20 Handicapper - What Can I Play To in a Year?

[Mr22putt]

8 minutes ago, FlyingAce said:

I still see the “I drive it 260 yard on average” on his post...

I'm old as dirt and turned 59 last week....I'm not seeing the above comment in Sean's original post anymore....am I going bonkers or should I have asked for new glasses for my birthday.

Am I too young to be admitted into a nursing home?

[leftybutnotPM]

26 minutes ago, Mr22putt said:

Lefty...so you mean I shouldn't believe all the guys on WRX who can drive the ball 320 yards?....just askin for a friend.

They don't "drive" it 320.

They always "pipe it", "smoke it", "stripe it" or "bomb it".

The difference is subtle but significant.

 

Edited March 2, 2020 by leftybutnotPM

[FlyingAce]

2 minutes ago, Mr22putt said:

I'm old as dirt and turned 59 last week....I'm not seeing the above comment in Sean's original post anymore....am I going bonkers or should I have asked for new glasses for my birthday.

Am I too young to be admitted into a nursing home?

Well, happy belated birthday and 59 is not old. Pretty sure nursing homes do not want you...........yet! 

I read the post again. It is there. 

[iacas]

On 2/29/2020 at 5:47 PM, seanf999 said:

I'm 22 now, on the shorter side but I've always had a solid strike of the ball, irons are my strong suit and I drive it around 260 on average, I had a terrible slice for years that I've overcame (for the most part) recently.

 

29 minutes ago, Mr22putt said:

I'm old as dirt and turned 59 last week....I'm not seeing the above comment in Sean's original post anymore....am I going bonkers or should I have asked for new glasses for my birthday.

Quoted right above.

[Mr22putt]

1 hour ago, FlyingAce said:

Well, happy belated birthday and 59 is not old. Pretty sure nursing homes do not want you...........yet! 

I read the post again. It is there. 

Thanks for the Bday wishes.

OK...i see it now...I'm booking an appt with the optometrist tomorrow....DUH!

I'm away from Van City attending to a family matter for a while...so no golf for 2 months...I texted a younger golfing  friend today that I'll be 60 next year and maybe only 5-6 years of good golf left...then 1 hour later 62 year old Langer wins his 41st Champ tour win....looks like I need to hit the gym to keep my POSER game intact and quit whining...the only good thing turning 65 are the senior discounts.

I have noticed in the US some discounts start at 55. 

My apologies to Sean saying that the TST elves made the 260 comment disappear in his OP.

[Nail]

7 hours ago, seanf999 said:

I didn't remove it, the stupid fat hands comment was referring to putting '2 handicap' instead of '20 handicap', then the title was changed, not by me.

I've spent years whacking balls down the field behind my house, we bought bags of water balls on ebay just so I could hit them.

I averaged past the 250 sign on the range with range balls, but that's doesn't roll of the tongue as well as 260 average.

I'm not a 20 handicap, I played 3 games 3 days in a row and put in 3 cards, could be higher, could be lower, we'll find out when I'm playing consistent golf.

I'm heading to the range tomorrow so I'll post up a video! It'll probably be down the line but I'll try and get a face on angle too!

If I was aiming for what I want I'd be aiming for scratch, but I'm well aware of just how difficult that is.
So I'll aim for 10, and be happy with 15.

I've known a few good golfers (they usually were giving my father lessons!), they've all said I've a lovely swing and that my dad should be dragging me out onto the course with him.

 

Thank you, 
I've played hurling, football and rugby throughout the years, always been fairly strong for my size.

I'm certainly not the most consistent, I distinctly remember losing my drive 40 yards to the right on the 2nd hole..

I'm a decent striker of the ball but that also means when I miss it's not duffed along the ground or topped, it's a push slice into the bog lands.

 

I'll post on the thread when I upload a video of my swing tomorrow.

A good friend of mine played a small bit of golf before joining properly last September. He gave in 3 scorecards and got 19 to start.
Like you had hit a lot of balls on the farm when he was young, his handicap dropped to 14 by Christmas and he won a few competitions. 
This is not typical but it might give you an idea of what’s possible. 
I’ll add that he was very good at pitch and putt as a kid so his short game is very good

[Patch]

I have no problem believing the OP can hit (ave) 260 off the tee, and still be a high capper.  It can be done. 

I have seen first hand, a guy who clobbers the ball nearly 300 yards everytime, usually with a very playable second shot. It's just not playable for him. 

The guy can't break a 110 to save his soul. He has "zero" short game talent inside 150 yards.

He putts like a Neanderthal with a stick, and a rock. 

He's my Grandson, and I love him to death. Especially when we play best ball rounds.  

As for how much improvement the OP should expect in a year, I have no idea. That is such an individual thing.  I do know that golf is a game that you get out of it, based on what you put into it. That, and how much natural talent the individual golfer has. 

If I had to guess a number, I would say a 4-5 stroke improvement would be a successful accomplishment. 

[Groucho Valentine]

Its certainly possible to drop your handicap from 20 to 10 in one year. Ive seen plenty of guys do it. Maybe even single digits. But for me i found i made by biggest leap at about when i was a mid 70's shooter. I don't remember specific handicap numbers, but something clicked and i went from shooting to the mid-high 70s to shooting par or better seemingly overnight. I went from putzing around with money games with friends to playing in top flight amatuer events. But now im back to putzing around with money games.....

Circle of life, friend. 

[billchao]

12 hours ago, leftybutnotPM said:

It gets old.

You know what else gets old? People who have a bad attitude about others who come here to discuss their game, then leave them with a negative impression of this community.

12 hours ago, leftybutnotPM said:

I have taken some time to point out WHY these threads are bogus. 

If you got info beyond "I average 2X0 yards" off the tee people might know where to start.

Yet the OP describes his short game (or lack thereof) and how he doesn’t spend time on other areas of the game. He seems to perfectly understand those skills are lacking and he needs to spend more time on them.

Do everybody a favor and actually talk about the person in question instead of projecting your past experiences in his thread.

12 hours ago, leftybutnotPM said:

It is saying that with the current level of information, no -one has a clue, but the  lack of detail implies a lack of knowledge and useful data that can be used to help him.

I have a hard time understanding how you can criticize other people for assuming a person’s potential based on lack of information but can also make claims on what you think the state of their game is based on the same information.

[iacas]

I second all that Bill just said.

[Darkfrog]

I also agree with the sentiments of @billchao and @iacas. Why not give the benefit of the doubt. The OP has nothing to gain by being dishonest if they are truly looking to improve their game. I understand skepticism, and I believe that skepticism is healthy and good, but there is a way to express it that doesn't come across as insulting or condescending.

Example - when I first started lessons, my instructor asked me what a good element of my game was. I told her I was a pretty good iron player. She asked why, and I couldn't really come up with an answer other than I hit irons better than my driver/fairway wood/hybrid. She asked how far I hit my 7-iron and I answered 120-160 yards. She complimented my honesty, but then went on to kindly explain that a distance range of 40 yards was not a characteristic of a good iron player.

It's also not necessary to get so pedantic about the use of the word average when discussing distance. I think it's safe to assume that most of us aren't calculating a mathematical average for our distances, and when we use the term average what we really mean is typical, or normal, when taking into account strike consistency, conditions, etc.

Anyways, back to the OP...

I think dropping from 20 to 10 is not impossible, of course 15 may be more realistic, but ultimately that depends on you. As others have mentioned, there are variables that we know nothing about, like: how much natural ability you have, are you planning to take lessons, how much time you can commit to improvement, whether or not you practice correctly, etc.

It sounds like you have a solid foundation to start with and being young and athletic already puts you at an advantage as you're likely stronger and more coordinated than most people.

I started keeping a handicap when I was 39 (42 now) and I dropped from 27 to around 19 in my first year. After a horrible bout of shanks that had me ready to quit golf I started lessons at age 40. My handicap actually increased to 23 after starting lessons, but has slowly gone back down to 16-17, and I am working hard on improving it to <15 by the end of this year.

To reach your goal, whatever you decide it is, I would make continuing lessons (you mention you have had some instruction) a priority. Also learn to practice correctly so you can effectively implement what you're learning. Once you are out playing rounds more often, you should consider picking up a copy of Lowest Score Wins, which will teach course strategy to lower scores based on your game.  A My Swing topic for you will allow the experts to assess and give you things to work on.

Good luck @seanf999and keep us updated on your progress.

[Nail]

Where in Ireland are you from Sean? 

[The Flush]

As a point of reference, my son went from playing maybe 5-6 times as a 14/15 year old in 2018 where he could't break 100 to playing a lot as a 15/16 year old in 2019 and getting his index (according to The Grint) down to about 12 I think by Christmas. 

He doesn't take lessons, but does practice a lot on his own and probably watches way too many YouTube videos. Based on MEVO data, his drives have an average carry of about 245, although the last time he used it he said he was getting over 255 more often.  He plays on the HS golf team, but is probably hindered by also playing HS baseball which takes away a lot of possible golf time as well as possible swing conflicts between the 2 sports.

So I think it is entirely possible for a young golfer who is motivated to practice and has reasonable athleticism to get to close to a single digit within 1 year. 

YMMV

 

[DrvFrShow]

First, forget what people tell you about "you should be playing at _____ level."

To the OP: I'd work on my short game, putting, and aspects of the game you've been neglecting. And get out and play golf. Learn how to play the game. That latter is not easy - emotions will get in the way. You have to learn to let the game come to you. Take what your game gives you and work with it. There are people out there with what look like total crap swings who can shoot in the low 80s because they know what their game allows them to do. 

If your short game is holding you back, take a lesson and tell your pro you want a lesson on Short Game. It's not a waste of money to take a lesson on the short game and learn a few techniques you're lacking. But then you have to spend time practicing them. The short game really isn't that difficult. You need to know what to do and when to do it. The short game involves shots from 100 yds and in: those 40-70 yd pitches you read about people panicking when they have to hit them so they lay up to 120 yds., but if you can hit a 50 yd pitch you'll be closer to the hole for your first putt. Bunker shots: once you know how to hit them, when you're at the range hit 10 balls out of the practice bunker. No one is ever using it anyway. First just try to get the ball out, then pick a target and try to get the ball to that target. Chipping? Your pro will help you - the club selection will depend upon your lie. Improving your short game can shave a few strokes off your game. 

I'd say this year set your goal to lower your HC to 15. If you beat it, you win.