How good could you get if you....

[Faksakes]

...had 20-30 hours a week to golf? That includes instruction, practice and playing time.

For me I'm a 11.5hc and play on average twice a week and practice (hit a bucket of balls, no short game or putting) twice a week. That is two more practice sessions than I normally do and I've been getting some online lessons as well as signed up for a trial at GGswingtips (George Gankas) site and there is some seriously great info on there imo.  I started the year at a 13 and down to an 11 after about a month of golf. My low ever has been a 9hc and that was only for a few weeks. For the last 10 years I can maintain a 13-15hc with almost no practice.

I've never had a lot of time or money to golf as much as I'd like. Usually get 30-35 rounds in per year. I am considering getting a membership and trying to get in 70+ rounds as I have the time this year and some extra cash. Normally I just pay to play as that's what all my golf buddies do. 

So anyone out there put that kind of time into golf that previously had never had the chance/inclination to?

How did it impact your scores? I'm thinking I might really focus on golf this year and see if I can get my index low enough to play some competitive am golf this year and next. I need to get below an 8 to even get into a qualifier for my city and provincial armature championships. I have played two or three real competitive am tournies in my life (oh I'm 38 fyi) so this would be a new thing pretty much. There are two local "Am Tours" here so I could play in some of those events as well to get used to the pressure.

 

This is how I'd use the time I'm thinking -

Play 4 rounds of golf - 16-19 hours

Practice - 5 hours (3 hours full swing, 1 hour short game, 1 hour putting)

Physical training - 3 hours 

Lessons, vids, etc. - 2+ hours (I have downtime at my job where it's cool to do this there. I'm doing all online so this won't impact my golf time at all.)

Play as many tournaments as possible. This is a bit of a problem as I work weekends, but there are quite a few during the week. I think this summer I could get in at least 6-10 of them not including the city and provincial am qualifiers if I can get below an 8 by June which is unlikely although I'm an optimist hah.

 

Costs: 

Clubs - Zero. I have my bag set. I hope lol.

Membership - $1800 (course is very good with a high slope rating (134 from blues, 140 from blacks). Includes full use of practice facility which is basic but decent.

Lessons, training etc. - $500

Rounds outside of my home course - $750

Tournament entry fee's - $1500

golf stuff like balls, gloves, clothing etc. -$1000

Game golf - $245

 

Total costs: $5745 for the season.  I may have overestimated some costs and underestimated others but around 6K works for me.

 

So what say ye all. How good could you/did you get putting in this kind of effort?  I have always wondered how good I could be if I put in the time and work. Suggestions and advice are appreciated. I have not 100% committed to this plan yet so I am flexible to change right now. Appreciate the time!

James

 

PS. I have not wife or kids to worry about. Just work golf, friends and dating for fun.

 

 

 

[bkuehn1952]

11 minutes ago, Faksakes said:

So anyone out there put that kind of time into golf that previously had never had the chance/inclination to?

How did it impact your scores?

How good could you/did you get putting in this kind of effort?  

I think my physical limitations (5' 7" - 155 pounds) and age (63) pretty much place a ceiling to any potential improvement.  Since roughly age 55 I have worked as a subcontractor and have had lots of time to play golf, practice, etc...  I have definitely managed to improve my game but it is a battle as age continues to put pressure on me.

Stick with your day job.  The "Dan Plan" was already been attempted with marginal results.

[saevel25]

It's hard to say. I do love working on my golf game, so that helps. Being that I am 31, so it's a bit late in the game for me. I would spend much more time on getting into shape. 

If I got lucky, the Web.com tour
Reasonable, top end amateur in mid-west. Maybe I make the the US Open as an amatuer. 

Though I could be completely wrong. I do have the power game. I have clocked some rounds where I am beating a scratch golfer by 2-3 strokes with the long game. I feel like I could really hone in that long game much more. 

 

[Jeremie Boop]

You know, the sad thing is, I could probably put that many hours a week in. Being a single guy who doesn't do anything besides work, if I would just learn to practice with a purpose and not let myself get distracted and/or discouraged I think I would be able to hit mid-high single digit handicap. I don't know that I have the capability of ever getting better than that though, no matter how much I put into getting better. I don't have any illusions of every being good enough to compete in any serious competitions, but I could possibly win the City Tournament here. Maybe do well in skins games at some local courses. I'd be happy with that.

[Rainmaker]

   I consider my "max potential" is in the low single digits.  Ie . .if I got as good as I could get, that's probably as good as I could get.  The thing about me and practice is . .I go through very active spurts . .where I'm practicing a lot, thinking about my swing a lot, etc.  And then I go through long stretches were I'm not thinking about it very much.  If I had the time to put in . .at the *right time* . . I might be able to get all the way there in a year.  If it came at the *wrong* time . .I might not get anywhere. 

[Faksakes]

26 minutes ago, bkuehn1952 said:

I think my physical limitations (5' 7" - 155 pounds) and age (63) pretty much place a ceiling to any potential improvement.  Since roughly age 55 I have worked as a subcontractor and have had lots of time to play golf, practice, etc...  I have definitely managed to improve my game but it is a battle as age continues to put pressure on me.

Stick with your day job.  The "Dan Plan" was already been attempted with marginal results.

Lol, I have zero plans to quit my day job. I'm talking about qualifying for an Am event or two, not playing pro. I'm 6ft even and ss of 112 with driver so physically I have more going for me than you. Also 38. Not in good shape though...

[RFKFREAK]

Once we get to the end of June, I generally will only be working 40 hours a week.  Not counting going to the gym as golf practice, presuming I get out of work at 5 and get to the course around 5:30, I'd probably have 3 hours a day after work to practice, and if I were to do this say 3 days a week after work, that's 9 hours during the week and if I play Saturday and Sunday, that's be roughly 8 hours.

So, realistically, that's a total of 17 hours a week for 4-5 months, I think by the end of the year I'd be able to consistently score in the low to mid 90's with a round of two in the high 80's.

Unfortunately, I'm likely not going to be able to commit that much capital into the golfing fund.   

[WUTiger]

If I could get my long clubs under control (D, FW), I would have a better idea.

[Faksakes]

It's such a difficult question to answer and there's obviously different limitations that people have. Family commitments, work stress, hours to put in, physical ability, talent etc. I'm so curious if any mediocre golfer like me has put in some serious time later in life, after being mediocre for a long time with little practice. I'm guessing I could get down to a 4-5 by the end of the season here if I put in that kind of time but maybe not. Perhaps a 7-8 is more realistic.

[Jeremie Boop]

5 minutes ago, Faksakes said:

It's such a difficult question to answer and there's obviously different limitations that people have. Family commitments, work stress, hours to put in, physical ability, talent etc. I'm so curious if any mediocre golfer like me has put in some serious time later in life, after being mediocre for a long time with little practice. I'm guessing I could get down to a 4-5 by the end of the season here if I put in that kind of time but maybe not. Perhaps a 7-8 is more realistic.

How much you could improve is entirely dependent on how many things you need to fix in your swing and how quickly you would be able to rectify those things. I have one major thing that I've struggled with from the beginning, the dreaded flip. I've been able to rectify a few of the other issues fairly quickly/easily *overswing/centered turn* but the nagging problem is definitely the stubborn thorn. Even then I still never know if something else will rear it's head when I finally kick that flip to the curb. Actually, if I'm honest with myself, that's a real fear of mine, that I'll finally fix the flip only to have some other issue flare up that will cause me more trouble than ever!

[Faksakes]

1 minute ago, Jeremie Boop said:

How much you could improve is entirely dependent on how many things you need to fix in your swing and how quickly you would be able to rectify those things. I have one major thing that I've struggled with from the beginning, the dreaded flip. I've been able to rectify a few of the other issues fairly quickly/easily *overswing/centered turn* but the nagging problem is definitely the stubborn thorn. Even then I still never know if something else will rear it's head when I finally kick that flip to the curb. Actually, if I'm honest with myself, that's a real fear of mine, that I'll finally fix the flip only to have some other issue flare up that will cause me more trouble than ever!

Haha, I hear that! My main issue is pulling the handle and sliding. I'm trying to get to a pivot based swing now. I'm having some success but honestly it's tough slugging. With the hours I'm thinking of putting in though, i think I could get there. I hope...haha.

[colin007]

1 hour ago, Faksakes said:

PS. I have not wife or kids to worry about. Just work golf, friends and dating for fun.

Man, I'd date you if it meant playing and practicing that much...lol

[RFKFREAK]

1 hour ago, Faksakes said:

Lol, I have zero plans to quit my day job. I'm talking about qualifying for an Am event or two, not playing pro. I'm 6ft even and ss of 112 with driver so physically I have more going for me than you. Also 38. Not in good shape though...

It depends on what your definition of "not in good shape" is but for me, that was/is the case.

I'm 6'2" and started the year at roughly 275 pounds with a body fat percentage above 30% and am now down to 243 with a body fat percentage I would say around 25%.  So, I'm getting stronger which obviously helps my game.  That said, I'm not sure what my swing speed is with the drive but it really doesn't matter seeing as my ball striking is horrendous and is the biggest impediment towards lowering my handicap.

 

7 minutes ago, colin007 said:

Man, I'd date you if it meant playing and practicing that much...lol

Is that all it takes? 

[Buckeyebowman]

If you have enough income and free time, and the desire to work at it, I suppose anything is possible. As for myself, when I was in my late teens, early 20's, I lived at home and had a job that paid pretty well. I practiced and/or played 5-6 days a week! Even earlier, between my junior and senior year in high school, my Stepdad would drop me off at the local muni where you could play all day for like 3 bucks! I got down to around scratch.

This was 40+ years ago. Gas was about 30 cents a gallon. A large bucket at the range might have been $2. And I could play 9 holes at some pretty nice courses for 3 or 4 dollars! And I learned to play through instructional articles in Golf Digest which was far less than 5 bucks an issue back then! I kind of feel blessed to have grown up when I did.

Edited May 8, 2016 by Buckeyebowman

[CCC]

Besides being able to afford this endeavor $$$.

If you are young and your body could take all of the daily practicing and the physical abuse of the full golf swing. I think you might be able to make a little bit of headway into lowering your golf score.

But, I'm old. I'm just trying to break 90 at this point. Then 85, 84.... :)

[Patch]

I actually think that when I was at my best, that was as good as I was going to get. I had the time, swing knowledge, a qualified swing coach/club maker, and the money. I just never was able to get over the hump to break par. Those days are long gone now. 

I think if I had the personal drive at this point in my life to be the best I could be, I might be able to shed 2-3 strokes of my average. Problem is that these days, golf is a bit down the list of my priorities.

[Faksakes]

5 hours ago, colin007 said:

Man, I'd date you if it meant playing and practicing that much...lol

lmao hahaha

5 hours ago, RFKFREAK said:

It depends on what your definition of "not in good shape" is but for me, that was/is the case.

I'm 6'2" and started the year at roughly 275 pounds with a body fat percentage above 30% and am now down to 243 with a body fat percentage I would say around 25%.  So, I'm getting stronger which obviously helps my game.  That said, I'm not sure what my swing speed is with the drive but it really doesn't matter seeing as my ball striking is horrendous and is the biggest impediment towards lowering my handicap.

 

Is that all it takes? 

haha, I am 6 ft and 240lbs. Have lost 10lbs in the last 6 weeks and plan to keep going down to 200. I have a big frame so that was when I felt my best. I'm sure losing weight will help. At least I hope so.

[RH31]

I think I could get down to around a 5 index if my body(arthritis,old) could take all the practice. I'm not really willing to put myself through too much just to shave a couple shots off of my game.