Haney's 3 Rules

[HJJ003]

http://www.golfchannel.com/video/lesson-tee-live-hank-haneys-blueprint-lower-scores/

So the video in the link above is a bit old, but I ran across it again a few months back and it got me to thinking abut my own game. I started keeping stats for the last few rounds (3-5 rounds) or so on how many penalty shots I incurred, how many "two chips" I had, and how many 3 putts. It worked out to this: 

Penalties: 3.3 per round

Two Chips: 2 per round

3PT: 2.3 per round 

Total Shots thrown away: 7.6 shots per round!

My handicap has been going the wrong direction as of late, and my differential for these rounds averaged around 25. If the last 5 rounds are pretty indicative of my overall handicap (22.3 currently), then what is my potential with my current swing? On average, I think just picking this "low hanging fruit" would have put my differentials during those 5 rounds around 17 or 18. I know it seems so obvious to some of you, but it was a good reminder to me that even though I need to work on "changing the picture" to see some significant changes in my game I can still capitalize on some comparatively easy opportunities to lower my scores. 

The point of my post was to remind anyone else like me that even though we may be in the middle of some serious "time heavy" work trying to lower our scores, it wouldn't hurt to see what low hanging fruit you can pick in the meantime. For me seeing up to 7 or 8 shots saved from low hanging fruit is significant...for others results may vary. Now to go pick some fruit....

 

[NM Golf]

Pretty simplistic not to mention that it puts too much emphasis on the short game, and doesn't take into consideration better players at all. I very rarely "2 chip" and average less than one 3-putts a round so...

[iacas]

39 minutes ago, HJJ003 said:

Total Shots thrown away: 7.6 shots per round!

Maybe.

From outside about 33' (on PGA Tour greens), PGA Tour players average over 2.0 putts.

And if there's an island green or a difficult carry or something like that, or tight OB on a hole, then you can't just "avoid" losing strokes there. How would you? Instead of hitting a driver lay up short of a hazard and then hit your 7-iron over it? What if you flub the 7-iron? And even still, that's taking two shots.

Point is, sometimes you can't just snap your fingers and eliminate strokes.

You've got the LSW badge, so you know this. Your two chips may be a case like the bunker shots on pages 194/195. Are you taking on too much, trying to go at the flag too much? Or are you just getting it onto the green. Even still, that's likely not a full shot saved, because if you aim away from the flag you'll three-putt or two-putt more often than the times, aiming at the flag, that you successfully do it.

It's all about partial strokes. Unfortunately people tend to suck at wrapping their brains around partial strokes.

39 minutes ago, HJJ003 said:

then what is my potential with my current swing?

It's likely not under 20, if that's what you're thinking?

39 minutes ago, HJJ003 said:

On average, I think just picking this "low hanging fruit" would have put my differentials during those 5 rounds around 17 or 18.

I don't know, for example, what the penalty strokes are, for example, but again: sometimes you can't avoid them, or in avoiding them, you waste more strokes than you do going for them. If there's a creek by the green, yes, aim away from it… but you still might hit it into the creek.

Partial strokes.

39 minutes ago, HJJ003 said:

The point of my post was to remind anyone else like me that even though we may be in the middle of some serious "time heavy" work trying to lower our scores, it wouldn't hurt to see what low hanging fruit you can pick in the meantime. For me seeing up to 7 or 8 shots saved from low hanging fruit is significant...for others results may vary. Now to go pick some fruit....

Keep us updated. I suspect they won't be quite as low as you seem to be thinking, but even 1-3 strokes is significant.

I just don't think you'll get 5-8.

[HJJ003]

8 minutes ago, NM Golf said:

Pretty simplistic not to mention that it puts too much emphasis on the short game, and doesn't take into consideration better players at all. I very rarely "2 chip" and average less than one 3-putts a round so...

Yeah its simplistic, but thats what I like about it. I don't think it puts too much emphasis on the short game at all though. The short game is often where the "low hanging fruit"is. The best way to significantly lower score is in the long game no doubt, but the fastest way is most often the short game. I agree that it doesn't cover better players as well though I would say the better the player often has less low hanging fruit to pick...

[Patch]

Never was much of a Haney follower. Don't know why.

I can't remember the last time I incurred a penalty, or chipping twice on the same hole. If anything, I save strokes with my chipping. I do three putt sometimes, but that is always when the Green's Keeper was having bad, masochistic day. Maybe on a kidney shaped green sometimes, after a bad approach shot. 

I can however see where Haney's three points would hurt some golfers,  and working on those areas would be a good thing.

[HJJ003]

14 minutes ago, iacas said:

Maybe.

From outside about 33' (on PGA Tour greens), PGA Tour players average over 2.0 putts.

And if there's an island green or a difficult carry or something like that, or tight OB on a hole, then you can't just "avoid" losing strokes there. How would you? Instead of hitting a driver lay up short of a hazard and then hit your 7-iron over it? What if you flub the 7-iron? And even still, that's taking two shots.

Point is, sometimes you can't just snap your fingers and eliminate strokes.

You've got the LSW badge, so you know this. Your two chips may be a case like the bunker shots on pages 194/195. Are you taking on too much, trying to go at the flag too much? Or are you just getting it onto the green. Even still, that's likely not a full shot saved, because if you aim away from the flag you'll three-putt or two-putt more often than the times, aiming at the flag, that you successfully do it.

It's all about partial strokes. Unfortunately people tend to suck at wrapping their brains around partial strokes.

It's likely not under 20, if that's what you're thinking?

I don't know, for example, what the penalty strokes are, for example, but again: sometimes you can't avoid them, or in avoiding them, you waste more strokes than you do going for them. If there's a creek by the green, yes, aim away from it… but you still might hit it into the creek.

Partial strokes.

Keep us updated. I suspect they won't be quite as low as you seem to be thinking, but even 1-3 strokes is significant.

I just don't think you'll get 5-8.

Fair point on partial strokes. I don't find Haney's "rules" or whatever to be golfs version of law, but I think they can be helpful....especially for higher caps. 

I also agree that just with a snap of my fingers I won't be able to save these 7-8 shots. However, if I take a look at my game honestly   most of these lost shots come from being too aggressive off of tee or an approach, trying to get cute with a pitch shot as opposed to getting it on the green etc...I believe (maybe foolishly) that I can save at least 3-4 shots a round by not doing the things listed above (which involves actually applying shot zones to shots). I will keep you posted though as you may very well be correct. 

Also, maybe I should have named this thread low hanging fruit. My point was necessarily to push Haney's thoughts (though I do believe they hold some water) but just as a reminder for people to check their own game for low hanging fruit from time to time. 

Edited February 16, 2018 by HJJ003
grammar

[iacas]

4 minutes ago, HJJ003 said:

I also agree that just with a snap of my fingers I won't be able to save these 7-8 shots. However, if I take a look at my game honestly   most of these lost shots come from being too aggressive off of tee or an approach, trying to get cute with a pitch shot as opposed to getting it on the green etc...I believe (maybe foolishly) that I can save at least 3-4 shots a round by not doing the things listed above (which involves actually applying shot zones to shots). I will keep you posted though as you may very well be correct. 

Probably. Your Shot Zones, even with short shots, are larger than you think. Plan accordingly.

[HJJ003]

Update:

wow what a round of golf today. I went to the course today with a goal of focusing on not violating any of Haney’s keys to good golf as we discussed above. I shot my lowest round ever to Par (+12!!) and had my second lowest differential ever. All in all I shot 77 on my home course (which is only par 65...). I know it’s not breaking 80 on a regulation course but man seeing my final 18 hole score starting with a 7 was really cool. Here is how I fared on the three Haney’s rules/keys.

1 Penalty ( @iacas you commented above about flubbing a 7 iron in a hazard...well that’s EXACTLY what I did lol)

1 double chip

2- 3 putts 

So I cut down my average of 7-8 down to 4 this round. Therefore, even though my focus was on the “rules”, improving upon them didn’t make the difference I saw today. Here is what I think happened:

- Applied shot zones to every shot and even my misses were in spots I could get out of without much damage

- I hit 6 GIRs but had 8 others that were nGIR. 

- First time ever I consciously applied a pre-shot routine to every shot.

 

[Moxley]

I agree with this first two rules, although I would apply penalties rule more to stroke and distance scenarios ; having to hit a no progress shot or not carrying the water is usually a result of a risk which would have had a reward, but an OOB shot (that wasn't due to a really bad execution) is more often a result of a risk not worth taking. If only i'd remembered that on the penultimate hole last Saturday :) 

[Buckeyebowman]

On 2/16/2018 at 1:56 PM, NM Golf said:

Pretty simplistic not to mention that it puts too much emphasis on the short game, and doesn't take into consideration better players at all. I very rarely "2 chip" and average less than one 3-putts a round so...

Well then you don't play with the guys I play with, I see far too many of them short sided, try to get too "cute" with the chip, and leave it in the rough! Or, they skull it across the green! This is something I always tell a scrambl;e partner. Just get us on the green! 

On 2/16/2018 at 2:07 PM, iacas said:

Maybe.

From outside about 33' (on PGA Tour greens), PGA Tour players average over 2.0 putts.

And if there's an island green or a difficult carry or something like that, or tight OB on a hole, then you can't just "avoid" losing strokes there. How would you? Instead of hitting a driver lay up short of a hazard and then hit your 7-iron over it? What if you flub the 7-iron? And even still, that's taking two shots.

Point is, sometimes you can't just snap your fingers and eliminate strokes.

You've got the LSW badge, so you know this. Your two chips may be a case like the bunker shots on pages 194/195. Are you taking on too much, trying to go at the flag too much? Or are you just getting it onto the green. Even still, that's likely not a full shot saved, because if you aim away from the flag you'll three-putt or two-putt more often than the times, aiming at the flag, that you successfully do it.

It's all about partial strokes. Unfortunately people tend to suck at wrapping their brains around partial strokes.

It's likely not under 20, if that's what you're thinking?

I don't know, for example, what the penalty strokes are, for example, but again: sometimes you can't avoid them, or in avoiding them, you waste more strokes than you do going for them. If there's a creek by the green, yes, aim away from it… but you still might hit it into the creek.

Partial strokes.

Keep us updated. I suspect they won't be quite as low as you seem to be thinking, but even 1-3 strokes is significant.

I just don't think you'll get 5-8.

you have some points, but comparing us to PGA Tour golfers is kind of foolish, WE just don't have their skills, nor their time to devote to the game. Heck, if I can get 3 storkes out of it, that's a significant difference to me.

On 2/16/2018 at 2:08 PM, HJJ003 said:

Yeah its simplistic, but thats what I like about it. I don't think it puts too much emphasis on the short game at all though. The short game is often where the "low hanging fruit"is. The best way to significantly lower score is in the long game no doubt, but the fastest way is most often the short game. I agree that it doesn't cover better players as well though I would say the better the player often has less low hanging fruit to pick...

I don't know why everybody here seems to like to bang on Haney! He says much the same as many instructors I've read and heard, He's said repeated;ly that your potential in golf is determined by how far you can hit the ball, accurateluy! The long game determines the success of the short game. If you can hit every club 10 yards further, and you hit 40 full shots a round, you have effectively shrunk the course by 400 yards! What;s wrong with that?

[iacas]

On 2/24/2018 at 9:46 PM, Buckeyebowman said:

you have some points, but comparing us to PGA Tour golfers is kind of foolish

It's not, and you missed the point of the post I made if that's what you got out of it.

Do you read the posts or just type the first thing you think of after a quick glance?

I said PGA Tour players average over 2.0 putts from 33'… so it's unlikely that you're going to do any better. If you're putting from 40' on worse greens, you're going to average over 2.0 putts, more than likely.

That was the only line in my entire post that mentioned or talked about or compared anyone to PGA Tour pros.

[Jerry in DC]

Seems like Haney's 3 rules are just a slightly longer way of saying "play better".  Sure, don't hit in the water, don't 3 putt.  Yeah, I'm trying to do that.  You want to get better at basketball?  Make more shots.  You want to make more money?  Get a higher paying job.  

These things are not actionable.  They're the "what".  To teach, you need to deliver the "how".  

[klineka]

20 minutes ago, Jerry in DC said:

These things are not actionable.  They're the "what".  To teach, you need to deliver the "how".  

Yes they are actionable.

Lets pretend a golfer has water left, fairway middle,rough right and their miss off the tee is a draw. If that golfer aims straight down the middle of the fairway (like a decent amount of golfers do) he is unnecessarily bringing the water into play. Instead he should aim maybe the right edge of the fairway or even aim into the right rough depending on how penalizing the rough is and how bad his left miss is. If he hits it straight he will be right side of the fairway or just into the rough, and if he draws it, he will be in the middle of the fairway, with virtually no chance of the ball going into the water. 

Playing to avoid certain aspects of the golf course is not something most amateur golfers do, and thus an actionable item. 

Playing golf with the mindset to eliminate the chance of hitting into the water is different than playing golf hoping not to hit it into the water.

[Buckeyebowman]

Good point, klineka. When you look at a hole preparing to hit you have to know where you can miss it. Where the "bailout" area is that doesn't mean disaster. But, when I am playing fairly well, I find it advantageous to pick a very psecific target to aim at.

[Moxley]

The two chips rule is also actionable. Too many high cappers try and play the difficult shot that they might duff instead of the shot that will (almost) definitely leave the ball on the green, in order to gain the opportunity to get a 3-6 footer which they still might miss. 

 

[HJJ003]

22 minutes ago, Moxley said:

The two chips rule is also actionable. Too many high cappers try and play the difficult shot that they might duff instead of the shot that will (almost) definitely leave the ball on the green, in order to gain the opportunity to get a 3-6 footer which they still might miss. 

 

Agreed, and honestly is probably the MOST actionable of the three rules for high handicappers. (penalties can be if shot zones are applied). Most duffs are from trying to get too cute with a shot I haven't even ever practiced. At least that is the case for me.