great-This thread will be a fun resource for showing how delusional people are about how well you have tplay at a scratch level. Lots of guys who cant break 80 or even 90 think theyre somehow good ball strikers-For example. Not to pick on you @KyleAnthony but you mis-hit the ball far more than 2-4 times per round if youre a 13.9 handicap.-I say that in the hopes it opens your eyes to what a mishit is, and to properly assess the state of your game.

QFT! The average guy has NO IDEA how good a scratch golfer is.... ....or how poor their own play/ball-striking is relative to that standard. Sadly, I do know. :8)

[mmoan2]

What's preventing me from scratch golf or better?

Money and time. End of story...

[MS256]

What's preventing me from scratch golf or better?

Money and time. End of story...

At least that's a LOT less than I would need.

[RFKFREAK]

Talent.

[joekelly]

Obviously age.  If i could lop off 63 years and begin again like Rory, Tiger or Sergio (all under age 4 when starting) then maybe i would have a chance. But only if i could also bring the unquestioned desire and commitment i now possess to those young years.  Oh, helps a ton to have a mentor/guru who also has a strong desire to see me accomplish my life goals.  But you know, if i could go way  back in life and choose a path to great success, i wonder if i would choose golf. Golf is nice, but very solitary and benefits one person only, the player. How about a great musician or singer who bring great talent to the stage and great joy to millions. Hmm.   Oops, going off topic.

[billchao]

the mis-hits i am referring to are like thin or fat shots and  a slice. if i get excited and speed my tempo up i don't get the right distance or aim. i didn't really think of it as mis-hitting.

I think you missed the point, here. If you didn't hit the sweetspot of the club and put the ball exactly where you wanted on the line you intended, you mis-hit it. As for the topic question, if I had the answer, I wouldn't need the question. I don't think it's something I'll really be able to answer until (IF) I get there.

[flopster]

Even though I'm only 5 strokes away it's still a wider gap in talent than 15-5 IMO. It feels like ball striking particularly approach irons have to be more consistent/accurate in order to get to the promised land. I also think putting needs to get a little more tighter than now, I went out today and made 3 long putts in the first 9 holes and feel as though I may be onto something, in reality though, I only had some long putts fall but to say I'm onto something 100% would be premature. I think if I still have good consistency with the new stroke a couple months from now then I think I can say I figured out a good stroke for me. My golf goal though for this year included getting below 3 so we will see if I can get it down to that and keep it there.