Mid handicapper to low handicapper??

[TN94z]

I am about a 9 or 10 (guess) and to date I never put in any practice time on anything. I just go play and that's it. This year I have made my mind up to take my game seriously and put the practice time in. My question is how hard is it to get to say a 2-5 handicap? Is it just the practice time (assuming good fundamentals) or is it just natural ability that gets guys to such low handicaps? I have been an athlete my whole life so I have the athletic ability and hand eye coordination. Putting the practice time in and working on any flaws...is it possible to go from my now 9-10 to a 2-5 over the course of a year? I am willing to work with a coach or whatever it takes to get in that range. I really want to start playing tournaments. I know that I can play in handicap indexes but I want to be one of the top dogs in my area. What are your opinions??

[denver_nuggs_15]

I am about a 9 or 10 (guess) and to date I never put in any practice time on anything. I just go play and that's it. This year I have made my mind up to take my game seriously and put the practice time in. My question is how hard is it to get to say a 2-5 handicap? Is it just the practice time (assuming good fundamentals) or is it just natural ability that gets guys to such low handicaps? I have been an athlete my whole life so I have the athletic ability and hand eye coordination. Putting the practice time in and working on any flaws...is it possible to go from my now 9-10 to a 2-5 over the course of a year? I am willing to work with a coach or whatever it takes to get in that range. I really want to start playing tournaments. I know that I can play in handicap indexes but I want to be one of the top dogs in my area. What are your opinions??

Obviously practice and good fundamentals help, but everyone has his or her own plateau. You can only get as good as your body will let you. If you say that you are athletic, then you could (in theory) be better than someone who is not athletic. So, natural ability does play a role in how good you can get.

However, I don't think being a 2-5 handicap is out of the realm for any "in shape" golfer who commits to the game. With a good short game and putter, you'd shave strokes easily. The main difference that I see between low single digits and higher single digits is consistency. How many strokes do you think you can shave off your game (OB drive, mental lapse, etc.)? Just getting rid of stupid mess-ups could save a few strokes per round. Practicing your full swing, short game, and getting rid of stupid mess-ups would probably get you to the 2-5 range, but it all depends on how committed you are and stay to the game.

[TN94z]

Exactly the response I was hoping I would get. My 100 yard and in game is where I am dropping the most strokes. I am really going to focus on getting the 100 yard-in shots closer to the 10-15 foot range. My putting is a little better than average right now. My consistency would have to be my second area that I lose strokes. I think if I can concentrate on those two things this year, then I will be very close to where I want to be. As soon as the weather breaks, I am going to begin practicing every day on my lunch break at work and in the afternoons after work. I plan on playing pretty much only on the weekends for a while. Right now I am in a spot to where, if I get the ball on the green in reg., my putting is good enough to make the putt or get it close enough to have a tap in for par. If I miss the green, the getting up and down is 50/50. Out of the sand I'm good. I know what I need to work and I plan on doing it. I was just curious if that big of a drop in handicap is "doable" this year.

[Damien45]

I think it is all about desire + dedication. I want to get into single digits this year. I know I can do it, and I know what I need to do to get there. It is all a matter of putting the time in to get the result out. That of course is just my opinion.

It sounds like to me, if you have already identified the areas where you have strokes to loose, that is half the problem. Good luck!

[goblue107501]

If you really think you can improve, take 3-4 lessons and see what your flaws are. I used to think if I practiced and played more I could improve. I was stuck so I took some lessons. I found out what areas I needed to improve and was able to actually work on getting better, rather than just practicing. If I could play more than twice a month I could get a lot better because I know where my flaws are. It doesn't do you any good to practice all the time if you are practicing bad habits.

Oh yeah, work on the short game. The easiest way to shave off 4-5 strokes is to make 2-3 more putts, eliminate 3 putts, and get up-and-down more often.

[TN94z]

If you really think you can improve, take 3-4 lessons and see what your flaws are. I used to think if I practiced and played more I could improve. I was stuck so I took some lessons. I found out what areas I needed to improve and was able to actually work on getting better, rather than just practicing. If I could play more than twice a month I could get a lot better because I know where my flaws are. It doesn't do you any good to practice all the time if you are practicing bad habits.

That is what I plan on doing. If my local course doesn't close, then I will work with the Pro out there. We are pretty good friends. If the course does close, I am thinking about getting with Rob Akins in Memphis, TN. He is one of the top 100 teachers in Golf Digest. He is about 45 minutes - an hour from me. I have never really taken it serious but I have made my mind up that this year I am going to. I blow a lot of money on other stuff and I am going to divert that money to whatever golf needs may arise. I really want to get in the high level tournament atmosphere. My goal this year is to get to at least a 5.

[alcorn]

To get to that low you have to focus on the little things. My suggestion is go to a good pro and have him analyze every part of your game. Then you'll know where to focus.

1 more thing, physical shape can have something to do with but then look at golfers like craig stadler and john daly. Comparitively they're both big but both have been successful. One many thing to focus on is playing strategy.

[Three Putt]

Lessons with a PGA certified pro will get it done if you can afford it.

I would say
#1 60 yards and in
#2 course management
#3 putting (comes and goes)
#4 sound swing fundamentals

[TN94z]

Course management!! I forgot about that. That is another big thing on my list. I have noticed lately that I have poor course management and that leads to dropped shots. I always seem to miss on the short side of the green and make it very tough to get up and down. Good points. I may not have the money to get lessons from him every week. But I will have enough to get a few from him. Like I said, my local guy is a pro and will be there if my course don't close!!

[Doctorfro]

Keep in mind your handicap is based on your 10 best of your last 20. It's not an average. If you go out and play aggressive golf you have a risk reward factor. You can make a lot of birdies and could go low. You could also give alot back to the course on a given day. I guess what I'm saying is this: You don't have to play great all the time (it helps) to get your handicap down. I've dropped 3 to 4 on my handicap in the last two years and my scores are all over the place. It just so happens I've had some really good days on the course. My first round last year was 74. The best way to insure your handicap goes down is hardwork and consistency. If you put in productive type work you should reap results.

[TN94z]

Keep in mind your handicap is based on your 10 best of your last 20. It's not an average. If you go out and play aggressive golf you have a risk reward factor. You can make a lot of birdies and could go low. You could also give alot back to the course on a given day. I guess what I'm saying is this: You don't have to play great all the time (it helps) to get your handicap down. I've dropped 3 to 4 on my handicap in the last two years and my scores are all over the place. It just so happens I've had some really good days on the course. My first round last year was 74. The best way to insure your handicap goes down is hardwork and consistency. If you put in productive type work you should reap results.

Good point. Last summer I got to where I was shooting between 76-79 every round. Right now I shoot no worse than 84 (because of the weather and not getting to play much.) I know that working on my game, I can drop at least 4-6 strokes just because of the mistakes I make. Even last summer there are many things that I can think back on where I could drop strokes. I was making par on many holes but much of that was because I was birdie putting from outside 25+ feet. If I can get my 100 yard-in game a little tighter, those birdie putts would be shorter and give me better chances of them going in. Also, course management kept me from going lower. Just inconsistent. I have found some flaws in my full swing that I am currently working on too. I have a list of things in my mind that can make up strokes.

Now you make a good point about your 10 best rounds. My thinking is that if I can improve on my best rounds from last year, say 4-5 strokes, then that would put me shooting anywhere from par-74 or 75. I am pretty sure that by mid summer I can get back to the high 70s that I was shooting, and then my plan is to improve on that game. I am going to sit down this weekend and make out a practice schedule so I will have some concrete numbers to go by. I want to "practice with a purpose" this year. And like the above poster said, I don't want to practice bad habits....so I will work with a pro too.

[TN94z]

Just as an update, I have talked with a Pro in Memphis and scheduled some times to go work with him. I start on April 30th and then we are going to go from there with my next appointments. Depending on how often he suggests I go, I will be working with him once or twice a month for the rest of the year. I chose him instead of my Pro buddy at my course for a few reasons:

1) If the course closes I will have to find someone else anyway
2) This guy gives lessons for a living and has been doing it for years. He has all of the latest equipment where my buddy does it by eye alone.
3) Sneaky factor....I want to quietly move levels above my playing partners....one guy in particular!!

This is my first step to my 2-5 handicap goal. I will update this thread along the way in case anyone might be interested.

[Eeryck]

FWIW,

I was reading an article a while back about some college golfers that were slightly +/- of scratch and they played a round with some pro.

While on the course they were hitting similar shots to the pro consistantly in all aspects of the game. However, at the end of the rounds when signing their card they signed near par and the pro signed well under par.

The pro commented on this being a function of him playing higher percentange shots and better understanding his misses. He also mentioned that his ability to re-focus after a bad shot and save par was better.

I suspect that the reason most 8-12 cappers have a hard time getting to the 2-5 range is perhaps 35% mechanics and consistancy and about 65% mental / miss management. The problem being is a shift in how you approach the game.

Getting down from a high cap to a 8-12 you can focus primarily on mechanics and get there. Shifting your focus to a one shot at a time methodology and swinging within yourself takes a much different type of determination and focus.

-E

[DavidFehertysBike]

For me, it was gettting up and down and putting more consistantly. TBH, i dont think i hit the ball that much better than when i was playing at a 10 hanidcap level. But aside from the better shortgame, im more consistnant with my alignment and set up, and i just use my head more. I will aim away from my bad shot (a low hook) and give myself some room to miss there so i dont blow holes with big numbers. If im not comfortable with a particular shot or club, i just dont use it anymore.

For example, years ago if i had a 200-210 shot into a green, i would whip out a 3i or hybrid and just take a mad rip at the green. Not anymore. I can hit my hybrid to that distance comfortably now, but if something is off and im not feeling good about my swing that day, i just take a 6 or 7 iron and lay up. If i get my par, great. At least its not a 6 or 7 because i hacked my long iron into the trees or a hazard.

[DJYoshi]

If you really think you can improve, take 3-4 lessons and see what your flaws are. I used to think if I practiced and played more I could improve. I was stuck so I took some lessons. I found out what areas I needed to improve and was able to actually work on getting better, rather than just practicing. If I could play more than twice a month I could get a lot better because I know where my flaws are. It doesn't do you any good to practice all the time if you are practicing bad habits.

that's exactly what I was thinking about doing.

[Blades4me]

I am about a 9 or 10 (guess) and to date I never put in any practice time on anything. I just go play and that's it. This year I have made my mind up to take my game seriously and put the practice time in. My question is how hard is it to get to say a 2-5 handicap? Is it just the practice time (assuming good fundamentals) or is it just natural ability that gets guys to such low handicaps? I have been an athlete my whole life so I have the athletic ability and hand eye coordination. Putting the practice time in and working on any flaws...is it possible to go from my now 9-10 to a 2-5 over the course of a year? I am willing to work with a coach or whatever it takes to get in that range. I really want to start playing tournaments. I know that I can play in handicap indexes but I want to be one of the top dogs in my area. What are your opinions??

IMO a 2 hc isn't going to happen in 1 yr, but I think a 5 or 6 is attainable. In order to do this you will really need to practice your short game and putting b/c these 2 things can and do make a hugh difference. 50-60% of your shots are going to be from a 100 yds and in. That alone is a very telling statistic. Also, putting and the short game are the first things to go when you don't practice b/c they are all feel.

What I've found is the more I pratice, the luckier I get

[TN94z]

Yeah, 2 is a stretch but I like to set lofty goals. As long as I can get to a 5 ,I will consider my goal accomplished for this year. I for sure need to practice the short game. That is my biggest concentration this year. In talking with my Pro at the course he said that I need to be able to get up and down from 50-60 yards and in 75% of the time. He said that I need my approach shots to land right around 10ft from the pins and then I need to practice my putting. He said that will drop my scores down to what I am looking for. The weather is finally starting to break now for the summer it looks like so I can start getting that practice under way. I was working on a schedule but now I am going to wait until the lesson is over at the end of this month and talk with him about my goals to see what his suggestions are. I think I can get to a 5. Its a matter of consistency and practice. Last summer I was shooting around 75 with my swing flaws and no practice. If I can get my swing fundamentally sound and put the practice (and exercise programs) in then I am confident that I can do it.

[itzzzberny]

In my opinion. i think if you can score scratch up to a + 14,you have the skills to score under par. you just need the consistency to get it. tiger woods said "practice makes permanent". its like how basketball players practice shooting, they practice to get the feel/rhythm. its brings up the % of consistency. but on a perfect day w/ perfect conditions (game speed), you have a chance to score in the minuses. so practice does make the difference but its not how much you practice its how you practice that will show results.