Handicap Question

[Yukari]

When I was 20+ handicapper, I remember getting a lot of penalty strokes, e.g., OB, water hazard, etc. That was due to inconsistency in my swing. And my short game wasn't nearly as good as what it is now to recover from those bad shots.

The biggest difference is, imho, probably the short game and then consistency.

[sonicblue]

Some folks are talking about a 20 like it's a proficient level. A 20 means your best rounds are barely breaking 100, and your usual round is probably 105-110.

My first guess was tee game, but then someone mentioned blading wedges over a green, too; both good choices. I can imagine a 20 being decent off the tee but then a mess near the green, just like I can see a 20 launching fireworks in all directions off the tee, but being able to get it down around the green reasonably. Thus, my answer is this: PENALTY STROKES. A 20 handicapper does not manage their misses well, probably loses a lot of balls and takes penalty strokes, and that's why their score piles up. JM2C.

[Zeph]

The long game, essentially GIR and fairways hit. It's definately what separates me from a single digit handicapper. My short game is good, putting is OK, but I have too many stray shots which get me in trouble. The rounds where I score low is when I hit a lot of greens and fairways.

[jaragon126]

As many have said, I think it depends on what troubles YOU the most.

Some players can hit the long ball fine, but struggle with short game.

Some players struggle with the long game & have a terrible short game.

For me I think I was similar to you ... the long game shots were way off. I couldn't hit a fairway, and I couldn't even get close to hitting a Green In Regulation.

Now that I am a lower handicap than when I started, I STILL feel that my long game suffers more than my short game. Right now my Fairways are 42% and my GIR is 37% with my Average putt per hole at 2.0.

When I don't try to get cute with trying flop shots onto the green when I've short sided myself, the worst I usually get is a bogey. But if I can get a GIR then I'm usually good for par or better.

[ted dibiase]

100 yards and in is where the majority of golf strokes occur. It really doesn't matter much what you do before that unless you are incurring a lot of penalties. Surely you guys can hit your longer clubs inside 100 yards of the green... When you say your short game is solid, I'm guessing it really isn't. If you have a solid short game, you are chipping/pitching within 10' of the hole and then sinking the majority of those putts. If you aren't doing that, your short game isn't solid.

[sonicblue]

100 yards and in is where the majority of golf strokes occur. It really doesn't matter much what you do before that unless you are incurring a lot of penalties. Surely you guys can hit your longer clubs inside 100 yards of the green... When you say your short game is solid, I'm guessing it really isn't. If you have a solid short game, you are chipping/pitching within 10' of the hole and then sinking the majority of those putts. If you aren't doing that, your short game isn't solid.

That's a good point. A "good short game," IMO, is one in which you have the 'right shot' for anything around a green - sand, deep rough, bump and run, pitch over hazard, etc... - and you can hit that shot close enough to where your putt is at least going to threaten to go in every time, and does go in most of the time.

[Zeph]

100 yards and in is where the majority of golf strokes occur. It really doesn't matter much what you do before that unless you are incurring a lot of penalties. Surely you guys can hit your longer clubs inside 100 yards of the green... When you say your short game is solid, I'm guessing it really isn't. If you have a solid short game, you are chipping/pitching within 10' of the hole and then sinking the majority of those putts. If you aren't doing that, your short game isn't solid.

100 yards in is where they occur, exactly. That's why a shot finding the green and one finding the rough can make such a big difference. A good approach shot can set up for a birdie, at worst a par if you're not terrible with the putter. A shot anywhere off the green and you'll have to save par to prevent a bogey or worse. Being good at the short game is useful for damage control, but to be consistent and score low you have to hit at least the green, preferably the fairway too.

A good player can hit well from the rough also, but everyone prefer the short stuff. Being good at the short game is like having a band aid for less than stellar long game. The best performer there is Tiger Woods, but he's the only one managing to get out of trouble so well. Everyone miss once in a while and can face a variety of different situations, but it's not rocket science. The short game is one of the easier parts of this game to get better at quickly. It is also something a high handicapper can do well. Dropping your handicap comes from getting a better swing, not missing balls left and right. Once you drop below ten and 5, the short game becomes more important to get further down the handicap scale.

[kleraudio]

Some folks are talking about a 20 like it's a proficient level. A 20 means your best rounds are barely breaking 100, and your usual round is probably 105-110.

Is that really true about the 20 handicap? If so something is wrong with the calculation for me...

I havent gotten over a hundred in a LONG time... Yet my HC is at 25.... Is it the courses I play...?? Oh and yes, I count EVERY single penalty, and I do take 1 mulligan per round I do agree, its all in the short game, my life is Pin high rough in 2, off in 6.... Jim

[alf174]

Is that really true about the 20 handicap? If so something is wrong with the calculation for me...

with a mulligan per side your actual scores should be 4 strokes higher (hit OB, drop, hit again, now laying 3 instead of one); not including the 2 stroke penalty for not scoring correctly.

[soloredd]

Some folks are talking about a 20 like it's a proficient level. A 20 means your best rounds are barely breaking 100, and your usual round is probably 105-110.

I don't know how you figure your handicap out but for me, as a 21.2 HCP, all 10 of my scores being used are in the 90s, the highest being a 97. And since I am a 21.2 HCP, I can answer this question without guesses.

For me, what is keeping me from breaking 90 (which is when you start dipping below 20HCP) is not penalty strokes due to water or lost balls. For me, it is putting and chipping. You can check my Scorecard stats below and see what I mean. My last round >100 was due to me having 48 putts. 48!! My "normal" putts per round is about 38, still too much. If I cut 10 putts off that 48, I would have had a 93, which is about where I've been. If I can get my 38 putts down to 34-35, I'd be in the mid to high 80s consistently. And part of the reason my putts are so high is my chipping. Often times I will chunk a chip and it doesn't get onto the green, so I need another stroke just to put it on. Or, I successfully chip onto the green but leave myself 20-25 foot putts, guaranteeing a bad putter like myself at least 2 if not 3 putts. Also, the par 3 and par 5 holes come into play. Not parring those holes pretty much guarantees another high round. Most courses have four par 3 and 4 par 5 holes. That could be 8 pars to be had, leaving me with 10 holes to double-bogey to hit 90. When you break it down like that, you really can find where the holes in your game are. Why do I miss out on those pars? Chipping and putting. I don't need a GIR on a par 5 to par, I just need my 4th shot to get within a good putting distance for my par putt. And I'm pretty consistent getting GIRs on par 3s but I never birdie them. Hell, I've got some 3 putt par 3s on there with GIRs. Now, add in the mis-hits, the tough shots from the rough, play outs from behind the trees, etc. You can see what seperates a 20 from a 10. If I could keep my mis-hits, rough shots, play outs but REALLY tighten up my short-game, I'd be happy.

[Hackforfun]

I'm generally going around in 100-110 so I'm a bit higher than the 20 handicap. For me it's the long game. If I keep the ball on the short stuff or the first cut with my tee shot and play a reasonable second shot I generally give myself a good chance at par with a 1 putt or bogey on a 2 putt. If the tee shot is wayward or I make a meal of my second shot it just seems to pressurise each subsequent shot and then my short game and putting collapse.

A common card for me for 9 would be 1 par, 3 singles, 2 doubles, 2 triples and a quadruple bogey. In that there is probably 2 fairways and a GIR or an up and down.

I can't believe that too many 10 handicaps are getting themselves into trouble off the tee 2/3rds of the time like I do and scrambling to score that low consistently.

[TheNatural]

my last 10 are a low 86 high of 103 and the rest 90,93 95' 97's.

but im a 22.1?

[JoelDuffer]

that will help, but your short game is where the majority of a golfer's storkes occur. On every par 4 a 17.9 handicapper isn't likely to get on the green in 2. They probably get around it in 2 and then start messing up chips/putts. If you could chip close and one putt you could shave so many strokes off of the card it is ridiculous. I know that when I was a 20+ the slicing/hooking hurt, but didn't account for the majority of my strokes. The majority came from chipping it back and forth across the green and then 3 putting...

Wow how could watch me play from Ky !!!

LOL I agree 110% with you. Sometimes miss hit balls leave me in better shape,( 80 - 90 yds out ) rather than 20 yds out. There is where I have probs. JoelDuffer

[kleraudio]

with a mulligan per side your actual scores should be 4 strokes higher (hit OB, drop, hit again, now laying 3 instead of one); not including the 2 stroke penalty for not scoring correctly.

I only take 1 per round, but still if I add 2 strokes to my final score, I have been over 100 one time this season then (got a 99 once) I think its the courses im playing, they are only like 5000 yards long so Im "expected" to score better there. Only difference for me at that course vs a 6500 yard course, is my approach will be a 7-9 iron instead of a 9-AW..... Jim

[alf174]

Play by the rules and take your medicine - you'll know you're actually improving and your posted handicap will be real.

[kleraudio]

Play by the rules and take your medicine - you'll know you're actually improving and your posted handicap will be real.

Right on man, well said. No more mulligans for me!

Medicine?? Stumped on that one. Jim

[alf174]

Right on man, well said. No more mulligans for me!

penalty ---> medicine(bitter sweet)

[alf174]

Right on man, well said. No more mulligans for me!

penalty(stroke & distance) ---> medicine(bitter sweet)