Ideas on how to get better

[Chilidipper]

Okay I am running a quasi survey here and would love you all to particpate. I know each individual is different so try to average out with some random thinking.

Figuring the average golfer 30 hdcp-0 is the target range for this survey. What I would like to see is how many strokes better would a player become if he adapted this techinque into his game or routine.

1. Charting your irons and wedges. If you actually had a reference sheet with you to tell you how far your shots would go. Either add points or minus them if you feel this would have an effect either way. By points I mean score.

2. Walking instead of riding. Do you feel this would help or hurt your game. Again figure on the average golfer and state how many strokes it would help or hurt in an average 18 holes. Take into account 18 holes average for a season. Not just one random round.

3. Arrive at the golf course early. Hit a few balls maybe 10-20 and chip and putt for a few to get a feel for the greens.

4. Getting clubs fitted. Wether its your irons or driver how many strokes for a season would the average golfer improve if he had fitted clubs.

5. Proper nutrition and diet. Not huge breakfasts before the round. Eating appropriately before you play golf would save you how many strokes per round per year?

Thanks for participating in this study. I am a very average golfer and thought it would be a cool idea to break out ideas and get an opinion for how many stokes certain things would help averages golfers.

Cheers

Patrick

[donkba]

number 1 -5 would help my game because i do not know the exact yardage i hit each club and guess, which causes problems as i often overestimated how far i was hitting them and came up short quite a lot.

number 2 +3 i would prefer to ride around the golf course instead of walking as you would use less energy than if you were carrying a big heavy golf bag, and it would be better for your back in the long run, but i only start to feel it late in the round so not that bad


number3 - 2 i do this one anyway and i know it has helped my game as i used to turn up 5 mins before tee off and i would be stiff as a board and not usually do well until a few holes in when i have warmed up during the round

number 4 not sure i have never been fit for my clubs so i have no idea whether it would have a positive or negative effect, although i did choose to put a stiffer shaft in my driver and have hit more fairways since then.

number5 -3 this one would help my game a lot as i do not eat/ drink during a round and suffer during the last few holes

overall 7 shots better. if someone says getting fitted for their clubs has helped their game, then i will get mine done and see if it has an effect

[JaY_B]

1. Charting your irons and wedges. If you actually had a reference sheet with you to tell you how far your shots would go. Either add points or minus them if you feel this would have an effect either way. By points I mean score.

Knowing your distances, as long as your distance is consistent will really help your game, The pro's don't always get the direction right, but the distance control is top class, so definitely a good thing to know, this will probably save you 2 - 3 shots a round

2. Walking instead of riding. Do you feel this would help or hurt your game. Again figure on the average golfer and state how many strokes it would help or hurt in an average 18 holes. Take into account 18 holes average for a season. Not just one random round.

I used to use a trolley, recently I bought myself a new carry/stand bag and carry for every round, whether it saves you strokes or not I can't say yet, but I enjoy carrying a lot more than pulling, and it allows you a lot more freedom I.E. you can take your clubs any where (not stopped by signs saying trolleys this way etc)

3. Arrive at the golf course early. Hit a few balls maybe 10-20 and chip and putt for a few to get a feel for the greens

Make sure you arrive at least 35 minutes early hit about 25 - 30 balls. For reference here is my warm up routine for competition with a 10.00 tee time

8.45 - Arrive at course, sign in, get changed, buy balls and range tokens etc 9.00 - On the range: Hit 8 balls with 58 degree wedge, focus on stretching muscles Hit 8 balls with 8 Iron focusing on making a long slow swing, and a good strike Hit 5 balls with 4 Iron focusing on same goals ^^ Hit 5 balls with 3 wood Hit 5 balls with driver Hit 15 balls working on different shots, see what your hitting well (e.g. hitting the fade well but not the draw) 9.30 - Chipping green, hit 5 pitches, 5 bunker shots and 5 - 10 chips to get a feel for the swing and the greens 9.40 - Putting, hitting 10 - 15 long range putts to get a feel for the greens 9.45 - Putting - 5 to 8 foot putts, focusing on hitting aggressive putts that hit the back of the cup 9.50 - Go to first tee, sign in with starter and wait to tee off.

4. Getting clubs fitted. Wether its your irons or driver how many strokes for a season would the average golfer improve if he had fitted clubs.

How much you improve would depend entirely on how badly your clubs suit you at the moment, I think the average golfer would save something like 3 - 4 shots a round after getting custom fit.

5. Proper nutrition and diet. Not huge breakfasts before the round. Eating appropriately before you play golf would save you how many strokes per round per year?

Size of the breakfast is irrelevant, as long as you eat it more than an hour before you tee off, the body can not perform effectively with a full stomach, at your level changing your diet would not help you in the short term, and in long term gains you would probably not notice any improvement, however regardless of whether you do it for sport or not eating healthfully will improve your stamina, concentration, body fat levels, general happiness.... the list goes on

JaY_B

[golf_junkie27]

1. Charting your irons and wedges.

It's important to chart your irons. While distance is important, it's even more important to know how you hit each iron from particular lies: sandtrap, rough, downhill, uphill, etc. It removes the guessing game.

I always walk except when I play two courses. They both give you carts. Walking allows me to get the frustration out and plan for my next shot. Arriving early is key, especially for putting. You get a feel for the greens and how they are rolling/speed. Getting fitted is priority number one. When you buy clothes you just don't grab what you see. You make sure you have the right size. Same with golf clubs. As far as eating, it's always a banana and gatorade before the round starts and a power bar at the turn. I drink water throughout the round.

[nevets88]

Number 3, 3, 3, 3 and 3.

Pitching, chipping and putting. Lots of it.

Lots of time on the range and practice rounds.

[Eore]

1. Charting your irons and wedges. If you actually had a reference sheet with you to tell you how far your shots would go. Either add points or minus them if you feel this would have an effect either way. By points I mean score.

1. I think charting my irons would be useless, because who is to say i will make solid contact every time? plus if there is water or a bunker, i may take an easier swing with a longer club.

2. Walking helps me, at least for the first 15 or so holes. If the cart girl is slacking, though, walking in 90 degree weather with an empty bottle of water gets harder...... 3. I always try to get to the course an hour or so before my tee time, to warm up. The only problem is that my dad hates warming up, and if I have an early morning tee time, i cant get to the club a 5 30 unless my dad wants to 4. I think that getting clubs fit as a 28 handicap is a waste of time and money(except for driver) again, i am not going to make the same swing everytime, and the "custom" fit could end up hurting me. once i get below a 20, i'll get fitted. 5. if i have an early morning round, i'll munch on a bannana or some Honey Bunches of Oats, and bring some nutrition bars for later. And vitamin water. On weekends though, i can't play till noon, so i eat my heart out. not sure if eating helps my game....

[mikelz]

Okay I am running a quasi survey here and would love you all to particpate. I know each individual is different so try to average out with some random thinking.

1. Charting your irons and wedges. If you actually had a reference sheet with you to tell you how far your shots would go. Either add points or minus them if you feel this would have an effect either way. By points I mean score.

I started playing in 1959. I hope by now I know what club to hit in what conditions. I don't like the concept of charting for me. I know what my weaknesses are. So, documenting the fact that I chunked one because I wasn't committed to the shot and hit it in a blind panic doesn't help much. I work on that one every time I pull a club.

2. Walking instead of riding. Do you feel this would help or hurt your game. Again figure on the average golfer and state how many strokes it would help or hurt in an average 18 holes. Take into account 18 holes average for a season. Not just one random round.

If you are up to it, walking is better. The late "Fast George" Loudermilk told me once, "Walking helps you play because it's the only activity that's the same as a golf swing - transferring your weight from one hip socket to the other." I'm 59 and have been smoking for 40 years. Gimme a cart with a roof or I'm making sixes from the 12 hole on.

3. Arrive at the golf course early. Hit a few balls maybe 10-20 and chip and putt for a few to get a feel for the greens.

Without a doubt early is good even if I only chip, putt and relax.

4. Getting clubs fitted. Wether its your irons or driver how many strokes for a season would the average golfer improve if he had fitted clubs.

You said average right? 1 maybe 2.

5. Proper nutrition and diet. Not huge breakfasts before the round. Eating appropriately before you play golf would save you how many strokes per round per year?

I cannot play on a full stomach. I'm too laid back. I have more drive and better concentration when I feel a bit hungry. I snack on trail mix during the round. If I stopped with the guys for breakfast, I would top the ball for as many holes as took to get hungry again. My best guess: it would cost me 4-6 shots a round. Thanks for participating in this study. I am a very average golfer and thought it would be a cool idea to break out ideas and get an opinion for how many stokes certain things would help averages golfers.[/QUOTE] Cheers Patrick[/QUOTE] Thanks for the post.

[joseywales]

1. Absolutely find out how far your irons go (especially your scoring irons).
2. I usually walk during normal everyday rounds just to lose weight and keep myself in shape but always ride during tournaments because I don't want to get tired on the back nine and have that affect my round.
3. I always do the same thing before every round on the range if I know the course I am playing: I hit every shot on the range in order of what I would normally hit on the course in order from the first hole to the last. It allows me to feel like I have already played the course before I step on to the first tee.
4. I am a huge advocate for getting at least your irons fitted. I did this with some Titleist irons and last year it took me from a 4 handicap to a +1.
5. I personally don't eat more than a granola bar for breakfast just because I don't like to be weighed down while playing.

*I think most of these are personal preference but I absolutely endorse getting your clubs fitted to your game. If you are serious at all about getting better, take a lesson from a good teaching pro and get your clubs fitted.

[Richie3Jack]

Okay I am running a quasi survey here and would love you all to particpate. I know each individual is different so try to average out with some random thinking.

Depends on the quality of charting. If the charting is extremely good and breaks down how far you actually hit your irons and wedges over time and in different conditions, then yeah I think this would greatly help a player's game. Also would be nice if it told you what direction each iron tends to go. I already do this for these reasons. It's probably helped me by less than a stroke per round (I'm a low handicap) because I mostly use it on wedge shots, particularly if I'm trying to lay up so I know where I want to hit to have the optimal wedge swing into the hole.

2. Walking instead of riding. Do you feel this would help or hurt your game. Again figure on the average golfer and state how many strokes it would help or hurt in an average 18 holes. Take into account 18 holes average for a season. Not just one random round.

Kind of depends on the course. If the course is un-walkable, then riding would improve your game. I also think there's a difference between walking and carrying your own bad. I think riding is better than carrying your own bag. But walking w/o carrying the bag is usually optimal. Still, it's probably less than a stroke difference.

3. Arrive at the golf course early. Hit a few balls maybe 10-20 and chip and putt for a few to get a feel for the greens.

I'd say a good two strokes improvement. If you're on, you're going to be on pretty much no matter what. But if you're off, then it's best to warm up knowing you're off and what you're likely to do on your poor shot.

4. Getting clubs fitted. Wether its your irons or driver how many strokes for a season would the average golfer improve if he had fitted clubs.

I think this alone can drop a player up to 10 strokes on their handicap.

5. Proper nutrition and diet. Not huge breakfasts before the round. Eating appropriately before you play golf would save you how many strokes per round per year?

It would help, but a very marginal amount.

3JACK

[Richie3Jack]

1. I think charting my irons would be useless, because who is to say i will make solid contact every time? plus if there is water or a bunker, i may take an easier swing with a longer club.

True, but good charting should actually figure these things in.

A good chart of shots would show the average distance of a club and take out any "outliers" (shots that went abnormally long or abnormally short). A good chart would factor in conditions, etc. I think a bad charting of shots in counterproductive. So it's a bit of a double edged sword. 3JACK

[Chilidipper]

Thanks a lot for all the great input. I appreciate you all taking times out of your busy lives to respond. Regardless of how many strokes you saved in certain areas, everybody is in agreement that preparation and fitted equipment will help with strokes off of your game.

[mikelz]

Thanks a lot for all the great input. I appreciate you all taking times out of your busy lives to respond. Regardless of how many strokes you saved in certain areas, everybody is in agreement that preparation and fitted equipment will help with strokes off of your game.

Thanks for the post. It allowed me to examine what does work and how I arrived at my pre-game routines. I also learned a lot from the other answers.

Thanks guys

[JonnyGolf]

1. Charting your irons and wedges. If you actually had a reference sheet with you to tell you how far your shots would go. Either add points or minus them if you feel this would have an effect either way. By points I mean score.


Awesome for a sub-15 handicapper, don't bother above that because 15+ don't generally make consistent contact.


2. Walking instead of riding. Do you feel this would help or hurt your game. Again figure on the average golfer and state how many strokes it would help or hurt in an average 18 holes. Take into account 18 holes average for a season. Not just one random round.

Probably hurt their game if they aren't already in good shape


3. Arrive at the golf course early. Hit a few balls maybe 10-20 and chip and putt for a few to get a feel for the greens.

Improve by 1 stroke. Sometimes a little tighter is better off the first tee.

4. Getting clubs fitted. Wether its your irons or driver how many strokes for a season would the average golfer improve if he had fitted clubs.

Sub 15 handicappers should absolutely have their clubs fitted - 1 stroke improvement. Greater than 15 handicaps may not benefit as much.


5. Proper nutrition and diet. Not huge breakfasts before the round. Eating appropriately before you play golf would save you how many strokes per round per year?

Maybe 1 stroke at most?


Thanks for participating in this study. I am a very average golfer and thought it would be a cool idea to break out ideas and get an opinion for how many stokes certain things would help averages golfers.


No prob, I think there are a ton of things other than these that can improve a game, but these are a start.