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How many keys (5SK) to really start enjoying golf?


Lihu
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The topic is how many keys to really start to enjoy the game?

Everyone has been more concerned about making progress towards the single digits or scratch, I just wondered how many people care more about having fun and enjoying a shank free round (not perfect strikes, but serviceable) more than getting "better" for betters sake.

So, my progress has been very positive for the last three and a half months. My key 3 suffered all of 1 week when I changed my woods to really heavy ones because my wrists were getting stronger. Once this was fixed my golfing has never really been better.

With just roughly 2 keys under my belt (0.9 for key 1; 0.75 for key 2 and 0.35 for key 3 on the course; http://thesandtrap.com/t/67014/keys-vs-handicap-share-your-data#post_844167), I have found that I am really getting onto or near the greens with much more reliability than before this in turn makes the game much more enjoyable.

I did not post or really score my last couple rounds with my son, but they were a couple of the most fun rounds I had. I hit the greens quite a few times, and am really starting to enjoy the game. My short game just kind of happened, although there is a lot of improvement to be made in this area with "Method of 12" and "Aimpoint", but it was good enough. I do not recall having anything more than one or two doubles in both rounds, and parred quite a few with nice relaxed up and downs.

Who else thinks this way, and at what point do you just start to enjoy the game?

It would be interesting to see the intersection of how many keys are attained and true enjoyment meet together.

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I can't really answer that yet , but for me enjoying golf will be when my ball is going some what near where I intended. There is a difference of when I miss the green by 10 or I over hit it by 10 or even miss it left or right by 10, but when I hit it straight one time left or right the other and shank or diff the fourth really makes for a more enjoyable round.. For me even with my overswinging and inefficient swing I scored a 6 over on the short 4200 course I play, but since moving towards making my swing better I can't even score 6 over on 9.. What I am hoping is when I finally have keys 1 2 and 3 I will be able shoot a low score again, but trust me in the end it's not just about shooting single digits or scratch, having fun means different things to different people, and it just so happens having fun for most is being successful and that in golf just means shooting low.. That's my little rant and I hope it makes sense :)

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Eyad

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I don't have any of the keys really, but I love golf!

Yours in earnest, Jason.
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For me, the amount of keys has no bearing whatsoever on my enjoyment of golf.  What does matter is the trending.  When I feel like I am getting better, whether it be going from 110 to 102 or 84 to 78, I am having a lot of fun.  For example, over the course of the last couple of weeks, the lessons I've received on Evolvr and TST have sort of "clicked."  I don't mean I've figured it out, but I mean that I really understand the drills and what I'm going for and I want to go to the range or swing a club in my living room all the time right now.  By contrast, if I've shot 95 a couple of rounds in a row, and can't hit the ball to save my life, I want to quit the dang game, its so frustrating.

Another example for me is bowling.  I started just under 5 years ago.  My average went up every season, starting at 165-ish, then 180, then 190, and at its peak, from the spring of 2011 until fall of 2012 I had it up over 200.  That entire time frame was fun as heck!!  This season, however, I'm back at 190.  Bowling has stopped being fun right now, even though I'm way better than I was for the first two years.

So, three years ago, I was having a blast averaging 190 a night, but this season it feels like I'm the worst bowler on the planet.

It's all about the direction.  If I'm getting better, I'm having fun!!

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To my surprise I enjoyed the game the first time I played it.

Maybe I was fortunate that I didn't know anything about it other than to knock the heck out of that little white ball (which was a blast to me) and see if I could get the ball in the hole in less strokes than another person.

Even made an eagle on the 3rd hole that first day (lucky as Hell) and wouldn't have thought much of it if my son hadn't acted like it was something unusual. If it hadn't been fun I probably wouldn't have gone back.

Then again, maybe I wasn't so fortunate because I never bothered to learn an actual golf swing and I might be better today if I had. If I could go back I would have worked on a swing more and just playing a game less.

Weird thing about golf is that I don't think I could ever be any good at it but I wasn't ever really bad at it either. The only keys I had then were whatever came naturally from hitting a golf ball with my baseball swing. Most observers would say not much has changed.

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Don't you think there won't be a direct correlation?  I mean, isn't this just personality stuff?  For me, my enjoyment is linked completely to my perception of how good I am, AND the way I'm scoring.  When I was starting, and almost always over 100, I really enjoyed rounds where I scored in the 90s. Now that I have played regularly in the 80s, I get a little bit disappointed ever time I realize that I'm not going to be in the 70's. One of the times I got in the 70's, I was hitting the ball really poorly, but I got several lucky bounces, lucky putts, etc. and I really enjoyed that even though my swing was not feeling good.  POINT: I think there are just too many reasons people enjoy the game to be able to get a real answer to your question.

...that said, I like your question and am curious to read what people say.

My guess: to enjoy a round, you have to play to or above your expectations. (Even if your expectations aren't swing or score-based -- e.g. social reasons, health & exercise, etc.)

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I literally enjoy golf every single time I'm on the course, range, facility, etc. When I play 18 holes, I want to play 18 more. Yesterday I was at my nearby facility for nearly 3 hours, it felt like 30 mins.

But you are right, as I'm getting better it's getting even more fun. I wonder if there is like a fun peak, maybe at some point I'll reach the maximum amount of enjoyment and than start getting upset when I don't play to my expectations. But I don't foresee that happening right now.

Joel Holden

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Don't you think there won't be a direct correlation?  I mean, isn't this just personality stuff?  For me, my enjoyment is linked completely to my perception of how good I am, AND the way I'm scoring.  When I was starting, and almost always over 100, I really enjoyed rounds where I scored in the 90s. Now that I have played regularly in the 80s, I get a little bit disappointed ever time I realize that I'm not going to be in the 70's. One of the times I got in the 70's, I was hitting the ball really poorly, but I got several lucky bounces, lucky putts, etc. and I really enjoyed that even though my swing was not feeling good.  POINT: I think there are just too many reasons people enjoy the game to be able to get a real answer to your question.

...that said, I like your question and am curious to read what people say.

My guess: to enjoy a round, you have to play to or above your expectations. (Even if your expectations aren't swing or score-based -- e.g. social reasons, health & exercise, etc.)

I guess I should have qualified this a little better. I do not really consider taking 4 shots to get to the greens all that enjoyable, and I am not sure how many people like doing that. In order to make the greens in regulation or in two plus a chip for an up and down, there needs to be some level of proficiency. Making reasonable contact with the ball every shot is one of those requirements.

There is a point where the game just becomes more enjoyable because you do not feel overpowered by the course, and I was wondering where everyone feels this point is relative to keys achieved.

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"I'm hitting the woods just great, but I'm having a terrible time getting out of them." ~Harry Toscano

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Part of the fun is the chase. I don't focus as much on score as realizing the gains made due to practice. One thing for sure is for most expectations change as you improve. I just started golfing again in 2012. I remember the first time I broke 50 for 9, it felt like a huge milestone. Now if I shot 47 I'd be heading for the bar to try and forget it. Just spending a half hour hitting balls with impact tape and not seeing the ball all over the face feels good. Working to make better contact and hit the ball just a groove lower on the face can be very rewarding. I know at some point with enough work I'll take that to the course and have a good day.

Dave :-)

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There is a point where the game just becomes more enjoyable because you do not feel overpowered by the course, and I was wondering where everyone feels this point is relative to keys achieved.

It's going to be different for everyone. Some people enjoy golf and don't even finish half of the holes. To each their own.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

There is a point where the game just becomes more enjoyable because you do not feel overpowered by the course, and I was wondering where everyone feels this point is relative to keys achieved.

It's going to be different for everyone. Some people enjoy golf and don't even finish half of the holes. To each their own.

True, sometimes they are incapacitated by too much fun. :-D

http://thesandtrap.com/t/71963/does-moderate-drinking-help-loosen-up-your-muscle-to-play-better-golf#post_938920

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"I'm hitting the woods just great, but I'm having a terrible time getting out of them." ~Harry Toscano

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Obviously to each his own, but Keys 1, 2 and working on 3, did it for me. Although I was taught those before I even knew about TST or 5SK, those were the first aspect of a swing that an instructor taught me over 4 lessons. Been working on them for 6 months and really started enjoying golf a lot more.

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I think most people would enjoy being better at golf. Some days I just like to be out on the course, so I don't mind how I play, I just go. Some times I want to play my personal best, so my ability to play (5 keys) are really important then.

Some of the most angry golfers I ever seen hardly have any keys in golf. Which drives me crazy because I always wonder were their expectations are at.

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Some of the most angry golfers I ever seen hardly have any keys in golf. Which drives me crazy because I always wonder were their expectations are at.

Totally.  The "angry golfer" I'm most familiar with is exactly like this.  Every round is "the worst round I have played in a really long time!!!!!!!!' ... when, in reality, its is exactly the same as every round you've ever played because you are a horrible golfer who doesn't practice, has no keys, has no course management skills, and has expectations that you'll shoot a better round than you've ever shot.

Argh!!

Either accept that you suck and don't care to change that and enjoy the fresh air, or STFU and get your ass to the driving range and practice!!!!!!

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Quote:

Originally Posted by saevel25

Some of the most angry golfers I ever seen hardly have any keys in golf. Which drives me crazy because I always wonder were their expectations are at.

Totally.  The "angry golfer" I'm most familiar with is exactly like this.  Every round is "the worst round I have played in a really long time!!!!!!!!' ... when, in reality, its is exactly the same as every round you've ever played because you are a horrible golfer who doesn't practice, has no keys, has no course management skills, and has expectations that you'll shoot a better round than you've ever shot.

The angry golfer is the opposite of what I term the "happy one". :-D

It seems like, for these folks, that one or two keys would improve their game tremendously. There must be a number of keys, when accurately measured , like 1.5, where playing golf is not a horrible challenge but more of an enjoyable one. My question is if it is enough for them to enjoy it, because that level would put them at a 13 handicap. I know from personal experience that if I maintain key 1 to a 90% proficiency and key 2 to a 60% proficiency level, that the shanks are pretty rare. I can par many holes, and get close to GIR. This is consistent to the chart showing keys versus handicap level.

Just a little more Key 1 and Key 2 and a smattering of key 3 seems to improve things a lot more. If you are a proper 2, I think your handicap should be somewhere in the 9-10 range, although I do not have nearly enough experience to verify this. I find that more greens are hit and they sometimes stick.

Dana and Mike once said this to me, and it kind of went over my head, but a proper 3, would most likely be a 5 handicap or lower.

The best part about these keys, which I would not have believed before experiencing it myself, is that my short game almost automatically improves with my long game when practicing with 5SK drills.

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Callaway XR16 9 degree Fujikura Speeder 565 S
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"I'm hitting the woods just great, but I'm having a terrible time getting out of them." ~Harry Toscano

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It seems like, for these folks, that one or two keys would improve their game tremendously.

Absolutely.  I took said "angry golfer" to a 5SK clinic, and in, oh, I don't know, about 5 or 10 minutes (and I swear to God I'm not being hyperbolic here) he was hitting shots better than I have ever, EVER, seen him hit in his entire life.  His normal swing is a massive OTT move that results in anything from a 30 yard pull to a weak - and I'm being polite when I say weak - pull slice that goes 180 with a driver on a good day.  After this 10 minutes (which basically consisted of Erik showing him how to flex the left knee, stretch the right side, and have a proper shoulder turn) he was hitting them quite straight, even some that were push draws, with a huge gain in distance.  We were hitting 7 irons, so I don't remember the number, but I'm sure those 10 minutes would have gained him at least 2, maybe 3 full clubs in distance over his old shot.

Obviously, he wouldn't have improved much on putting and short game from that lesson, but if he kept at it (ugh, seriously dude, wtf?!?!?!) there is no way he wouldn't have lopped at least 5 strokes off his handicap, virtually, overnight.

There must be a number of keys, when accurately measured, like 1.5, where playing golf is not a horrible challenge but more of an enjoyable one. My question is if it is enough for them to enjoy it, because that level would put them at a 13 handicap.

Using my angry golfer as a barometer, I don't think that everybody has a number.  He is cynical and grumpy by nature, and his expectations are way too high.  He would probably enjoy it if he broke 90 with his current abilities, so once he got to a 13 cap, he'd probably only have fun if he broke 76 or something like that.

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I think that for serious golfers like us who frequent forums, the journey is more fun than the destination. Likely you found this forum looking to get better. I can tell you the more keys you get the more you will want even more of them. In another way, the better you get the more you will want to get better. There is always the desire to get that little bit better. I say enjoy the journey!

Michael

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I don't have any of the keys really, but I love golf!

According to the chart you have at least half a key. If you just focus on the first key to get it to 90%, I think you would improve your handicap quite a bit. Maybe you could even love it more? :-)

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Callaway XR16 9 degree Fujikura Speeder 565 S
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"I'm hitting the woods just great, but I'm having a terrible time getting out of them." ~Harry Toscano

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Note: This thread is 3167 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!

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