What Was Your Handicap After 1 Year of Playing?

[StefanUrkel]

Considering I was 4 years old. 200?  Is that legal?

[boogielicious]

5 hours ago, StefanUrkel said:

Considering I was 4 years old. 200?  Is that legal?

Huh?

[iacas]

I was creeping into the single digits after about a year. Unfortunately that includes a winter from October through all of March.

[jamo]

Somewhere around 30. I was like 12 years old though. 

[Buckeyebowman]

I have to tell you that I honestly have no idea! I was just smacking the ball around trying to get it in this tiny little hole!

[David in FL]

That would've been in the late '60's.  I don't think the handicap system had even been established back then.

I was shooting in the low 90's on the fairly easy muni courses that I grew up playing.  I'd guess a handicap in the mid 20's, at age 10 or 11.

 

[boogielicious]

8 hours ago, David in FL said:

That would've been in the late '60's.  I don't think the handicap system had even been established back then.

I was shooting in the low 90's on the fairly easy muni courses that I grew up playing.  I'd guess a handicap in the mid 20's, at age 10 or 11.

 

David,

Are you referring to GHIN? Because the handicap system for golf has been around a long time.

Quote

The USGA was founded in 1894. One of its chief contributions to the game of golf in the United States has been its development and maintenance since 1911 of the USGA handicap system ... designed to enable individual golf players of different abilities to compete fairly with one another. Because permitting individual golfers to issue their own handicaps to themselves would inevitably lead to inequities and abuse, the peer review provided by authorized golf clubs and associations has always been an essential part of the [system]. Therefore, in order to protect the integrity and credibility of its [handicap system], the USGA has consistently followed a policy of only permitting authorized golf associations and clubs to issue USGA handicaps ... In 1979, USGA assembled a handicap research team to investigate widespread criticisms of USGA's then-existing handicap formula. The research team invested approximately a decade and up to $2 million conducting intensive analysis and evaluation of the various factors involved in developing a more accurate and satisfactory [system]. As a result, the research team developed new handicap formulas ... designed to measure the overall difficulty of golf courses, compare individual golfers with other golfers of all abilities, take account of differences between tournament and casual play, and adjust aberrant scores on individual holes. USGA subsequently adopted and implemented these new [f]ormulas between 1987 and 1993.[3]

 

[dkinser86]

I started playing in the 7th on the golf time. My best friend was good and I was interested in playing. That first season, I think I broken 60 for 9 holes once or twice. My biggest problem was putting. I could hit the ball pretty fair and straight most of the time, but couldn't get it in the hole. The second season showed a little improvement at the beginning. I could consistently shoot in the mid fifties. Then, during spring break that year, my friend came over and worked on my putting with me. Actually changed my grip to left hand low. Everything clicked for me then. We had two 18 hole rounds that week. I went 49-42-44-41. Made my first birdie and it was all good from there. I broke 40 and medaled in a match the very next week. Now, I consistently shoot in the low 80s high 70s, and could shoot lower with consistent playing and practice. 

[David in FL]

37 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

David,

Are you referring to GHIN? Because the handicap system for golf has been around a long time.

 

I started golfing in the late 60's.

I understand there was some kind of system.  But it's use wasn't nearly as prevalent as what we have now and hadn't incorporated the current rating and slope calculations.

I got my first current handicap around '88.  

[GolfLug]

I did not establish a handicap till one was required for a buddy trip 6 or 7 years ago. Been playing 12 yrs. But I would guess 25-28 after the first year as I mostly shot upper 90s and lower single 100s. 

[phillyk]

I started playing when I was 3 or 4yrs old, I don't really know.  But I was breaking 90 by age 14.  

[Daddycool_83]

ive been playing for around 6 years,i started at around 28 years of age and played a year of hack about until was close to breaking hundred,i joined a local club and was started on a 26 hcp,i dont think my hcp moved much if at all in my first "propper" year.

[Dave2512]

I started golf in April 2012, wasn't my first time but I literally had no recollection of how I previously played or what to do other than try to hit a ball after a multi decade time away. I bought used PING's and the day I had a complete bag I asked my parents if they would meet me at the driving range of their club. We skipped the range and played 9 and it was so bad I had to pick up the ball on every hole, in some instances that happened before I got close to the green.

It was intimidating to the point I nearly gave it up that day but I spent time on the range and frequenting a very short pitch and putt par 3 where only one hole is over 110 yards. It was common to take 3-4 strokes to get to the green on that hole, in a word I was awful. I didn't move to a longer course until I was getting close to breaking 30 often on the pitch and putt. I hit it hard over the summer and I signed up with GHIN after I graduated from the pitch and put and with long practice and study, much of it on this site, I started to quickly improve. When handicap season ended in CO that November I was down to 12.3. By end of season the following year I was down to 8.3, may have been 7.3 I don't remember and I'm too lazy to look. This will be the first season I won't keep an official handicap since then.

[BuckeyeNut]

On 2/23/2017 at 0:20 PM, Bahlahkay said:

I understand that many PGA players started out when they were kids. Most of them prolly (yes this is a word) had easy access to practice greens, and a club course they could always play on. (could be completely wrong, just assuming)

im not wondering about those types of individuals that got to the PGA tour with a ton of time and commitment put into their game.

I'm wondering if their are any PGA players that started late (earliest 18 years old) and what was their handicap they achieved in 1 year of playing golf. 

Ive heard that breaking 90 in a year is really good.

breaking 85 is a sign to pursue it.

80 and I'd say quit your job and get after it!  

What was yours? 

1. Age you started

2. Handicap after 1 year

 

 

I am here posting this message to give hope to those that have lost hope for getting to another level.......................

 I didn't start playing golf until I was grown (I caught the bug at age 24) in the early 1990s.   I was a recent college grad/newlywed that got "CONNED" into playing golf with co-workers.   I was hooked........   I mostly scored easily in the 100s+ that first year.  I can remember early-on carding a 116 and thinking....."Not bad!".    LOL      I gave up staying out all-night to go night-fishing on the weekends to play golf, so my wife was quite agreeable to me playing golf.   By the end of my first year, my low round was 93.

Year 2........ I was consistently in the 90s.......and getting consistent in the 80s by year end. 

Year 3........ I was consistant in the80s and carding 70's when I played well...............I was already an 8-10HC by year 3.

Year 4....I recorded my first official GHIN HC.... 8'ish+ HC golfer for nearly a decade!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I gave up hope that I would ever get better, but for you hopeful golfers out there.....DO NOT LOSE HOPE!!!  After nearly a decade, I did breakthrough.....a couple times.   I was an 8-10HC in 1996 and was still an 8-10HC in 2002.  

The dates are a little fuzzy now, but I was able to knock through a few brick walls.   I kept at it, and suddenly started crashing through barriers.  By the mid 2000s...I was a 4HC.....and I got to scratch in 2012.   DO NOT LOSE HOPE.........anyone can do it!!

Of course I have backed off since then, but I don't play as much as either..............good luck!!

Edited March 11, 2017 by BuckeyeNut

[paininthenuts]

I find this breaking 90/80 quite strange. Surely it depends on the course, and how often you do it. In reality the thread should be about handicap. I am nearly 60 and was playing off of 21 after 15 months. In reality that means I was regularly hitting early 90s during the summer months, but have come in below 90 a few times. Today I hit 91 on a course that is no more than a giant pond. 

Ummm. If you are between 20 and 40, play regularly and have some degree of coordination, I would say that you should be playing off of about 20 withing 18 months or so. 

On 2/26/2017 at 1:29 PM, David in FL said:

I started golfing in the late 60's.

I understand there was some kind of system.  But it's use wasn't nearly as prevalent as what we have now and hadn't incorporated the current rating and slope calculations.

I got my first current handicap around '88.  

In the UK you can't have a handicap of 88

[David in FL]

8 minutes ago, paininthenuts said:

I find this breaking 90/80 quite strange. Surely it depends on the course, and how often you do it. In reality the thread should be about handicap. I am nearly 60 and was playing off of 21 after 15 months. In reality that means I was regularly hitting early 90s during the summer months, but have come in below 90 a few times. Today I hit 91 on a course that is no more than a giant pond. 

Ummm. If you are between 20 and 40, play regularly and have some degree of coordination, I would say that you should be playing off of about 20 withing 18 months or so. 

In the UK you can't have a handicap of 88

That's 1988...  

[boogielicious]

18 hours ago, David in FL said:

That's 1988...  

A day late and a dollar short!

[Rough Wanderer]

I am 34 and have been playing for four years. After one year of playing I was able to break 100 on multiple occasions. Even had an 83 by the end of that year. I was hooked on golf (that beginners infatuation) and made sure to get out at least twice a week and practice at least a once between games. Handicap was 23 by the end of first year. As its stands, I just haven't been able to get my handicap below 20. Of course now I have more obligations and am lucky to play one game every weekend, and practice much less than I used to. I am impressed when I hear of people who can get their handicaps down in the teens or even single digits after a year. I think some people just have the drive, talent, discipline, etc. to go out there and conscientiously work on their game and eliminate bad habits. I'm sure age has a lot to do with it.