Anyone eer get better after being a High capper for many years?

[2bGood]

I read recently that most golfers get better for their first 3-4 years and then after that never realy get better, despite what they do.

From talking to other golfers I have been finding the low cappers have always been low cappers and the high cappers have always been high cappers an never get much better.

I know that so far my quest to get to single digits has not made much pogres despite lots of practice time. It seems my brain his wired to shoot bogeys


Is there any one out there that played to a high cap for many years and then was able to reset things and learn to go low? How did you do it?

[max power]

I didn't track my handicap, but from 1999 until April of this year I was probably a 15-18 'capper. In April I started playing with regularity and hitting the range once or twice a week and I've seen my game improve markedly.

[brgolf]

Golf isn't a mystery, there must be some part of your game letting you down which should be clearly identifiable. The path to improvement is to practice, based on ideas you gather from books, videos, lessons or the internet. Then when you go out on the course, your score improves.

Naturally this process takes time, you may attempt to apply techniques that don't work for you, misunderstand instruction or get bad advice. But generally speaking a concerted attempt to improve will yield results.

[ddalet]

I read recently that most golfers get better for their first 3-4 years and then after that never realy get better, despite what they do.

If you want to be a better (amateur) golfer, there are thee things you should improve on: 1. Keep the ball in play. Most of the time, this means improving your game from the tee box. 2. Build a solid sub 100 yard wedge play. This includes chips. If you can get the ball to within a yardstick from 100 yards or less, you will improve. 3. Trust your putter to score. IMO, mechanics have very little to do with putting... For me, putting is between the ears. If you can build a solid mental putting game, and work on the other two things above, you should shoot in the low 80s to high 70s without too many problems. These three steps will spare the amateur golfer the worry of learning to shape shots and repeat the same swing for the irons etc, etc, etc which is where the game gets tricky.

[2bGood]

Thanks for the advice. I guess I am not being all that patient. I have cut 4 strokes off my cap this year, so I am getting better. I just a get a bit frustrated that I can goo out and shoot a mid 80 one day then not break 100 the next day. I am sure it all in my mind.

I practie wedge pay like crazy these days, but I don't practie much putting a I find I put well when I just trust and believe.

[kafka01]

From talking to other golfers I have been finding the low cappers have always been low cappers and the high cappers have always been high cappers an never get much better.

There is a bit of truth in this statement. Low hcpers often picked up the game in their youth and it just stayed with them a lot more easier than people picking up the game in a later stage of the game. Obv. they practiced a lot to get where they are at, too. When picking up the game later - you dont have that much time to dedicate it to golf - you have a job/family/other hobbies, and you might get you regular 18-36 holes + maybe 4 hours practice a week. But lets be honest - that is nothing compared to the time some of the low hcpers put in to get really good.

I picked up golf at 26 - by then i spent like 20-30 hours/week over a 2 year period on the course playing & practicing and i made quick progress. As soon as i stopped putting in the hours my progress got a lot slower. And which twenty/thirty something has so much time on its hands - so no wonder they are struggeling to get better. And as they get even older it gets even more complicated to learn/improve at golf.

[ScottRempel]

Is there any one out there that played to a high cap for many years and then was able to reset things and learn to go low? How did you do it?

I've been playing since I was very young (26 now). Was always a low-to-mid-90s golfer through school, and while aspects of my game improved, the end score never really changed much. Bit of a hiatus while I was in university and then really got back into golfing the last few years. Things finally came together for me this year and I noticed a step change, going from the low-90s golfer to a high-70s/low-80s golfer. Now, if I shoot bogey golf, it feels like a disastrous round.

I know a couple of the reasons it took me so long to improve are lack of lessons and short golf season. So yes, you can definitely improve, and I think that as long as you feel you are improving in areas of your game you are moving forward. The scores may not drop right away, but if you keep improving then one day they will.

[CarlSpackler]

I've been playing pretty regular for about 12 years. I have gone from a point where I could not break 100 while cheating (rolling balls, mulligans, etc.) to now a 14.2 and still improving. I have a ways to go to get to single digit, but I am sure it will come.

[is2linda]

Steady practice, patience, and lessons!

[flanagan]

I read recently that most golfers get better for their first 3-4 years and then after that never realy get better, despite what they do.

I didn't break 40 for nine holes until I was 28, and I started playing at a young age and have always loved golf, just haven't always "gotten it". About 3 years later, started taking lessons and hitting the range and practicing more and over time got to where I expected to shoot in the 80s. Now, many years after that, expect to shoot 80 to 85, occasionally in the 70s. My short game has improved a lot over time and I work on it. For me the main thing is taking lessons and having someone help keep alignment, ball position, head position, etc. on track. Still work on my swing, always something to work on, and sometimes it all just goes horribly.

I can't say I've "learned to go low", but I can say I've gotten better little by little over a long period of time, and if I can, believe me, anyone can.