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If you were given a week to best your career low score by 5 shots, how would you go about it if you had unlimited time and resources?

M_Monty23

M_Monty23

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Saw this question on Quora and brought it over here. I think it's actually an interesting question. My answer was...

"Most people would choose to improve their game and/or seek lessons. I wouldn’t do this, and I think the plan I would adopt would work for others as well.

My career low is 66, so shooting 61 would be a difficult task. Here is what I would do.

  1. Pick a course I am most comfortable with. For me, it’s a course where I have my 66 shot at. You want to pick a course that you are the most comfortable with and know the ins and outs. You can not afford to give away one shot due to a lack of familiarity with a course.
  2. Develop a practice routine that centers squarely on scoring that day.
What I’m not working on-

  • Swing technique/”Block” Practice- Building and improving your game takes quality repetitions over time. We do not have the time to see long-term improvement.
  • Changing clubs/balls- Again, any change you make in your game takes time to develop.
What I am working on-

  • Understanding everything about the course and how it applies that specific day.
  1. Where is the wind direction? Which holes are downwind? Into the wind? How does it play into your club selection and level of aggression.
  2. Where are the pin locations? Again, how does this play into your game plan. For example, say the greens are firm and hole #3 has the pin up front today and the hole plays around 340 yards. If I hit an average tee shot of 285 yards, I will have 55 yards left. I may have trouble getting enough spin to stop the ball with a half shot. Therefore, I may decide to lay back to a full SW, which is for me around 95 yards. Therefore, I can impart maximum spin on the ball to get it closer to the hole.
  3. Play the four par 3’s on the range. Now that we know pin locations, (and wind direction) you will pretty much know exactly how the par 3’s will play and which club you would choose. Visualize these 4 holes on the range and hit the shots you believe you will need to execute.
  4. Find the day’s green speed. Master the speed of the greens which varies from course to course and even day to day. Putting will have the most impact on your ability to go low. For me, to shoot 61 I’m going to have to see almost everything go in. I can’t have my speed off even a little bit.
Speed Drills-

Long Putts- Set up four tees. The first will be on any collar of the green, the second will be one foot in front of the collar, so on and so forth. Die your first putt on the first tee, then the second tee, so on and so forth. Now vary the order of tees you hit to. Move the tees in the same fashion to a different side of the green.

Short Putts- Take a 5 foot putt and vary your speed but still make the putt. For example, your first putt you try to die the ball into the hole. The second one you jar it in. The third one you hit medium speed.

Conclusion: If you have limited time to play your best, focus on mastering a familiar course and understanding all of the given variables for that day."
 
Yeah, I move to the forward tees and get it done day one. If I can't do that, I pay the bet or whatever got me into it, and go spend the week with my wife. No way I'm besting it by 5 strokes in a week.
 
It is improbable to shave 5 strokes off a P.B. in a week imo. Give me a month and maybe I could shoot 5 strokes better than my best in the last 2 years. You really would have trouble practicing enough in that short a time due to fatigue, concentration issues and the like. Unless you had a glaring swing or putting problem, I think you have to extend your time frame.
 
Oof. 64? I’d have to drink a lot because it isn’t happening.
 
That sort of improvement for me is 100% impossible inside of a week.

Focus would be on really eliminating the "bad" shots. Knock out the penalties and recovery shots, and I might be able to cut 2-3 shots.
 
Not sure its doable. Means I would have to shoot 69. If I gave this a shot, I'd pick a course I was familiar with, with as little change for trouble as possible and spend the week reading the greens, playing that course over and over. I doubt my game will get better enough in one week but my knowledge of that course can get significantly better and that might, just might, give me a shot.
 
I would have to find the shortest course I could, play from the forward tees, and still have to make a lot of putts. Oof that would be a tough one.
 
No chance I am ever shooting a 61 on a normal par 70 - 72 course given a week, year, decade, whatever.
 
My PB was a 79 on my home course, and was three years ago. To beat that by 5 strokes I'd probably have to play a pitch and putt course day and night for a week and then shoot the best golf I've ever played.
 
Play as much golf as possible. My only "practice" session would be the warm up at the range. If I want to beat my PB it would have to be with constant golf. I'm not wasting any time playing "practice my golf swing".
 
A week? I don’t think I could best my PB by 5 shots in that timeframe. My improvement, when there is improvement, is incremental. I don’t see a short cut, even if time and resources weren’t limited.
 
Wouldn’t happen unless it was just dumb luck.
 
The only way it could happen was if I had playing lessons for 3 days and then played the most forward tees possible.
 
-9 ain't happening for me in this life or the next so I'd just take the week off.
 
Empty course, with a cart playing the forward tees starting over as soon as I have no chance to beat it. My pb came on a fluke round where I had only 20 putts total so this would be really hard even doing it the way I said.
 
I probably wouldn't even attempt this. 5 strokes in one week? I don't think this is even possible, unless the golfer is some freak of nature.. Not enough time for that much improvement.

Me personally I am currently playing 8 strokes above my personal best. Now we're talking 13 strokes in a week. I suspect most golfers personal best is lower than than their current 18 hole average.
 
Unrealistic as you get into single digit handicaps. One week is not enough time.
 
Space Bandito said:
I popped into this thread to say pretty much this. Same number, too.
Click to expand...
I mean. I’d love for it to happen. But I’d also love world peace and a billion dollars, and all three are equally likely to never happen. Haha
 
First thing is figure out how to take 20 years off of my back and shoulder, as my best round was a 63 when I was 20 years old. Then I would find a par 3 course and try and shoot four over.
 
There’s some good stuff to take away from this.
I mean could it be done, yeah. Unrealistic but.. For 1 you’d have to hit every iron inside 12’ to even give yourself a chance in hell to make 10 putts for birdie. And if you don’t your staring at missing a long putt. Idk.
 
Since I shot my low round (69) at age 66 12 years ago, I have had four operations, and a mini stroke. My game is so much different today the only way I could beat that by 5 strokes is quit playing after the 13 or 14 hole. Sad to say yet it is so true!
 
The only thing that could possibly enable me to shoot a 70 (or -1 if you wanna go that route) in one week is prayer.
 
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