Where should one be on?

**Boeing777** · May 17, 2010

On average, where should one be shooting after 1 1/2yrs of picking up the game? 100s 90s 80s? I'm playing about 1 to 2 times a week. I'm in the mid to low 90s, i have shot in the high 80s. Just wondering.

**Ringer** · May 17, 2010

I know guys that have been playing for 10 years and still struggle to break 100. (No, they aren't students :D)

There is no set rule.

**mck** · May 17, 2010

On average, where should one be shooting after 1 1/2yrs of picking up the game? 100s 90s 80s? I'm playing about 1 to 2 times a week. I'm in the mid to low 90s, i have shot in the high 80s. Just wondering.

that's about where I was at-- I think it was at the end of my second year before I broke 90. I remember reading somewhere that Ernie Els started playing golf at 13 and got to scratch at 14

**Shindig** · May 17, 2010

that's about where I was at-- I think it was at the end of my second year before I broke 90. I remember reading somewhere that Ernie Els started playing golf at 13 and got to scratch at 14

I, too, was at my second year of serious playing when I first broke 90.

Ernie Els, it is worth noting, is something of a freak of nature when it comes to golf, and we shouldn't compare ourselves to him too much. There's a reason he plays for seven figures on TV on Sunday.

**PingGKEN** · May 17, 2010

How about after 5 years of playing, but only after one year of rebuilding your swing through taking lessons? lol

**shortstop20** · May 17, 2010

Ernie Els, it is worth noting, is something of a freak of nature when it comes to golf, and we shouldn't compare ourselves to him too much. There's a reason he plays for seven figures on TV on Sunday.

I disagree with alot of this "freak of nature" talk that goes on. I'll betcha he worked his ass off to get there, that's how. There are plenty of guys on Tour that aren't any more able to play golf for millions than you or me, it's just the fact they they decided to put the work in. I'm not sure about Ernie's home life as a child, but he may have had lots of spare time to play golf. It's alot easier to be good when you can play/practice 4-8 hours a day.

Yeah, they're all good, but let's be honest, alot of them weren't "born to play golf".

**kpaulhus** · May 17, 2010

Ive been playing 4 years and just broke 90 in November. I broke 80 a month ago. Last 6 rounds have been between 79 and 84.

**Boeing777** · May 18, 2010

That's awesome, i mean to me shooting in the 70s is awesome. I can only hope i get there in that short of time.

***iacas*** · May 18, 2010

I disagree with alot of this "freak of nature" talk that goes on. I'll betcha he worked his ass off to get there, that's how.

Freak (in a good way) of nature + working his ass off = major champion.

Freak (in a good way) of nature + doing a little = guy with a comfortable career on the PGA Tour. Working your ass off = guy with a reasonable chance at a PGA Tour career. Guy with neither = maybe your club champion. The top guys are all freaks of nature to some extent or another. Every last one of 'em.

There are plenty of guys on Tour that aren't any more able to play golf for millions than you or me, it's just the fact they they decided to put the work in.

Nah.

I'm not sure about Ernie's home life as a child, but he may have had lots of spare time to play golf. It's alot easier to be good when you can play/practice 4-8 hours a day.

Wasn't Greg Norman a scratch golfer about a year after picking up the game? I don't care how much time you have - that requires some level of freak-ness.

Yeah, they're all good, but let's be honest, alot of them weren't "born to play golf".

Nope. But those are the ones who work their butts off and rarely get on TV.

John Daly won majors largely due to his "freak of nature" abilities. Sure as heck wasn't his work ethic.

**out_in_30** · May 18, 2010

nowhere does it say that after X amount of yrs playing the game you should be shooting in the X0s. Once a person learns the swing mechanics and can hit good shots..a lot of it boils down to how that player thinks on the golf course and the knowledge of his/her own limitations and strengths and how well the player can play within those limitations and how well he/she exploits the strengths. IMO that is the key to good scores

**sean_miller** · May 18, 2010

I disagree with alot of this "freak of nature" talk that goes on. I'll betcha he worked his ass off to get there, that's how. There are plenty of guys on Tour that aren't any more able to play golf for millions than you or me, it's just the fact they they decided to put the work in. I'm not sure about Ernie's home life as a child, but he may have had lots of spare time to play golf. It's alot easier to be good when you can play/practice 4-8 hours a day.

It's okay - the Ernie stats were flawed anyway. He started playing golf at age 8.

He was a top junior tennis player and scratch golfer by 14 - quit tennis when he was 14.

**shortstop20** · May 18, 2010

Freak (in a good way) of nature + working his ass off = major champion.

Hogan, Trevino? Hardly freaks of nature I'd say. One couldn't find the fairway on a dogleg right until he found his "secret" and the other guy was just a good old boy that worked his butt off(as did Hogan).

I still say there's guys on Tour that aren't anymore naturally gifted than many people. Not to say many of them aren't above average, but it's not like there isn't people of above average ability here too. I don't believe scratch golf to be out of reach for someone in a year or so time, given they have average athletic ability and have the time and dedication.

***iacas*** · May 18, 2010

Hogan, Trevino? Hardly freaks of nature I'd say.

Uh, they are.

I still say there's guys on Tour that aren't anymore naturally gifted than many people.

So did I. I also pointed out that they don't win very often, if at all. I'd go so far as to say that every golfer who wins a PGA Tour event (maybe I can exclude the opposite field events) has at least a little "freak of nature" in him. He can more easily and naturally do things that a normal person can't do with practice.

I don't want to bag on your handicap, but I think that someone who's a 14.0 can't really understand the game at the level necessary to comprehend "freak of nature" type stuff. I'm scratch or so and I'm so far removed from the PGA Tour that you have a thousand (or more) percent better chance getting to my level of play than I have of getting on the PGA Tour after five years of hard, hard work.

**Phil McGleno** · May 18, 2010

Hogan, Trevino? Hardly freaks of nature I'd say.

Let me see if I can answer this appropriately...

Oh, and...

***iacas*** · May 18, 2010

Butch, did your three-year-old grandkid help you figure out how to put images in your posts?

Enough of the "freak" talk. It's not going to get us anywhere.

Back to the original topic. And Butch, no more Hello Kitty Darth Vaders. It's past your bedtime.

**anthony** · May 18, 2010

I've been playing for 16 years and haven't broke 90 on 18 holes yet (I shot a 44 on my last 9 though). Granted, the first 13 1/2 years involved only a few rounds a year and little to no practice or desire to improve. Take lessons, seriously. From just a few small lessons, I learned so much about the mistakes in my swing. It's tough to diagnose everything (or anything) yourself. From those few lessons I was provided areas to focus on and have improved quite a bit working on them.

bustaone · May 18, 2010

Too many variables...
Someone playing 5x a week for a year will drastically outpace someone playing 1x a month for 20 years. I think the way you should judge yourself is if you are getting better or not (even slowly). Sometimes you will be keeping the same score but will be getting better in an aspect of the game which exposes another weakness. This year I've spent an inordinate amount of time with my irons... Which made them better but now I have more long putts and I've shifted my missed iron shots to being 3 putts. So my HC this year has stayed relatively steady but I know that I've gotten better. Only you will be able to know what point you are at.

**SpringBokVol** · May 18, 2010

I played as a junior and got to a 10 handicap without doing anything. I just picked up the clubs, played and shot 80. Then I played tennis for years and didn't pick up a golf club again seriously until I was 28. Two years later and a lot of focus on golf I am down to my current 6.7.

Some people have a natural ability to play certain sports or they come very easily to them. Golf and tennis came very easy to me. That ball-hand-eye coordination thing. However, that only got me to a certain level.

From there I had to work hard to improve. I played tennis against some of the top competition in the world - current ATP Tour players. I saw what it took for them to get from my level to their current level. And trust me it wasn't easy... I couldn't do it.

I think what I am trying to get at is at some point hard work and effort are only going to get you to point X - you need ability/talent to take you the rest of the way. THe more ability and talent you have the better you can get with hard work.

But for most of us that runs out and we are only X good.

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