What's Preventing You From Playing Scratch Golf?

[bubble]

people are so bad at golf that playing 6 handicap is enough to beat almost everyone. why play scratch ?

[iacas]

people are so bad at golf that playing 6 handicap is enough to beat almost everyone. why play scratch ?

Because scratch is better than a 6 handicap?

[mchepp]

The 17th and 18th hole. If I could quit after 16 I would be right around par.

All joking aside, for me I feel it is the driver, too many bad shots leading to punching out. Chipping, so not getting up and down enough particularly when it should be automatic like when I am just off the green. And lastly putting. I don't make enough putts outside of 7 feet.

My iron play could be better which might lead to less pressure on my chipping game.

So a lot of elements go into my inability to shoot par.

[David in FL]

Because scratch is better than a 6 handicap?

A LOT better......

[rehmwa]

A LOT better......

hey - it's only 6 strokes .  I throw that many away into the water during a round.....

GIR and Putting here.  Hopeful for this next season - finding really good stuff in practice.  and consistency, consistency, consistency.  Of my last 20 rounds, the best 10 and the worst 10 are like two completely different players.  That MUST get better or else I'm not playing my game, I'm just 'experimenting' and trying find whatever the heck my game is.

If I can move into 4-6 range, I'll be thrilled and likely not be able to get much farther than that.  But that means the occasional even round or so.  I'd be thrilled to get to that point consistently.  Just want to start from where I finished in 2013 and try to convert more birdie opportunities especially.

[phan52]

1. I don't have the time to work on my game.

2. I don't have the time to work on my game.

3. I don't have the time to work on my game.

[flopster]

The 17th and 18th hole. If I could quit after 16 I would be right around par.

All joking aside, for me I feel it is the driver, too many bad shots leading to punching out. Chipping, so not getting up and down enough particularly when it should be automatic like when I am just off the green. And lastly putting. I don't make enough putts outside of 7 feet.

My iron play could be better which might lead to less pressure on my chipping game.

So a lot of elements go into my inability to shoot par.

It's basically everything, and that's the same here, I try and narrow it down at times but it just comes down to every facet has to improve. And the biggest hold up is the time it takes, I'll have periods of time even a few weeks but then it's back to work 6 or even 7 days a week and golf is just an afterthought.

[David in FL]

hey - it's only 6 strokes  .

Tell me about it....

I honestly believe that the average 15 hcp is closer to 6 than the 6 is to scratch.

[cipher]

I honestly believe that the average 15 hcp is closer to 6 than the 6 is to scratch.

I learned that one pretty quick over the last few years.  I might even say that say the average 15 hc is closer to 6 than a 4 is to scratch.

[David in FL]

I learned that one pretty quick over the last few years.  I might even say that say the average 15 hc is closer to 6 than a 4 is to scratch.

I wouldn't argue that.......

[The Recreational Golfer]

Interesting thought, but I don't know.....  With a 9.5 index, your scoring average is probably around 84ish....?  Do you really think that 9 mulligans would be enough to save you 12+ strokes very often?

I certainly wouldn't guarantee 72 with 9 mulligans and my scoring average is 79.9 right now.

A mulligan in the right spot can turn a double bogey into a par. It doesn't have to be stroke-for-stroke.

The average of my last 20 scores is 82.2.

[tqcishark]

I couldn't shoot scratch golf if I devoted every free moment I had.  I just don't have that kind of golf in me.

[RFKFREAK]

I don't hit it far enough. And I'm a terrible putter.

No! I'm not! I'm an excellent putter! Nay, an exceptional putter! I love putting! Every time I walk on the green, all I think about is how happy I am to be there and to have a chance to show how good I am at putting! Yeah!*

(* Can you tell I'm working on my mental game in 2014?)

I love being on the green!  I just wish it didn't take me 4-8 strokes to get there.

[David in FL]

A mulligan in the right spot can turn a double bogey into a par. It doesn't have to be stroke-for-stroke. The average of my last 20 scores is 82.2.

Yep.....it can, but it won't necessarily. And in order for you to pick up those 12 strokes, you'd need that to happen 3 times and also convert every one of the other 6 too. Plus there's the challenge of deciding when to use a mulligan. Do you save one for 17 and 18? Do you always play 17 and 18 even or better? Try it some day, it'd be fun to hear the results, but I think I'd put my money against it more often than not.

[JonMA1]

QFT!

The average guy has NO IDEA how good a scratch golfer is....

....or how poor their own play/ball-striking is relative to that standard.

Sadly, I do know.

If I played with someone who shot a round in the upper 70's, I'd be amazed. To hear those of you who are there, it sounds like you have the same respect for scratch players. From my perspective, there's little difference between single digit golf and scratch - except from reading the posts. So I guess you're right, I have no real clue.

I couldn't shoot scratch golf if I devoted every free moment I had.  I just don't have that kind of golf in me.

Same here. Not even if I had started at a younger age.

[The Recreational Golfer]

Yep.....it can, but it won't necessarily. And in order for you to pick up those 12 strokes, you'd need that to happen 3 times and also convert every one of the other 6 too. Plus there's the challenge of deciding when to use a mulligan. Do you save one for 17 and 18? Do you always play 17 and 18 even or better?

Try it some day, it'd be fun to hear the results, but I think I'd put my money against it more often than not.

I have tried it. My mulliganed score was 73. Close. Why don't you try it, too? You might be surprised. Give yourself six. The decision of when to use a mulligan is most often pretty clear.

And that's only 10 strokes I had to pick up, not 12.

[RFKFREAK]

Quote:

Originally Posted by David in FL

QFT!

The average guy has NO IDEA how good a scratch golfer is....

....or how poor their own play/ball-striking is relative to that standard.

Sadly, I do know.

If I played with someone who shot a round in the upper 70's, I'd be amazed. To hear those of you who are there, it sounds like you have the same respect for scratch players. From my perspective, there's little difference between single digit golf and scratch - except from reading the posts. So I guess you're right, I have no real clue.

+1 on this.  To be honest, I'm amazed that there are so many people in this community that consistently shoot in the 70's and 80's.  Gives me hope.

A great day for me is shooting in the 90's and I have a friend who feels he's had a bad day when he shoots an the 85.  I think I'd do backflips if I shot an 85.

I'm hopeful sometime this year shooting 85 will be an average round for me.  Long way to go for that, though - haha.

[inthehole]

Quote:

Originally Posted by David in FL

I honestly believe that the average 15 hcp is closer to 6 than the 6 is to scratch.

I learned that one pretty quick over the last few years.  I might even say that say the average 15 hc is closer to 6 than a 4 is to scratch.

Myself being a 15 hcp & considering the work it's taken to just get there ... I have a very hard time getting on board with that considering the skill set required for me to get to a 6 is absolutely light years away & involves dramatic improvement in every aspect of the game