Bad Rounds Getting Better But Good Rounds Staying The Same

[InTheRough]

So I've hit a little bit of a confusing plateau in my game.  Over this season I have noticed that the scores of my bad rounds have been steadily dropping however my good rounds have stayed pretty much the same.  To give you some quick background info, my handicap is about 11 (according to GameGolf) and my best rounds this year have been between 80-82 which is about where they were at the end of last year.  My bad rounds however have dropped from 90-95+ last year to 86-87 this year.  Today's round was a perfect example of what felt like a bad round this season--drives were weak, chunky, or off line, iron play wasn't bad though I only managed 39%GIR (strong winds today on an open course made some tricky shots), and putting was OK but final score was an 86 (which I would have considered a decent round this time last year).  So my bad rounds have clearly improved however my good rounds are still stuck where they were a year ago.

So my question is has anyone else ever experienced this plateau where your bad rounds are getting better but good rounds are not, and what did you do to break through that wall?

[saevel25]

So my question is has anyone else ever experienced this plateau where your bad rounds are getting better but good rounds are not, and what did you do to break through that wall?

The ability to shoot lower scores gets tougher and tougher. Meaning, you can see dramatic scoring drop for a 30 handicap versus a 8 handicap. If a 30 handicap gets good instruction they can cut their handicap in half. An 8 handicap might see their handicap drop 2-3 strokes. 

It's not uncommon to see yourself hit a wall on how good you can shoot. You are getting better to the point you are not making the big scores anymore. That is a good sign. Probably time to look at where your game is struggling at. I recommend buying "Lowest Score Wins". It gives you some pretty good benchmarks and will help you prioritize what to work on. 

[phillyk]

The wall can stay there for a couple years before you punch through and drop a few HC strokes again.  I punched through a couple years ago when I went from single digits to scratch within a year.  I can't explain what happened except that I started scoring better.  Made less mistakes and more birdies, just getting comfortable with the swing.  But then I hit an even bigger wall that I knew I wouldn't overcome on my own, so I started taking lessons for the first time last winter.  I've finally come around to where I'm nearly scratch again, but this time I'm confident it'll go further.  2 things i've realized must happen, 1) you trust your swing fully, meaning you can tweak it a little here for a certain shot and you know exactly how to make it happen every time, and 2) you have to enjoy the adventure of trying to break through, to always want to work at getting better.  Walls will always pop up, but that's what makes golf fun!

[Mike Boatright]

Sometimes it's the fact that you may not be playing competitively. Casual rounds rarely bring out the best in anyone kinda like a pro basketball player in the offseason just shooting hoops with his buddies.

[MrFlipper]

So I've hit a little bit of a confusing plateau in my game.  Over this season I have noticed that the scores of my bad rounds have been steadily dropping however my good rounds have stayed pretty much the same.  To give you some quick background info, my handicap is about 11 (according to GameGolf) and my best rounds this year have been between 80-82 which is about where they were at the end of last year.  My bad rounds however have dropped from 90-95+ last year to 86-87 this year.  Today's round was a perfect example of what felt like a bad round this season--drives were weak, chunky, or off line, iron play wasn't bad though I only managed 39%GIR (strong winds today on an open course made some tricky shots), and putting was OK but final score was an 86 (which I would have considered a decent round this time last year).  So my bad rounds have clearly improved however my good rounds are still stuck where they were a year ago.

So my question is has anyone else ever experienced this plateau where your bad rounds are getting better but good rounds are not, and what did you do to break through that wall?

You all are making this sound like a bad thing but I'd suggest it's a really good thing. You used to have rounds in the 90's, some 95+. Now nothing worse than 87? That's a big improvement. Lots of bad shots not happening anymore. Lots more to feel confident about.

Improvement can come from hitting less worse bad shots as well as from more good shots, probably moreso. The more you minimize your stroke "wasters", the better you will score. I suggest you pat yourself on the back just a little for hitting much fewer poor shots and be excited that your better scores will begin to improve as well, as a result.

[dave s]

Agree with others.  You're doing way more good and right than wrong at this point in your game.  The only thoughts I can share with you is to ask you to chart your rounds and look for those final few areas of your game that cost you shots.  Here's an example:

I charted par 3 scoring for 2 seasons.  I knew my scoring was not good but shocked to see that my par 3 scoring average was 4.3 strokes.  Man, that's averaging almost a double on par 3 holes!  To improve, I worked on the range with clubs and distances of 120-170 yards.  Not like I'm going to hit greens much longer than that and we don't find many 120 yard par 3s, but you get the idea.

Basically, I was just missing par-3 greens.  Didn't have any trouble hitting greens from 150 and in from the fairway, but put a ball on a tee and try hitting a par-3 green was definitely a liability in my game.  Corrected issue and have the par-3 scoring down to about 3.5.  Saved me 3 shots a round.

There may be areas in your game where improvement can be quantified, practiced and corrected to produce lower round scores. If you chart what happens over a season or two, you'll see common inconsistencies that you can work on. Look for things like getting up and down in 3 vs 2 shots around the greens.  Understand why, then work to improve that number.

dave

[InTheRough]

thanks for the responses everyone--good to hear that its not uncommon to hit this kind of wall-- i guess i was expecting a little more of a linear progression in scores.  I do track most of my rounds on GameGolf so i'll have to take a closer look to see if there are any glaring inconsistencies though at first glance i need to improve in just about every category.

[rehmwa]

this isn't a wall - this is a GREAT thing.  low 80s and upper 70's is where you want to start getting rid of mistakes and blowup holes.