Shaving Strokes

[acing1]

I am a 13 handicap golfer; what is the best way to shave strokes off my game for the 2008 season?

[TourSpoon]

I am a 13 handicap golfer; what is the best way to shave strokes off my game for the 2008 season?

Practice your short game, short game, short game.

Even the best players miss greens, but the difference is that they get up and down. Having confidence in your pitching, chipping and putting will free you up to make better swings and hit more greens. When you are actually playing you need to work on course strategy. Knowing where to miss it, laying up to your favorite yardage, taking the correct club off the tee, lining up to favor your misses, etc all get your strokes down. Included would be to know you yardages and to start playing under the hole and away from sucker pins. Good luck.

[Ben]

More one-putts!

[lamebums]

I am a 13 handicap golfer; what is the best way to shave strokes off my game for the 2008 season?

Hit the 3 wood off the tee. I found it helps me hit a lot more fairways and leaves me clean shots into most greens. The other day, I tried it - for the first two holes, I hit driver (I went double, triple), and then I parred in hitting the 3 wood off the tee. I hit all but one green, I think. It'll take a lot of pressure off your short game if you're two putting from 25 feet instead of facing a tricky pitch over a trap for your up and down.

[Everardo]

I am a 13 handicap golfer; what is the best way to shave strokes off my game for the 2008 season?

Approx 40% of your strokes are putts, so that's a good place to start. Keep track of your stats to help you identify the weakest part of your game.

[golf_junkie27]

Acing-I'm a thirteen handicap as well and chipping is my biggest hurdle. I'm practicing both physically and mentally. A buddy of mine mentioned that you should treat it like any other shot. That's to say, don't get upset over having to take or make a shot you're not comfortable with. Confidence, on these shots, is the key. It's not a matter of "If I'm going to hit this shot" but rather "how close to the pin" am I going to get.

Treat whatever ails you the same way.

[Golf Yokel]

More one-putts!

So I was going to post a smart-assed comment about always one-putting, but Ben beat me to it... hah.

In all honesty though, I am a high handicapped player, and this is what I've noticed from my games. I am very consistent off the tee... consistently bad. I don't drive far, and they usually slice left. But it doesn't matter... because when I get the ball within 100 yards of the green, I know I can get it on with my iron/wedge. After that I know the worst I will do is a two-putt, and those are getting infrequent now as well. Starting out I didn't have any clubs to play an actual round of golf... so I went out with a putter and a wedge on the practice green with my friends and just knocked balls around. I think I putted and chipped on practice greens for over 3 months before I ever set foot on an actual golf course. This is one reason I can usually save my butt from a horrible tee-shot, and it's also the reason I still chip and putt right-handed (although I'm learning to chip left-handed, I don't think I'll ever stop putting right-handed). All-in-all, as others have said... it doesn't matter if it takes you 3 swings to get within 50 yards of a par 5... as long as you can chip and putt for par. Pros make horrible tee-shots all the time, but they have the short-game skills to recover. Then again, this is coming from someone with double your handicap, so take it for what you will.

[ks8829]

My questions to you are the following below

How many putts per round do you have?
How many greens do you hit?
How many fairways do you hit?
How many time can you get up and down?

Practice from the hole back
Putting
Chipping
Pitching

I played today and had 5 boogies and missed 2 birdie putt opportunities. my boogies were


from 40 yards from the green,
missed a short putt
miss read a putt and hit too long
missed a par putt from 5 feet
missed a par putt from 6 feet

I need to work on my putts from 4-5 feet and chips from off the green
I can evaluate a round of golf and know what I need to work on to improve.

[Ben]

So I was going to post a smart-assed comment about always one-putting, but Ben beat me to it... hah.

15% smart-assed, 85% truth. I justed wanted stress the simple yet absolutely valid solution. The easiest and fastest way to shave strokes is start making birdie putts. And if you miss the green, make those par putts.

[ohfreeride]

improve the short game/flat stick
try and 2 put or better everything
( if your not hitting the green on every 2nd shot on the par 4 count your chip on as a put)
the best players have a great short game

[Bluenoser67]

Know your own game. Where are your strengths (use them). Where are your weaknesses (and work on them). Course management - play to your strengths. If a pin is 10 feet from the right edge and there is a bunker on that side (and you cant play from bunkers) play to the middle of the green and take your two putt (that sort of thing). I played with this guy once he was a 30 handicap. On every approach shot he would say something like the following. I'm 130 yards out so thats a 8 iron but the green is 20 feet below us so make it a 9 iron but the wind is sort of half in our face and across so maybe the 8 giving it 10 feet to move with the wind and the greens are wet so I want the ball below the hole blah blah blah. By the 9th hole I stopped him half way through and said listen buddy you have not hit a green yet today. Your not good enough to worry about the things your worrying about. Just aim for the middle of the green. He did and played much better on the back nine doing just that. I played with him the rest of the year and he dropped his handicap around 10 strokes buy simplifying the game. Always remember golf is always about the KISS

[acing1]

Very good questions, all of which determine how you score. I average 32 putts per round, with 5.5 1-putts per round. I hit 5 fairways a round and 4.5 greens. However, those fairways and greens averages were due to my hooking problem. Towards the very end of last season, I appeared to correct that. I, too, evaluate every round in a similar fashion and in fact, can get too anal about it. I believe my game will improve but know the short game can be the easiest way to shave strokes.

[acing1]

Good advice. My strengths are short game but my chipping can use work. My weakness has been hooking drives and other shots but I believe that has been rectified. I cannot wait until the 2008 season. I plan on playing in a few weeks to test my optimism; that is, if the weather permits it.

[thumper07]

hello marylander,

i would definately try going to a 3 wood off tee and practice, practice and more practice. weather has been pretty good, i'm going out tomorrow supposed to be like 50 but windy so it should be interesting.

-matt