A realistic handicap goal?

[Norm66]

I was posting about my goals in the Sticky'd thread and got to considering what might be a realistic goal for next year handicap wise. I started playing golf a year ago August and didn't really start keeping a handicap until some time in June or July. For the past two months I've been somewhere in the range of 20-21 according to greenskeeper.org. I'm playing by all the rules as far as I know and what I've learned from here.

So that's 36 to 21 in about a year. I have no illusions about dropping another 15 strokes in the next year so what do you guys think is a realistic goal for next year? I'm thinking 15. Realistic? Too easy?

[sonicblue]

Just keep in mind that your index is your best 10 of your last 20 rounds. So, ten rounds get kicked out, and the other 10 get averaged. Assuming a 72 rating and 113 slope, that means a 15 index will shoot 87 or better only FIVE times. This is why it's easy to reduce your index the higher it is, because you can blow up 15/20 rounds, but then just get five good rounds in.

The moral is: figure out, out of 20 rounds, what you'd like to set as a goal for your best five. Then, adjust for the rating/slope of courses you think you'll play (e.g., 70 rating, slope 110 vs. 73 rating, slope 130) to get a goal index.

For example, myself: Barring anything unusual, I'll finish this year right around an 8. Next year, I think my best five rounds should be in the +5 range. My most common courses play right around their par, but slopes are generally higher (120's-130, call it a 10% factor). That would put me at about a 4.0 goal.

[Shindig]

So that's 36 to 21 in about a year. I have no illusions about dropping another 15 strokes in the next year so what do you guys think is a realistic goal for next year? I'm thinking 15. Realistic? Too easy?

At the moment, I'm aiming for 17 by the end of next summer, so I think going from 21 to 15 is realistic. But I've yet to make the jump from 21 to 15.

[WhiteSoxFan]

I went from 25.4 down to 19.7 this year. I think I'm targeting maybe getting below 16 next year.

I think your goal is ambitious, but it's definitely attainable with some focused practice and hard work.

Edit - my situation is similar to you in that this is the first season I've really taken golf seriously.

[crazy_horst]

I think it's realistic, but there are considerations worth bearing in mind. First of all, if you don't get there, don't be upset. I'm a 14.8 right now, and I started this season probably a shot higher. I'm a much better golfer than I was 6 months ago, but you don't always see it immediately in your handicap. You'll drive the ball great for two weeks but can't hit irons. You'll start stiffing your irons and then three-putting. Then one day you'll get up and shoot your best round by 10 strokes for no apparent reason, and then not break 90 for a month.

It's the nature of the beast.

P.S. The other thing, and I think others will back me up on this, is that if it's really your first year, you might make some nice strides and then all of the sudden go backwards or be stuck in neutral for 2 years. I can think back to shooting low 90's (88, 92, 92, 89, 93, stuff like that) 3 years ago, and now I'm shooting 83, 86, 84, 88, and I can't tell you how much better I am. Golf is a weird game...

[Terrier]

I think it's realistic, but there are considerations worth bearing in mind. First of all, if you don't get there, don't be upset. I'm a 14.8 right now, and I started this season probably a shot higher. I'm a

I've had the pleasure of playing golf with you, my friend. Dead-on with your opinions in this thread...

I can think back to when I was a 2. I can think back to that time I saw the Grateful Dead. Or NIN. I think. ;) It all depends on how seriously we/I take golf. Or life. Golf on! What pains me is that I was better as a kid than I am now. Hmm. I know it's because I didn't think as much back then. But I love golf more now? Hmm...

[lamebums]

I went from a total hack down to a low of 11.7. I've been going in the wrong direction and am now 15.2 (crunched the numbers the other day). Been pounding away with high 80's/low 90's a lot lately, I can't seem to get a breakthrough. If the driver works, the irons don't. And if the irons work, the putter's dead. Before, I'd score about a 105, but cheat and shave 50 strokes, and now, well, I can go around in half as many strokes, honestly, than before. My goal next year is pretty aggressive (5 handicap) but I don't think it's impossible, especially considering I dropped about uh...sixty strokes this year, at least. I just need to form a plan, set my mind to it, and do it, is all.

At a 21 handicap, I'd say yeah, go ahead and shoot for another 12-15 strokes. It's a long shot but, I figure if you don't aim high, you won't improve as much.

[Chilidipper]

I've been stuck in the mid teens for 5 years. I just play now lol

[PaperHogan]

It's in the dirt, go dig it out and find your lower handicap. It's realistic, don't ever think it isn't. Go take what is yours. The moment you feel that a certain amount of strokes is good enough, that's where you'll be.

An old Brunswick (makers of the Rifle shafts) ad in Golfweek read "Introducing a revolutionary new product guaranteed to lower your handicap..." and then on the next page was a picture of a bucket of range balls. That ad changed my life.

Practice, play, putt, chip, etc. it's all good advice. But go buy 2 books by Bob Rotella "Golf is not a game of perfect" and "Golf is a game of confidence". Save up, sell something on eBay, rob a bank (Ok, don't do that), my point is, do whatever you need to do to own those books. Read them as quickly as possible and go play. What I mean is, ingest as much of the info in those books as quickly as possible and see how much better you play the next time out. I won't spoil it for you, just see what happens. Change the fundamental thinking of your golf game. You want a single digit handicap? Great! Go get it. It's waiting for you.

Believe in yourself.

[Patricio]

I'm actually curious about that too.
Yesterday I was looking at the golf channel and a guy with handicap 3 was making a fool of himself.
Even my wife went like .. ey , you play weeey better than him.
Usually I loose my focus around 13th hole , but in the other hand yesterday I made green in 2 on a par 5!!! (498 yrs)
then took me 3 putts to close the deal ... bummer.
Maybe the thing is just keep your focus and try to be consistent is more important than hitting the life out of the little white ball.
What u guys think?

[allin]

I am starting to feel that part of the reason we plateu out is that it is relatively easy to identify mechanical flaws. As your fundamentals improve your focus has to move on to feel, distance control, contolling shot shape, short game nuances etc. These areas are more subtle, just hitting the ball more solidly becomes an area where more effort fails to deliver much improvement. Maybe our broad statments work on my short game etc don't identify our weaknesses clearly enough. My distance control out of sand sucks. I get it out and on the green but rarely close to the hole. If in ten rounds I get a couple of sandys and no more than two putts on the rest that is probably 1/2 shot right there. I think I can find another shot putting and chipping. One more shot from my approach and recovery shots and 1/2 shot off the tee and I am in single digits. I wonder if this is how the best golfers look at it?

[tigerwoo]

I absolutely agree with you ALLIN! Ever since I became more focussed on all the things you've said (feel, distance control, shotshape, shortgame) I went from a similar handicap as you (12) to where I am now (6). If you can save half a dozen strokes/round with the combination of a couple of putts going in, getting a couple up and downs and getting closer to the pin via a better shotshape or decision... you've now broken 80. Do it a few times more often and you're handicap will come down!

[Hacker James]

In an effort to find an existing thread to fit a comment into I found this one.

I was just observing my steady drop in handicap index after consistent practice and being able to play more often. I have gone from a 20 to 17.9 (with a single game low of 16.8) in only 9 outings. This after practicing daily in my yard hitting into a cage, but working on mostly one thing at a time and ignoring every little tid bit of tip that comes along. I also realize that soon I will more than likely reach a lull or plateau. 

Case in point, yesterday at a course a bit more difficult than ones I normally play, I had some very decent shots, stayed in the fairway the whole round, was making some stellar pitches, good ball control, but also a couple more three putts than I would have liked. Probably the best round all year, yet the score does not indicate it. I am not certain, but it looks as if I should concentrate more on putting, but even so, I made some darned good puts by the last 4 or 5 holes. The index will go up from here on out, as more scores are in the calculation unless I post even lower rounds that will "push" the high scores down the totem pole until they are pushed off the grid altogether as I get closer to twenty rounds and use the average of the most recent ten.  It's a grind!

Edited October 31, 2016 by Hacker James

[Club Rat]

@Hacker James

I suggest you consider buying and using "Game Golf" or at least use the free app to record your rounds.
Having the data to review multiple rounds will benefit you in every aspect of improving.
It also is beneficial to analyzing yardages for your clubs along with short game play and putting stats.

I specifically enjoy reviewing the rounds. I also maintain stats/scores in a spreadsheet which I find very useful.
I'll look at the score history which indicates the holes which my score average is highest and determine what is
required to play them better. Then I apply the thoughts to a game plan and keep grinding away.

Good luck and enjoy the game.

[Hacker James]

2 hours ago, Club Rat said:

@Hacker James

I suggest you consider buying and using "Game Golf" or at least use the free app to record your rounds.
Having the data to review multiple rounds will benefit you in every aspect of improving.
It also is beneficial to analyzing yardages for your clubs along with short game play and putting stats.

I specifically enjoy reviewing the rounds. I also maintain stats/scores in a spreadsheet which I find very useful.
I'll look at the score history which indicates the holes which my score average is highest and determine what is
required to play them better. Then I apply the thoughts to a game plan and keep grinding away.

Good luck and enjoy the game.

Thanks. I do not even own a smart phone however, but if and when I do, I will certainly consider getting the app. I do maintain a spreadsheet on my computer that I made that is in accordance with GHIN. It does not provide me with hole by hole data, or distances, but does show my trending.

[CarlSpackler]

3 minutes ago, Hacker James said:

Thanks. I do not even own a smart phone however, but if and when I do, I will certainly consider getting the app. I do maintain a spreadsheet on my computer that I made that is in accordance with GHIN. It does not provide me with hole by hole data, or distances, but does show my trending.

I just did a blog entry on a little system I pulled out of my... head to quickly analyze a round. It agreed with Game Golf, but made a nice little check to see if it agreed. 

[Hacker James]

27 minutes ago, CarlSpackler said:

I just did a blog entry on a little system I pulled out of my... head to quickly analyze a round. It agreed with Game Golf, but made a nice little check to see if it agreed. 

I'll take a look t it. I like fooling around with spreadsheets, but not really interested so much in shot by shot, I could easily add G.I.R., FW, and Putts,SS. But then I would need to maintain it. The one I have now, all I need do is enter front and back scores, the course rating and slope and the rest is automatically calculated, although I still need to do a sort.  The running index is maintained and will be indicated adjacent the bottom line of data. I suppose if I wanted, I could do an "If Then, do" and even the course data would be filled in as soon as I type in the course name. So far it is in Excel format, but I would do something in MS Access if I had it. (can not now since I lost my original Microsoft Office and had to do everything in Open Office (Apache). 

 

[NJpatbee]

So much depends upon how much you practice and play, and what type of instruction you receive.  I have never had the good fortune of playing more than 30 rounds in a season and try to practice once/week.   As a 21 if you can play and practice a couple of times/week and get some good instruction you should be able to reduce your index by a few strokes.  If you are limited to being a weekend warrior like many of us a stroke or two would be an accomplishment.  And it will become more difficult to lower your index the lower you get - it was easy for a golfer like myself starting at age 40 to go from a 30 index to a 22 and eventually get as low as 15 8 years later.  Going from a 21 to 10 would take a phenomenal effort and good amount of natural ability.  Just don't forget to have fun if you go all out working on your index.