From 1 handicap to scratch or plus

[flopster]

The course rating for the course I usually play is 72.8 from where I play and I always play it back wherever I go. I usually lose shots off the tee and I feel like my mental game used to be an issue, because I would put so much pressure on myself for high school golf and junior golf, but I think I have improved lately in that aspect.

I would agree that it will only toughen you up when it's time to bear down and grind it out in tournaments.

[Pretzel]

The biggest difference I notice between me and my competitors that routinely are shooting 67's and 68's is long putts. I will rarely make putts over 20 feet, and even at 20 feet I might only make one with moderate break 1/10 times. Those guys will, first off avoid hitting it that far from the pin , make those putts much more routinely than I.

That and miss management (which recently helped me drop from a 4.8 at the end of last season to where I am now) are two things that set them apart. Their miss is less noticeable, and it's also always near their target since they play for the eventuality of missing the ball. If you miss it to the right 1/10 times, then just subtly aim to the left of the pin (still close to it) so that you're still close if you hit it where you're aiming but you're also not screwed if you miss it aiming for the tucked right pin.

A final thing to keep in mind is that they actually rarely are just aiming for the pin. I've picked their brains after a round before to help me improve and they tell me that they're aiming to give themselves the best birdie putt they can have. If the green starts to fall off just behind the pin and to the right (an example from a course I played today), then they will aim to be just short and left of the pin. This leaves them with a slightly uphill putt and a lesser chance of taking the hill to let their ball travel too far from the pin.

[iacas]

The biggest difference I notice between me and my competitors that routinely are shooting 67's and 68's is long putts. I will rarely make putts over 20 feet, and even at 20 feet I might only make one with moderate break 1/10 times. Those guys will, first off avoid hitting it that far from the pin , make those putts much more routinely than I.

It's really unlikely that it's the case.

The average PGA Tour player makes 1.5 putts over 22 feet over four rounds at a PGA Tour event. The winner only makes about 1.8 on average. At 33 feet, they're as likely to three-putt as they are to one-putt (i.e. putts to hole out is 2.00 or really close).

Don't let your (mis)perception of things send you down the wrong path.

That and miss management (which recently helped me drop from a 4.8 at the end of last season to where I am now) are two things that set them apart. Their miss is less noticeable, and it's also always near their target since they play for the eventuality of missing the ball. If you miss it to the right 1/10 times, then just subtly aim to the left of the pin (still close to it) so that you're still close if you hit it where you're aiming but you're also not screwed if you miss it aiming for the tucked right pin.

That's just understanding something called "Shot Zones" and their corresponding Shot Centers.

A final thing to keep in mind is that they actually rarely are just aiming for the pin. I've picked their brains after a round before to help me improve and they tell me that they're aiming to give themselves the best birdie putt they can have. If the green starts to fall off just behind the pin and to the right (an example from a course I played today), then they will aim to be just short and left of the pin. This leaves them with a slightly uphill putt and a lesser chance of taking the hill to let their ball travel too far from the pin.

The single most important thing in golf is hitting greens, and then when you've hit the green, to leave yourself the shortest putt. Not an uphill putt, just the shortest putt.

[cfritchie]

So are you a good guitar player?

Playing the same couple courses to get a scratch cap is kind of a vanity thing.

The ability to make birdies is what really makes you a good player. If you know you can rattle off 3 birdies in a row a couple bogeys don't have the same impact.

The OP is 18, he should be trying to make 5-6 birdie a round. I guarantee you will be scratch if you make 6 birdies every third round.

No...I suck at guitar! LOL

I totally disagree with  trying to make 6 birdies every third round.

There isn't a tour pro who averages 5 a round. Heck, the top 150 barely average over 3 per round. But all the top 150 average less then 3 bogey's per round. Becoming a scratch golfer is about developing a solid golf swing, a solid method in course management, and confidence in your ability. I've beat the crap out of a lot of guys who make a bunch of birdies but also take stupid risk, hit tee shots out of bounds and such.

I never made 6 birdies a round when I was a zero. but I never made 6 bogeys either.

My point on playing a couple of the same courses is "while in the process" of becoming a scratch golfer you can reduce for now one element and that is course management..you still have to do it but nothing like playing a new course every week. Many many golfers only play one course as they are members of a country club.

[skiballs]

No...I suck at guitar! LOL

I totally disagree with  trying to make 6 birdies every third round.

I never made 6 birdies a round when I was a zero. but I never made 6 bogeys either.

It took me 20yrs to learn to play and sing at the same time.

Probably the most dominate player ever, had the mindset that she was going to birdie every hole.

Dude, you never made six birdie in one round?

The OP is 18, he needs to learn, that even if you bogey the first three holes or shot 40 on the front. He can still brake par or better.

I always wonder why folks equate making birdies with risky play. For the OP and a lot of players, it my well mean laying up on par-5's and par-4 tee shots. I for one make a lot more birdies from the short grass.

[Maddog10]

I'm at a similar stage as you. Speaking for myself, I think the difference is going to come in proximity to the hole on approach shots, and putts in the 5-10 feet range. The pros make these at a 25-30% clip, whereas I'd say I make them around 15-20% of the time. They also get more of these putts than I do, because I normally hit the green for a 20 foot putt that I have roughly a 3-5% chance of making and then two putt from there. If I can reduce my proximity to the hole closer to 10 feet instead of 20ish feet whenever I'm hitting wedges and short irons into the green, I'll give myself more putts in that range while also putting with much better percentages. I think that's the most likely way for me to shave a stroke or two consistently. My best rounds are always when I'm hitting above average (for me) approach shots and am able to make 2 or 3 more putts outside of 5 feet than I normally would.

[boogielicious]

No...I suck at guitar! LOL

I totally disagree with  trying to make 6 birdies every third round.

There isn't a tour pro who averages 5 a round. Heck, the top 150 barely average over 3 per round. But all the top 150 average less then 3 bogey's per round. Becoming a scratch golfer is about developing a solid golf swing, a solid method in course management, and confidence in your ability. I've beat the crap out of a lot of guys who make a bunch of birdies but also take stupid risk, hit tee shots out of bounds and such.

I never made 6 birdies a round when I was a zero. but I never made 6 bogeys either.

My point on playing a couple of the same courses is "while in the process" of becoming a scratch golfer you can reduce for now one element and that is course management..you still have to do it but nothing like playing a new course every week. Many many golfers only play one course as they are members of a country club.

We are the exact opposite then!  I would put my guitar HC at 0 - 2.0!

Do you stick to a certain number of regular courses then?

[cfritchie]

We are the exact opposite then!  I would put my guitar HC at 0 - 2.0!

Do you stick to a certain number of regular courses then?

I just don't practice anymore (guitar), about 2 years after I picked up the guitar I left the corporate world and made photography my full time gig. Since then playing guitar has been on the back burner.

I have a home course, and then 2-3 other courses I float around and play.

One of them I've never broken 82 on, it is the Dye Course at Stonebridge Ranch Country club. That damn course has my number...and it is usually big. I'm playing in a 3 day member guest there in two weeks so will play it quite a bit over the next week or so.

I'm "working" on my game but not with the obsession I was back 8-9 years ago, if I get back to a scratch great..I'll keep working on things and taking a few lessons but not with the religion that I once did. I actually think I can get there easier now then I did before, but only because I know what to expect. It is hard..very hard. You need to go through 10-15 rounds of golf and never shoot over 75, throw in some even par rounds and a couple under par and you are there.

I taught golf back in the day and only needed my oral interview to have my Class A, decided to leave the business when I bought a landscape company. I miss it now and would go back to teaching...but since I only work with the guys under Hank Haney I have a different appreciation for the knowledge of the swing and  I can tell you...most guys have no clue how to teach, I've tried other coaches and it just never worked out. I'd question them hard on why they wanted me to do something and how exactly it would change my impact position or ball flight and they really couldn't give me a good answer. The Haney guys are VERY technical but they can explain exactly why they are asking you to do something...and why it is this that you need to do.

[cfritchie]

It took me 20yrs to learn to play and sing at the same time.

Probably the most dominate player ever, had the mindset that she was going to birdie every hole.

Dude, you never made six birdie in one round?

The OP is 18, he needs to learn, that even if you bogey the first three holes or shot 40 on the front. He can still brake par or better.

I always wonder why folks equate making birdies with risky play. For the OP and a lot of players, it my well mean laying up on par-5's and par-4 tee shots. I for one make a lot more birdies from the short grass.

I can't remember if I've made 6 birdies in a round or not...I had it to -4 after 8 holes a couple weeks ago and ended up shooting even par. -3 on the front and +3 on the back. I know I once had 5 birdies in a row....

I would like to believe I can birdie every hole but I am smart enough to know that I'm not going to. Making a par is a good thing, sure not all birdies are risky shots, I'm not a long hitter so I make most of my birdies getting up and down on par 5's..

I approach a round with the goal of making good golf swings and smart decisions and let everything else take over from there. So many guys could lower there handicap just by making better decisions.

[mvmac]

The average PGA Tour player makes 1.5 putts over 22 feet over four rounds at a PGA Tour event. The winner only makes about 1.8 on average. At 33 feet, they're as likely to three-putt as they are to one-putt (i.e. putts to hole out is 2.00 or really close).

Don't let your (mis)perception of things send you down the wrong path.

That's just understanding something called "Shot Zones" and their corresponding Shot Centers.

The single most important thing in golf is hitting greens, and then when you've hit the green, to leave yourself the shortest putt. Not an uphill putt, just the shortest putt.

And so it begins....

You guys will be hearing a lot more of this kind of talk in the near future.

---

@JGolf210 this would be a good thread to check out and make sure this is how you're allocating your practice time.

[skiballs]

And so it begins....

You guys will be hearing a lot more of this kind of talk in the near future.

Not to worry, I don't understand any of it, anyway.

[mvmac]

Not to worry, I don't understand any of it, anyway.

You will after you read this

[joekelly]

Any reviews of that book, Mike?  I mean by someone not named Erik or Mike?

cheers

[mvmac]

Any reviews of that book, Mike?  I mean by someone not named Erik or Mike?

cheers

Erik and Dave just finished the final edit.

[iacas]

Any reviews of that book, Mike?  I mean by someone not named Erik or Mike?

A guy named Dave thinks it's the best golf instructional book ever written.

[BuckeyeNut]

This is my first post, and I was wondering if anyone had any tips on lowering a handicap to scratch or plus.  Are there any effective practice routines, workouts, etc. that might help out?  I'm currently 18 years old and a 1.2 index, I have been as low as 0.7, just never been able to get over the hump.

You just need to improve in every aspect of the game....

Keep on playing and you'll get there.  There is no simple fix...

[Rip24]

Read the book "Every Shot Counts" it takes shot link data from the pros and uses the principal of "strokes gained" and applies it to driving, approach shots, scrambling, ect.   This book literally blew my mind with what it discovered.   I assessed my weakness and dropped 3 stroked in a month by adjusting my focus of practice and course management.  Spoiler Alert:  Its not all about putting.....

[GHIN0011458]

The course rating for the course I usually play is 72.8 from where I play and I always play it back wherever I go. I usually lose shots off the tee and I feel like my mental game used to be an issue, because I would put so much pressure on myself for high school golf and junior golf, but I think I have improved lately in that aspect.

You just answered your own question. Work on Tee shots. Getting up and down too.