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Single Digit Handicappers - tell us how you got there!

I want to thank all of the players on here posting their secrets, this morning I went out to play a round and purposely left my driver at home. I am by no means good, but I shot an 87 today vs my average of 92 at this course! There is nothing more frustrating than to smoke a drive and then watch it start falling off to the right and go out of bounds. I actually starting playing for about 80 yards out cause the only swing that I consider automatic is my 52* full swing, and started watching double bogeys turn in to singles and singles into pars! Thanks again!
 
Glad you had some success WE and mayday and hopefully continuing to play "smart" will keep dropping your scores.
 
My advise would be to hit your tee shot as long as you can! or work to get it longer !

the reason i got down lower was because i was becoming alot straighter and longer allowing me to hit 8-W's into greens, instead of woods and long irons which are harder to control !
 
Good stuff WE, you're a few putts away from the 70s
 
Great stuff WE soon you won't even have to think about having to get to the 150 it just becomes second nature and then that's where you have to rethink- "where can I put my shot to setup a birdie try" what I mean is setting up how the ball flies into the green, getting spin, using the green to get the ball to roll to the hole. That's what I'm focusing on now...

Get on the green was my first train of thought which led me to some of my best rounds(just get on the green and two putt for par) now I have to think of how I can allow the ball to roll closer to the hole for me. Where are the safe misses? When to hit a draw/fade?
 
ghsace said:
Really good points about the 150 yard marker. I am personally going to listen to this advice and try to implement it!
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It really helped me out today, and I liked the way I worked my way through a hole a lot better.

bgammill said:
PLaying within your game is a must. Finding your 'perfect' scoring yardage is a great way to getting to a single digit handicap. If you can go to the driving range and find a flag that's in your scoring range and hit as many balls as you can at it trying to get them within 15 ft of the flag every time you'll find yourself with shorter putts and giving yourself a shot a birdie or par putts.
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That's an excellent tip for a range session, thanks bga!


Tadashi70 said:
Good stuff WE, you're a few putts away from the 70s
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Thanks Freddie, I had quite a few putts that lipped out today, have to spend more time on the putting green. Now, I just need to be consistent with my rounds, and not try to overthink myself.

Thechosen1 said:
Great stuff WE soon you won't even have to think about having to get to the 150 it just becomes second nature and then that's where you have to rethink- "where can I put my shot to setup a birdie try" what I mean is setting up how the ball flies into the green, getting spin, using the green to get the ball to roll to the hole. That's what I'm focusing on now...

Get on the green was my first train of thought which led me to some of my best rounds(just get on the green and two putt for par) now I have to think of how I can allow the ball to roll closer to the hole for me. Where are the safe misses? When to hit a draw/fade?
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That's pretty much where my thinking is right now, just get on the green, two putt and get out of the hole with par. Doesnt always work out as planned, obviously. I just need to string together some consistent rounds and keep it heading in the right direction.
 
30 years ago I went to a4 day golf school and it changed my golfing life. As an 18 at the time I was one of the better players at the school but the tips and drills I learned allowed me to become an 8/9 within a year and I have stayed there for all that time.

I got as low as 4.5 at one time but age and loss of distance is keeping me at the 8/9 level. More work on my short game and some time with Golftec may get me back to 7 or maybe 6 with a couple of good rounds.

My current goal is to shoot my age but that may take a few years.
 
A lot of good info in this thread. Thanks everyone.

Tap Tap Tap
 
Jeanthemachine said:
30 years ago I went to a4 day golf school and it changed my golfing life. As an 18 at the time I was one of the better players at the school but the tips and drills I learned allowed me to become an 8/9 within a year and I have stayed there for all that time.

I got as low as 4.5 at one time but age and loss of distance is keeping me at the 8/9 level. More work on my short game and some time with Golftec may get me back to 7 or maybe 6 with a couple of good rounds.


My current goal is to shoot my age but that may take a few years.
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Heck,,, I have to wait until I'm at least 80 :D.
 
First a foremost, take a LESSON or two!
I cant begin to tell you how impotant it is to have a solid foundation. Also... Tempo, stop trying to kill the ball. A good swing is all it takes. You dont have to be a big hitter you just need to be able to control the ball.

Those who say you "drive for show, putt for dough" are half right... You have to get the ball in the fairway in order to give yourself a chance to putt for dough.

Practice / Playing:

Range needs to be 80 percent short game (100 yards and in / putting) 20 percent long game (driver, etc..)

When its time to play... PLAY, dont go out and try anything out of your normal when your on the course. Also, your not always going to be hitting the ball great everyday. So, when your warming up on the range before you play, make sure to carry that over to the course. (Ex. If you normally hit a draw and during your warm up everything you hit is a fade, play a fade.) dont try to adjust your swing on the course.

I could go on and on but i dont want to overwhelm you with to many thoughts.

to be continued...


 
PRACTICE!
I play between 2-3 times a week depending on my schedule. I also hit the range after work a couple times a week.
The key is making your practice time count. Don't just go out and hit balls, take every single shot seriously. Go through your real pre-shot routine with every ball (grip, stance, target, alignment, swing thoughts)
I usually hit between 90-150 balls/session broken down as follows:
85% of shots with wedges (PW, 50, 54, 58)
10% Irons
5% Driver/3Wood/hybrids
35-45 minutes putting

Accuracy off the tee is important, but is is far more important to be accurate from 120 and in.
 
Tons of great stuff in this thread! Thanks to all who've contributed.
 
Over the past 2 years I have really improved my Short Game, and Putting. I realized that no matter how far I could drive the ball, I was still going to have to get up and down to really score how I wanted to. I pratice 2-3 times per week, and play about twice per week.

I finally became a single digit in 2011. I was stuck at about a 15hc for a few years, but once I became committed to improving my short game, my scores really started to fall.

Often I will go to the range and hit an entire bucket of Gap Wedge and Pitching Wedge shots, saving the last few balls for my driver.
 
ghsace said:
Really good points about the 150 yard marker. I am personally going to listen to this advice and try to implement it!
Click to expand...

Thechosen1 said:
Great stuff WE soon you won't even have to think about having to get to the 150 it just becomes second nature and then that's where you have to rethink- "where can I put my shot to setup a birdie try" what I mean is setting up how the ball flies into the green, getting spin, using the green to get the ball to roll to the hole. That's what I'm focusing on now...
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Whenever I play a new course, one of the first things I do on every par 4 is ask myself, "how far to the 150". Then, I look over the FW and make sure there is not trouble in that area.
 
I've been playing 2 1/2 years, for me personally it was playing almost everyday, having fun and having lessons, my fairway percentage is only 43% at the moment but I'm still hitting 56% (10) greens a round. My putting has never been that great but I used to spend A LOT of time on my pitching from about 70 yards and in so I think that was what was key for me, spending a lot of time on my short game, this year, after advise from a challenge tour pro, I'm going to focus on 120 yards and in + getting my fairway percentage up.

On a different note, I've recently started gym work and I can genuinely say I can see differences!
 
There are a few things that helped me.

-smart practising being one, I never hit more than 50 balls at the range, after that I tend to be hitting them for the sake of it. Take your time on each one and always do your full preshot routine and aim a a target. Practice, practice, practice, Golf needs time put in but be clever about it.

-play your handicap, if you don't have to make a shot then don't. For instance Par 5, 300 left to the green, put the 3 wood down and hit a mid iron, on in 3 and two putt par, or you can top the 3 wood or spray it across the course and scramble a double bogey. Play this way and you will stay high for longer.

- I found watching pros swings in slo mo really helpful, there are hundreds of YouTube clips For this, you can see the easy rhythms and good points of reference for your swing to emulate. If you watch the junior championships clips then this is a great place to watch they have had there swings analysed in every aspect and moulded into perfect swings.

-spend a lot of time practicing around the green, you will save countless number of shots by goin up and down. Practice different shots, chip, bump and run, putting stroke with 8iron and putting from off the green etc. chipping to the pin looks good but is one of the least effective chips.

-Start every downswing with your hips and not arms, really helps striking the ball and commit to every shot, if you decelerate on your downswing or don't follow all the way through the shot you are asking for trouble. That is also true for chipping.

- I played with a pro when I was young and a very frustrtated golfer (18hcp at the time) I tried to hit a 3 wood around a tree and it went horribly wrong, frustrated I slammed the club on the ground and he said why are you angry, you're not good enough to get angry. Which I still hold to today, I will allow my self to get angry if I turn pro or reach +2 but until then I am not good enough to and it helps my game. If I hit a bad shot I will be frustrated but have calmed by the time I reach the ball. I'd you're angry you will play awful golf.

-When your standing over the ball, take he club back and hit it, thats it. Don't think about anything else, think at the range, try things there, that's where you can mould your swing and set things into your muscle memory. On the course just hit it.

-enjoy it, for 99% of us it is a hobby and always will be so go out and have fun, that's when the handicap comes down.
 
I think there are a lot of great things going on in this thread and very valid points. To me getting better at chipping and putting is the key. You must be able to get up and down from 50 yards and in.

Another great point is finding a putter that you have confidence in, whether it be a belly putter, a blade, a short one, a two-ball, whatever find something that when you get on the green you automatically think, yep gonna make this one, no problem. Personally that has seriously helped me eliminate those 3 putts and get my scoring down quite a bit over the last 3 years or so.

Hope this has helped!
 
When I was there it took a lot of work. Work that I don't have time for any more. What got me over the hump was to avoid the triples and doubles. If and when I did screw up a hole I recovered. There really wasn't any magic for me, just hard work on making the same putting, wedge, iron, wood, driver stroke every time I swung the club. Easier said than done.
 
crazygolfnut said:
This is a very interesting thread. Do you have to be a big hitter (drives at 250+) to get to the single digit?
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Absolutely NOT.

At one time I probably hit it 240 and could get my 3 wood out to 215 but that was a long time ago. Granted, I can't play a 700 yard course anymore but the short game is where the scoring is at.

A couple of weeks ago I played a pro-am. My pro hits his 3 wood @ 270 but I beat him (that day) by hitting 14 fairways and making 4 sand saves.

There are lots of guys at my club who hit it longer than I do but not many who can beat me regularly.
 
Thanks everyone for the advise in this thread. I've used the advise and broke 80 yesterday for the first time in a long time. Bad back and all.
 
roswellj said:
Thanks everyone for the advise in this thread. I've used the advise and broke 80 yesterday for the first time in a long time. Bad back and all.
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Congrats! So what did you do different?
 
I think the main thing was playing to a distance I know I can hit a consistent shot from instead of trying to get it as close to the green off the drive and losing accuracy. Also I had a killer round with the putter. Only 28 putts when I've been averaging over 35
 
By the end of this year when I'm a single digit handicap I will let you know how I got there!
 
Great thread. I look forward to putting some of these tips to use.
 
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