Time commitment to get really good (scratch or low single digit hdcp)

[boil3rmak3r]

I just started reading "The Golf of Your Dreams", by Bob Rotella. On page 56 he writes: "I have never met anyone who got to scratch by playing on Saturdays and Sundays and practicing for an hour a couple of times per week. I wish I had. Players who get to scratch spend more time than that. They find an hour to practice or play virtually every day." On page 57, he adds: "If at present you can't spare that much time, you ought to scale down your expectations until you can. If you only find three or four days a week to practice or play, you might want to think in terms of getting down to the four to seven handicap range. If you can only find two or three days a week, the best you might be able to do is around ten." He also adds that this should all be done while using an instructor that you trust and wholeheartedly try to change your swing based on the instructor's guidance (I.e. putting this amount of time in while trying to figure things out on your own won't work). Does your experience match up with his opinion? Mine sure does... I generally play twice per week and have one (occasionally two) practice sessions as well. Plus, I'm guilty of trying to figure things out on my own rather than sticking with an instructor. Per Rotella, that should put me in the 4 to 10 handicap range, which I am.

[kw purp]

I play 3-5 times a week and don't practice. I don't take lessons.

So basically comes out to the same as you and I fit into the range he said as well.

[David in FL]

I play twice a week (if I can) and almost never practice.  I'm firmly in the 4-6 range......working towards 4.  I've been   sub-10 for 20+ years.

Getting under 4, for most of us, (there are always going to be the exceptional cases) is gonna take some real commitment and work.   At least for me, I found it a lot easier to go from 13+ to 7ish, than from 7ish to sub-5.

I really want to get into the 3's, so I may have to actually start practicing.....or heaven forbid, get off my lazy, fat butt and take a lesson.

[TourSpoon]

I play once a week and hit the range 3 times a week on average to practice for an hour or so. Since 2010, when I came back from a multi-year layoff, I was able to go from an 8 to a solid 5 in 2 years by doing this. This year it was from a 5 to a mid 4 by practicing smarter. I don't know if I can get to a high 3, but I am giving it a shot. Similarly to David, I have been a single digit for over 20 years so I had a good foundation to work with.

[MEfree]

I think some of it depends on the age you are when you get serious about golf and your prior sports background/ability.

I know a guy who practiced and played almost every day after taking the game up at age 69- his handicap leveled off at around 18...pretty consistent player but lacked the distance to get down to a single digit player.

[boil3rmak3r]

I play 3-5 times a week and don't practice. I don't take lessons. So basically comes out to the same as you and I fit into the range he said as well.

Are you the same "kw purp" that posted a couple of weeks ago that you shot 119 and it was one of your best rounds of the year? I believe it was in the "What did you shoot today" thread...

[boil3rmak3r]

I think some of it depends on the age you are when you get serious about golf and your prior sports background/ability. I know a guy who practiced and played almost every day after taking the game up at age 69- his handicap leveled off at around 18...pretty consistent player but lacked the distance to get down to a single digit player.

Rotella does mention physical ability as another factor in the equation. He does believe, however, that practice has much more to do with performance than natural ability.

[Chris223]

I play maybe 3-4 times per month.  And if I had money for a "swing coach" if such a thing even exists in Endicott NY, I might do it.  Golf is an expensive game, and I like to spend my money to play the nicer courses in my area which usually run me $50-$60 for a round.  It would be glorious if we all lived near the finest golf shops and fitting studios and not only had a combination of money and time to have swing coaches and hit the range every day that we don't play a course.  I am not in that kind of situation.  So I guess I will have to settle with shooting mid 90's and the occasional 88 or 89 on the days that my swing just seems to work.

[3putter]

From what I've gathered, I think it honestly depends on how you learn . A good mixture of both should be alright. I'm not a single digit yet, but I play mostly because I'm an addict, and to work on my course management, and the mental side. I hit the range maybe 3 times in 2 weeks to work on ball striking, I do short game practice 80% of the time practicing. Trust me, short game will lower your score quickly.

[kw purp]

Are you the same "kw purp" that posted a couple of weeks ago that you shot 119 and it was one of your best rounds of the year? I believe it was in the "What did you shoot today" thread...

Yes, I am also the kw purp who posted I play a shank draw as my stock shot and am working ond developing a shank fade. I post dumb s***

[Pretzel]

I play maybe 3-4 times per month.  And if I had money for a "swing coach" if such a thing even exists in Endicott NY, I might do it.

A "swing coach" really just means that you take lessons consistently from the same person. Depending on what the local professionals in your area charge, you may find a one-hour lesson to be the same price of just above what you say you pay for a round ($50-60) and would likely help you understand what you can do to improve better than playing 18 would. You don't need to take them frequently, but they sure can help when you feel like you're off the rails, so to speak.

[TN94z]

I don't believe everyone has to make it a point to put that much time in to get to single digits.  Like others, I played on the weekends and may have practiced once or twice a week and got to a 2.8....without teachers.

Now getting to scratch is a different story...

[DeanoMaestro]

I play at least 3 rounds a week in summer. Which include an hour warm up (30mins short game, 30mins irons) and sometimes again some time on the range/green after the round if I'm unhappy.

Last winter I developed (with some help from an Instructor) a cardio, flexibility and core strength training regime because I couldn't play as much with work commitments etc to get in full rounds. I did still manage to get down the range 3 times a week though.

Winter - 3 gym sessions and 3 range session as the golf wasn't as intense.

Summer - 3 Rounds and two Gym sessions, with two rest days in between.

With this regime, eating correctly as well as hydrating correctly, i got down to just under 3.

[Slice of Life]

Yes, I am also the kw purp who posted I play a shank draw as my stock shot and am working ond developing a shank fade. I post dumb s***

I was gonna say this. lol

[Maddog10]

Matches pretty well with me. I play probably 5 times a week, and will sprinkle a few putting/chipping or approach shot sessions in there. I've made my way down to about a 5 handicap this year. With more short game work, I still see plenty of room for improvement. Like one of the pros said though, there will never be a round that you can look back on and say you shot the best score you possibly could have.

[boil3rmak3r]

Yes, I am also the kw purp who posted I play a shank draw as my stock shot and am working ond developing a shank fade. I post dumb s***

I appreciate that and will remember in the future. There's enough bickering that goes on around here that some sarcasm and humor is always welcomed!

[Mr Smell Good]

About 6 months ago I had never had a lesson and I played golf on average about once every 3-6 months for the last 10 years.  My average score was probably 110-120.  Within the last 4-6 months I have probably played an average of one full round per week (always on Sat or Sun), usually warmed up for 45 minutes first, gone to the driving range 2x per week on lunch breaks, and taken 7 golf lessons from a pro.  Recently I posted a personal best score of 86 and I average in the low to mid 90s now.

I don't know when the progress is supposed to level off but I'm happy about all of it so far.  And that's with playing only weekends and getting some swings in at the range a couple times a week. I plan to continue this amount of practice and ultimately if I can average scores in the 80s whenever I play I'll be happy. I say that now anyway.  I feel as if getting to a single digit handicap playing only once a week is do-able as long as you have a practice area you can take some swings mid-week on.  Big difference between thinking it's do-able and actually doing it though