How long to scratch golf?

[trog2233]

Been playing for 6 years now and been around a 25 handicap the whole time. But this year i really started playing and practicing much more and got my handicap to a 16. I play 36-45 holes a week and practice everyday. How long do ya think it would take to get to a scratch golfer or somewhat close.

[Leftygolfer]

For everyone it is different and very few ever reach that level. I think a better goal would be short term ones and using your GHIN number. You have to play the ball down and really play by the rules to know if you are improving. I would think a reasonable goal would be getting to a 12 by the end of the season.

Just my 2 cents.

[David in FL]

There are people that could take lessons from top rated pros and play or practice every day of the week and never reach scratch. Practice and commitment are important, but by themselves they're not enough to guarantee play at that level.

FWIW, I've personally been playing 40 years, am fairly athletically inclined and take the game pretty seriously, and I've never gotten below a 3.

Maybe next year......

[trog2233]

yea i'm actually shooting for a 12 handicap for this year i was just curious what it would take to get around scratch or 3 handicap range.

[BallStriker]

There are people that could take lessons from top rated pros and play or practice every day of the week and never reach scratch.

And then there are people that could take lessons from top rated pros and play or practice every day of the week and not even come close to reaching scratch.

Golf is a very, very hard game. I would say maybe 0.5% of all golfers have ever obtained scratch status, and that may be high. Anyone know this figure?

[CarlSpackler]

I'll let you know when I get there.

Don't hold your breath though.

[TN94z]

Here you go:

Are you ready to become a scratch golfer? Have you dreamed of becoming a scratch golfer? It is going to take a lot of work and practice to become a scratch golfer, but it is definitely a possibility for just about anybody. So how long will it take you to become a scratch golfer? Read on to find out. If you are currently a high handicap golfer, which would be any handicap above 20, then you have a lot of work to do to get to scratch golf. You will probably need to start with building a very consistent swing with all of your clubs. This will take many trips to the range and many buckets of balls. Once you become a mid handicap golfer you can move on and continue your journey towards scratch golf. So if you are a mid handicap golfer, which would be a handicap between 7 and 19, then you have a shorter trip than the high handicapper towards scratch golf. You probably need to review your short game and work to improve your putting and chipping. This is a great area to cut 5-7 strokes off your game and really work on your concentration. Once you work your way to a low handicap golfer you can move onto the next step. Those lucky enough to be a low handicap golfer, which would be a handicap between 1 and 6, then you only have to find a way to cut a few strokes to get to scratch golf. The low handicap golfer needs to strengthen their short game and work most on their concentration. Plus most low handicap golfers have trouble with one hole on the course. It is not a specific hole, but that one double bogey or triple bogey that sneaks up on them and ruins their chance at scratch golf. In order to play scratch golf you will need to make more birdies and pars than every before. If you are a high handicap golfer and you practice 3-4 times a week and play once or twice a week, then you can achieve scratch golf within a couple of years. If you are a mid handicap golf and follow the same practice routines, then you can become a scratch golfer within a year or a little more. If you are a low handicap golfer, then scratch golf is right around the corner with a strong practice routine. The more you practice the faster you will become a scratch golfer. Make sure that you are practicing good habits and you are consistent with your routines. Without a strong practice routine you will never become a scratch golfer. Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Long-D...lf?&id;=1011405

[Shorty]

Here you go:

The above article is ridiculous. Did you read it?

Example: "If you are a high handicap golfer and you practice 3-4 times a week and play once or twice a week, then you can achieve scratch golf within a couple of years."

[Zeph]

Practicing won't help if you're not practicing the right way. You can get pretty low being self taught, but to reach scratch without lessons if something few people manage, let alone during a short period of time. You'd have to read up and understand every part of the game.

The hardest part is probably getting a good and consistent swing. A chip or short flop does not involve high speed, so making changes and practicing in that area can go quickly. Same goes with putting, if you get the fundamentals in place and really work on your putting, you can get pretty good in a short time. The swing however, may take much, much longer. Take Tiger as an example. After he won some major, don't remember which, he was not satisfied with his swing, so he decided to change it. Took probably an entire year before he became as consistent with the new swing as he was with the old, and he's probably the one who practice the most of everyone. Not was it a huge change either.

If you've played for 6 years, you've got a ingrained swing. If you got any big flaws there, making changes will take time and a lot of effort. Just playing 36 holes a week and hitting balls on the range won't work. You need a practice routine and specific things to work on. On the short game, videos, books and practice goes a long way, but for the whole swing, lessons may be needed.

[TN94z]

The above article is ridiculous. Did you read it?

It's just an article man. Take it for what it's worth. A pessimist can find fault in anything. There is nothing set in stone for getting to scratch. Some people never reach a low handicap much less scratch. Some people reach a very low handicap by themselves. I got to a little less than a 3 on my own. I have friends that have gotten to a 1 and 2 by themselves. I have another friend that has taken lessons for years and still isn't below a 10. You will probably never get low with a pessimistic attitude.

[sacm3bill]

Well, I thought that article was a little ridiculous myself in the sense that it's no more than an advertisement trying to sell something, therefore even less reputable than the average internet article - not really worthy of using as a reference to support anything.

I.e., for me it's the validity of the source that's in question, not the statement itself.

[TN94z]

Mods delete the post if you will...it was more or less put up to be sarcastic as there is no way for us to tell anyone how long it will take to become a scratch golfer. There is not a set amount of time to becoming scratch. You might get all the way to a 2 and be stuck there for years.

[senorchipotle]

Been playing for 6 years now and been around a 25 handicap the whole time. But this year i really started playing and practicing much more and got my handicap to a 16. I play 36-45 holes a week and practice everyday. How long do ya think it would take to get to a scratch golfer or somewhat close.

imho, one must be able to be consistent with a driver and really good with their putter first and foremost. then you should be able to get the ball in the hole in 3 shots within 150 yards about 75% of the time. and within 75 yards, put it in a spot so that you have a legitimate shot at making it in the hole in 2 strokes.

[reif99]

You can get a lot better a lot faster if you improve your short game.

If you can make most of your four foot putts and you can hit most chips and sand shots within 10 feet, your scores will really come down.

Then to go really low, you're going to need to solidify the long game.

I've gone from an 8 to a 4 this year basically on the improvement of my short game.

My swing sure isn't any better. I'm not making a lot more birdies but I am making a lot fewer bogies.

I'll bet that if the typical 18 handicapper got himself a scratch short game, he'd be single digits without improvement at all to his long game.

[SpringBokVol]

I went from 16 to 10 in about a year - wasn't playing that much.

Went from 10 to 7.4 in3 months - played and practiced a lot.

I still have a lot to work on, which is good, because that means I can go lower. My goal is to be below 5 by year end. And then to a 1 or scratch by end of 2010.

[MiniMoe]

Once you play to around 10 or so, dropping your handicap becomes more about course management and short game. It is going to be a lot easier to go from a 10 to a 5, than it is to go from a 5 to a 3. It also depends on what kind of course you play. Some courses are long, but wide open, and others are long and tight with trees and water everywhere. The one's that play on a tight course have a harder time lowering their handicap because it is more difficult to recover from an errant shot.

The course I play is full of under 10 handicaps, but it is short and pretty open. These guys go play a different course where you can't spray the ball, they are lucky to break 90. They bark about not playing well that day and I have to mention they hit the ball the same as they always do, just on some courses, you can't hit a 30yrd slice and get away with it.

Good luck and work on course management and short game if you want to drop your handicap like a bad habit.

[deronsizemore]

Once you play to around 10 or so, dropping your handicap becomes more about course management and short game. It is going to be a lot easier to go from a 10 to a 5, than it is to go from a 5 to a 3. It also depends on what kind of course you play. Some courses are long, but wide open, and others are long and tight with trees and water everywhere. The one's that play on a tight course have a harder time lowering their handicap because it is more difficult to recover from an errant shot.

This is pretty much spot on. The lower your handicap gets, the more difficult it is to keep lowering. You'll get to a point where you simply just don't feel like you're improving. At that point, like the poster said above, it becomes about how well you can think your way around the golf course, i.e., not hitting that driver as hard as you can on that short par 4 when taking a smooth 3 iron will more than suffice. Learning how to save bogey so your score doesn't get out of control with doubles and triples. A lot of people will get in trouble and then try to hit the perfect shot to save par and end up flubbing it short or something and compounding the problem. If you hit a bad shot, get it back in play or on the green safely and give yourself a look at a par putt (even if it's a long one) and accept your bogey at worst and move on. The really good players don't ever get in a lot of trouble, are smart about how they approach each shot and generally will at worst make bogey on a bad hole.

I know a couple guys like the poster above mentioned. They are good golfers and actually plus handicaps at their home course, but one, it's their home course which they play numerous times a week; two, it's not a difficult course. When you get them on another course, they don't play near as well. Becoming a better player is about playing different courses, learning how to play different shots from different lies, etc. Playing your home course well is nice, but it'll be shell shock if you play somewhere else.

I would say maybe 0.5% of all golfers have ever obtained scratch status, and that may be high. Anyone know this figure?

It doesn't necessarily apply to "scratch" status but according to statistics, only 1/10 of one percent ever legitimately shoot even par on a championship course. Very small number.

[rex428]

I'm just talking from personal experience but I was a three sport athlete in high school picked up golf the summer after I graduated and was an 11 when done. I played soccer and tried out for the golf team and made it. I got to a 4 the next year and then scratch the following, and have been there ever since. It takes a lot of work not only to get there, but even more to remain there. The best advice I can give to anyone is going to the range does help, but you should spend most of your time hitting from a 100 yards and in and at the putting green.  Most of the strokes come from this area on the course, and getting better from 100 yards and in will dramatically help your game.