Top High Handicapper Mistake

[bwdial]

  iacas said:

Weight forward.

That took less than 30 seconds. :)

[fungo45]

I'd say without a doubt (in my experience) overswinging is the main culprit. I notice that when I swing smoothly, I get mcuh better results (duh). The key for me is that I don't play enough (once a month) to remember what that feels like. When I have that much of a gap in playing, I think I'm swing smoothly, and have to remind myself to swing even slower. Other issues that I have that have helped score much better over the past year are my set up (aiming the right direction), not trying to get under the ball (let the club do the work) and picking the right club (not going for miracle shot all the time, lay up more often). These three things have easily shaved 7-8 strokes off.

[wrx_junki]

I voted "other". I think high handicapper mistake mostly comes from trying to help the ball up in the air. Along with trying to hit the longer clubs harder instead of letting the club do its work.

[inthecup]

My main problem is not swinging with passive arms. I think of it as pulling my arms through with my body. Take that feeling with weight transfer and inside out and I am hitting it well. Getting the timing of that right is the difficult part.

[$2 Nassau]

overswinging is in the lead? no way...underswinging if anything. I know for me and a lot of my buddies we tend to not fully commit to shots, try to steer the ball, and not always make a full shoulder turn to a full finish.

[KaiL]

Yes, I would say overswing is the biggest mistake. Most people over estimate how far they can hit. Also they would try to hit harder and harder as the distances increases and with the longer clubs. The key is to try to hit as hard as your favorite club/distance and assume that you are hitting at your favorite distance even when its longer than that.

[markpf189]

  wrx_junki said:

I voted "other". I think high handicapper mistake mostly comes from trying to help the ball up in the air. Along with trying to hit the longer clubs harder instead of letting the club do its work.

Definitely agree about trying to help the ball up in the air, I think everyone did this when they first started. What really helped me to learn to hit down on the ball was a tip that I found online, you put a broken tee out 5-6 inches in front of the ball and try to hit the tee after striking the ball. This tip helped me a lot..

[Paradox]

other.

Not developing THEIR swing but spending so much time trying to develop "THE swing".

[Shanks A Million]

  $2 Nassau said:

overswinging is in the lead? no way...underswinging if anything. I know for me and a lot of my buddies we tend to not fully commit to shots, try to steer the ball, and not always make a full shoulder turn to a full finish.

No, overswinging is a terrible, yet common disease. Overswinging doesn't mean being aggressive, but often people take it a long way back and then swing

at the ball, not through it. My full swing feels like I'm bringing the club knee high, and merely dropping it back down. I develop a lot of clubhead speed that way. When I try and kill it, I lose that clubhead speed. The full swing feels remarkably short and easy to most people.

[ghalfaire]

I voted other. But as the poll reflects we double digit handicappers probably do all of these things. But in my case it stems from loss of focus. I just don't always keep my mind on business when I begin the pre-shot routine. I find it difficult to shift gears from talk with my buddies to golf on the course. I am the guy that the article was written about. I can go around the course with several pars, bogies and a couple of "train wrecks" that ruin my score. When I make a loose shot it is usually really bad.

[sean_miller]

The biggest mistake some high (and low) handicappers make is thinking they're better than they are.

No, you probably can't hit a driver on that tight par 5 and keep it in play.
Yes, you probably should hit your 3-wood or hybrid more often off the tee.
No, you probably can't carry that hazard with a "rescue club" out of 8" rough.
Yes, you probably should reach for your 8-iron more often and your hybrids less often out of the rough.
No, you probably shouldn't flirt with that bunker.
Yes, you probably should hit a bump and run up the neck and try to make a putt.

[motteler621]

  sean_miller said:

The biggest mistake some high (and low) handicappers make is thinking they're better than they are.

i agree with this. I use to always grab my driver for every par4 or par5 and then have a 8 iron to the green. Alot of time Im not in the fairway though. Its can be better to just hit your 3 wood, better chance of hitting the fairway, and use a iron thats one club stronger than if you used a driver.

[armandoartist]

What is considered a high handicapper?
15?
20?
30?
40?

[Elvisliveson]

Almost all high handicappers have a poor grip, which may lead to the other problems. But make no mistake, that 99% of bad golfers have a poor grip.

[iacas]

  Elvisliveson said:

Almost all high handicappers have a poor grip, which may lead to the other problems. But make no mistake, that 99% of bad golfers have a poor grip.

Disagree completely. We rarely have to fix the grip, and even when we do it's a ten-second explanation and maybe a single reminder 30 minutes later or so, in our students.

[Elvisliveson]

  iacas said:

Disagree completely. We rarely have to fix the grip, and even when we do it's a ten-second explanation and maybe a single reminder 30 minutes later or so, in our students.

What are the handicaps of most of your students? I am not talking about 18 handicappers looking to get better. I have been playing golf for 35 years and I have never seen anyone approaching or exceeding a 36 handicap with a truly good grip. Just because a grip resembles the Vardon grip doesn't mean it's proper. Almost all bad golfers I've ever seen don't have their hands truly working together as one on the club the way it should be. They rarely have the pocket formed by their right palm over their left thumb. Their left thumb is usually on the left side of the grip and their right palm on the right side of the grip, yet they are worried about attaining certain positions in their swing, lol.

[iacas]

Okay Elvis, I think we have a different definition of "bad golfers." Heh heh.

I will say this: of the guys with a 20 handicap or better, the vast majority have a serviceable grip.

[JWL1957]

Most of what I see with high handicappers (18-36)

1. Wrong decisions

2. Wrong decisions

3. Wrong decisions