How did you get to a single digit handicap?

[nick1998bunker]

Probably the only post I've read of yours that I agree with. Getting the ball near the green is fine but short game is such a massive factor. I have a 12 hole pitch and putt near me and I tend to go there more than I go to the range.

Also if you play the tips you only have to average 86 to be a 10

[kw purp]

Also if you play the tips you only have to average 86 to be a 10

In what world does this exist? I play the tips and if I averaged 86 Id be about a 13

[nick1998bunker]

In what world does this exist? I play the tips and if I averaged 86 Id be about a 13

Well I guess it depend on how hard your course is.

[Dave2512]

Course rating does play a part. That's why I bailed on my former home course, which I still think has an inaccurate rating but the pro says the ratings team was out as recent as 2011. Which I didn't doubt but I did question why they always kept the rough at US Open length or worse. The rating was low enough there that my differentials were higher than my actual scores. The crazy thing was I typically shot lower scores at longer, higher rated courses.

[nick1998bunker]

I agree I [quote name="Dave2512" url="/t/10993/how-did-you-get-to-a-single-digit-handicap/210#post_893758"]Course rating does play a part. That's why I bailed on my former home course, which I still think has an inaccurate rating but the pro says the ratings team was out as recent as 2011. Which I didn't doubt but I did question why they always kept the rough at US Open length or worse. The rating was low enough there that my differentials were higher than my actual scores. The crazy thing was I typically shot lower scores at longer, higher rated courses. [/quote]i agree, I think they don't take everyone's abilities into account. I've played courses which suggest they are really hard but are wide open but require alot of carries or something. For me I play well at those. I've also played "easy" courses that seem really tight. And just little things like the grass growing away from the greens adds about 3 strokes.

[Dave2512]

I agree I

i agree, I think they don't take everyone's abilities into account. I've played courses which suggest they are really hard but are wide open but require alot of carries or something. For me I play well at those. I've also played "easy" courses that seem really tight. And just little things like the grass growing away from the greens adds about 3 strokes.

It was just the length of the rough at that course. No exaggeration it was long enough that people complained about it in reviews. Really no way to hack it out and it was tough to advance the ball. The consequence was similar to hitting behind a tree, punch it back into the fairway or risk it landing short and having to do it again. I took people there accustomed to playing difficult private club setups and it ate them alive at 69.3/119. But it's a cool course, actually getting ready to head there this afternoon for some torture. It's the only course in the area that hasn't aerated greens yet.

[nick1998bunker]

It was just the length of the rough at that course. No exaggeration it was long enough that people complained about it in reviews. Really no way to hack it out and it was tough to advance the ball. The consequence was similar to hitting behind a tree, punch it back into the fairway or risk it landing short and having to do it again. I took people there accustomed to playing difficult private club setups and it ate them alive at 69.3/119. But it's a cool course, actually getting ready to head there this afternoon for some torture. It's the only course in the area that hasn't aerated greens yet.

I think long rough is fun sometimes. At certain courses with tight fairways but big landing areas I play like the blues and hit 3 woods-4 irons off tees and feel like I'm tiger woods

[rkim291968]

It was just the length of the rough at that course. No exaggeration it was long enough that people complained about it in reviews. Really no way to hack it out and it was tough to advance the ball. The consequence was similar to hitting behind a tree, punch it back into the fairway or risk it landing short and having to do it again. I took people there accustomed to playing difficult private club setups and it ate them alive at 69.3/119. But it's a cool course, actually getting ready to head there this afternoon for some torture. It's the only course in the area that hasn't aerated greens yet.

Sounds like an executive course where I live.   It has small greens, narrow fairways, lots of hazards, and deep rough.   The course management touts it as the hardest executive course in the area.    The sad part is, b/c it's a 9 hole course, lots of beginners think they can play here and do play..  Literally, they will lose a dozen or more balls before a round is half over.   The rating on this course should be much higher, not that I care much about it.

[rkim291968]

I think long rough is fun sometimes.

Only if I can do something, anything with it.   If it is so long that the only thing I can do is hack it out for 20 yards, to me, it's fu .... d.

[Dave2512]

Yeah too long is just torture. I'll snap a picture tonight. This course will have rough so deep it will be over the ferrule when you ground a club in the rough. I've hit 8i's from 120 out and still not got it to the green. Too much grass between the ball and club to make good contact. I've tried doing the steep hack explosion but it's not worth risking injury.

Anyway back to the single digit thing. I just made it to 9.8 with the 09/01 update and though I am officially still there until 09/15 I need to get my act together because I am trending back into the tens after posting a few scores. It took shooting a 36 and 77 in Aug. to get me there but some of my 10 best are old enough they will drop out of the last twenty 09/15.

[Pretzel]

Long rough can be interesting, but only to a point. Hit there once and you think "Hey, something new!". Hit it there twice and you'll start to hate it. Personally I think it's harder when they coax the rough into growing really thick rather than long. It's deceptively hard to get good contact from shorter, thicker rough than compared to longer, thinner rough at least for me. Depends on if the ball is sitting up or not. Some of the "links" style courses in my area are fun to play due to the many different cuts of rough that allow you to strategically plan your misses. Right above the bunkers they just let it grow as long as the grass can, but just short of them and you'll actually get a ball that's feed up perfectly for a sweeping fairway wood. Miss it too far to the sides though and you will land yourself in 2 foot native grass. You can hit out of it, but can only hit towards the green if you draw a lie where the grass is bent down flat.

[Dave2512]

Long rough can be interesting, but only to a point. Hit there once and you think "Hey, something new!". Hit it there twice and you'll start to hate it. Personally I think it's harder when they coax the rough into growing really thick rather than long. It's deceptively hard to get good contact from shorter, thicker rough than compared to longer, thinner rough at least for me. Depends on if the ball is sitting up or not.

Some of the "links" style courses in my area are fun to play due to the many different cuts of rough that allow you to strategically plan your misses. Right above the bunkers they just let it grow as long as the grass can, but just short of them and you'll actually get a ball that's feed up perfectly for a sweeping fairway wood. Miss it too far to the sides though and you will land yourself in 2 foot native grass. You can hit out of it, but can only hit towards the green if you draw a lie where the grass is bent down flat.

What is it with the abundance of links style courses here? I swear everything built after 1995 is like that. Where to you play?

[Pretzel]

What is it with the abundance of links style courses here? I swear everything built after 1995 is like that. Where to you play?

The links style course I was referring to was Common Ground (played the Colorado PGA Pro-Junior there this year, our team shot 60 and still placed second). The nice part about that course is that the tee boxes are right next to the greens, with some of them having the fringe extend all the way to the next tee box, which makes it an excellent course to walk. But I'm also unsure of why there are a lot of courses designed as links courses around here. Maybe it's because we can get native grass to grow really tall without much work?

Usually I'll play the courses in Longmont (Twin Peaks, Ute Creek, Sunset) though I'll also play at Saddleback since it's closer to my home across I-25.

[GingerGolfer]

The links style course I was referring to was Common Ground (played the Colorado PGA Pro-Junior there this year, our team shot 60 and still placed second). The nice part about that course is that the tee boxes are right next to the greens, with some of them having the fringe extend all the way to the next tee box, which makes it an excellent course to walk. But I'm also unsure of why there are a lot of courses designed as links courses around here. Maybe it's because we can get native grass to grow really tall without much work?

Usually I'll play the courses in Longmont (Twin Peaks, Ute Creek, Sunset) though I'll also play at Saddleback since it's closer to my home across I-25.

There's many characteristics to a links course besides having tall grass...

[nick1998bunker]

Yeah too long is just torture. I'll snap a picture tonight. This course will have rough so deep it will be over the ferrule when you ground a club in the rough. I've hit 8i's from 120 out and still not got it to the green. Too much grass between the ball and club to make good contact. I've tried doing the steep hack explosion but it's not worth risking injury. Anyway back to the single digit thing. I just made it to 9.8 with the 09/01 update and though I am officially still there until 09/15 I need to get my act together because I am trending back into the tens after posting a few scores. It took shooting a 36 and 77 in Aug. to get me there but some of my 10 best are old enough they will drop out of the last twenty 09/15.

You have to pull a tiger woods were you swing 130 mph... Lol it's on YouTube... Even Faldo was impressed

[Pretzel]

There's many characteristics to a links course besides having tall grass...

I realize this, but that is an important feature. We also happen to have both plains and hilly areas in Colorado, which can be contoured (or are pre-contoured) to emulate the rolling hills that are characteristic of links courses. I'm not stating that its a links style course because of the grass, merely mentioning that the grass could be part of the reason.

[Dave2512]

The plains do work well for faux links golf courses. The most realistic I've seen is Heritage in Westminster.

[Pretzel]

The plains do work well for faux links golf courses. The most realistic I've seen is Heritage in Westminster.

That course is a nightmare. An absolute nightmare. I played it from their "Championship" tees where they held the 2011 US Open qualifiers in a two day tournament over the summer. At 7450 yards, it was certainly the longest course I've ever played and that rough can be punishing. The greens were nice though, but that water hazard on number 7 was killer off the tee on the first day. My entire group went into it because we didn't realize there was that sharp slope right in the landing area short of it that kicks your ball into it.