Played with a guy who shot -3 through 36

[ScottL]

Iv never really looked at myself as ever becoming a scratch golfer. I just picked up the game about 3 years ago when I was 26 years old. Really wished I would have started alot earlier. But Im pretty happy with where I have come. When I first picked up the game, I was shooting 115-120 and now im high 80s, low 90s. My ultimate goal has always been to shoot low 80s consistently and occasionally flirt with 70s.

Most of my golfin buddies are around a 10-13 handicap. But this past weekend my buddy brought out another one of his friends he works with that Iv never met. This guy came out all cocky and throws out that he is a 1.5 handicap. Im like, ya right... why does everyone have to exaggerate their golf game?

Well, we ended up playing 2 rounds and he goes -3 through 36 holes. I was shocked. Iv never actually played alongside someone like that. But I tell ya what surprises me the most. Really he only had one great shot (approach on a par 5 left him a gimme eagle). He didnt drive long, etc... he really never made a single shot that I dont feel I couldnt do. Difference is he did it shot after shot... was very consistent.

Needless to say, hes got me motivated... he is single and has alot of free time, Im married with 2 kids. So I dont have the time to practice, but makes me wonder if I can ever get there!!!!

[DavidFehertysBike]

Yeah. Consistancy is key. Im not really an impressive ballstriker either. I will shoot some of the dullest 75's you will ever see..haha. I dont stick 5 irons from 200 yards out. But i do what i do most of the time, and my ballstriking is predictable enough to be able to manage my miss.

[Yukari]

That is the key to scoring well. Consistency and knowing what your shot is and playing your shot.

I am working hard on trying to be consistent this year. In fact, this year is the first time that I ever actually practiced on the driving range. Before, I would play 9 holes rather than practice. But I realized I never improved much.

Since I've been practicing on the driving range, I have definitely become a lot more consistent than before. Hopefully by the end of this season, I can get down to HC 5 or lower... One can always dream...

[golfro]

Agreed with consistency. This is the point I try to get through with a lot of high handicappers.

Before I start blabbering on and on about short game (which I agree is important) there are other key factors that also contribute heavily into dropping ur hcap. Consistency is huge. Keeping the ball in play and consistently just gettingt he ball on the green in two strokes or atleast three is important. It leaves you room to 2 putt for par (par 4) or 3 putt for par (par 5).

Spend time at the range folks. Even if you hate the feeling of range balls or hitting off matts...its called practice. So many people refuse to goto the range but its so damn important.

[plugged]

I've tweaked my swing a lot, now to the point that when I really concentrate and make myself make the swing that I have honed, I can hit a beautiful shot - straight, high, and long. If I had the metnal discipline to make shots like that all day, I would have the potential to be a scratch player, no doubt. I say potential because a great swing is only part of the equation. The other is course management and that is something that is not learned on the range.

[moparman426]

Spend time at the range folks. Even if you hate the feeling of range balls or hitting off matts...its called practice. So many people refuse to goto the range but its so damn important.

I practically live at the range, ha ha......it's right across the street from where I work, and a 3 minute drive from home. I even spend my coffee breaks there on most days, and it does help. My swing isn't perfect, but it is consistent enough that I can usually tell what I did wrong immediately after impact, and that's from practice, practice, practice......now, only if I had a place to practice putting.

[brgolf]

If his physical shots didn't amaze you his consistency should have twice over. Thinking about it. Shot after shot. Frightening.

[Shindig]

Needless to say, hes got me motivated... he is single and has alot of free time, Im married with 2 kids. So I dont have the time to practice, but makes me wonder if I can ever get there!!!!

Well, it depends how much time you have to play. Ben Crenshaw used to say that he got good without practicing... but then again, he'd play 27+ per day, so he really was practicing, he just didn't call it that.

In any case, your story motivates me a little bit, seeing as how I'm single and have time to practice. =)

[TN94z]

This is what got me hooked. A few years ago, my rounds were in the 90s and I was constantly hitting fat shots and my short game was terrible. My cousin and I started having matches with two of our buddies. At the time, they were both about -5. Obviously they would beat the crap out of us, but it got us good VERY fast because we wanted to beat them so bad. We finally got to their level and started making it a match. One of the guys fell out of golf so our matches stopped.

The other guy started playing with another friend of ours....he is scratch. So now we are almost right where we started with the matches and getting our butts kicked. My point is that the very low handicappers don't hit shots that I don't feel like I can hit, their misses are just really good shots. My misses might cause me to be in bogie or double bogie territory....their misses just takes them out of birdies. It's almost boring golf playing with the scratch player. It's just fairway, green, fairway, green on every hole. Boring or not, it's really crazy how consistent they are.

[tbjohnston]

Don't know if this has happened to you, but a big shift for me was moving from counting shots under bogey to counting shots over par...
Obviously I'm hoping to move to counting strokes under par : - )

Anyway, it's a very motivating change...