Getting to Scratch in 18 Months?

[golflover123]

Hi everyone 

Start golf a little bit ago i have a lot of time to play golf how much would i have to practice short game,iron,driver etc.

i know Greg Norman did it in the time is it possible 

 

Edited December 28, 2019 by golflover123

[billchao]

Of course it is possible, but whether you can achieve it is a question nobody can answer. 

[FlyingAce]

Anything is possible. How long is a little bit ago when you started golfing? And what is a lot of time to play now? Daily?

[Carl3]

If you are an exceptional/natural athlete and put in the practice time, I believe that you can.

[DaveP043]

Welcome to golf, and welcome to TheSandTrap.  To improve as quickly as possible, and to learn the best possible foundation, you should get good instruction, and practice what your instructor suggests that you practice.  Natural athleticism will certainly help, but you're really unlikely to get to scratch on your own.  Good luck, and have fun!

[colin007]

Why 18? Go for a year flat. I'm absolutely positively sure that you will do it. Actually, I would be shocked if you didn't.

[David in FL]

Is it possible?  Yes.

Will you?  Given that less than 2% of golfers ever achieve scratch or better, even after years of playing, it’s EXTREMELY unlikely.

[Patch]

Yeah, scratch in 18 months is doable. However, I think there is going to be alot of natural "golf talent" involved in the individual achieving scratch play. 

What that natural golf talent might consist of, I have no idea...lol

I can see a new to the game amateur golfer breaking 90, even 80 in 18 months. But, even that would take a lot of dedicated practice, and play time. I say this, because I have actually seen it done by several individuals. 

[golflover123]

  On 12/28/2019 at 12:54 PM, FlyingAce said:

Anything is possible. How long is a little bit ago when you started golfing? And what is a lot of time to play now? Daily?

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i play daily i hit about 500 min balls day i go my handicapped about 4-5 months ago and i have a coach 

[NM Golf]

With a healthy helping of god given talent and a whole lot of hard work it's possible. It took me about 7 years to get to scratch I believe. The first 4-5 years of that were spent basically living at a golf course.

[DaveP043]

  On 12/29/2019 at 12:52 AM, golflover123 said:

i play daily i hit about 500 min balls day i go my handicapped about 4-5 months ago and i have a coach 

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How long does it take to hit 500 balls?  And are you actually concentrating on something specific on each and every ball you hit?  You might benefit by hitting fewer balls and having a specific thought or goal for each one that you hit.  .

[shanksalot]

I dislike being a wet blanket, but it is highly unlikely someone would  go from start to scratch golf in 18 months. There are so many things that have to go absolutely perfect to get there I find it near impossible. that being said, good luck in your efforts I hope you get down into single digits the first 12 months. 

[Bonvivant]

You might want to check out the podcast "Chasing Scratch". This year will be season 3 so you can see where they are in their goal. These guys do have jobs, families and responsibilities so they only get out 1 or 2 times per week, so it is a different scenario, but fun to listen to.

I think that if you are putting in the time, and have a coach that works well with you, there is no reason that you can't get low in that time frame. On top of that, it sounds like you are young so that helps as well

[criley4way]

Have you seen the Dan project?

This is possible but VERY difficult.

[Lookylookitzadam]

If you can devote substantial time every day to practice and playing then it will be possible.  With good instruction you can get down into the single digits fairly quickly because once you start hitting the ball well and eliminating big misses, its not hard to do that.  The real work comes in when you have to start shaving off one or two strokes a round when you are already playing amazing golf.  Those last few strokes - the difference between low single digit and scratch - are a real beast because your margin for error becomes so small.

[criley4way]

  On 12/31/2019 at 3:19 PM, Lookylookitzadam said:

If you can devote substantial time every day to practice and playing then it will be possible.  With good instruction you can get down into the single digits fairly quickly because once you start hitting the ball well and eliminating big misses, its not hard to do that.  The real work comes in when you have to start shaving off one or two strokes a round when you are already playing amazing golf.  Those last few strokes - the difference between low single digit and scratch - are a real beast because your margin for error becomes so small.

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Each 1/2 of the handicap seems to take the same level of effort. In low single digits it is a struggle for every stroke and one laps can kill the round.

[Bargolfer]

As a scratch golfer I can tell you it is difficult and time consuming, but not improbable to go from a beginner to a scratch golfer in under 2 years. My advice is focus from the green and work backwards. First, putt, putt, putt!  Emphasis on lag putting which will lead to fewer 3 putts. Next, short game around the greens (important because you will be missing a lot of them). You see the pattern. Good luck!

[DaveP043]

  On 12/31/2019 at 6:51 PM, Bargolfer said:

As a scratch golfer I can tell you it is difficult and time consuming, but not improbable to go from a beginner to a scratch golfer in under 2 years. My advice is focus from the green and work backwards. First, putt, putt, putt!  Emphasis on lag putting which will lead to fewer 3 putts. Next, short game around the greens (important because you will be missing a lot of them). You see the pattern. Good luck!

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An awful lot of us will recommend exactly the opposite priority.  If you're not on or near the green in regulation, you have no chance of shooting even par.  The full swing is more difficult to improve, and takes more time to improve, so that should be the number one priority.  Short game and putting is important as well, everything will need work, but the full swing will require the most effort and time.