Golf Improvement
Discussion
I got my handicap down into single figures and few years ago but it was hard work. I was playing at least four full rounds a week (when the weather was good and shifts permitted it was sometimes 10 rounds a week) and on the days when I didn't get a round in I would spend at least an hour practising putting/bunkers/short game as this is where a lots of shots are saved.
I would recommend joining a club if you can and get out a much as you can. Unfortunately a young family means my clubs are gathering dust but my brother carried on when I stopped and have just turned pro.
I would recommend joining a club if you can and get out a much as you can. Unfortunately a young family means my clubs are gathering dust but my brother carried on when I stopped and have just turned pro.
Theres no set amount of practice you can tell someone to do to get into single figures, i started about 15 years ago when i was 12 i use to have a 2 hour lesson every saturday morning and play 1/2 rounds a week then into the school holidays i would get dropped off at my course and practice for around 4 hours then have a round, my life was golf till i discovered girls and cars :-(
I still play off 7 now but its alot harder then when i was younger, start off with some lessons and getting the basics right then i would recommend more practice then playing, also by practice i would try to keep away from ranges and try and find somewhere with natural ground and lies not just hitting from a mat which anyone can do, time effort and patience are the only way to drop your handicap imo
I still play off 7 now but its alot harder then when i was younger, start off with some lessons and getting the basics right then i would recommend more practice then playing, also by practice i would try to keep away from ranges and try and find somewhere with natural ground and lies not just hitting from a mat which anyone can do, time effort and patience are the only way to drop your handicap imo
It really is all about the short game, as they say "you drive for show but putt for dough".
I played off 5-6 as a junior/university years and then pretty much stopped playing for about 7-8 years. I kept my membership going at my golf club, so I was still off 6 but with with an "inactive handicap". About 3 years ago I decided to start playing again and as the new club I joined was a bit expensive, I felt I had to justify the cost by making full use of my membership subs.
Simply put, I was rubbish in comparison to my earlier years. I was shooting 15 over regularly with a truly cringeworthy short game. My new club carried over my old handicap and it was very quickly adjusted by the handicap secretary after my results started coming in!
The long game was fine. I bought a bunch of new equipment, hoping that would "solve" the problem, but my short game was just not there. Fortunately that's all been rectified now, I am off 6 again and probably enjoying my golf more than ever before, but it has been a long road to get back.
Simply case of practising your chipping in and around the putting green, in addition to 5-10 ft putts.
I play regularly with friends with approximate handicaps of 20-30 and most of the shots they lose are within 100 yds of the green.
I played off 5-6 as a junior/university years and then pretty much stopped playing for about 7-8 years. I kept my membership going at my golf club, so I was still off 6 but with with an "inactive handicap". About 3 years ago I decided to start playing again and as the new club I joined was a bit expensive, I felt I had to justify the cost by making full use of my membership subs.
Simply put, I was rubbish in comparison to my earlier years. I was shooting 15 over regularly with a truly cringeworthy short game. My new club carried over my old handicap and it was very quickly adjusted by the handicap secretary after my results started coming in!
The long game was fine. I bought a bunch of new equipment, hoping that would "solve" the problem, but my short game was just not there. Fortunately that's all been rectified now, I am off 6 again and probably enjoying my golf more than ever before, but it has been a long road to get back.
Simply case of practising your chipping in and around the putting green, in addition to 5-10 ft putts.
I play regularly with friends with approximate handicaps of 20-30 and most of the shots they lose are within 100 yds of the green.
Agree with the short game aspect.
You need to playing (or at least practicing) more than once a week to keep on top of single figures, I notice it being harder to play when I just pitch up on a Saturday with no work midweek.
Considered turning pro at 18, thought better of it as I could name 6 lads I thought were better than me from the county boys team I was on the fringe of.
Didn't really play for about 8 years, have started playing competitive golf again this year and probably playing better then ever, course management and the extra 30 yards i have now compared to when I was a youth helps.
Down to 3 now, more to come!
ETA - Practice DOESN'T make perfect, it makes permanent so you need to do the right kind of stuff.
Analyse your game after a round, see where you are dropping shots and work on those areas.
For me it is short approaches, I hit the ball a long way so have a lot of second shots of 80-120 yards, I don't make enough birdies from there. Short game is good but I don't give myself enough makeable birdie putts.
You need to playing (or at least practicing) more than once a week to keep on top of single figures, I notice it being harder to play when I just pitch up on a Saturday with no work midweek.
Considered turning pro at 18, thought better of it as I could name 6 lads I thought were better than me from the county boys team I was on the fringe of.
Didn't really play for about 8 years, have started playing competitive golf again this year and probably playing better then ever, course management and the extra 30 yards i have now compared to when I was a youth helps.
Down to 3 now, more to come!
ETA - Practice DOESN'T make perfect, it makes permanent so you need to do the right kind of stuff.
Analyse your game after a round, see where you are dropping shots and work on those areas.
For me it is short approaches, I hit the ball a long way so have a lot of second shots of 80-120 yards, I don't make enough birdies from there. Short game is good but I don't give myself enough makeable birdie putts.
Edited by dxbtiger on Tuesday 29th March 08:28
I'll just back up what everyone else has said and say shortgame. Particularly putting! I play off scratch and when I practice I spend hours round the putting/chipping green. Don't just stand in one place with a bag of balls hitting the same chips though, just have two balls and move all around the green trying different shots. Play the first ball and then try and get inside it with the second, have a little competition with yourself! Practice everything from flop shots down to chip n runs with an 8 iron, you should armour yourself with many different types of shot with one club too. I reckon I have about ten different types of chip with each wedge giving me thirty different options when I need it, and you will need it!! You may not notice massive change around the chipping green but when your on the course you will notice your starting to chip it closer and when you arrive at the ball you will start to see the shot and think "hmmm I remember practicing this".
I'm not the most talented of players and can be a bit irratic at times but I use my short game to get me out of trouble. Rolling three shots in to two is the key to playing good golf
P.s - Don't always chip off good lies either, thats cheating
I'm not the most talented of players and can be a bit irratic at times but I use my short game to get me out of trouble. Rolling three shots in to two is the key to playing good golf
P.s - Don't always chip off good lies either, thats cheating
- flame suit on*
danneth said:
*flame suit on*
If you decide to practice your short game more then anything then you wont get down to single figures quickly, theres no deneying that the short is important but if you dont have much of the tee or mid range game then having an awesome short game is a pointless as vice versa
Fair point.If you decide to practice your short game more then anything then you wont get down to single figures quickly, theres no deneying that the short is important but if you dont have much of the tee or mid range game then having an awesome short game is a pointless as vice versa
May help if he OP quantifies 'average golfer', how many shots are we talking?
Having a decent short game is without doubt the easiest way to shave off a few shots here and there - whatever the level. I have't played in years but when i did i'd spend about 3x as much long messing around the practice greens - as someone said above, picking all kinds of shots from all manner of lies, and then a fair while on the proper practice green grooving a simple putting stroke. BUT and here's the but, for me my long game was ok, nothing more. More often than not i'd have a slight fade and would lose a bit of distance over my pals, and at worst would be in the light rough, have a tricky second shot or perhaps be totally blocked out. The short game gave me a chance, but for my pals they'd be centre of the fairway hitting in nice easy shots, or comparatively easy shots as they would be a club or two closer.
As has been said above, it has to be the right type of practice - so for mamny lessons are invaluable as many folks havent a clue what they have done wrong to produce the errant shot. So i'd suggest weekly lessons followed by a bit of practice the same day, concentrating on the long (ger) game and when thats starting to go right spend a bit more time on the short side of the game.
don't set yourself unrealistic targets ( handicap wise ), enjoy it, play within yourself around the course and it'll come good.
As has been said above, it has to be the right type of practice - so for mamny lessons are invaluable as many folks havent a clue what they have done wrong to produce the errant shot. So i'd suggest weekly lessons followed by a bit of practice the same day, concentrating on the long (ger) game and when thats starting to go right spend a bit more time on the short side of the game.
don't set yourself unrealistic targets ( handicap wise ), enjoy it, play within yourself around the course and it'll come good.
At a minumum to get to single digits you need to play once a week and practice twice I would say....in the summer maybe get 9 holes in midweek after work too.
Two things
Course management and short game.
The former is incredibly important and is a very easy way to drop shots off your handicap. So when you belt your drive into the rough and you're left with 150 yards from a s
t lie over a bunker to the green get your sand iron out and chip back on the fairway rather than having a pop at the pin.
It's all about playing the percentages. Things like aiming for the middle of the green and trying for a two put rather than firing your seven iron at a tight pin position make all the difference too. It's about knowing what your bad shot is too....if the pin is on the right of the green and your bad shot is hitting a fade/slice go for the middle of the green as that's the percentage shot but if your bad shot is a pull/hook it's not a bad percentage shot to go for the pin as your bad shot will probably still be on the green just a long way away.
As the chap who plays off scratch said with short game practice set yourself targets and compete with yourself, make it as realistic as possible by putting pressure on. Things like at the end of the practice session pick three six foot puts and you can't go home til you make all three consecutively.
If you want to play off high single figures you need to be able to get up and down from off the green something like 70% of the time....off 14 it's 50% of the time.
I found getting down to 12 to 14 relatively easy.....getting below that is when the hard work really starts.
Two things
Course management and short game.
The former is incredibly important and is a very easy way to drop shots off your handicap. So when you belt your drive into the rough and you're left with 150 yards from a s
t lie over a bunker to the green get your sand iron out and chip back on the fairway rather than having a pop at the pin. It's all about playing the percentages. Things like aiming for the middle of the green and trying for a two put rather than firing your seven iron at a tight pin position make all the difference too. It's about knowing what your bad shot is too....if the pin is on the right of the green and your bad shot is hitting a fade/slice go for the middle of the green as that's the percentage shot but if your bad shot is a pull/hook it's not a bad percentage shot to go for the pin as your bad shot will probably still be on the green just a long way away.
As the chap who plays off scratch said with short game practice set yourself targets and compete with yourself, make it as realistic as possible by putting pressure on. Things like at the end of the practice session pick three six foot puts and you can't go home til you make all three consecutively.
If you want to play off high single figures you need to be able to get up and down from off the green something like 70% of the time....off 14 it's 50% of the time.
I found getting down to 12 to 14 relatively easy.....getting below that is when the hard work really starts.
Putting. Then short game. No one seems to spend enough time on practicing putting, when it's 50% of your round approx. I play off 10, and find it difficult as play twice a month in the Summer. Have just decided to leave it as have young family, golf remains one of the most selfish sports about. Check the club house bar next time you play. Some of the saddest individuals on earth can be found there following their weekly Saturday 4 ball. Spend all day there, then up again on Sunday for more. Beggars belief. There's a lot more out there than golf, don't get sucked in and obsessed with single figs, you won't play to it unless you practise....a lot....almost to OCD levels.
practise more than you play and play with good players not high handicappers.Play as many comps as possible and go to the practice ground upto an hour before.Finish of with 20 mins on the putting green.If you keep that sort of discipline you stand a chance but most golf clubs are for social golfing so its hard to keep this up.
Have to agree with short game, did'nt take me long to get to a 8hdcp, seem to be a natural. I did have lessons, but it didnt take long to have the long game sorted.
Even after 5 months of not playing i could still hit most fairways and get close to greens. But putting let me down and so did chipping.
Say you just miss the green most holes, you need to chip and you pref want to get within 6ft.
Practice putting
practice chip and run around the green
Also work from 100 yards and in, i still find the hardest shot is the 40-75 yarder, cause you can use 3 clubs and do various shot types like chip, pitch etc
But try keep it fun!
Even after 5 months of not playing i could still hit most fairways and get close to greens. But putting let me down and so did chipping.
Say you just miss the green most holes, you need to chip and you pref want to get within 6ft.
Practice putting
practice chip and run around the green
Also work from 100 yards and in, i still find the hardest shot is the 40-75 yarder, cause you can use 3 clubs and do various shot types like chip, pitch etc
But try keep it fun!
Gassing Station | Sports | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff