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Peak ability

Qwkz51

Qwkz51

El Conquistador
Albatross 2024 Club
Joined
Jan 5, 2018
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Location
Kentucky
Handicap
16
I played with @e1iterate @OhioGolfer and @LLIB this weekend at Mike's(e1literate) home course. Had a great weekend with some great THP'ers and golf I'd rather arm wrestle a bear than remember. On my drive home I had plenty of time to reflect on my game. A question i kept coming back to was, Do we have a peak ability? I play somewhat regularly, 2-3 times a week, I hit it reasonably far for a 15hc, which plays well for my short home links style course(66 par). However that sets me up for a hc that just doesn't travel. I've taken a few lessons, but just haven't made any real improvements. Do we have an arbitrary number that we just can't climb without significant lessons or time commitments?
 
Qwkz51 said:
I played with @e1iterate @OhioGolfer and @LLIB this weekend at Mike's(e1literate) home course. Had a great weekend with some great THP'ers and golf I'd rather arm wrestle a bear than remember. On my drive home I had plenty of time to reflect on my game. A question i kept coming back to was, Do we have a peak ability? I play somewhat regularly, 2-3 times a week, I hit it reasonably far for a 15hc, which plays well for my short home links style course(66 par). However that sets me up for a hc that just doesn't travel. I've taken a few lessons, but just haven't made any real improvements. Do we have an arbitrary number that we just can't climb without significant lessons or time commitments?
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I don't have anything to back my opinion up, but here it is anyway - different people have different natural athletic ability (strength, balance, eye-hand coordination, etc.). Some people's "peak" will be a lot higher than others, so that hypothetical arbitrary number wouldn't be the same for everybody. For some it might be a 30 handicap, for others it might be a 10. And that athleticism doesn't necessarily transfer between sports. There are a lot of pro athletes who suck at golf even though they're studs in their respective sports, and a lot of pro golfers who would never make it on a football field, baseball diamond, hockey rink or soccer pitch.
 
I really think it comes down to the day. You could go back and play that same course again this coming weekend and do 5-8 strokes better. Just a matter of which game shows up on a given day. I had a stretch in march with breaking 80 for 6 rounds in a row. April was just a miserable month of golf scoring wise for me.
It just comes and goes.
 
Snickerdog said:
I really think it comes down to the day. You could go back and play that same course again this coming weekend and do 5-8 strokes better. Just a matter of which game shows up on a given day. I had a stretch in march with breaking 80 for 6 rounds in a row. April was just a miserable month of golf scoring wise for me.
It just comes and goes.
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^ That too. Even playing the same course most of the time, I have around a 12-15 stroke variation up and down over the long term (mostly stay in about a 6-7 stroke window, though). Some days you're the dog, some days you're the hydrant.

In terms of a "peak" though, my handicap currently fluctuates between 17-19, playing 2-3 times a week consistently for the last 6-7 years. I don't practice as much as I should outside of playing and it's been years since I've taken a lesson. I've played a lot of different sports and never been a great athlete in any of them - I can rise to mediocrity but never excelled, and golf is pretty much the same. If I put a lot of time, effort and money into it I might be able to get down to a 10 or maybe high single-digit 'cap, but being a scratch golfer ain't in the cards for me. Other guys who put similar amounts of time and effort into it can probably pretty easily maintain a single-digit handicap. Just different natural ability levels.
 
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Snowman said:
I don't have anything to back my opinion up, but here it is anyway - different people have different natural athletic ability (strength, balance, eye-hand coordination, etc.). Some people's "peak" will be a lot higher than others, so that hypothetical arbitrary number wouldn't be the same for everybody. For some it might be a 30 handicap, for others it might be a 10. And that athleticism doesn't necessarily transfer between sports. There are a lot of pro athletes who suck at golf even though they're studs in their respective sports, and a lot of pro golfers who would never make it on a football field, baseball diamond, hockey rink or soccer pitch.
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Yeah I think we're on the same page. It's definitely a different number for everyone but I guess that's what I'm asking for a consensus on. Is there a number we get to that without vast amounts of time and money just isn't going to get better?
 
Qwkz51 said:
Yeah I think we're on the same page. It's definitely a different number for everyone but I guess that's what I'm asking for a consensus on. Is there a number we get to that without vast amounts of time and money just isn't going to get better?
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Probably so, but it's different for each one of us. A number/range that applies to pretty much everybody? No.
 
I’d say most have a desire to play or practice what they are good at. Or we have Covid issues and facilities are closed. For me I have to practice. I haven’t been playing long enough to have muscle memory or swing memory. My most costly shots are chipping. I’m guessing it’s because I rarely practice chipping with a purpose. I know I can do it, but I have to put in the effort. My goal is to get back to the range now that’s it’s open again and also the chipping area. We can always improve if we put in the work.
 
I absolutely believe we all have a ceiling. It’s an individual thing. We aren’t all blessed with the same skill levels are potential.
 
I don't think so. To me, golf will always be a journey, never a destination. There is always room for improvement. For example, the short game. You don't need to be either young or athletic to develop a good one, and it's a stroke saver.

That said, I am 65 and don't hit is as far as I used to. Instead of trying to get blood from a stone, I simply play the senior tees now.
 
-CRW- said:
Some tour pros have a variance of up to 20 strokes in their tournament scores in a given season. So it comes and goes.

More related info:

www.protourgolfcollege.com

Why Consistency is a Myth and How The Golf Score Code is the Truth for Your Success in Golf

In our last lesson we discussed how important it is to lower your high score average to be successful in amateur and professional golf. It is a common misconception in golf to believe that you can...
www.protourgolfcollege.com
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This is one thing you see when you attend a golf tourney. You realize you only see the good shots on the tv broadcasts.
 
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I have been a player in my 20’s and early 30’s that shot in the low 90s with no lessons and going to the range once or twice a week and a round a month.

I believe that if I devote an hour or two a day and a couple lessons a month and play 18 a couple times a month I’ll get to the low 80s consistently.

I think if I was able to 100% devote my time I could be a 6-7 handicap in a couple years. But that’s not going to happen any time soon and I’ll likely be too old before I get the time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Don’t be defeated...
Ask @e1iterate I once shot a 126, today I shot a 79 on the same course.

Keep grinding... It will come back.
 
We all have good days bad days that’s why we’re not pros, keep grinding.
 
First off.....fantastic group there, so feel lucky to be apart of it!

second, if your worried about your game not traveling, play different courses more often. It helps.
 
I’m a firm believer that good course management and a solid short game will travel anywhere. We all have swing flaws, but if we can learn to play within ourselves the scores will come down.
 
mikeg_74 said:
I’m a firm believer that good course management and a solid short game will travel anywhere. We all have swing flaws, but if we can learn to play within ourselves the scores will come down.
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You’ve seen my short game.....but I still travel ok. Ha!!
 
If I'm understanding your question right I'm going to the other way of most outside of @Snowman so far and say that we do. I mean physically ability/coordination, genetics, amount of dedication we put into it, ability to persevere through failure, etc etc all add up to a potential or ultimate peak ability, imo. They're individual and trying to reach those summits is part of the beauty of it all, but I think it exists. None of us are gods. We have limits.

I've never truly struggled in any athletic pursuit. I've been very blessed in that way. I'm one of the people that do pretty well at them regardless of effort put in. I started golfing very young too, and I think there's a ton of value in that in terms of maximizing potential. I also work at it a lot harder than I might seem to anyone who doesn't know me well. I don't do a hundred putts a day, or hit at the range between every round, but I work very hard at the things I think will help me improve. And I reap some of the benefits of that effort. Maybe more than someone who isn't as naturally athletic. I don't know. There seems to be a correlation there.

I'm 41 though, and my body is a lot older. Without some magical replacement parts, and some serious time and effort. Like focus on nothing else kind of effort. I just don't see that there's all that much further I can go in terms of scoring. Some, but no great leap. A couple cap points, maybe. I had a hot streak last fall that I honestly thought I'd never best in my life. Well, I kind of have. Go figure. So anything is possible in a way, but not realistic.

I think raising your floor is one of the best ways to improve. Eliminate mistakes wherever we can. And a game can always be more well-rounded. Mine sure as heck could. I expect to eat some humble pie on bermuda real soon in fact. And we all have good and bad days, but I think we all do have a ceiling. I honestly feel like I'm starting to bang pretty hard on mine.
 
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If my practice & playing time stays the same then I've probably peaked. Overall may be able to get a lower score here and now but not consistently. I feel like my traveling cap works better than most since I just simply play different courses almost regularly but it really is hard to get into a groove going that route.
 
Here is something to try to see how good you could be. On a day when you don't have much play on your course play a two ball scramble. Hit two drives on the first hole. Go to you shots and pick the best one. Then hit it and a second one from the same spot. Pick the best of the two shots and continue on till you hole out on the green. Do this for all 18 holes. When you add up you score that is your peak ability right now.
 
Gus R said:
Here is something to try to see how good you could be. On a day when you don't have much play on your course play a two ball scramble. Hit two drives on the first hole. Go to you shots and pick the best one. Then hit it and a second one from the same spot. Pick the best of the two shots and continue on till you hole out on the green. Do this for all 18 holes. When you add up you score that is your peak ability right now.
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That goes right along with something I always say - "I'd be a hell of a golfer if I could play two balls every time!"

I admittedly have some low-hanging fruit that would improve my scores noticeably - more work on my short game. I know I leave a lot of strokes out there from 100 yards in, and if I could shave even 3 or 4 strokes off my score by a modest improvement there, I could bring my handicap down a few strokes.
 
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