How can I take my game to the next level ?

[20youngy20]

Hi, I'm 20 years old and golf runs in the family so i get to play a lot, however my dad and older brother are still better than me :(
To solve this, about 8 months ago i started practicing more which helped me get my handicap of 15 down to 11 and instead of posting inconsistent scores I am much more consistent playing to my handicap or around abouts with scores of around 82 - 86 and much less often having awful rounds
However, all parts of my games seem to be just decent, I wouldn't say I have a strength and it usually depends on the day which part of my game will be the strongest but usually i drive it straight, on a good day hitting around 14 of the 18 fairways, my iron play is getting better hitting most of the greens (some distance control errors that need fixing) and around the green i have a decent touch (i don't know how to spin the ball though), but would maybe like to hole a few more make-able putts

My question us, what can I do to take my game to the next level as for the last 3 months, i have stayed consistently at my 11 handicap with around the same scores, should I focus on one area of my game or keep practicing everything, looking at my cards i am happy with how I am doing but would still like to become better than my dad and brother who are the 2 best golfers in the society I play at.
Any advice would be grateful, thanks
James

[geauxforbroke]

If you're hitting 14 fairways, that means you're hitting every fairway on a standard course. In which case, I would say that you either need to cut out blow up holes (doubles or worse) or improve your short game. I'm usually in the mid 70, and might hit 10 or 12 fairways, but my short game makes up for it, and I rarely post anything above a bogey.

[20youngy20]

I think you're right, the blow up holes are my problem, i hit quite a lot of fairways because i don't really use my driver (only on long par 5's with wide fairways), i tend to play for position with either my 3 wood or an iron off the tee
looking at my last card I play consistently throughout with a few bad holes with a 7 or 8 thrown in there, i could do with sorting these out,
i'm not bad around the greens but i think i might start to work on shots from around 70 - 95 yards where it's a wedge but not a full one, i'm not the best with that distance control, could learning how to spin help me with this?

Also with my approach shots although i can hit the green regularly i do leave myself with monster putts sometimes which can often lead to 3 putts, so maybe increasing iron accuracy further in my approach game could help but i'm not sure how to do this, any advice?

[geauxforbroke]

I think you're right, the blow up holes are my problem, i hit quite a lot of fairways because i don't really use my driver (only on long par 5's with wide fairways), i tend to play for position with either my 3 wood or an iron off the tee

Generally not a bad play. However, if you're laying back to 210 yards and aren't a solid long iron player, then you're not doing yourself any favors. 120 out from light rough can sometimes be better than 210 out in the fairway.

Originally Posted by 20youngy20

looking at my last card I play consistently throughout with a few bad holes with a 7 or 8 thrown in there, i could do with sorting these out,

Course management and learning to "limit the damage" are two skills that all good golfers must have. If you're in trouble, get out of trouble with the highest percent shot that you can. If you have the choice of a high risk shot to the flag or a low risk shot to the front of the green, play the percentages.

Originally Posted by 20youngy20

i'm not bad around the greens but i think i might start to work on shots from around 70 - 95 yards where it's a wedge but not a full one, i'm not the best with that distance control, could learning how to spin help me with this?

If you really want to improve your game, this is a great place to shave a few strokes off. Depending on what club you hit from 95 yards, you are probably spinning the ball some as it is. Unless your wedge shots are rolling out 25 feet, I wouldn't worry to much about learning to spin the ball, that will come naturally. Practice different distances, and also try to practice different kinds of shots (different clubs, trajectories, etc).

Originally Posted by 20youngy20

Also with my approach shots although i can hit the green regularly i do leave myself with monster putts sometimes which can often lead to 3 putts, so maybe increasing iron accuracy further in my approach game could help but i'm not sure how to do this, any advice?

The late great Harvey Penick was once asked by a student of his that was playing on the LPGA tour if he could help her with her lag putting because she was three-putting several times each round. He said sure and began to drive to the driving range. She said "No, wait I said I need help with my lag putting". To which he replied, "I know, you need to learn to hit the ball closer."

That's not to say you shouldn't work on your putting. But you can't expect to two putt every time from 60 feet.

[20youngy20]

Thanks, some great help here I will try this on my next round, especially playing the percentages as i do tend to be risky sometimes, hopefully this will help me improve my game
Thank you very much :D

[geauxforbroke]

Good luck, and let us know how things progress.