What do you need to play par?

[BostonBrew]

More power to you and I hope the best for you. But just consider everyone's reaction on here as a warning from more experienced players. The number of times I've "figured it out" are beyond countable.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by BostonBrew

More power to you and I hope the best for you. But just consider everyone's reaction on here as a warning from more experienced players. The number of times I've "figured it out" are beyond countable.

Hell, I've already "figured it out" 3 separate times this season...and it's barely June!

[tomvk77]

Originally Posted by pipergsm

Until 3 weeks ago, my best score ever on the 9-hole, par 36, was 50, but add to that at least 5 strokes for cheating (OB penalties etc.), making it 55+, and my average score was rather 60+.

Now that my work finally starts to pay off, in just 2 weeks time, the scores have dropped to 43 (hardly any cheating), and I'm convinced they will continue to drop in the following weeks.

All I know is that my way of practicing is really working for me, and I believe other people could benefit from it too.

I will certainly keep you up to date, and I dare to predict that I will be able to play par on my local course before the end of this year.

Granted, it's a short one (only 3000 yards for 9 holes), slope 113, but I have to start somewhere.

Hell yeah i would take on a matchplay by the time YOU SAY you can play par.

As a high single capper. What is the reason to give a number off 50. you should just say 60 period.

And as we see now you only play halve the way, tournaments are played over 18 ( 72 ) holes.

cheating is never good!! but i think you know about that..... it also gives a totally wrong idea off the progress you make.

so to me you can play par if your level par after 18 holes. Hell the times i came trough the turn level or even -1,-2 and still end up making +5.

Than you never played under tournament pressure.

[spkgolfer]

wat u need is a bloody proper weight shift to hit consistent,straight and long plus u need a normal short game.it is very simple either you hav to be talented or work very hard

[Ernest Jones]

the scores have dropped to 43 (hardly any cheating), and I'm convinced they will continue to drop in the following weeks.

How many strokes do you think the "hardly any cheating" are saving you? How do you decided when to cheat and when not to? Do you only cheat when you really need to? I'm approaching bogey golf, still miles to go but I imagine I could get there a lot faster if I cheated, "just a little" Actually I suppose I am cheating just a little as I rarely take stroke and distance on a lost ball for pace of play reasons. I do take an extra penalty stroke to replace the distance though. And I'll drop it I'm the junk where I lost it, so no preferred lies. What kind of cheating are you doing? If it's mulligans that can really disguise a bad score because its not just the free stroke you've given yourself it's all the potential extra strokes it may have taken you to recover from the bad drive. Anyway, best of luck, sounds like you're putting in the time and seeing some improvement but I still think you're being a bit of a Chachi with the whole, "let me show you how it's done" spiel. Good luck and post a swing video.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by pipergsm

1)   being able to play good golf (par or better):                          I never said I'm there already, but I'll get there soon, mark my words!

2)   understanding what is needed to become a good golfer        Granted, I may underestimate certain aspects of the game, due to a lack of experience, but overall, I believe to have a good understanding of what is necessary to become a good golfer.

In my opinion, it's perfectly possible to "see the right path", without being accomplished already, or without having played for many years.

I've been having good range sessions for over half a year, but for some reason I wasn't able to transfer it to the course, until I recently found out what I was doing differently (and wrong) on the course.

It took me a lot of hard work and self-analysis before I was able to do what I'm doing right now, but I did it, and it seems like I did it in a shorter time span than most other golfers

Until 3 weeks ago, my best score ever on the 9-hole, par 36, was 50, but add to that at least 5 strokes for cheating (OB penalties etc.), making it 55+, and my average score was rather 60+.

Now that my work finally starts to pay off, in just 2 weeks time, the scores have dropped to 43 (hardly any cheating), and I'm convinced they will continue to drop in the following weeks.

Maybe I evolve more quickly than the average golfer, I don't know.

I will certainly keep you up to date, and I dare to predict that I will be able to play par on my local course before the end of this year.

Granted, it's a short one (only 3000 yards for 9 holes), slope 113, but I have to start somewhere.

Oh, I see what's going on here.  At first I thought your PiperGasm left you with a temporary high that you would eventually come down from, like Jerry Maguire regretting his hastily-written Mission Statement.  But your affliction is deeper than that.  You are suffering from a more long-term mental disability known as "getting better" at golf.  Most of us regular golfers have been there before.  Your post above is an amalgamation of every thought that has ever popped into a beginning, serious golfer's head as he or she made the first big leap in progress.

"Wow, this isn't so hard...I just shaved 10 strokes off my personal best (previously 102), and the next 10 strokes will be just as easy if I keep working at it!" Not so fast, my friend.

Can I tell you a brief story?  I still remember the day I shot 81 as if it were yesterday.  It was 2-3 years ago, and I had been grinding hard at breaking 90 for a while.  I had been on pace a few times until late doubles and triples left me at 90+.  Then I finally shot 86 on a par 71.  After that I began striving to consistently shoot in the 80s.  One day, a few weeks later, I went out for a casual round and out of nowhere made a couple birdies on the first 9, held it together on the back and posted an 81.  I was on the Moon.  I had figured it out!  79, here I come!  Even par, watch out!  I told all my co-workers about it.  Couldn't wait to get back out for my next round, and the next one.  Long story short, I didn't break 90 again for about 4 months.

The other posters here have been right all along: you are delusional about how dynamic, complex and intricate the game actually is, all because you found something that works for you on the 9 hole executive course you've been playing, and because you haven't experienced all of the frustration that comes with regressing and hitting a wall out of seemingly nowhere.  But, I'm not going to continue lecturing you.  You will see.  I wish you luck on your journey.  You are either on your way to being a solid golfer next year, or years of frustration as you wonder how the hell you shot an 81 one day 9 months ago and haven't broken 90 since.

[RonTheSavage]

There isn't enough time in the day to post all the things I need to shoot par.

[Ernest Jones]

Originally Posted by bplewis24

Oh, I see what's going on here.  At first I thought your PiperGasm left you with a temporary high that you would eventually come down from, like Jerry Maguire regretting his hastily-written Mission Statement.  But your affliction is deeper than that.  You are suffering from a more long-term mental disability known as "getting better" at golf.  Most of us regular golfers have been there before.  Your post above is an amalgamation of every thought that has ever popped into a beginning, serious golfer's head as he or she made the first big leap in progress.

"Wow, this isn't so hard...I just shaved 10 strokes off my personal best (previously 102), and the next 10 strokes will be just as easy if I keep working at it!"  Not so fast, my friend.

Can I tell you a brief story?  I still remember the day I shot 81 as if it were yesterday.  It was 2-3 years ago, and I had been grinding hard at breaking 90 for a while.  I had been on pace a few times until late doubles and triples left me at 90+.  Then I finally shot 86 on a par 71.  After that I began striving to consistently shoot in the 80s.  One day, a few weeks later, I went out for a casual round and out of nowhere made a couple birdies on the first 9, held it together on the back and posted an 81.  I was on the Moon.  I had figured it out!  79, here I come!  Even par, watch out!  I told all my co-workers about it.  Couldn't wait to get back out for my next round, and the next one.  Long story short, I didn't break 90 again for about 4 months.

The other posters here have been right all along: you are delusional about how dynamic, complex and intricate the game actually is, all because you found something that works for you on the 9 hole executive course you've been playing, and because you haven't experienced all of the frustration that comes with regressing and hitting a wall out of seemingly nowhere.  But, I'm not going to continue lecturing you.  You will see.  I wish you luck on your journey.  You are either on your way to being a solid golfer next year, or years of frustration as you wonder how the hell you shot an 81 one day 9 months ago and haven't broken 90 since.

1) It's PiperGasm ™

2) I'm the guy playing the executive course.

[BugDude]

Shooting par is easy. Stop keeping score after 14 holes.

[boogielicious]

Best of luck piper, but improvement will have many, many peaks and valleys.  Get used to it because it is the reality of athletics.  As to reaching scratch, there are so many factors you are leaving out including health, free time, daily stress, etc.  It may not be impossible, but prepare for the long grind to get there.  And being scratch means being able to play under par as many times as at par or just above par.  I am a 10 HC and have only broken 80 once on a par 71.  I consistently shoot in the 80s but will have an 81 followed by a 91.

[inthecup]

To sum up, golf is a fickle mistress.  Sometimes she loves you and sometimes, not so much.  The good news is that she is a dirty, dirty girl and that can be lots of fun.

[colin007]

To sum up, golf is a fickle mistress.  Sometimes she loves you and sometimes, not so much.  The good news is that she is a dirty, dirty girl and that can be lots of fun.

Great post, brother!

[colin007]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

I would like to respectfully disagree with this one.   Call me delusional but I strongly believe I have a lot more in common with scratch golfers than I do with your average 18 capper.

i get what youre saying, absolutely, but heres my side.  first of all, what i think of 18 cappers is not really the average golfer.  i think the average golfer is closer to a 25, maybe even 30.  anyways, i digress.

at my best, i was almost under a 9.  that took a lot of work and practice.  now im closer to a 12.  anyways, if i slack off, dont play too much, dont practice hardly at all, im going to be at 18 before i blink twice.  for me to get back to a 9 would take much more work than the complacency it would take to get to 18.  at least thats my logic, which could be faulty but damn it, its mine...

[martee]

First I wish the OP the best of luck.  Not to pile on but the strategy/play developed on paper isn’t going to fly as expected in reality.

There are IMO some flaws in the theory:

- Accuracy versus Distance both of are equal importance

- Actual distance of clubs will come up short based on USGA’s computation (Driver needs to be 250 yards, second shot needs to be 220 yards)

- Distance gaps between 6-iron and Driver is a problem as is the gap between the PW and 9-iron. (Essentially by requiring a golfer to manipulate the swing instead of using a club suited for the distance you have increased the difficulty factor as well as introduced potential inconsistencies).  The gap between the SW and PW could be significant as well, thus the reason for a gap/approach wedge often found in bags.

- Male golfers being able to reach the distances, the majority of male golfers can’t even if you take out all the senior golfers.  (My experience/observation is Golfer’s EGO can easily match those distances, but the Golfer seems to come up short more often than not)

- Your general strategy seems to be more suited for a 36 handicapper than a golfer pushing to match par.

- Playing 18 holes may introduce some additional adjustments, there is a difference.

I think formulizing a plan/strategy is good, much better than just pounding balls or hit it and go find it, golf is a thinking game.

With some changes to the strategy IMO would be a good start for breaking 90, maybe 80.  I don’t see it and base this on my experience that it can get you to shooting par.

[pipergsm]

OK, I get it, I'm being over-optimistic.

I believe you guys when you say I'm gonna have many more ups and downs before I get to par.

I accept the fact that my lack of experience may cause me to be over-optimistic

But the day I stop being optimistic, is the day I stop trying to get better, so.......

Also, I can assure you, even in the short time I've been playing, I already had quite a few ups and downs, so I'm not completely unfamiliar to that.

To answer the question about how I cheat exactly, here are a few examples:

- during my back-swing at the Tee, I loose my balance a little and completely mishit my drive.

this is getting more rare by the day, but it usually happens 1 or 2 times per round of 9 holes.

counting on this to become extinct soon, I just take a second Tee shot, not counting the first.

- There are a lot of trees on my local course (executive? does that mean it's supposed to be in good condition? Not so!). There's even a big tree in the middle of the fairway on hole nr 6!

It sometimes happens my drive lands right behind a side tree, leaving me with only 1 possible option: playing the ball 20 yards back to the Tee !

I'm working on it to stop that from happening, but in the mean while, I just put the ball a few yards in front of the tree without counting an extra stroke.

- hole nr 8, 268 yards, my drive lands just in front of the water (15 yards wide) that separates me from the green.

I want to chip it over (a shot which normally causes me no problem whatsoever), and for some reason (lack of focus, loss of balance), I completely mishit the ball, which ends up in the water.

I will re-take the shot from the same position as if it was the first attempt (no penalty).

In my last 3 rounds (45 - 46 - 43), this kind of cheating has become much less frequent than before, saving me about 2-4 shots per round (10 to 15 before!), and I tend to stop it completely within the next 2 weeks, no matter how bad my shots are.

It was just a way to avoid complete disappointment (and quitting the game) and also a way to obtain the score from which I believe it corresponds more to what I should be able to play.

Let's just wait and see how the next 6 weeks will affect my results.

[pipergsm]

Oh, and by the way, I'm just talking about playing par on my home-course, not being a scratch player, I do realize the difference!

My home-course is only about 3000 yards long, 9 holes, so playing par here would probably give me like 7 or 8 over par on a "normal distance course" (7.000+)

Par at home is the first goal, after that, we'll see.

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by pipergsm

Oh, and by the way, I'm just talking about playing par on my home-course, not being a scratch player, I do realize the difference!

My home-course is only about 3000 yards long, 9 holes, so playing par here would probably give me like 7 or 8 over par on a "normal distance course" (7.000+)

Par at home is the first goal, after that, we'll see.

A legitimate 18 handicapper could expect to play 9 holes in par on a course of that length quite often. In fact, they'd have to play quite poorly NOT to be close to par on a course so short.

36 for 9 there might be te same as 47 elsewhere.

9 holes of what is essentially a drive and pitch course does not approximate a "proper" golf course.

The fact that it is the type of course most golfers could enjoy playing is beside the point.

[Zeph]

A legitimate 18 handicapper could expect to play 9 holes in par on a course of that length quite often. In fact, they'd have to play quite poorly NOT to be close to par on a course so short. 36 for 9 there might be te same as 47 elsewhere. 9 holes of what is essentially a drive and pitch course does not approximate a "proper" golf course. The fact that it is the type of course most golfers could enjoy playing is beside the point.

3000 yards on 9 holes is 6000 yards on 18 holes. Isn't that around the length a mid to high handicapper should play on? I would not call it a drive and pitch course and expect an 18 handicapper to play to par regularly. 7000+ yards is often from championship tees.