Jump to content
IGNORED

What's Preventing You From Playing Scratch Golf?


KyleAnthony
Note: This thread is 3680 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Recommended Posts

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.

then 100% of my shots are mis-hits because I'm not getting eagle 2's on every par 4…

For Sale: Ping i3+ 2i-UW

              Callaway X Hot Driver

              Callaway FTI Driver

              Odyssey Versa Black/White LH Putter

Link to comment
Share on other sites


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.

Bingo. When we first start playing we are doing all sorts of things badly and many of them have little to do with our golf swing mechanics. Pretty easy to take off a lot of strokes at that point by putting and chipping a little better and gaining some common sense about course management and knowing our capabilities.

At some point those easier ways to take off strokes are virtually used up (or at least slowed down) and we are left with ball striking. That's a tougher hill to climb and especially if we haven't practiced good mechanics from the start.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Moderator

To simply answer the thread title, you need more Keys :-)

Mike McLoughlin

Check out my friends on Evolvr!
Follow The Sand Trap on Twitter!  and on Facebook
Golf Terminology -  Analyzr  -  My FacebookTwitter and Instagram 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

1. started playing golf at 46 years old - kinda bugs me that I'll never know how good I could have been if I started in high school (but at least I started ... I spoke to a starter the other day who started golfing after he retired, so it could be worse).

2. inherently tragic ineptness for putting.

John

Fav LT Quote ... "you can talk to a fade, but a hook won't listen"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Wow. Where to start?

1. Fat shots

2. Thin shots

3. Slices

4. Hooks

5. Pulls

6. Sand shots

7. Long putts

I'm actually decent at chipping and shorter putts.  But I don't get up and down 50% of the time as stated above.  Long story short - I've simply got to get better at hitting the ball more pure.  It feels so nice when I hit a good one.  Too nice I think. It seems it should be a bit more commonplace.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


For starters, the fact I rarely break 90.

you just need to play courses with par = 90 or more

Bill - 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Scratch golf? Honestly it's not even on my radar. My golf problems are many. What it takes to get to scratch is what you consider when you are a 2 not a 10 or more. Not saying better golf shouldn't be a goal but it helps to be reasonable. The time I spent practicing last year was equivalent to a part time job and I just managed to knock my handicap down a couple points. In the end what it revealed was the "better" I got the more I realized how bad I really am. If anything golf seems harder to me now than when I got back into it in 2012. Though my expectations have changed.

  • Upvote 1

Dave :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Scratch golf? Honestly it's not even on my radar. My golf problems are many. What it takes to get to scratch is what you consider when you are a 2 not a 10 or more. Not saying better golf shouldn't be a goal but it helps to be reasonable. The time I spent practicing last year was equivalent to a part time job and I just managed to knock my handicap down a couple points. In the end what it revealed was the "better" I got the more I realized how bad I really am. If anything golf seems harder to me now than when I got back into it in 2012. Though my expectations have changed.


I think that Dave is taking the best approach. Sure, everyone can dream of dropping 10-15 strokes off their game just by practicing harder.  But the more reasonable approach is to work to first drop a couple of strokes, then a couple more, etc. Just make your "bad" shots a little bit better so that you can recover from them (you'd be surprised how few shots are hit "perfectly", even by pro golfers, by their own admission). Don't follow up a bad shot with another bad shot.  Play within your comfort zone. Don't try the heroic shot every time. Realize that par is a great score on any hole.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Moderator

My objective is not to be a scratch golfer.  It is to be the best golfer I can be with my ability and the time I have to play and practice to improve.

Scott

Titleist, Edel, Scotty Cameron Putter, Snell - AimPoint - Evolvr - MirrorVision

My Swing Thread

boogielicious - Adjective describing the perfect surf wave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Winter and key numbers 4 and 5.

Nate

:pxg:(10.5) :benhogan:(4W):titleist:U500(3UI) :benhogan: Icon(4-PW) :edel:(52/58)

:odyssey:Putter :snell: MTB Black  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

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.

I have been golfing for more than 50 years, and I've had a single digit handicap for about 30 years, but I've never had an even par score for 18 holes.

What goes wrong?  I don't necessarily think that anything goes wrong.  While I would like to shoot even par at some point in the space-time continuum, I don't feel than an even par round is an ultimate goal that I need to achieve to enjoy playing the sport I love most.

When I was younger, whenever my handicap got lower than a 6, I would become a "grinder."  (Someone who is intense while playing every shot during their round, and will become upset when they hit a bad shot, and not really appreciate the good ones.)  If I truly wanted to shoot par, I also know that there would be a time and money investment to make it possible. To me the time and money that I have is better spent on my family than in the pursuit of an even par score.

It is kind of like a hole-in-one. When I step onto the tee of a par three hole, I fully hope to make a hole-in-one, but I know that it is not a reasonable expectation that I will. (In 1999, Golf Digest reported, "One insurance company puts a PGA Tour pro's chances at 1 in 3,756 and an amateur's at 1 in 12,750.")  Statistically, I hit the green on a par three hole 1 time out of 3 attempts, and average 3.5 strokes. In addition, in over 50 years, I have only holed out from more than 150 yards only twice.  So, if I hit a good shot and land within 10 feet of the hole, I am truly thrilled.

The same applies to an even par score for me. I have no reasonable expectation that I will shoot even par, and any time I break 80, it is a great day.  I love the golf journey that I currently travel, so why get upset if you can't shoot even par?

Drivers: Bag 1 - TM R11 (10.5°); Bag 2 - Ping G5 (9°),
Fairway woods: #1 - TM RBZ Tour (14.5°) & TM System 2 Raylor (17°); #2 - TM Burner (15°) & TM V-Steel (18°)
Hybrid: #1 - TM Rocketballz (19°); #2 - Ping G5 (19°)
Irons: #1 - Ping i3+; #2 - Hogan Edge  (both 4-pw, +1" shaft)
Wedges: #1 - Ping i3+ U wedge (52°) & Ping Eye 2+ BeCu (60°); #2 - Ping ISI Sand BeCu (52°) & Cleveland CG11 lob (60°)
Putters: Ping B60i & Anser 2, Odyssey White Steel 2-Ball & White Hot XG #9, Lamkim Jumbp grips
Golf Balls: Titleist Pro V1, Bridgestone B330, Callaway SR1, Slazenger Grips: Lamkin Crossline
Golf Shoes: Footjoy & Adidas; Golf Glove: Footjoy StaSof®; Golf Bag: Ping Hoofer
I love this game! :-D

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Even though I'm only 5 strokes away it's still a wider gap in talent than 15-5 IMO.

I think this is a key point.  Ever since I was playing more around a 12-13, I've felt when playing with guys in the, say, 3-6 range that I definitely have the athletic ability to play in that range eventually.  I've played with only a very few guys in the 0-2 range (and I don't think I've ever played with a +), but getting to that level feels like a whole different question than getting down to playing in the 70s most of the time (what I think of as the 3-6 range).

I look at it this way.  The difference between an 85 and a 78 (a reasonable round for a 11-13 player and a 4-6 player respectively) can be something like the 78 player avoiding a couple 3-putts the 85 player made, successfully getting up and down on a couple holes where reasonable misses on the approach left what should be a high percentage U/D chance, making a couple really excellent approaches that lead to birdie, and the 78 player avoiding one of the two OB tee shots made by the 85 player.  Then going from 85 to 78 only requires slightly tightening up the putting and green-side shots and gaining the level of accuracy to avoid more than one really terrible tee shot and more than a few tee shots in jail. That's all really doable with some practice.  Just slight tightening of a few facets of the game.

But what about going from 78 to 72?  Then you've gotta take what are huge steps in every facet of the game.  You rarely miss big.  When you hit a tee shot off line, you can shape and control trajectory and still be confident of hitting the green regularly.  Your missed approach shots are almost always slight misses to good spots.  When you miss, your short game is super tight and you get easy tap-ins a large percentage of the time.  Your putting is on the money so you make up lots of strokes making a decent percentage of 10-20 footers and are very high percentage of those down shots of an U/D where you left yourself 5 feet instead of 2 feet.  These are all very hard things to do!

Matt

Mid-Weight Heavy Putter
Cleveland Tour Action 60˚
Cleveland CG15 54˚
Nike Vapor Pro Combo, 4i-GW
Titleist 585h 19˚
Tour Edge Exotics XCG 15˚ 3 Wood
Taylormade R7 Quad 9.5˚

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Not being proficient enough in keys 1 thru 5

Not being good at the short game

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

The 3 T's: Time, Talent, and Treasure.

Dan

:tmade: R11s 10.5*, Adila RIP Phenom 60g Stiff
:ping: G20 3W
:callaway: Diablo 3H
:ping:
i20 4-U, KBS Tour Stiff
:vokey: Vokey SM4 54.14 
:vokey: Vokey :) 58.11

:scotty_cameron: Newport 2
:sunmountain: Four 5

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

The difference between an 85 and a 78 (a reasonable round for a 11-13 player and a 4-6 player respectively) can be something like the 78 player avoiding a couple 3-putts the 85 player made, successfully getting up and down on a couple holes where reasonable misses on the approach left what should be a high percentage U/D chance, making a couple really excellent approaches that lead to birdie, and the 78 player avoiding one of the two OB tee shots made by the 85 player.

despite the thread title, I'm stopping with here - it resonates and leads me to what I'd like to improve on for this year

Bill - 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

12 greens in regulation

up and down 50% of the time

Don't 3 putt

Make 3 birdies

There you go, scratch golf in its average glory

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

  • Moderator

My objective is not to be a scratch golfer.  It is to be the best golfer I can be with my ability and the time I have to play and practice to improve.

This. More and more, I'm just enjoying the process, the ride than the goal - I really don't have any clear goals to be honest, just enjoy the learning part.

Talent.

Bingo amundo...

Steve

Kill slow play. Allow walking. Reduce ineffective golf instruction. Use environmentally friendly course maintenance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

1. Short game. I make too many doubles from 3-putts and not getting up and down.

2. Blow-up holes. For example, my score two days ago was 78. If you can believe this: I had a triple bogey, 2 double bogeys , 2 bogeys, 3 birdies, and 11 pars. Turn those blow up holes into bogeys and I shoot 74.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Note: This thread is 3680 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Want to join this community?

    We'd love to have you!

    Sign Up
  • TST Partners

    TourStriker PlaneMate
    Golfer's Journal
    ShotScope
    The Stack System
    FlightScope Mevo
    Direct: Mevo, Mevo+, and Pro Package.

    Coupon Codes (save 10-15%): "IACAS" for Mevo/Stack, "IACASPLUS" for Mevo+/Pro Package, and "THESANDTRAP" for ShotScope.
  • Posts

    • Have you looked at Model Local Rule F-9 Relief from Tree Roots in or Close to Fairway?  You could extend this to cover exposed rocks.  The rule is recommended to be used only for areas relatively near the fairway, a player who hits a shot 20 yards in the woods doesn't really deserve relief.   Players can always take Unplayable Ball relief, they're not required to play it from a rock or a root.  Of course, they hate to take the penalty stroke too.
    • I agree with @klineka, you're clearly doing something right.  Its always going to be a bit of a guessing game if you don't have any scoring history.  On the other hand, understanding that it takes only 54 holes to establish an actual handicap, and they have about 6 weeks in which to play and post enough scores, I don't think its at all unreasonable to require them to have an official handicap before they become eligible for prizes.  I don't know how you structure the fees for the series of competitions, but if its possible they'll play with the group without being eligible for prizes, you could consider a way to let them do that without contributing to the prize pool.
    • I run tournaments and want to put in a local rule that allows relief from tree roots and rocks that are not loose impediments. We have some really terrible lies in some of our courses in my area and nobody is getting paid enough to break clubs. Let me know if you think the verbage for this rule makes sense. Local Rule Roots and Rocks You may move your ball from a tree root or buried rock one club length for free relief no closer to the hole. However you may not use this rule to get relief from a tree, bush, boulder, or other foliage hindering your swing. Your only option here is to play it as it lies or take an unplayable for a one stroke penalty.
    • Makes sense.  Like I said, I wouldn't have been upset at their original offer either, and based on the fine print it seems like they've held up their end of the deal.  
    • If you've only had to adjust retroactively one time in 8 years and have around 5 people each year without handicaps, that's like 40-50 people total so it sounds like you're doing a pretty good job. I think your questions give enough to go off of. This might be a good way to get new people to actually post a few scores during the 6 weeks leading into the first event. Something like "New members will be eligible for tournament money once they have at least 3 posted rounds in GHIN" or something like that. If they can get 3 rounds in prior to their first event, then they're eligible. If not, they'll soon become eligible after an event or two assuming they play a little bit outside of events.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to TST! Signing up is free, and you'll see fewer ads and can talk with fellow golf enthusiasts! By using TST, you agree to our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and our Guidelines.

The popup will be closed in 10 seconds...