Your Game, Without Continued Practice

[Patch]

Simple question. What would happen to your game if you gave up practicing, but still played 3-4 times a month?  No driving range, no drills, no short game practice, no carpet putting. No instruction of any kind. Just playing 54-72 holes a month. 

Myself, I think on a conservative note, I would gain 8-12 strokes. My game would settle some where in the high 80s to the low 90s. This until my physical abilities dimenished to where I was shooting in the 100s.

[HJJ003]

My handicap was 21 at the end of last year and I almost never practiced and played twice a month. I practice 7 days a week (though only 3 or so days a week are significant amounts of time) and I am still a 21 with about 2-3 rounds a month. 

However, I have had my best round ever twice this year so the potential is there. The biggest difference in my game has been understanding what the problem is and being able to work on it. Admittedly I could have been more focused on my priority piece earlier in the year than I did. 

[easyjay39402]

This is one I struggle with because at my senior body can only tolerate so much exercise. I workout and bike for basic fitness which is non-negotiable. So I’ve been trying to find a balance for golf that I can live with.  I’ve found that if I just play, after a few rounds I fall back into old bad habits and my scores rise alarmingly. I need to practice each part of my game - full swing, short game, putting - at least once during the week to avoid regression. The practice sessions aren’t long (30 minutes usually works for me) and I don’t hit many balls, just paying attention and making sure everything is still okay.  If something does go wrong during a round (eg missing short putts), I give that special attention.

[RussUK]

If i could play 3-4 times a month i think I would improve even with no range time (those meddling kids of mine!).

I think there would still be improvement of my game but it would be in different areas that are not generally practiced such as course management and the use of different shots that you mat not use on the range.

I would much rather play practice rounds on the course then practice at the range but time is a constant enemy to my golf

[TRUCKER]

I never "practice" at the range. I love to play golf hate to practice. Sometimes I will play 72-90 hole a week so that to me is my practice. Real life situations. With that said I've gotten down to as low as a 12 and bouncing around as high as a 15. By the way seems like my handicap never stays the same very long. It wont go higher than 15 but always moving up or down 1/2 or 1 point. Sometimes will go down 2X in a row then back up. Almost everybody else I play with in money games or tournaments at the club they've had the same handicap for ten years. I just figured it was because I wont commit to regular practice but one guy told me if you play a lot it makes a difference too.

[hespeler]

I don't think it would change much at all and I might even do better.  I practice and play a lot.  Well a lot means maybe 5-6 times a month.  Mostly twilight 9 hole rounds with a round of 18 thrown in there every once in a while.  I've actually played more this year than I ever have.  I practice everyday either at my house or sometimes at the range or course putting green. 

Only thing I notice is that most of my shots seems to be better struck than most of the people I play with who just play and don't really practice.  Still, someone who doesn't hit it as far or as solid as me winds up scoring similar to me and yes, I practice short game too.

Don't keep a handicap but I'm usually in the mid-40's for 9 holes.  Low 40's on a good day, high 40's on a bad day.

At this point I think the only thing I can do to get to the next level is play 3-4 times a week but that won't happen for a while.

[NM Golf]

I have to say very little would happen. Maybe over a number of years my game might diminish, but at my age it is going to do that anyway. I say this because I took 5 months off last year and when I played my first round I was right back shooting par. Shot under par in my second round back. I have put in the work, my swing is pretty well ingrained, and heck, I don't practice much now.

[Groucho Valentine]

At this point for me, probably not much for the same reasons @NM Golf mentioned. My swing mechanic is pretty ingrained now. I feel like i can take a year off and still break 75 in my first round back. As long i take decent care of my body, I think ill hover someplace around scratch until i get into my 60s, regardless of how much i practice.

But i did notice a big drop in my scoring when i stopped practicing 3-4 times a week. At my peak i was a +3 player and regularly shot under par. I shoot under par maybe 4-5 times an entire year now. In recent years i practice maybe 2 or 3 times a month and I'm not playing as much, either.  

Edited August 22, 2018 by Groucho Valentine

[p1n9183]

Practice for a year and lowered my handicap from 4 to +1. Quit practice for another year and now i´m at 3.

[dbuck]

My handicap would go up 2-3 points.  Playing 3-4 times a month with a small bucket before is about all I do, except for a good deal of putting and some short game work.

I do spend a good bit of time daily on putting though.

[David in FL]

The question for me would be, if I did practice, what would happen to my index...  

[billchao]

Probably about the same. I haven't had the time to practice lately.

[rehmwa]

It's about what I do anyway

[Valleygolfer]

I don't want to know.

[LeftyWhiff]

Interesting question. I think it will vary a lot by handicap and how long people have been playing. I've been at it for 7 seasons, with about a 6 or 7 month season a year. I'm getting my scores now mostly in the 90s and I'll try to calculate a handicap at the end of the season, but it's in the mid-20s or so.

This year I've played more (usually 2 full rounds a week) and practiced less, but when I do practice I have concentrated on short game which has improved. Not practicing on other aspects has been interesting. Driving has not suffered much, but I've improved that a lot over the last couple of years and it's a routinized swing. Ball striking with long clubs has really suffered. 

At my level, it's probably best to play a bit less and practice more on all aspects of the game. I probably don't get enough reps with clubs through the bag to maintain consistency just playing rounds. For better players, I imagine it's different.

[Vinsk]

21 hours ago, Patch said:

Simple question. What would happen to your game if you gave up practicing, but still played 3-4 times a month?  No driving range, no drills, no short game practice, no carpet putting. No instruction of any kind. Just playing 54-72 holes a month. 

Myself, I think on a conservative note, I would gain 8-12 strokes. My game would settle some where in the high 80s to the low 90s. This until my physical abilities dimenished to where I was shooting in the 100s.

I would improve considerably if I played more and quit practicing.

[Buckeyebowman]

Your scenario sounds like me. I really don't care to practice, I'd much rather play. Besides, it's not like I'm taking lessons, so I have no direction in what to practice. Every so often I'll go hit a small bucket just to keep my hand in.

My HI has stayed steady at around 13 for the past 3 years.

[easyjay39402]

I live near the clubhouse and walk over just about every day for a variety of reasons, not just golf, so I have a good idea as to who is on the range practicing, taking lessons, etc. I can see a pattern regarding our better players, who I will stop and observe. The ones who came to golf later in life and have less picturesque swings are out there every day grinding on the range. The ones who learned as kids - two of them former tour players - just show up, hit a few balls and play. I suspect that the effect of skipping practice might depend on which category you fall into.