Are you a single digit HC player that hit the wall......are you stuck?..... you can't go lower? Do you want to go lower?

[LovinItAll]

Originally Posted by Parker0065

If your a straight/short hitter playing on a long wide open golf course then there probably isn't much advantage in moving back, and you've more than likely just made it harder on yourself. For a Bomb/Gouge type player playing a shorter tighter course they might be inclined to hit more drivers from the back tees forcing more balls O.B. and in the trees.

This thread was mostly about moving back for handicap purposes, not necessarily 'playing better'. For example, if a player doesn't hit a ton of G.I.R.'s, moving back will almost certainly reduce their handicap, as they are very likely to shoot the same score from one set of boxes back (or further). As I mentioned in an earlier post, I moved back to the tournament boxes on one of our courses (7600 yards) and shot, based on the rating for those tees, better than my index. Had I shot the same score from the tees I typically play from, it would have been a slightly below average round. I didn't really 'play better' - I averaged the same number of GIR's, but it helped my handicap. I'm not a long hitter, btw.

The OP has successfully lowered his index by moving back and playing the tees with a more difficult rating. Another perceived benefit, as he mentioned, is his expectation of shooting lower actual numbers should he move up. He'll have to share his experiences with us if he decides to do that to know whether that works for him.

[Parker0065]

Originally Posted by LovinItAll

This thread was mostly about moving back for handicap purposes, not necessarily 'playing better'. For example, if a player doesn't hit a ton of G.I.R.'s, moving back will almost certainly reduce their handicap, as they are very likely to shoot the same score from one set of boxes back (or further). As I mentioned in an earlier post, I moved back to the tournament boxes on one of our courses (7600 yards) and shot, based on the rating for those tees, better than my index. Had I shot the same score from the tees I typically play from, it would have been a slightly below average round. I didn't really 'play better' - I averaged the same number of GIR's, but it helped my handicap. I'm not a long hitter, btw.

The OP has successfully lowered his index by moving back and playing the tees with a more difficult rating. Another perceived benefit, as he mentioned, is his expectation of shooting lower actual numbers should he move up. He'll have to share his experiences with us if he decides to do that to know whether that works for him.

I got you!

I guess if someone just wanted to lower their handicap without actually improving then as you pointed out there are methods to do this(not sure why someone would want to do that other than ego). If the OP's ultimate goal is to actually improve then the idea of moving back to make the course harder then moving forward to lower your scores does make sense.

There's other ways to accomplish this as well like playing a round of "Worst Ball" with yourself. Play two balls and you have to pick the worst shot until you hole out. Another great one is "Alternate Shot" with a partner. Although as a friend told me once about Alternate Shot: By the 18th hole everybody is pissed off with each other,,lol!!!

[LovinItAll]

Originally Posted by Parker0065

I guess if someone just wanted to lower their handicap without actually improving then as you pointed out there are methods to do this

I don't want to speak out of turn, but I think what the OP was saying was this:

"If you're a single digit HC'er and your goal is to lower your HC, but you're not having success from the tees you're playing, move back a set of tees. You're likely to shoot the same score, but your HC will improve, thus helping with your goal."

I'm not sure 'not improving' would be exactly right, as a lower HC is supposed to indicative of a better golfer. If a single digit guy playing off tees with a rating of something like 69.5/115 moved to something like 72.8/135 and can consistently shoot the same number, he'll be considered a better golfer, as his HC will be lower.

The results of the forward tee experiment will also show whether moving way up really has a profound impact on score. Even though I indicated that I thought I would play better from the forward tees, I wouldn't be surprised if the improvement in score was actually far less than the rating differential between the two sets of tees.

[Audaxi]

Originally Posted by zipazoid

I have another suggestion if you're a single-digit handicapper wanting to improve -

Play tournaments.

For one, it will force you to practice more. For two, it will scare the crap out of you. You'll most likely embarrass yourself as your 5 handicap nets an 86 in competition.

But you will improve.

This, Tournaments used to scare the poop out of me when I had a 24 handicap, because I inevitably got paired up with someone who would shoot in the low 70's and launch their drives 300+ yards down the fairway, while I felt like I was just dinking around. If you want even more pressure, start playing for money with people of similar ability (small bets). When you know the money is coming out of your pocket or into it AFTER the round, instead of paying an entry fee to try and win money, the money seems much more real, even if it is a small amount.

[BuckeyeNut]

One thing that I have noticed...............after being accustomed to playing a difficult 7100+yd course every day, playing easier away courses feels like pitch and putt golf.

I played 2 rounds away on vacation that I thought were easy courses....one was a par70 rated 69.7CR........I shot even par 70 without playing great.  I played solidly, but it felt very average.  The next day I played a par72 course with a 71.0CR...........I shot 73 and felt bad about finishing with that score.  There were so many easy holes that I felt disgusted that I didn't make more birdies.

[Pakoh]

i tried this and found that i just didnt have the length to carry the bunkers i usually carry and hitting long irons instead of mid irons into greens resulted in 2 rounds where i just scored poorly.  moved back to my normal tees and started shooting better scores that have helped continue to lower my HC.

Didnt work for me, but it was fun to try!  Always wanted to try the back tees and this gave me a good excuse.

Buckeye- you must have some good distance to play the long,  tough course rating/slopes you do!!

[BuckeyeNut]

Originally Posted by Pakoh

Buckeye- you must have some good distance to play the long,  tough course rating/slopes you do!!

I'm not a long hitter........

By 0hc standards, I'm very average.   If a long par4 is playing into the wind, I've learned to accept having a long iron or hybrid 2nd shot into the green...LOL

[BugDude]

Since I moved to FL, I play a lot of different courses.  There are 20 courses within 20 minutes of my house.  If a play a course more often, I mix up the tees I play.  Variety of courses seemed to help me break through a plateau I had.

When I lived in the mountains of VA, there were not many courses close by and the course I was a member of there was short by most standards.  To compensate and make for variety, I often played there with nothing but irons for practice.  This made me hit a lot of different clubs I did not normally hit.  It also taught me better ways to play some holes.  As a result, I now hit long irons from a lot of par 4 tees where position is more of a key than distance or par 5s that I am playing as 3 shot holes from the get go.

[BuckeyeNut]

arnoldjr....do you also go by "fakewebsimpson"?  LOL

[onesome]

A new thread should be started "Why is it unbelievable I'm already a 2 handicap after only 10 rounds?".