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A year dedicated to improvement: How would you fare?

ShotScope
I'd like to think that I could get to single digits.

A lot of fitness, strength and conditioning work, and a lot of short game practice and improvement.

No hallucinations about making it to scratch, and I wouldn't see me in any professional capacity. Would be nice to be able to play, and compete, in some amateur tournaments as part of the year.
 
TheBirdieMasterLOL said:
I can send ya his info. +7 means that on a tour level course with a 78.0 rating, he is going to shoot 71 on his best days and 76ish on his bad days. He'll probably average at about 74 which misses the cut at tour events
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I meant that I feel like Rory and Scottie are better than a +8 handicap
Definitely not trying to say your buddy isn’t where you say he is. Especially knowing you’re a salty player that competes regularly.
 
Coulter said:
I meant that I feel like Rory and Scottie are better than a +8 handicap
Definitely not trying to say your buddy isn’t where you say he is. Especially knowing you’re a salty player that competes regularly.
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In rounds with friends they might be +8. Scottie has mentioned that in interviews quite a few times.

Edit: Just calculated Scottie's handicap based on his last 20 tournament rounds: +8.6
 
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TheBirdieMasterLOL said:
I think you need to be better than +6. One of my friends is a +7 and is not good enough for the tour.
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You are correct. I think you need to be plus 8-10 on tour level courses. Your handicap is only the best 8 of the last 20. That means the 64 that gets shot on a tour level golf course is what factors into your handicap.

I have a friend that was out on tour for a few years. He lost the Memorial in a playoff then got hurt and couldn’t get back. A couple of years ago he came up to our old club to play in a member guest. They played him as a plus 5 index, he shot 64 in the first round of the member guest and didn’t make a bogey for 33 holes.

To the original question I am a 7 index right now. I was a 4.4 last year before injuries impacted my game. I think I could get back to a 0-2 with enough time. I would start with the physical end of things and get my body back in shape. Combine that with time to get some consistency and my short game back together could get me back to where I used to be.
 
With a year and actually putting in practice I would hope to be able to get close to 0.
 
Paper Tiger was a fun read for sure. I'd like to think that if I was able to dedicate a full year to just improving my golf game including lessons, fitness and mental approach that I could get down to a single digit handicap.
 
I've shaved 12 strokes off my hdcp in about 2.5 years with limited practice and never having had lessons. It's mostly just from playing more regularly, though I still only made it to 45 rounds in 2025. Give me a year of solid proper practice with lessons and I think I could get to low single digits. I would be more concerned with my body holding up, getting blisters, etc., that could derail everything.
 
Coulter said:
This is my biggest flaw.
A lot of times I just beat balls during practice unless I’m on the sim and target range..
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I guess I should just invest in a practice setup that I can get excited about. I should get a measuring device and set goals to work towards
 
Coulter said:
If you’ve read or listened to many golf books then you’ve likely stumbled across Tom Coyne’s collection of travels across various countries, and the adventures he finds along the way.

In one book that he named Paper Tiger he somehow convinces his wife to let him take a year to not only improve his game but qualify for the PGA Tour. If memory serves you follow him along down to Florida and through some mini tours in pursuit of his goal. I won’t ruin the book for any that might want to read it but I found it an entertaining read.

I have thought about in the past how much better I might get if I had the time to really dedicate myself to getting as good as possible. I don’t think the PGA Tour would ever be in sight but certainly a club championship or 2.

How would you do? What would your process be?
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Great forum post! It would take a big plan!
 
I've sorta done this. Basically all of 2024 and 2025. I still have a job but I spend about 2 hours practicing full swing almost daily, I've been working out and doing golf specific mobility for 2 years, the big missing price for me is short game and putting. I just don't have a good spot that is convenient for me to use.

I've got from a 15 to a 5. I'll get to scratch this year. Someone doing this and making the tour is completely unrealistic.
 
I don’t know but I’d have fun trying.
 
PhillyV said:
I guess I should just invest in a practice setup that I can get excited about. I should get a measuring device and set goals to work towards
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It would certainly help. Life and finances just get in the way lol
 
That post said:
I've sorta done this. Basically all of 2024 and 2025. I still have a job but I spend about 2 hours practicing full swing almost daily, I've been working out and doing golf specific mobility for 2 years, the big missing price for me is short game and putting. I just don't have a good spot that is convenient for me to use.

I've got from a 15 to a 5. I'll get to scratch this year. Someone doing this and making the tour is completely unrealistic.
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Incredible progress!
 
I sort of did this last year for 46 weeks. That is untill I was brutally attacked by a little Old Lady in an electric shopping cart.

The (almost) daily routine was quality practice time in all facets, of my game, with several (68) rounds played.

The improvement was gaining one club in distance, and much better consistency in scoring.

In 2026 the plan is to just get back, and maintain the high point I had in 2025.
 
Went from 20 to 15.1 this year. If I solely dedicated to golf with a consistent teacher and trainer to keep healthy I think I definitely could go single digit. Especially if they resolve my putting yip/ putting mental issues.
 
If I took it as seriously as I took my job, I bet I could shave 20 points off my handicap - giving me a high single digit.

I can get a bit addicted to things though, which for better or worse isn't always great. If I had 10-11 hours a day and no worries about not making the money I make, or maybe just being able to spend that on the golf stuff I could make a huge dent.

It would simply allow myself to be consistent and work on different pieces of the game and fitness. Also, as bad as I am; just getting 5 hours of practice a week could net me some great benefits. My problem is that's all the time I make for myself and I really want to play.
 
Daluteh said:
If I took it as seriously as I took my job, I bet I could shave 20 points off my handicap - giving me a high single digit.

I can get a bit addicted to things though, which for better or worse isn't always great. If I had 10-11 hours a day and no worries about not making the money I make, or maybe just being able to spend that on the golf stuff I could make a huge dent.

It would simply allow myself to be consistent and work on different pieces of the game and fitness. Also, as bad as I am; just getting 5 hours of practice a week could net me some great benefits. My problem is that's all the time I make for myself and I really want to play.
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I know I need to get back to 30 minutes a day or so that I was trying to do at one point last summer.
 
I've thought about this before. Always wondered how I could do if I could dedicate full time to just getting better. I would think I should be able to get to high single digits at least from where I'm at. I'd treat it like work and build a routine of practice, play, and fitness training. I don't think I'd ever be good enough to compete really at any level, but it would be interesting to see how good I could get if I had that luxury.
 
I spent most of 2024 working hard at my game: weekly lesson (over Zoom), practice on my Skytrak+ 1-3 hours per week, playing nearly one round per week. Dropped from 18 to 12. In 2025 got down to 10.4.

If I didn’t have to work and could spend more time outdoors on putting greens and short game areas and play another round or two per week, I think I could get down to the 0-5 range. Assuming my new left hip gets me back to where I was last spring. I’ll always be limited physically and am getting older, so never competitive.
 
I think I could get to scratch. Maybe +0.1, but only if I got a @Canadan putting lesson.
 
Coulter said:
If you’ve read or listened to many golf books then you’ve likely stumbled across Tom Coyne’s collection of travels across various countries, and the adventures he finds along the way.

In one book that he named Paper Tiger he somehow convinces his wife to let him take a year to not only improve his game but qualify for the PGA Tour. If memory serves you follow him along down to Florida and through some mini tours in pursuit of his goal. I won’t ruin the book for any that might want to read it but I found it an entertaining read.

I have thought about in the past how much better I might get if I had the time to really dedicate myself to getting as good as possible. I don’t think the PGA Tour would ever be in sight but certainly a club championship or 2.

How would you do? What would your process be?
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I really like that book! There is a similar one called The Fine Green Line by John Paul Newport that's also a great read.

A year or two out of highschool I wanted to be a teaching pro, so I started really working on my game for the PATs. For those that don't know, if you want to start on an apprenticeship and get into the PGA management program you have to complete a playing test. Depending on the course you had to shoot roughly in the mid 70s up to low 80s.

Perfect being the enemy of good - I decided I needed to become so good at golf that even a bad round would pass first time and refused to try until I reached that point. When I wasn't working at a golf course, I was there practicing. I likely ended up close to a +3 at the time and alternatively started to consider mini tours or going to college... of course then my knee gave out again and I had multiple surgeries with over a year off of golf, lol.

With actual coaching - I do think I could get good enough to have delusions of grandeur, but in reality I still wouldn't be close to PGA tour players.
 
I've seen nothing to indicate it would make a huge difference for me. Playing a lot is the only thing I've never tried. That might shave a few strokes.
 
Coulter said:
I know I need to get back to 30 minutes a day or so that I was trying to do at one point last summer.
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Frankly, that would be a great starting point. 30 minutes before a round may seem like a lot or maybe it doesn't to some people but I'm sure one bucket of balls and 30 minutes of intentional practice would help a lot.
 
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