Scratch Dreams

[Paradox]

thats ridiculous, my one year just rolled around at the beginning of this month, and well, you can see my hc to the left. so saying that'll take 5 years is straight outrageous.

One year of what? Who calculates your HC? What rules are you playing by? No need to get your panties in a wad because its not just a "make it happen" kind of thing to get to playing scratch golf. As you can see by my handicap, I've worked that down starting out at about 22 4 1/2 years ago(granted most of the drop from 20 to 10 has happened this year). This September will be 5 years and by then I probably will be a 10. After that, getting to 5 won't be so easy because ANY "bad" stretch of golf will hurt you. Getting from 20 to 10 is "making less mistakes" getting from 10 to 5 is "that one mistake can cost you the round".

[enis750]

Reality .

well said and i can vouch for this, as this WAS/Is my goal for this year

No I'm about a 16 now, but I just recently started making this pledge!

your road may not have an end in sight

Because you say you're "about a 16 now".

exactly

I've been playing for 15 years, and I'm still a 2.8. Scratch golf is about GIRs and short game expertise. Your can't hit GIRs if you aren't driving the ball well, although course management will help here.

good advice

I never said that anyone can become a scratch golfer just because they're gonna work hard, your putting words in mouth. Stop being a tool,all youve done is doubt people, doubt the OP can do it, doubt my handicap is true, doubt i could be scratch in less than five years, doubt ive seen more than a few good players. im just tryin to help a guy out....

he wont get there were not trying to by rude, but he just wont

Everyone keeps taking about the quantity of practice time….you can spend 8 hours a day 364 days a year on the range and never get anywhere if you do not understand the golf swing. Get some lessons to fine-tune your swing….swing flaws are fairly easy to fix if you have not been playing long.

very solid advice

to the OP: dude from "about a 16" to scratch in one year is such a pipe dream its not even funny quit your job, never see your friends and family, hire a coach and spend thousands of dollars on lessons - and you still wont be there as mentioned above you have never seen a pro hit a ball before the sound they make is neraly impossible to replicate...unless you are also on tour heres some personal exaples of why YOU wont make it: 1. i have been golfing for 16 years...still not scratch 2. i played in H/S and won MANY regional and provincial tournaments...still not scratch 3. i used to play every day (18 holes) and practice 3+ hours a day in H/S...still not scratch 4. i currently play 4 18 hole rounds a week and practice 2+ hours on the days i dont play...still not scratch 5. i seek professional lessons once a week...still not scratch i have been as a low as a 2.9, never shooting under par - only right at or slightly above and to boot, these are all rounds w friends, and a couple local tournaments - nothing huge at all i thought i could do it this year, and it wont happen and i am just under a 5 now not trying to be harsh bro, but set more realstic goals so you dont dissapoint yourself and quit the game

[JML22]

I'm only in my second year of golf and i feel i've progressed as fast as you really can without doing it full time
I'm a part time student/part time work so i dedicate atleast 1-2 hours every other day. I get lessons on a monthly basis from my CPGA friends, but it still takes a month or two for swing changes to get into your muscle memory. So unless you're 100% talent and fall perfectly into a good swing, which is pretty damn impossible, you can't be a scratch within a year
I would like to become a 10 by the end of the season say by november ish? BUt i already have my swing very stable and i just have to become better at putting.
Even becoming an official 10 is gonna take some work since i'll have to play like 30 rounds by the end of the season, which is doable

But i can honestly say, most people gotta practice putting/chipping more and think out how they are gonna play the hole and not just randomly hit shots and hope they go straight. If you're gonna miss.... miss on the right side of the pin atleast.

[delav]

Do you ever think about taking golf more seriously? ;)

[James_Black]

there's a huge gap between a scratch golfer and a 10 handicapper.
The 10 handicapper plays bogey golf for the most part and picks up the odd par or birdie along the way.

the scratch golfer NEEDS birdies, so your ballstriking and putting need to be really good.

good luck anyway, 3 years would be semi-realistic. it won't happen in just 1 year.

[Black Hulk]

Good advice and I have seen several pros, I have actually worked in the industry, just never really picked up a club and when I did I was hooked. I am an athlete and have played both basketball and football at an all state level so I don't think it's too far fetched. Within the previous year I made huge gains and I really think by this time next year at the worst I should be a 5!

Swing coach is hired
I just joined a league
I WILL NOT LOSE!

[CarlSpackler]

I will assume that you are first and foremost playing by the rules with no exceptions. You can get there by either being a natural or with a LOT of hard work and dedication that is part of your daily routine year round. You need a complete game from tee to green as well as a strong mental game with focus. Bogeys need to be a VERY rare occurrence. As others have mentioned (sorry for skimming this thread and not reading it in its entirety), one year for a current 16 seems overly aggressive. I would focus on some interim goals like single digits first. I would start by tracking your stats with a program like Scorecard 2, and have an open mind for your weaknesses. Then work on them systematically.

[JML22]

Scratches have to be able to putt so much better than a 10+ 5+ even

[sean_miller]

Scratches have to be able to putt so much better than a 10+ 5+ even

Did you mean to put the plus signs in there?

On an unrelated note, I see now the OP is a 16 capper, not 16 years old. He sounds 16 though.

[Black Hulk]

What could possibly make me "sound"16?

[JML22]

haha i tried to make 10 and above 5 above
not a +10 cap lol that would be sick
I'm not sure if this is reality but the way i see it at my level is to get to a scratch your putting has to be exceptional AKA making 10 footers a lot more than i would, since for me its almost an automatic 2 putt

[sean_miller]

What could possibly make me "sound"16?

Two people called you 16 (including me) and you didn't correct it.

[Shorty]

What could possibly make me "sound"16?

The naivity of your posts.

Someone who occasionally shoots in the low 80s but is usually around 90, playing by the rules in all conditions will not and can not expect to be playing to 10 within a year. Not even close. You are talking about becoming one of the top 1% (or better) golfers in the world within a year, when at the moment you are what is commonly known as a hacker. The only way you'll become a scratch golfer in a year is if you pretend that that 6 you had should have been a 4, discount the 3 putts you had , ignore the fact that that that drive was OB, mark your card as such playing on your own and submit it to an online DIY handicapping site. When you tell someone at work you are a "scratch golfer" and you tee it up wit them, you'll be wondering why a legitimate 20 marker actually hits it better than you and he'll be thinking that it's weird that a scratch player" can't break 100. You need a reality check. If you actually were 16 years old and were playing off 3 now, yeah, it might be possible.

[sean_miller]

The naivity of your posts.

You forgot to tell him to get off your damned lawn!

[Shorty]

You forgot to tell him to get off your damned lawn!

He's been mowing lawns for three days and wants to be the head greenkeeper at Augusta before the next Masters. I'm letting him hone his skills.:)

[deronsizemore]

Anything is possible but you'll likely find that it's easier to go from a 15 handicap to a 4 handicap than it is to go from a 4 to a 0.

Obviously all aspects of the game are important, but 100 yards an in are where you score. You can hit some questionable tee shots and still recover with you approach shots and short game. It's much more difficult if not impossible to score well if you hit perfect drives all day and miss greens, blade chips and miss 3 footers.

[TN94z]

Okay, there are quite a few replies here that give you no chance at all. While I do agree that obtaining this goal from the handicap you are within a year is quite unlikely, I don't know you or your athletic ability. I have a friend that is scratch. The guy was going through nursing school, doing landscaping on the side, barely got to play 1 or 2 rounds per month, never practiced, but it was pretty much a sure bet that the guy would shoot par no matter what course we played on and we have some tough courses around. It's all about controlling the mistakes you make. I think it was Jack that said he only hit 1 or 2 pure shots per round. My friend makes mistakes, but they are not bad at all. It's all about scoring. He hits fairways, hits greens, gets up and down when he doesn't hit greens and putts well. Putting well is going to be VERY important. Putting can make or break a good round. Not only do you need to work on your stroke, but you need to work on reading the greens as well. Think about the hole from the green to the tee before you tee off. There is no reason to hit driver on every hole like I see so many players doing. I get criticsed a lot for using my hybrids or 3 woods...they tell me that I am using my chicken stick.

My point is that practicing for hours and hours every night, right nutrition, going to the gym, blah blah blah....is not necessary. Getting a good "QUALITY" practice session a couple of days a week is fine. Focus on QUALITY. I would for sure suggest learning the ins and outs of the golf swing....not so you will have the perfect swing, but so you will know WHY that shot went left or right or whatever and you can not get in a rut of doing that every time.

Course management will shave strokes off your game quickly too. I see so many of my friends make dumb decisions that cost them countless strokes every round! For example, if you know that a well struck 3-wood will put you in the water off the tee....DON'T HIT THE 3W. I will see my cousin (I know his swing about as well as I know mine) pull out a certain club to hit and I will just politely ask him, why the hell are you hitting that? Don't make those decisions.

Anyway, I could go forever. Focus on putting, short game, fairways, and course management. The scores will drop. By that time, your swing will probably be more consistent, which will be a NECESSITY for scratch. IF you think you can do it, DO IT!

[Black Hulk]

I may have missed being called 16 so I understand where that can come from, but calling me 16 doesn't bother me at all. I come here for answers and appreciate the honesty, even if it is very brutal!