For all you low handicappers

[Gioguy21]

Golf is like any sport and far more physical than most give it credit...to me frequency is key...I hit balls year round 5 days a week but only 35-40 at a time plus 10-15 min on the green during lunch...I can do the entire practice in 35 min. Finding a range convenient to work or on your way home that you can blast in and out without making a big deal is critical. If u think you're Tiger who hits 800 a day you will quickly lose interest (your wife and your job)....the learning curve may be a bit longer but the success rate is better.

I'd have to agree with Phil here and say that the simple fact of going to the range/practice/chipping/putting as often as possible with PURPOSE is the key to getting a solid, consistent swing. I'd also agree with everyone else that since practicing from 150 in is ideal in lowering scores...almost instantly. Putting practice is well worth spending time and concentration on, especially lag putts as well as putts from 15 ft. and in...best of luck gettin under 10 :)

[danieldrieberg]

150 yards and in.

+1 on 150 and in. Chipping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bananas]

All you guys playing below a 10 what percentage do you hit GIR?

[MiniMoe]

Of you are a 10 handicap and want to get down to a 5 quick... just work on the short game (100 yards and in... especially just off the green). If you miss 8 greens per round but get up and down 6 times, how many shots will you save from what you normally do? After that, it about course management. You have to learn when to take a club and hit a full shot, or when to take more and hit a 1/2 shot. Golf is a game of misses. The better the miss, the better you can score. I went from a 5 to a scratch in one season just with good decisions in course management. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses and using that knowledge to your advantage is the key to becoming a scratch player. I have known a lot of scratch players that really don't hit the ball that well. They just know what they can and can't do and minimize big mistakes, which ='s scratch or close. I'm a plus handicap now because I don't miss fairways and I average 17 greens per round. If I make putts, I can go low, if I don't I'm going to shoot even par at worse. Aim small, miss small!!!!

[joseywales]

Find a reputable teacher. Do only what he says. Stop reading golf magazines other than entertainment value only. (This will cut down on the millions of different quick fixes that golf magazines put out to confuse you and trick you into thinking there are shortcuts to getting better).
Ultimately, the best way to get better faster is to stick with one theory from a reputable teacher and groove the theories that he is teaching you by hitting a consistent regiment of balls as much as you can.

God speed and God bless!

[duckhook]

I would say 75 yards and in. When my handicap was at its lowest was when I spent countless hours working on the scoring shots. I developed an array of different shots that I would work with. I learned to hit it high and soft, low and spinning, and then bump and run. I added a routine of making 50 3 footers in a row everyday when I practiced. One of the things I worked on was to be able to turn a round in which I hit the ball like an 85 and turn it into a 75 or lower with my short game. The other thing I would recommend would to work on recovery shots, they will come in very handy 2-3 times around and can help turn a big number into a par or bogey. Lowering your handicap takes work and is a struggle, many times you will feel like you hit a wall and just can't breakthrough, but you just keep working at it. That's what makes this game so fun.

[senorchipotle]

For you low handicappers, from 12 on down. What do you practice on to get that low. I'm only 1 1/2yr into this game and i'm just wondering how to get there? What do you work on, or do you even practice at all?

for all the people who are saying practice 150 yards and in, that's all well and good. however, these people can already hit their drivers 4 out of 5 times in the fairway and will pull a duck hook or an unwanted slice once every couple rounds. they can already hit their irons well and most likely shape shots with some level of consistency and confidence. so it would make sense for them to work on their wedge game and putting. however, if you are struggling with inconsistency and swing fundamentals, that information is not for you. you should get with a pro, or check out some of shawn clement's videos on youtube. he's got a whole lot. first thing, make sure your grip is solid and consistent, then work on swing plane. i'd suggest taking a six iron and a driver and making those your priorities. just mho...

[atrapasuenos]

Of you are a 10 handicap and want to get down to a 5 quick... just work on the short game (100 yards and in... especially just off the green). If you miss 8 greens per round but get up and down 6 times, how many shots will you save from what you normally do? After that, it about course management. You have to learn when to take a club and hit a full shot, or when to take more and hit a 1/2 shot.

I think you should listen to this guy, great advice IMO. I spend a lot of time on the greens... I working really hard on my putting.

Cheers!

[Fatphil]

A thing I do is keep a small note pad with me to jot down swing thoughts or feelings during the practice or after a round...Then I will write 2 or 3 of them in large marker on a file folder and lay it on the ground next to the balls.
ie
HANDS / SHOULDERS / CHEST TOGETHER
HANDS IN - CLUB OUT
LEADING EDGE SQUARE
SHAFT AT IMPACT

this all means something to me and changes from week to week but it keeps me focused. I only hit for about 20 min & my mind wanders and I get thinking about a particular shot or swing rather than staying on point with what I've decided to work on. Maybe not for everyone....just thowing it out there.

[David in FL]

All you guys playing below a 10 what percentage do you hit GIR?

I average just under 50%.

My goal is always to hit at least all the par 5's, half the par 3's, and 3 par 4's. No 3 jacks and a handful of up and down one putts and you're in the 70's and well into single digits.....

[OCdude12]

I'm a plus handicap now because I don't miss fairways and I average 17 greens per round.

Sorry, don't mean to be that guy who calls people out, but averaging 17 greens per round? That's saying you hit 94% of GIR! The no. 1 player on Tour last year in GIR, John Senden, managed just above 70%. Typo?

For the last year or so I've been writing down the main stats - fairways, greens, putts - on my scorecard after a round, although haven't really backed those stats up anywhere. Is there a free program out there that I could quickly and easily enter my stats after a round so I can look at my progress over the course of the year?

[goblue107501]

Some of this will be a repeat but here goes.

- Find a good teacher and take at least a seasons worth of lessons to find your flaws and how to fix them. Once you know where you mess up and how to fix it, much of it you can do on your own.

- Short game obviously. If someone never gets up and down, and 3 putts all the time, they are leving a bunch of easy strokes on the course. If you can turn a couple 3 putts into 2 putts and get up and down once or twice a round, and turn a 2 putt into a 1 putt, you just saved 4-5 strokes, without any major changes. The better you get at it, the more strokes you can save.

- Play smarter. Don't take the 'hero' shot when you don't need to. Lay up to a comfortable yardage on par 5's instead of trying to hit the green when you know you can't. Hit an iron on the short par-4 so you are in the fairway. Hit the safe shot or play to the wider area. Nothing cost more (dollars and strokes) than losing balls. Some of that comes from having a good swing and making good contact. It is okay to miss fairways, you just don't want to miss by 40 yards.

- Distance control. This one I take pride in and for most people it is a greatly underrated quality. Know how far you hit each club, and learn how to hit each club a variety of distances. Not every shot is 150 from the fairway, on level ground, with no wind. You have to be able to play different distances with different clubs to accomodate the situation.

[Bump-n-MI]

Understanding your strengths and weaknesses and using that knowledge to your advantage is the key to becoming a scratch player.

Couldn't agree more with this.

I'm a plus handicap now because I don't miss fairways and I average 17 greens per round. If I make putts, I can go low, if I don't I'm going to shoot even par at worse. Aim small, miss small!!!!

17 greens per round?

All you guys playing below a 10 what percentage do you hit GIR?

Key stats from last year below:

74.4 Average score per round 59% GIR 28.5 putts 52% Fairways 49% Sand-saves 57% up-n-downs 3.7 birdies per round 9.6 pars per round 3.8 bogies per round 0.4 dbl (or worse) per round Nothing jumps off the page except my Fairway %. I just changed the shaft in my driver hoping to improve accuracy although I know I'm going to give up some distance.

[Fatphil]

Sorry, don't mean to be that guy who calls people out, but averaging 17 greens per round? That's saying you hit 94% of GIR! The no. 1 player on Tour last year in GIR, John Senden, managed just above 70%. Typo?

yeh I'm with ya...let's call out the san antonio dude with a +4 who hits 17 greens...total dickweed! WTF is he on tour?

[Keep It Simple]

Play lots of golf. The best players I know spend more time on the course then they do on the range. Playing is the best practice. My advice would be different for somebody who can't hit the ball at all but then being a low handicapper shouldn't be their immediate goal.

[apex53]

Echoing what many have posted: short game!... I know my best rounds have been when my short game is on, not necessarily when I had a great ball-striking round... Chip, putt, chip, putt, and then chip and putt some more.

[Brugz7]

You HAVE to spend most of your time on your short game. I'm starting to realize this more and more. I can't tell you how many times I thought I was going to be in the low 70s this past year and ended up shooting anywhere from 77-82. If I would have spent more of my practice time working on 100 yards and in, around the green, and putting, I would have shot those scores from 72-76 and I am 100% sure of that.

[sean_miller]

yeh I'm with ya...let's call out the san antonio dude with a +4 who hits 17 greens...total dickweed! WTF is he on tour?

+4 is pretty good isn't it? I've hit 10 or more greens in a round and I'm a 10ish. Surely a +4 could hit 17 greens in a round - he didn't say he's playing on a course set up for the PGA Tour.