Tips to go from Low teens to low single digits HC

[Golfmasta69]

I went from 17+ to very low 10s, soooo close to single digits. It was all about short game and course management.

Really pausing to consider what you want your next shot to be and where you absolutely 100% cannot be on every single shot was SUPER important and not as easy as you would thing because it actually requires a surprising amount of mental discipline. Frustrated? Pause to consider it. Bad swing day? Focus on course management not figuring out your swing. Off to a terrible start? Stay focused on your pre-shot evaluation. It is hard.

On short game I got to the point where I never need more than 3 shots to get it in the whole inside of about 120 yards. Obviously, getting up and down is the goal but you can destroy a round by taking more than 3, so eliminate that. In doing the work to eliminate it you also increase the number of times you get up and down for the par save.

Wildcard...hitting more GIRs. If iron your iron play is good then the extra distance probably is an area to focus. My iron play sucks so I practiced that a lot, and learned to focus on middle of the green.

That discipline re routine and management you speak of I so so agree is hard.. I’m now at a point I feel I can make adequate contact, but it’s truly when I fail to aim well or not follow my routine that the big numbers show up.. so crazy bc I know it and yet just not ingrained enough yet to consistently do it.. to help now I’ve started doing it in practice.. hit less balls but really really go through my routine each time.. feeling more confident so we shall see..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dAS0]

I started seeing shorter distances at the end of last year (all due to poor contact/swing). A lesson and having time to work on drills has helped, plus I started the RypStick system and have gained some speed. I am in the category of 'not having control of my speed' though. Getting there.

 

[tequila4kapp]

That discipline re routine and management you speak of I so so agree is hard.. I’m now at a point I feel I can make adequate contact, but it’s truly when I fail to aim well or not follow my routine that the big numbers show up.. so crazy bc I know it and yet just not ingrained enough yet to consistently do it.. to help now I’ve started doing it in practice.. hit less balls but really really go through my routine each time.. feeling more confident so we shall see..

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I little game my then instructor gave me to teach me ... play 2 balls. Pick your best shot. Repeat. What was your score? That is your current potential if you (mostly) eliminate the bad course management stuff.

 

[Reef Donkey]

Happy New Year Guys!..

For this year my goal is to put in some serious work on my game to get it as good as possible. My stretch goal is as low as possible HC....

That said I'm curious what experience you guys that have single digit handicaps could offer for my journey.

My back ground is early 50's, in decent shape and I hit driver around 240-250 yrds.., typically play courses around 6,500 ish, and tend to shoot low to mid 80's..
- Short game is decent.. can chip and putt relatively well and been putting in more time on wedges from 120 in.


-I feel better course management will be a big plus as many of the doubles etc that I get are more from bad decisions vs shot execution..

- That being said has anyone had any noticeable results from trying to gain distance , and if so what techniques did you use? I feel like additional distance can only help if I can gain it.

Now and into the season.. I'll have a good amount of time to play and practice and my thought is when practicing , which is hopefully 1 to 2 hrs daily between the house and the course, devote most of my time to short game, and a couple rounds with the guys a week.



Sorry for the long note, but overall just curious what you guys found to be most impactful, rabbit holes to avoid etc..

Thanks y'all

I can't speak for everyone, BUT, this has been what's worked best for me:

Playing all my yardages on approach based on the back of the green distance. For instance:
Front of green: 131 yds
Middle of green: 147 yds
Back of green: 163 yds.

Water in the front of the green

My 7i absolutely pured at full swing is 168. So I just grip down a tad and swing easier with the 7i. Better contact, looser body, perfect for this distance range. I can and have carried my 9i 145 routinely, but usually that's a layup swing (probably because no real fear, not thinking just swinging, etc). Totally different story, and my ballstriking isn't anywhere near good enough to keep that water out of my mind on a full swing with a lower margin for error. As my ballstriking continues to improve I will revisit my club choice.

In a nutshell, playing approaches and par 3's based off the back of the green distance has caused me to club down, grip down, and swing easier. It's also resulted in nearly 5 strokes off my handicap. So while all the alphas that I play with brag about their 160 yard pitching wedge shots I'm very quietly beating them heads up more often than not.

Also, there's zero physical advantage anyone on the planet has when it comes to 60 yards and in. Any amateur is capable of pitching the ball as good as a pro, physically speaking. Get deadly inside of 60 yards (75 yards preferably) and you'll break 80.

 

[Golfmasta69]

I started seeing shorter distances at the end of last year (all due to poor contact/swing). A lesson and having time to work on drills has helped, plus I started the RypStick system and have gained some speed. I am in the category of 'not having control of my speed' though. Getting there.

Good to hear!! I know it’s relative but what kind of distances did you have at the end of the yr vs normally?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Golfmasta69]

I can't speak for everyone, BUT, this has been what's worked best for me:

Playing all my yardages on approach based on the back of the green distance. For instance:
Front of green: 131 yds
Middle of green: 147 yds
Back of green: 163 yds.

Water in the front of the green

My 7i absolutely pured at full swing is 168. So I just grip down a tad and swing easier with the 7i. Better contact, looser body, perfect for this distance range. I can and have carried my 9i 145 routinely, but usually that's a layup swing (probably because no real fear, not thinking just swinging, etc). Totally different story, and my ballstriking isn't anywhere near good enough to keep that water out of my mind on a full swing with a lower margin for error. As my ballstriking continues to improve I will revisit my club choice.

In a nutshell, playing approaches and par 3's based off the back of the green distance has caused me to club down, grip down, and swing easier. It's also resulted in nearly 5 strokes off my handicap. So while all the alphas that I play with brag about their 160 yard pitching wedge shots I'm very quietly beating them heads up more often than not.

Also, there's zero physical advantage anyone on the planet has when it comes to 60 yards and in. Any amateur is capable of pitching the ball as good as a pro, physically speaking. Get deadly inside of 60 yards (75 yards preferably) and you'll break 80.

Thanks!!.. lots of great advice there.. will definitely add in the approach yardage selection there.. as just avoiding unnecessary misses can only help.. and of course blocking out the guys in the group that like you said are forever complaining about having to club down to a 9 iron to hit it 175, only for it to to go 130 straight right !

 

[darthweasel]

Thanks!!.. lots of great advice there.. will definitely add in the approach yardage selection there.. as just avoiding unnecessary misses can only help.. and of course blocking out the guys in the group that like you said are forever complaining about having to club down to a 9 iron to hit it 175, only for it to to go 130 straight right !

if you aren't already looking at it, one thing for course management would be a bit more specific..."course management" has become a canard with little to no meaning these days...pick up one of the books that talks about "shot zones" or such...there are several and they all say pretty much the same thing whether it is Sherman's Four Foundations, Fawcett's DECADE, the one I am most familiar with is Lowest Score Wins...having a shot zone really helps with developing the course management.

If you are already doing it you know the value. Looked like one of the few things I had not seen mentioned in the thread

 

[Matthew]

Keep the ball in front of you
Don't compound a stray ball. If you can't hit the "hero" recovery, get out sideways & limit the damage.
There's lots of ways to make par, figure out what's easiest for you. Meaning, a regular playing partner needs to hit greens to make par but I need to get inside 100 yards. Driving is his crutch, wedges are mine. 2 different ways to play the game.

 

[Wildcat]

It's very hard. The closer you get to your goal the harder it gets. Here's how I was able to lower it close to scratch. You will need a lot of time and money, but it can be done.

Need to play at least twice a week. Different courses are better.
I would go to the putting green during lunch and either the chipping area or driving ranch after work 3-4 times a week. I'm lucky and have a facility where I work.

What really made the difference was a golf coach. I would have a playing lesson every one to two weeks based on schedule. She would not fix my swing. There was no breakdown but small tweaks. The playing lesson was very important to me because it gave me a much larger golf knowledge. She would teach me how to hit specific shots based on conditions. She taught me how to think before hitting the shot. She taught me hand positions, ball positions and swing thoughts to change trajectory, lies and spins for each shot. Never had that before and really makes a difference. When she taught me something new, I would practice hitting foam balls in my living room until I could be proficient with it.

Course management was something I needed to learn as well.

 

[Golfmasta69]

if you aren't already looking at it, one thing for course management would be a bit more specific..."course management" has become a canard with little to no meaning these days...pick up one of the books that talks about "shot zones" or such...there are several and they all say pretty much the same thing whether it is Sherman's Four Foundations, Fawcett's DECADE, the one I am most familiar with is Lowest Score Wins...having a shot zone really helps with developing the course management.

If you are already doing it you know the value. Looked like one of the few things I had not seen mentioned in the thread

Thanks.. yes.. I am currently reading the Four Foundations book and it does break it down into the various areas of focus.. so appreciate the tip and will follow through on it and go from there!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Golfmasta69]

It's very hard. The closer you get to your goal the harder it gets. Here's how I was able to lower it close to scratch. You will need a lot of time and money, but it can be done.

Need to play at least twice a week. Different courses are better.
I would go to the putting green during lunch and either the chipping area or driving ranch after work 3-4 times a week. I'm lucky and have a facility where I work.

What really made the difference was a golf coach. I would have a playing lesson every one to two weeks based on schedule. She would not fix my swing. There was no breakdown but small tweaks. The playing lesson was very important to me because it gave me a much larger golf knowledge. She would teach me how to hit specific shots based on conditions. She taught me how to think before hitting the shot. She taught me hand positions, ball positions and swing thoughts to change trajectory, lies and spins for each shot. Never had that before and really makes a difference. When she taught me something new, I would practice hitting foam balls in my living room until I could be proficient with it.

Course management was something I needed to learn as well.

Thanks for the insight.. I plan on following a similar short game area focus over the coming months..

Curious.. when hitting the foam balls.. what were you focused on.. form, contact.. routine..?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Wildcat]

Thanks for the insight.. I plan on following a similar short game area focus over the coming months..

Curious.. when hitting the foam balls.. what were you focused on.. form, contact.. routine..?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I would focus on working different type of shots. High vs Low trajectory for example. I had enough room to determine what kind of flight it would be. I would aim at specific targets.

 

[MGoBlue]

Do you know your stats? FW, GIR, scrambling, putts per round, etc.??? Knowing those and what to work on will help lead you to what you should be working on.

Example: I hit about 75% of my FW, and average 30.5 putts. But my GIR are only 35% or so and my up and down percentage is weak. Bad combination. So it’s easy to see I need to work on iron accuracy and short game.

 

[Golfmasta69]

Do you know your stats? FW, GIR, scrambling, putts per round, etc.??? Knowing those and what to work on will help lead you to what you should be working on.

Example: I hit about 75% of my FW, and average 30.5 putts. But my GIR are only 35% or so and my up and down percentage is weak. Bad combination. So it’s easy to see I need to work on iron accuracy and short game.

I haven’t really kept my stats consistently.. I tried it late in the season last yr ( used the 18 birdies app).. but It felt like it was taking a lot of time during the round having to add the stats each hole.. open to easier ways to track without slowing down play…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JonD]

I haven’t really kept my stats consistently.. I tried it late in the season last yr ( used the 18 birdies app).. but It felt like it was taking a lot of time during the round having to add the stats each hole.. open to easier ways to track without slowing down play…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I use Grint, but I generally dislike messing with my phone during the round so I just keep everything on the card. Fairway/green hit, with direction of miss. Fairway bunkers, sand shots, penalties and putts. I usually have enough to put the basic stats in after. I really should just do it live but again, a bit anti-phone on course. I tried shot scope and shot tracking on my Garmin, but felt like I was always messing with it instead of being present or interacting with the group if that makes sense. I'm also usually the one keeping score or tracking bets for my regular group.

 

[MGoBlue]

I haven’t really kept my stats consistently.. I tried it late in the season last yr ( used the 18 birdies app).. but It felt like it was taking a lot of time during the round having to add the stats each hole.. open to easier ways to track without slowing down play…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It takes what… 10 seconds per hole? Seems that would be worth the info you could get from it.

 

[Golfmasta69]

It takes what… 10 seconds per hole? Seems that would be worth the info you could get from it.

are you using a similar app, or noting it in your scorecard then xfer the info later to an app?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MGoBlue]

are you using a similar app, or noting it in your scorecard then xfer the info later to an app?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I use The Grint and track all of this on my Apple Watch. It takes a few seconds after the hole to log score, putts, first putt distance, FW accuracy and club, and any penalties.

 

[JonD]

Also I think the process of transferring it later gives me a good chance to reflect on my round. Where I struggled vs. succeeded, etc.

 

[blugold]

More greens in regulation! It's the single best predictor of score.

 

[Golfmasta69]

I use Grint, but I generally dislike messing with my phone during the round so I just keep everything on the card. Fairway/green hit, with direction of miss. Fairway bunkers, sand shots, penalties and putts. I usually have enough to put the basic stats in after. I really should just do it live but again, a bit anti-phone on course. I tried shot scope and shot tracking on my Garmin, but felt like I was always messing with it instead of being present or interacting with the group if that makes sense. I'm also usually the one keeping score or tracking bets for my regular group.

Will look into Grint.. but like you I am kinda anti-phone..feel I already use GPS to get yardages and just don’t want any other technology things to deal with while playing.. maybe narrow it down to a couple of key stats to track and if anything unusual then add it for that particular hole…. Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BigMac]

Will look into Grint.. but like you I am kinda anti-phone..feel I already use GPS to get yardages and just don’t want any other technology things to deal with while playing.. maybe narrow it down to a couple of key stats to track and if anything unusual then add it for that particular hole…. Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I use 18Birdies on my phone/Apple Watch, but I also track fairways hit, greens in regulation and number of putts on my scorecard, and enter them into GHIN afterwards when I post my score. It at least gives me some stat tracking and ability to see where I need to improve most.

Fairways I put a check mark for hit, or else "XL" for missed left, "XR" for missed right, "XS" for missed short. For Greens in regulation it's pretty much the same, except I add "XD" for missed long ("D" for deep, since "L" is already used for left).

If you enter those into GHIN, it will give you stat tracking that looks like this:




It's nowhere near as extensive as the analysis from something like Shot Scope or TheGrint, but it at least gives you an overview of your game. My approach shot accuracy/GIR is terrible, even for my handicap, and my most prevalent miss by far is short. Driving accuracy is okay, putting is not great but not terrible, and I lose the most strokes on par 5s.

 

[Golfmasta69]

I use 18Birdies on my phone/Apple Watch, but I also track fairways hit, greens in regulation and number of putts on my scorecard, and enter them into GHIN afterwards when I post my score. It at least gives me some stat tracking and ability to see where I need to improve most.

Fairways I put a check mark for hit, or else "XL" for missed left, "XR" for missed right, "XS" for missed short. For Greens in regulation it's pretty much the same, except I add "XD" for missed long ("D" for deep, since "L" is already used for left).

If you enter those into GHIN, it will give you stat tracking that looks like this:

View attachment 9234739


It's nowhere near as extensive as the analysis from something like Shot Scope or TheGrint, but it at least gives you an overview of your game. My approach shot accuracy/GIR is terrible, even for my handicap, and my most prevalent miss by far is short. Driving accuracy is okay, putting is not great but not terrible, and I lose the most strokes on par 5s.

Thanks a lot for all the insights.. had not used GHIN in the past.. but it sounds like if I’m going to be serious about it I need to add that as well.. did you go with the standard GHIN app feature or a more advanced one?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BigMac]

Thanks a lot for all the insights.. had not used GHIN in the past.. but it sounds like if I’m going to be serious about it I need to add that as well.. did you go with the standard GHIN app feature or a more advanced one?

I enter my scores and stats on my computer at home after the round, via the GHIN website. It's just the basic GHIN features. The subscription version of the app gives you F/M/B yardages on the course (and I think green maps now) and live scoring, but I don't use that stuff.

 

[JonD]

Thanks a lot for all the insights.. had not used GHIN in the past.. but it sounds like if I’m going to be serious about it I need to add that as well.. did you go with the standard GHIN app feature or a more advanced one?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Grint has a membership that includes a GHIN handicap if you prefer that app as well. Lots of choices out there.