Correlation between ballstriking and HDCP

[saevel25]

Though people stress putting, golf is a complete game. But like you pointed out, sinking those clutch bogey putts... good thing you were good at putting, or it might have been a longer day.

[Shanks A Million]

How many times have we heard on this forum "I'm a good iron player but can't putt and/or have a terrible short game"? In my 30+ years of golf I have only encountered a handful of people that fit into this very exclusive category and I have yet to play with a mid-range capper who had the ball striking capability and

It's a great fantasy that you can hit the ball like the pros and still carry a 15 handicap. There might be some incredibly rare specimen that fits this, but more often than not, it's totally untrue. Just look at guys like Johnny Miller when they started to get the yips, 3 putting every other hole. They still shot in the mid 70s.

I find that as my full swing improves, my short game does as well. If you can hit a full shot well, you can easily shorten it, but the opposite is not usually true. The fact of the matter is, the 15 handicap who thinks he hits it like the pros but is a 15 cause he can't putt simply has no idea how well the pros hit it. Have you seen a tour pro hit a shot and then yell and slam his club on the ground, only to find he's hit the green 50 feet away from the flag... with a 4 iron... a blade 4 iron? Yeah, that's how good they are. They aim at spots the size of a bedsheet, and they expect to hit it. A 15 handicapper is happy to hit the green. The reason he "can't putt well" is because he's 50 feet from the hole instead of 8. That's the reality. If he were really as good of a ballstriker as a tour pro, he'd be so much closer, he'd have a much lower putt count. Same with his chips. If he was good enough to plan for his misses, he'd miss in the right spot and get up and down. Now, it's fun to pretend we're as good as tour pros, but as someone said the other day, a scratch golfer isn't even good enough to carry the bag for a tour pro. That's how good they are. Their caddies are good enough to destroy any of us, and most of their caddies couldn't last 10 minutes on the PGA tour. So, if you are a 15 handicapper, and you think it's because of your short game, start to keep track of your % GIR, and measure how far all of your birdie putts are. You'll quickly realize, you can't even come close to the tour pros. And if you think you can drive it 300 on average, get a GPS and measure every drive, and then average them. Prepare to cry.

[golfaddiction]

A 15 handicapper is happy to hit the green. The reason he "can't putt well" is because he's 50 feet from the hole instead of 8. That's the reality. If he were really as good of a ballstriker as a tour pro, he'd be so much closer, he'd have a much lower putt count. Same with his chips. If he was good enough to plan for his misses, he'd miss in the right spot and get up and down.

All this is true. Tour pros are much better ball strikers than any of us. Unfortunately, the reality is that most of these guys were hitting perfect shots before they turned 8. In other words, they have natural ability that we don't. Because most of us will never be able to strike the ball that well, the short game is one area which we can all improve and lower our scores.

[Shanks A Million]

All this is true. Tour pros are much better ball strikers than any of us. Unfortunately, the reality is that most of these guys were hitting perfect shots before they turned 8. In other words, they have natural ability that we don't. Because most of us will never be able to strike the ball that well, the short game is one area which we can all improve and lower our scores.

That's totally untrue. Many great players were hackers for many years, and some didn't even pick up a club till their 20s. It's a popular myth that tour players have some innate ability to hit the ball well, they are not born, they are made. They work through endless hours of practice to ingrain swing changes, and they spend half their lives on the practice green. This is what separates them, dedication. I am dedicated to golf and practice as well. I used to think the game was nearly impossible, and that tour players were born with it, but in a year, I went from shooting in the 130s to being a 7 handicap. Even on a bad day, I can post a respectable score.

I realize now that it's more about who has the drive to be the best. If you go back and read about Tiger's history, you'll see that he spent endless time practicing, and his father came up with every sort of test to try and distract him, and to throw him off. He did it to condition Tiger to win. The reason Tiger is who he is is not because he was born that way. He has two major reasons, 1. He loves the game, and he has a drive to play the game beyond what most of us could ever understand, and 2. He got the proper training, and the proper equipment from day one. His father made sure he always had fitted clubs, and learned the proper fundamentals. That's why he's so good, not because he's blessed with a gift, but because he made the most of the gift he had.

[soon_tourpro]

That's totally untrue. Many great players were hackers for many years, and some didn't even pick up a club till their 20s. It's a popular myth that tour players have some innate ability to hit the ball well, they are not born, they are made. They work through endless hours of practice to ingrain swing changes, and they spend half their lives on the practice green. This is what separates them, dedication. I am dedicated to golf and practice as well. I used to think the game was nearly impossible, and that tour players were born with it, but in a year, I went from shooting in the 130s to being a 7 handicap. Even on a bad day, I can post a respectable score.

Talent is overrated.

Practice isnt. Fixed my ballstriking this year which will carry over from 9 to scratch. got short game that is good, one advantage to not it it long ;)

[Randy4h]

Many, if not most, players on tour had the great advantage of having had access to the game early in their life. They had fathers who took them to the course, or were sons of pros. In others words, they learned the correct fundamental golf swing from the beginning. Very, very few (Larry Nelson is the only one who comes to mind) didn't play throughout their childhood. The proliferation of junior programs around the country has ensured that kids today have great golf instruction early on, and have the opportunity to play in competition. These are the ones who play at major colleges, win amateur tournaments, then become tour pros.

This is unlike those of us who didn't have that upbringing, or didn't have access to local golf. We played, baseball, football, basketball, and have a homemade swing that has developed over the years to try to overcome inherent swing flaws. Unfortunately, these flaws will continue to be a part of our game. Because of our flaws, we will not strike the ball as a tour player. The lower handicappers among us will overcome our flaws better than the mid handicappers, through practice and/or because of more talent. But no amount of practice, in my opinion, will turn a flawed swing of a 30 year old into the tour quality swing of someone who learned the game at 8 years old. Sorry. But this doesn't mean that our swings are not functional.

Once a certain level of ball striking is achieved (let's say around a 5 handicap level) the only way to bring it down further is through the short game. Just my $.02.

[soon_tourpro]

But no amount of practice, in my opinion, will turn a flawed swing of a 30 year old into the tour quality swing of someone who learned the game at 8 years old. Sorry. But this doesn't mean that our swings are not functional.

Not true.

Hank haney sucks at teaching golf, he cant get barkley to play the game and he is ranked what top 100 trainer in golf? I do better than him without special knowledge about the swing. I improve my swing at age 46 to pro level quality. I picked up the game around 30, but havent played much since then, just the last 7 years. If I can do it, anyone can.

[Randy4h]

Not true.

I've read your post several times, and I still can't make sense of it. You say you haven't played much, can do better than Hank Haney, have a 9 hdcp, but have a pro quality swing? OK. I guess I don't have anything to add.

[kpaulhus]

This Italian amateur in the Masters picked up the game at age 14, quit school, and now at age 16 made the cut at the Masters. With the right amount of resources and practice, anyone can swing like the pro's.

Ill also say, that if I ever won the lottery, I would make the tour within 5 years. Im 22 now so I would be a late bloomer, but getting through Q School and getting a PGA tour card can be had.

[golfaddiction]

I'm not going to kid myself into thinking I can have a tour swing, even with 6 hours of practice a day. There are certain traits - balance, flexibility - that I'll never have. I can improve each of these to a certain point, but every player on tour has GREAT balance and flexibility.

[Shorty]

Not true.

Playing off 9, you must get lots of unlucky bounces with a "pro quality swing". Pro wrestler?

[billysandy]

Matteo didn't start golf at 14. Not sure when he started, but i just read he played off an 8 handicap when he was 10. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010...asters-augusta (second to last paragraph.)

[James_Black]

I'm one of those exceptions then.
I hit a lot of GIR 40-50% most of the time.
But I go for the middle of the green so I end up with long putts and then I 3 putt most of the time.
my average is 38-40 putts per round.

[tm22721]

Many refuse to accept what is the ugly truth.

If you play in a group you are pressured to use driver or 3 wood off the tee FOR SOME STUPID REASON.

When I finally realized that two years ago, I started playing with a 7i for all shots. My GIR and handicap improvement was startling.

Golf instructors, equipment mfrs and forum owners can't tell you that because they would starve.

[iacas]

Golf instructors, equipment mfrs and forum owners can't tell you that because they would starve.

Everyone - apparently I'm going to starve (despite actually losing money or breaking even by hosting the forum) if I tell you this, but dammit, I like y'all so: never hit more than a 7-iron. Ever. Your GIR will shoot up like crazy (even though most of the par fours you'll play you won't be able to REACH in regulation) and your handicap will drop like a stone. Look at tm, he breaks 90 almost every time he plays! :P

tm, what kind of crack are you smoking? Perhaps golf instructors and equipment manufacturers and people like me don't tell everyone this "ugly truth" because it's not a truth at all . A lot of people can hit the driver or 3W or even their hybrids and mid-irons well enough that they're an asset, not a liability. I'm sorry that your swing is so bad that you can't get a driver in the air and headed towards the target, but that's not an ugly truth - that's more likely your ugly swing... And that's not an attempt to be rude. You've gotta be calling your swing ugly yourself if you can't hit more than a 7I, and I don't care to have what I think are stupid comments on my site. People hit their 7I 140-150 yards. How can their GIR improve when there are par threes that are 180 yards and par fours are almost always > 300 yards?? Did your GIR improve from 1 to 3??

[soon_tourpro]

Playing off 9, you must get lots of unlucky bounces with a "pro quality swing". Pro wrestler?

last year, old swing.

not played yet. swing is improved to this year. anything else?

[Randy4h]

last year, old swing.

AH, I see now. You haven't played yet this year, but your swing has improved from last year's 9 hdcp to this year's "pro quality". Why am I even responding to this?

[sean_miller]

AH, I see now. You haven't played yet this year, but your swing has improved from last year's 9 hdcp to this year's "pro quality". Why am I even responding to this?

You're taking one for the team.