MJP

It's not the last 10 that are counted toward your handicap. It's you're BEST 10 of your LAST 20. Once he posts 5 more scores all those good scores from 2004 will be erased from his handicap and he'll probably jump to a 15 or so. Maybe a little higher.

This. I was about 150 out though.

Most definitely. Youtube "pro tracer". Most shots will be baby push draws

Why someone would hit a push fade I just don't know. A push fade basically relies on your ability to line up well to the left of the target. When hitting a pull fade or push draw, you can aim right at the flag. Worked for Nicklaus and Trevino, but damn does that seem hard. I would never feel comftorable over the ball aiming so far off the target. Everytime I hit a push fade it goes OB.

Oh and yeah I've played with a +4 and a +2, both high school buddies now playing on collegiate teams in fact. They've been playing since they were 15. The difference between them and me? A high push draw that goes 290-310 consistently. Oh, and they hit almost twice the amount of greens that i do on average. So yeah, I've seen and know what it "takes" to play at that level, it's just amount of working on it. Oh, and tell Tiger it's not about "how much you want it". He's probably put in more work (because he had passion for the game and a desire to be great) than any player in the world over the period of birth - present.

Shooting par isn't difficult if you're long game isn't extrodinary. I drive the ball 240-260 and 4-6/18 greens on average. I played Gary Players Signature Course at Mission Hills today (I'm very fortunate to get to vacation down here around 4-6 times a year). I got up and down 10 times today and only hit 3 greens. I didn't shoot par, but I shot 76 (4 over, 4.3 differential). I don't feel cocky at all in saying I have a phenomenal off the green game. Putting is pretty good...maybe only half as good as the chipping/pitching. Today, I chipped in from 20 feet for birdie and had 7 short game shots within 3 feet. That's why I had 10 one putts (not because I made birdies). Two other up and downs were from 5 and 6 feet and one awful short game shot which left me 15 feet for par and sunk that. 25 putts today. Work on chipping/pitching and LAG PUTTING/5 footers all day if you want to drop your index fast. Also, get a camera and film your swing. Post in on this site for feedback. Refer to Iacas' stickied thread in Instructions and Playing Tips for the optimal way to to film your swing. But yeah, you can only work on long game for so long before it goes to crap, short game isn't tiring at all. I absolutely despise your comment telling him not to listen to people's encouragment. If it wasn't for the encouragment of my uncle I wouldn't be nearly a 5 handicap in 7 months of playing. I was a 20-25 handicap in March of this year. Oh and BTW, im 19 years old (just like the OP) and had played ~20 rounds my whole life prior to this year. This year I have played ~40. Oh and none of my clubs are fit to my swing (I NEED TO GET THAT DONE THIS WINTER!). Study, practice, study, practice, play, study, practice ...... my point is you won't see results unless you work your ass off on and off the turf. This game causes us to have to deal with more adversity than almost anything. One day you play to a scratch and the next to a 10 handicap. Then you might feel like all that work you put in was for not. But it's the trend that counts. Oh and it's all about how much you want it. There are plenty of people who say they have the passion to get a low index yet don't even practice 10 hours a week. And they expect to get better...lol. Like everything in life, only perfect practice makes perfect performance (IE, practicing the wrong things makes you worse). That's just a metaphor for success, because there's no such thing as perfect. Unless you can make 18 hole in ones???? but then I can take it even further and say that was NOT a perfect round because you did not JAR (hole it on the fly) every single hole in one...therefore it's not perfect. So, you see...perfect has no defintion. Pursue your passion for as long as it is your passion. If you can do that, you have an advantage over 99% of the people in this world. Why is that? Because the other 99% believe those who tell them "They can't do it." In closing, forget the haters and stop at nothing but a lack of desire. If the fire is there, go for it. Edit: oh and the simple encouragement my uncle gave me? "You have a natural ability and feel for the game. You'll be shooting in the high 70s by next year". That encouragement absolutely jump started my passion for the game. Case closed.

so you've basically been playing a round every other day on average. props to you living the dream!! you still don't play as many rounds as a tour pro. although, maybe you do play as many as those who miss the cut all the time. do you walk mostly?

35-40 rounds on ~10 courses

I've always struggled with consistency in shot shape. Usually it's a fade, but sometimes it's a large pull fade or a dead straight shot. I've never been able to really swing in to out and I think I realized the reason for that today. With a cupped left wrist at the top (right handed), and I'm talking 90 degrees cupped, the club face was SO OPEN at impact the only way I wouldn't shank the ball was to wipe across it out to in. If I swung in to out at all the heel would be so far ahead and club face so open that there's basically no choice for a shank. My compensation for this was obviously come over the top so the club face was squared up. And, perhaps if I felt myself (this is all subconscious feeling of course) on a better path on the downswing (for a square to the plane club head, not an extremely open one like mine), I would HAVE to rotate some part of my arms/wrists to square the club face at impact. This is probably why that occasional pull hook comes into play. I'm experimenting with a flat wrist at the top and it feels more awkward, but I can definitely tell it is right because the shaft is pointing well left of target at the top. When I was cupping the left wrist 90 degrees, I was pointing slightly right of the target at the top. Now, I am looking more like Steve Stricker. because it's much more laid off (but not like Ricky Fowler laid off). As I come into impact using a flat left wrist, I feel and see no manipulation of the club face what so ever. It almost appears that there is less wrist cock but there isn't...because cupping the left wrist isn't wrist cock. It's left wrist hinge which provides no power...apparently. I knew I needed a flat left wrist at impact. I just never knew that not having it at the top of the swing caused so many compensations. Anyways, if you have a short back swing with the arm relatively straight against the chest yet you're club is still pointing right of the target at the top, this is likely why.

I appreciate the response. The wedge I use for most all short game shots is a 60/7. So maybe that's why I was having trouble with it? I doubt it though. Probably just the technique. I'll get some DTL (so you can see the shot) and face on (so you can see the motion) of me pitching once I get a camera. I've been saving for it.

I did this for about 2 hours today. It was raining so no one was there. Anyways, I noticed that out of the rough this method worked really well. Off of tight lies there wasn't much room for error though. If I miss just slightly, it's thinned. When I am hitting down on it with the leading edge it generates a great deal of spin, because it's a short motion that's performed quick and hard (to put lots of spin). Plus I find there's a lot more room for error when using this "digging" method. This is what I normally do. I tried the technique in the video today and it produced a shot with less spin but a higher trajectory. As I played around with it I realized the softer and slower I go into the downswing (floating into it really slow), the higher the trajectory. This would make the ball go shorter so I would simply take a longer swing. Getting used to the feel of a slow long swing is tough, but this was my first day trying it. I always wondered why a tour pro on a 5 yard pitch would take such a long slow swing when he was short sided. Now I know. Today I was hitting 20y pitches that went at least 20y in the air. Landed nice and soft and it felt quite good because that's the only way I could ever stop it (the shot I was working on that comes to mind is 5y of green to work with slightly down hill to the pin, I am pitching from 20y away in the rough). Using my normal method which is just a shorter back swing and to swing through much faster, I can never get that high of a trajectory, and the ball always rolls past (no spin from rough) unless I land it in the fringe luckily. But yeah, enough of me. Just curious, why is digging bad? We dig on our full swing shots, why not pitch shots? I find it puts more spin than simply letting the club bounce off the turf. Or am I still misunderstanding.. And your basically saying this is the method you use for most of your short game shots? When do you not use it? Like a really short bump and run for instance? I've always considered myself a good chipper (ball back in stance, tight lie, fly ball to hole and check up instantly), but not so great at pitching. So sorry about all the questions over a simple video (i guess not so simple for me), I'm just trying to improve :)

I'm talking in comparison to his stance line or target line.

This is a great tip. Why? Because the right hand is usually responsible for throwing the club.

I noticed that immediately too Taggsy. That's probably the main reason you hit it as far as you do :)

Thanks, that helps a lot. I'll give that a try on the course as soon as the greens aren't punched.

So a high soft shot is only high and soft because it is essentially bounced into the air? Also, is this pitching method used mainly for rough shots? I'd imagine it'd be hard to bounce the club from a tight lie so this method isn't really for that? Control is the obvious advantage of a downward leading edge strike from a tight lie. Since it's much more difficult to put spin on the ball from the rough, is this why this technique is so useful? Because it gives you the drop and stop capability of a tight lie shot without putting spin on it?

Is it legal to chip around the teebox even in stroke play?

#4??? Second only to Sahalee and Chambers Bay I'm sure. The Plateau Club (5 miles from Sahalee) has a slope of over 150. That could be the 3rd hardest. No doubt it's in great condition though. I need to get out to Chambers Bay and China Creek since I've never played them but I don't think that will be happening this year. Ever play Gold Mountain? I absolutely love that course as well.

Both shots were pulled. Maybe that was the shot he was trying to hit though. I can't see the pin location and maybe that fairway is a dog leg right.

I've taken a divot the length and width of my golf shoe (size 11.5) with my 60 degree. Soft courses will do that it's inevitable. I have a picture somewhere.

Oh and OP, this is the exact reason why handicaps in the northern part of the U.S. aren't allowed to be posted during the late fall and winter. Bad scoring conditions and no fun = terrible scores

Don't remind me. But I am moving to SoCal in January...so maybe remind me. haha. We've got about a week left. I've been pleasantly suprised at the lack of rain as of late though. I probably just jynxed it however. Gotta admit, it's the most beautiful place in the world...during the months of July to September. Then it turns into the least beautiful place in the world. :(

Try having a skulled ball whiz 6 inches past your temple and have some real problems (wedding crashers reference haha). I almost died doing one of the things I love most. At least you got a chance to protect yourself. Grats to your bro on the 79.

Could just be the camera angle but it also appears like you have a very closed stance. I'd try to straighten that out a bit by using an old shaft or club as a range stick (or...a range stick )

Nice swing. Very one plane. You've got at least 6 inches of hip slide and you slide all the way to impact. Phenomenal job there. Get used to holding that follow through. I'm surprised you aren't better than a 15 with that swing. I'm not qualified to tell you what to work on as it is, but I am going to guess short game :). I think you would get more feedback with a slow motion high fps camera, but that's okay I'm sure some people on here can give you some good feedback anyway.