How to get better at golf?

Two part question...

1. Practice more or Play more?

2. Play with better golfers or stick with your high handicapper group?

Nice answer wise .

I realize there is grey area here.  I get dejected by some of the shots I don't hit that I've executed 100's of times on the range.  I'm sure others feel the same way.  The second part - your playing partners - can also impact how you play.  I've always heard it said, if you want to be the best, play against the best.  My thoughts here are that playing with better golfers may push one's game.  If anything, watching good swings all day can be contagious.

I think it was Ben Hogan who once said, "Every day you don't practice, you are one day further away from being good".

Plenty more adages could apply to anyone looking for inspiration, motivation or plain reassurance. "Every day is a school day" is another pearl of wisdom. The point is, if you you exercise any one (or all 3 of you quoted options) on a regular basis, then you will get better in one way or another. This means fitness, experience or learning from your mistakes, course management, feel and touch and even swinging it better for those dedicated enough to put all they have learned into practice. And the more you practice, the luckier you get (another one? lol)

Practice with a purpose - realistic practice with pressure instead of purposeless hitting ball after ball. Short game/putting > full swing. Scoring zone clubs inside 100 yds.

Play in as many tournaments as possible. Gives you a reason for getting better, tests your game, puts you against similar golfers.

Get help from a pro periodically to keep your swing in tune. Including short game/putting.

Absolutely

Nope, Full Swing is much more important than short game.

Absolutely, many people can get stuck in just practicing. You really can't simulate all the shots and scenarios until you get out on the course. Also playing golf is just plain FUN!!!

1) YES and YES!!!

2) Just play. Golf is a great game to play with other people, but it is primarily an individual sport. So, really it shouldn't matter who you play against. Also competition is competition, handicap is a great thing that helps everyone play against everyone on an even playing field.

I can't see any benefit to your game to play on a regular basis with high handicappers - your game isn't probably stressed much.  I'd definitely play with players better than an 8 hcp, and if possible add a few dollars to the game - anything to make every shot count will definitely make you a better golfer.

1) Practice. I remember two old interviews, one from MJ and the other from Tiger - MJ said he preferred the gym to a game any day, because practice is where you are challenged (if you practice intentionally), and where you improve. The game should be easy if practice is done correctly. Tiger basically said the same thing and said that he would rather be at the range than at a tournament. Obviously, these are generalizations, but the point was if practice is done correctly it should be more challenging, and lead to more improvement. An additional caveat is how the practice plays out. Two hours at the range just hitting balls, even if you are intentional in swing mechanics or "playing a course at the range," does not quite cut it. Practice to me takes a lot more time, and includes more than just hitting (warm-up, stretching, workouts that are golf specific, 65-25-10, slow and intentional, evaluating with video, lessons or Evolvr, etc) - basically everything you do to improve.

2). In other sports I always enjoyed being challenged by better players. In golf, I personally do not play any different no matter who I am playing with. That said, sometimes its just fun to watch better guys, and I guess you can learn a thing or two from them. How about just mix it up?

Perfect practice makes for perfect play (well, almost).  This question wasn't just for me.  Sure, I was thinking of my game, but I am interested to learn what the majority of people here do to improve their personal game.

I'm in the midst of a series of lesson's.  Not swing rebuilding, just lots of fine tuning.  My practice sessions are consumed with rehearsing the lessons, drills and then finally some full speed, full swings.  I find that my "on the course" swing doesn't consistently produce the same results as my range swing.  Hence, the question of more range time or more game time.

As for playing partners, I think playing with better players is contagious.  Play up or play down to the competition.  I view myself as having the swing of a 5 handicap, but the scoring game of a 10. : (  I'm inclined to reach out to some better player groups and mix it up.  Variety is good.

PLAY, yes

PRACTICE, yes

but also very importantly, STUDY.

By this I mean taking lessons, reading golf magazines, watching the Golf Channel, watching instruction videos on internet, etc. and making an effort to learn something from them.

Playing and practicing will be much more valuable if you know what you are doing and what specifically you are trying to accomplish in your swing and your game.

The next obvious question is how do I get a Stupid Monkey badge?

My thoughts on this as a student is that this is a not necessarily a good idea. I've read multiple books on golf, watched many videos, and watch the golf channel. For myself, it became clear that there is so much contradictory information out there that it was becoming increasingly difficult to know who or what to believe was the correct way to swing a club. I have mixed feelings about this as in some ways I'm glad I did this and in other ways it's been a waste of time. On the plus side, I think it's helped me understand what information I can trust and WHY I can trust it. But has it made me a better golfer? No. In fact, it's held me back. There's too much bad information out there.

Agreed.

This is why I wish that @iacas and company had their location here in Albany, NY so I could just sign my check over to them every two weeks.

Have you tried evolvr?

I have been using it for the last three months or so.

Haven't been able to go to the golf course to see if I've improved.  I've been using my net and went to the range once but work and the weather have really gotten in the way.  The range session was LOL bad, but to be fair, there's a lot that needs fixing so I probably shouldn't have expected to see any immediate improvement.  That being said, I'd like to see some already!  Haha.