How long does is truly take?

[brice]

It only took you 2 years to get to a single digit handicap? That is some dedication lol

[Lihu]

It only took you 2 years to get to a single digit handicap? That is some dedication lol

And talent.

[Slice of Life]

It took me 3 seasons of solid dedication to the game to get to a single digit handicap. - Ryan of 2015

[Aflighter]

To start to "groove" a good golfswing in your guys opinion? Ive been at it for a year and I finally feel like I am starting to make a little progress. When I got to the range and his a bucket of 50, my breakdown falls into something like this:

30 Solid Shots. Correct contact

10 OK. Not perfectly square but definitely playable

5-10 shanks. Usually the week push shot to the right variety off the hosel or very inside of the club.

The shanks discourage me but Ive gotten better at stepping away and taking a breath and not getting pissed off that it happened. The shanks usually start when I change clubs on the range and go from like a 7 iron to a 4 iron. I believe the issue is I come too far inside and try to hit the ball harder when the clubs get bigger instead of putting the same easy swing on it. I hit my wedges and short irons well consistently now..

Just curious as to when it really felt like to each of you when you had your swing grooved.....

Thanks,

Hags

well from your 50 balls on the range that 30 were good and only 5-10 were shanks id say them 5-10 are happening quite a bit to be shooting 100.I came to the conclusion from just trying different things that the grip is veryyyyy important for making good consistent contact.Unfortunately  what worked for me might not be your issue plus ive been playing 20 years.You will find what works for you as you continue to play.You will gradually become better.Go to the range and try different things and you will find something that feels good and you will be better.

[iacas]

It only took you 2 years to get to a single digit handicap? That is some dedication lol

I was a kid. I averaged like 32 holes a day. :)

[sgt1372]

There's the 10,000 hour rule which says that it takes 10,000 hours (roughly 5 years of 8 hr/day 5 day/week practice/training) to achieve mastery of any skill.

There's someone on the Net who has been trying to become a pro-level golfer using this guideline but he still hasn't achieved pro ranking yet after 4 years and around 5500 hours of playing golf.  His 10,000 hour deadline is currently set for December 2016.  Check out The Dan Plan at: http://thedanplan.com/about

I think that how long it takes to learn how to play golf depends on what your objective is.  Do you just want to have "fun" and be able to play a "decent" round of golf w/o looking like a complete idiot and without holding everyone else up?  Or, do you want to become a scratch/pro golfer?

If the former, based on what I've read so far, it should only take someone w/normal athletic ability and coordination, 3-4 months of regular practice (at least 1-2 times a week) and some course play (maybe 1-2x's per month) to be able to play a "decent" round of golf.  If the latter, it might take 10,000 hours of practice or all your life and, even then, you may never be able to achieve it.

For myself, as a 64 year old newbie, who is reasonably athletic and who just started learning how to play 5 weeks ago, I'll be happy if I can play a "decent" round of golf w/in the next 6 months by April next year, which should include at least 3-4 months' worth of practice and course play during that time period.

FWIW, I think that someone who is a consistent bogey/double bogey player as "decent".  If you are a consistent bogey player, you would average 88 on a Par 70 course, which is far better than the "average" golfer at around 103.  A double bogey player would put you among the average amateurs around 106.  So, anywhere between a 88-106 average, I think, should qualify as decent and this will be my short term golf objective.

We'll see . . .

[nevets88]

There's the 10,000 hour rule which says that it takes 10,000 hours (roughly 5 years of 8 hr/day 5 day/week practice/training) to achieve mastery of any skill.  There's someone on the Net who has been trying to become a pro-level golfer using this guideline but he still hasn't achieved pro ranking yet after 4 years and around 5500 hours of playing golf.  His 10,000 hour deadline is currently set for December 2016.  Check out The Dan Plan at: [URL=http://thedanplan.com/about]http://thedanplan.com/about[/URL]

The Dan Plan? We've been talking about this in all its gory detail. Voila... :-) http://thesandtrap.com/t/45853/the-dan-plan-10-000-hours-to-become-a-pro-golfer

[sgt1372]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgt1372

There's the 10,000 hour rule which says that it takes 10,000 hours (roughly 5 years of 8 hr/day 5 day/week practice/training) to achieve mastery of any skill.

There's someone on the Net who has been trying to become a pro-level golfer using this guideline but he still hasn't achieved pro ranking yet after 4 years and around 5500 hours of playing golf.  His 10,000 hour deadline is currently set for December 2016.  Check out The Dan Plan at: http://thedanplan.com/about

The Dan Plan? We've been talking about this in all its gory detail. Voila...

http://thesandtrap.com/t/45853/the-dan-plan-10-000-hours-to-become-a-pro-golfer

Like I said, I'm a newbie.  Not only to golf but to The Sand Trap.  So, forgive me for not being aware of The Dan Plan thread.

[joekelly]

If OP an adult and just beginning, prepare yourself for deep frustration and relentless desire to quietly quit.

Erik, and all the others  who learned as youth, glad for them.

The rest of us  toil away with the mind/body games.

[CraiginKSA]

I've been golfing seriously for about 2 1/2 years now.  I'm about a 14.  I don't know how many times i've told my foursome, "I'm selling my clubs at the turn!"  Then, i'll hit a shot pure, or get up and down from a bunker, and I'll think, "OK, just a couple more holes."  By the end, i'm thinking, "maybe i could get in another 9 if it's not too crowded."

[Slice of Life]

I've been golfing seriously for about 2 1/2 years now.  I'm about a 14.  I don't know how many times i've told my foursome, "I'm selling my clubs at the turn!"  Then, i'll hit a shot pure, or get up and down from a bunker, and I'll think, "OK, just a couple more holes."  By the end, i'm thinking, "maybe i could get in another 9 if it's not too crowded."

You know I've never thought about quitting...and it's actually my worst days that make me want to practice and play more. Different motivation for different people I suppose.

[CraiginKSA]

It's a little different here in the Kingdom.  Some days when it's 120 deg and you're playing like garbage, you think to yourself, is it really worth it?  I'm not having any fun.  I'm sweating buckets. I need to hit a good shot!  I've shut it down mid-round because it's just too miserable to continue if I'm not playing well.

[Pretzel]

You know I've never thought about quitting...and it's actually my worst days that make me want to practice and play more. Different motivation for different people I suppose.

This is the same for me. After I play really bad, I'll usually try to spend a lot of time fixing it so I do better the next time.

[tomvk77]

Well it all comes down to the time you put into it.

When i first started i played a lot off golf and practiced much.

My golf pro was a good friend and i played a lot after work with him.

So i progressed a lot in a short period off time, my ball striking was

pretty solid after about a year, i only used irons for the first 5 years.

and i was a hdc 11,4 when i first hit a 3 wood of the tee.

as for now, not playing that much any more, you know busy job and family life, but

i still benefit a good iron play. if the woods have an off day i can still get a ball in play

with a 3I

[joekelly]

The true misery happens a month after the day at the  fancy resort where you stunk the place up, claiming a HC of 15, and unable to break 110. Then comes the credit card bill and you think back to that green fee of $240 now totally down the tubes.  For 111 shots. And the kids need new shoes for school.

[JonMA1]

The shanks discourage me but Ive gotten better at stepping away and taking a breath and not getting pissed off that it happened.

If you can control this, you're ahead of the game IMO.

I never get tired of reading this type of thread. I realize I'm not the only one who tries like hell to become better only to take one step forward and two back. We can become so obsessed about improvement and trying to chase an expectation that it becomes easy to forget how enjoyable the game can be - even when we don't play up to our capabilities.

Improvement is a huge part of why most of us play the game. I can't speak for anyone else, but there's got to be more. Even during my worst rounds (which have been plentiful of late), there were shots that just felt incredible. Granted, it's not as good a feeling as shooting a personal best score or seeing a handicap drop, but those good shots are what I think about while driving home from the course.

Good luck with your progress Hags.

[lhagsjr]

Hey Jon,

I notice your handicap is "HIGH" so it is nice to find someone in the same position. Thanks for the reply. It sounds like a small thing but for me its a milestone. I use to get myself into a case of the shanks and could NOT get out of it. Meaning if I was doing well ont he range and then all of a sudden hit a shank I would be SCREWED for the rest of the bucket. My mind would quickly tell me Im screwed and I would be toast. This went on for 10-11 months. I would have great range sessions for 30 balls and then completely lose it and never get it back. Lately I fall into he "Shanks" less and when I do I am able to dig my way out of it on my own. It may tae 15-20 balls but I figure it out. The thing that Im learning is progress to me is starting to do things without having to think about it. Meaning when I first started a year ago I had like 10 things to "remember" to do in my swing. Do you know how hard it is to actually swing when your trying to remember 10 things. Now I have it down to 5 Things and 3 of them are before I even swing so Im not actually thinking about when swing:

1.) Make Sure I stand proper distance from ball

2.) Proper Grip

3.) Relax all muscles before swinging

When Im actually about to swing I have only 2 things in my mind:

1.) Make sure to keep feet grounded. When I have issues it is mostly with my feet being way to active which gets me off balance and I have no power.

2.) Make that complete left shoulder turn(don't get lazy with it) while coling properly.

If I do the things about Im good.

This game is NOT easy...

[JonMA1]

This game is NOT easy...

No it's not.

The first year I started, I had to bust my # @^ to get to the level of bad. It was immediately and painfully obvious how difficult and slow improvement would come. Not everyone is like that though. I mean the game is just as hard for everyone, but there seems to be those who make steady progress.

I think part of it is their ability to identify the most damaging weakness or the cause of a bad result  - such as what exactly is causing the shanks -  and working on it until it's improved upon, then systematically identifying the next issue and so on.

While that sort of improvement is difficult, setting it to memory is even more so. I haven't found a way to pull it off.

I think you're right about reducing swing thoughts when you're over the ball.