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Knocking off those last few shots...

DaveGolfer15

DaveGolfer15

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I’m hoping for a bit of insight/advice from scratch or near scratch THP members 😊.

I’ve recently got down to a 4 handicap and am ‘plotting’ my way down to scratch... clearly, picking off these last few shots is a completely different story to going from, say, 20 to 16 or 16 to 12...

Frankly, I’ve been amazed at how much better than me scratch players I’ve played with are, even though it’s ‘just 4 shots’...

What’s the difference? Where do I likely need to improve? What shall I practice and how? Advice and insight would be much appreciated!
 
Short game & approaches, in my opinion. You've got to take advantage of birdie opportunities, get up & down from wherever and take your medicine when you have to.
Luckily, at a mid to low single digit you can play the shots to get out of trouble with reasonable success.
 
Difficult to say without knowing your game but distance control with irons plays a big role in my scoring. I have many more realistic birdie putts in a round when I am consistently able to get approach shots hole high.
 
I am nowhere near a scratch golfer, but my buddy is....I ask him what the difference is between him and guys that are in + territory since they can all pound the ball, maintain accuracy and can putt lights out. He said the biggest thing (beside the mental game) is the ability to get out trouble. He plays very straightforward, boring golf (wish I could), but he will make a bogey or worse when he has an awkward situation. Whereas, most of the players on the other side of scratch, can still scramble to make a par or a very good bogey.
 
Course management!!! Knowing when to go for pin and when to not on approach shots. The other thing would be putting, I would practice on a real green and not a mat until you are super confident inside of 15 feet. getting out of trouble smartly is a key.
 
I'm by no means qualified to offer any advice, but if I was I would most certainly say recovery, recovery, recovery. While unlikely, you will sometimes hit what is a less than ideal shot. Getting the ball back into the correct position is paramount.

How many times have you watched golf on TV and a guy is 15 rows deep in the forest yet somehow manages to get the ball into a green side bunker or even better somewhere on the green? If you can do that, there's no such thing as a "bad shot"
 
1. Good course management. Don’t go for pins that are surrounded by trouble.

2. Work on approach shots. Hard to score when you are always 30’ from the hole.

3. Short game. Be able to get up and down from anywhere near the green.


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Frankly it is consistency and short game. When I was 26 (almost 30 years ago) I joined a club and I was a 9 handicap. After a year or two I was a 6 then a 4 then after 3 or 4 years I got to between 0-2 and played there until my kids got into sports and I played a lot less golf.

Two things made the difference for me. My full swing just tightened up a bit. I didn’t get longer but my misses got better. I wasn’t taking penalty strokes and if I missed a fairway it was still in a place that allowed me to get the ball around the green and give me a chance to get up and down.

The second thing was short game. When I missed greens generally it would be in the places you could miss and I would get up and down often.

Course management and patience are important. On any course there were some holes I knew were birdie opportunities and I knew that bogies were going to happen (but not doubles). When you make a bogey be patient and wait for the next opportunity to arise. That opportunity could be a par 5 or a par 3 or 4 with an accessible pin or when you happen to flag one.

I disagree with @Architex regarding being 30’ from the hole. From 100-125 yards from the fairway the average PGA player hits it to 20 feet. From 150-175 it is about 28 feet (I looked these up). Most of our approaches are likely in the 140+ range even for good golfers playing from 6600+ yards. Make sure you play to this smart spot on the green from 140 yards out and more. I generally don’t hunt flags unless I am inside of 100 yards and even then if the flag is on the edge of the green I will play toward the fat part of the green.

Don’t make doubles, make 2-4 birdies a round when given the opportunity and make lots of pars. When I was playing a lot if I made 3-4 birdies in a round I was going to be around par. Back then I figured I could get close to the green on a couple of par 5s and I would likely hit a few close enough to give myself some looks elsewhere. When I putted well the scores were low. If I putted average I was still in the mid 70s.
 
I agree with a lot of what others have said. Really depends on your game though. Some guys get there with a great short game, others irons, others off the tee. Seems to take 2 out of 3 being pretty good usually. And 2 out of 3 in just about everything was kind of the goal I set trying to get back to scratch. 2 out of 3 fairways, 2 out of 3 greens, 2 out of 3 scrambles... Felt like if I could get close to those in all 3 some great rounds were possible.

If you eliminate penalties, and maximize your course manangement, the biggest differentiator I see most often after that is wedge play. On short approach on par 5's and little par 4's all the way to greenside. I say wedges not only because it made the biggest change for me, but also because I don't ever really come across someone who's a truly great wedge player who isn't usually already below 4. Because they learn to play really boring golf. Play the tees that fit, limit any mistakes, take advantage of opportunities efficiently, and never need to panic when in trouble. Which is more boring golf basically - safe out to close/good position, wedge, putt's often a formality. Par, move on. Everyone has different strengths, length advantages, etc, but the ability to get close, from close, with a wedge in your hand often really stands out to me across different caps. Wedges help you survive a lot of mistakes, and create the most opportunities - putts in close proximity.

Different for everyone though, and that's why I'm a big believer in stat keeping. The stats show you your strengths and weakness and tell you where you need to improve to get to where you want to go.
 
Look at your tendencies and weaknesses as a place to start. Are you hitting a lot of fairways but missing a lot of greens? Do you have one or two really loose tee shots? Are you missing greens with wedges or leaving long putts? Are you failing to get up and down from easy spots, semi-difficult spots? Are you making all your short putts, a good percentage of your 6-10' putts? Are you lagging well from long range and rarely 3-putting? Answers to these questions will give you a good idea where to focus.

Other areas to consider: can you hook, draw, slice and fade at will? Can you vary your trajectories and distances with your irons? Do you have a "band-aid" swing or technique (e.g. choking way up) when things go wrong? Can you effectively escape and even score from trouble?

Mental game: Know where to miss on drives and approach shots. Use a 4-iron or hybrid to tee off on a 3-shot par-5. Be in tune with your distances and tendencies for the day you're playing; you may have to play an extra club all day or play more fades than draws or vice-versa because that's where your swing is leading you for the day. Offense or defense - make wise decisions about which holes offer the best scoring opportunities and which are best to get par and move on. Don't be score focused for 18 holes (I like to play 6 x 3-hole mini-rounds mentally as I can build on good momentum or quickly rebound from bad stretches).

I'm with you- a lifelong single digit handicapper with 1.2 being my lowest index. My inconsistencies keep me from being a scratch player. And I can honestly say I don't practice what I preach above (or practice at all really... hahaha). Good luck!
 
pattyboy21 said:
Look at your tendencies and weaknesses as a place to start. Are you hitting a lot of fairways but missing a lot of greens? Do you have one or two really loose tee shots? Are you missing greens with wedges or leaving long putts? Are you failing to get up and down from easy spots, semi-difficult spots? Are you making all your short putts, a good percentage of your 6-10' putts? Are you lagging well from long range and rarely 3-putting? Answers to these questions will give you a good idea where to focus.

Other areas to consider: can you hook, draw, slice and fade at will? Can you vary your trajectories and distances with your irons? Do you have a "band-aid" swing or technique (e.g. choking way up) when things go wrong? Can you effectively escape and even score from trouble?

Mental game: Know where to miss on drives and approach shots. Use a 4-iron or hybrid to tee off on a 3-shot par-5. Be in tune with your distances and tendencies for the day you're playing; you may have to play an extra club all day or play more fades than draws or vice-versa because that's where your swing is leading you for the day. Offense or defense - make wise decisions about which holes offer the best scoring opportunities and which are best to get par and move on. Don't be score focused for 18 holes (I like to play 6 x 3-hole mini-rounds mentally as I can build on good momentum or quickly rebound from bad stretches).

I'm with you- a lifelong single digit handicapper with 1.2 being my lowest index. My inconsistencies keep me from being a scratch player. And I can honestly say I don't practice what I preach above (or practice at all really... hahaha). Good luck!
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Thanks for the detailed and considered advice I really appreciate it, I’ll have a good think about all of these things 😊👍.
 
DaveGolfer15 said:
I’m hoping for a bit of insight/advice from scratch or near scratch THP members 😊.

I’ve recently got down to a 4 handicap and am ‘plotting’ my way down to scratch... clearly, picking off these last few shots is a completely different story to going from, say, 20 to 16 or 16 to 12...

Frankly, I’ve been amazed at how much better than me scratch players I’ve played with are, even though it’s ‘just 4 shots’...

What’s the difference? Where do I likely need to improve? What shall I practice and how? Advice and insight would be much appreciated!
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I’m surprised that as a 4 hc, you aren’t already aware of where you’re losing those shots every round. You certainly must know more about your game than anybody on this forum and where you need to improve.
 
Scott F said:
I’m surprised that as a 4 hc, you aren’t already aware of where you’re losing those shots every round. You certainly must know more about your game than anybody on this forum and where you need to improve.
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I do actually track quite a few stats and analyse my game already but my conclusion is that every aspect of my game is about what you’d expect of a 4 handicap (according to My Golf Spy and a few other good sources). I was hoping I was going to uncover that I only hit the GIR of a 10 handicap or something but *unfortunately* not... there’s not really anything obvious for me to focus on improving apart from just getting better at everything which isn’t very useful 🤣. That’s what prompted my post really and I’ve got some good advice and things to think about 😊.
 
Playing devil's advocate a bit here, did you not put up a post saying that you are avoiding golf tips at all cost and " I NEVER look at tuition/tips videos, articles etc and don’t discuss technique with anyone or listen to any tips/advice I hear " Just wondering what's changed ;)
 
HarlettoScara said:
Playing devil's advocate a bit here, did you not put up a post saying that you are avoiding golf tips at all cost and " I NEVER look at tuition/tips videos, articles etc and don’t discuss technique with anyone or listen to any tips/advice I hear " Just wondering what's changed ;)
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Haha I did indeed 🤣. What I meant by that is more not listening to people telling me to keep my head down or watching YouTube videos along the lines of “Why You’ve Been Holding The Club Wrong.” I’d be a fool to not chat in general terms with golfers that have achieved something I’m trying to achieve 😊.
 
DaveGolfer15 said:
Haha I did indeed 🤣. What I meant by that is more not listening to people telling me to keep my head down or watching YouTube videos along the lines of “Why You’ve Been Holding The Club Wrong.” I’d be a fool to not chat in general terms with golfers that have achieved something I’m trying to achieve 😊.
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Haha, well played mate. I knew exactly what you meant, just a bit of friendly teasing ;) I'd love to get down to that sort of level, so have been keeping an eye on the thread. There is so much conflicting advice on various videos that if you tried to follow it all you'd never be able to swing a club again.
 
HarlettoScara said:
Haha, well played mate. I knew exactly what you meant, just a bit of friendly teasing ;) I'd love to get down to that sort of level, so have been keeping an eye on the thread. There is so much conflicting advice on various videos that if you tried to follow it all you'd never be able to swing a club again.
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Absolutely, I used to devour it all and often found myself freezing over the ball and having to step away I had so much in my mind about how I should be swinging. I used to think about every inch of the swing and it was absolutely crippling really. I never allow myself more than 1 swing thought now. Whatever it may be (and it does change depending what I’m working on or how I’m playing) but never more than 1. It set me free when it comes to swinging a golf club really.
 
I agree with @OldandStiff that it’s different for everyone. Keep stats to find out where your weaknesses are and work on improving in that area. I’ve been mostly between a +1.5 and a 1.5 since 1981. I was lower than that on the years where I dedicated more time to short game practice. My biggest strengths are hitting GIR through good course management and iron play and not having big misses off the tee. I’m not long for my index and certainly don’t putt as well as the other scratch golfers I know but my misses are small.

If I could putt like most scratch golfers I’d be better but I’m now just having fun with golf and am content with my index even if it’s a little higher than my normal. I care way more about how my daughter’s and son’s games are progressing than where my game is at, lol. :)
 
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DaveGolfer15 said:
I’m hoping for a bit of insight/advice from scratch or near scratch THP members 😊.

I’ve recently got down to a 4 handicap and am ‘plotting’ my way down to scratch... clearly, picking off these last few shots is a completely different story to going from, say, 20 to 16 or 16 to 12...

Frankly, I’ve been amazed at how much better than me scratch players I’ve played with are, even though it’s ‘just 4 shots’...

What’s the difference? Where do I likely need to improve? What shall I practice and how? Advice and insight would be much appreciated!
Click to expand...
When you play with the scratch golfer, and you comment how much better they are, Why? That's what needs work. Typically it's not one thing, it's improving everything. Just have more meet ups with your Coach.......
 
GolfTravelDude said:
When you play with the scratch golfer, and you comment how much better they are, Why? That's what needs work. Typically it's not one thing, it's improving everything. Just have more meet ups with your Coach.......
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I would agree with this. I think that if you watched a scratch golfer play an individual hole and watched you there wouldn’t be much visible difference. The difference comes on consistency, short game and mental approach. As a four you have the ball striking ability and the short game technique to play at scratch. It does take focus, work and willingness to understand your game and play your game not worrying about anyone else.
 
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