Tips to go from Low teens to low single digits HC

[darthweasel]

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

I generally like what you post but this one...unless it is one of those "tongue in cheek ones" (tone is hard online)....lol Blugold, what you doing? You're killing me smalls.

That phrase always makes me laugh. It isn't like we are out there thinking, "I was going to hit this green, but I think this time I will intentionally miss it".

We would hit the green if we could. We are trying to.

On that line, I saw a "tip" from...oh, I don't know, Golf Monthly? One of those worthless magazines that keep coming and hitting my inbox no matter how many times I unsubscribe...saying one easy way to lower scores is to target having 6 "3s" on the scorecard every round. Wow, thanks for that brilliant insight golf writer! You mean to say if I score lower than I am currently capable of that my score will be lower? Huh. Good to know. I guess instead of trying to have 18 "5s" on my card I might do better if I mix in a 4? Or a 3?

Just poking light fun...there are certain bits of golf advice that are just the go-tos..."Hit more fairways" "hit more greens in regulation" "have more lower numbers on your card" that...say...well, not much.

 

[Sean]

Perhaps someone already suggested this, but having a good short game. And, you don't have to be young or athletic to develop one. Anyone can have a good short game.

 

[blugold]

I generally like what you post but this one...unless it is one of those "tongue in cheek ones" (tone is hard online)....lol Blugold, what you doing? You're killing me smalls.

That phrase always makes me laugh. It isn't like we are out there thinking, "I was going to hit this green, but I think this time I will intentionally miss it".

We would hit the green if we could. We are trying to.

On that line, I saw a "tip" from...oh, I don't know, Golf Monthly? One of those worthless magazines that keep coming and hitting my inbox no matter how many times I unsubscribe...saying one easy way to lower scores is to target having 6 "3s" on the scorecard every round. Wow, thanks for that brilliant insight golf writer! You mean to say if I score lower than I am currently capable of that my score will be lower? Huh. Good to know. I guess instead of trying to have 18 "5s" on my card I might do better if I mix in a 4? Or a 3?

Just poking light fun...there are certain bits of golf advice that are just the go-tos..."Hit more fairways" "hit more greens in regulation" "have more lower numbers on your card" that...say...well, not much.

You're right, it's vague, but what it really means is to work on your tee game and your full swing ball striking. What that means for the individual, who can say? Is it poorly fitted equipment, crappy swing, or something else? Who can tell, but if a person wants to get better, drop that much from their scores, they need to take the effort in finding out why.

Next. play a tee box that allows you to make more greens in regulation. If you are constantly hitting full 6s and 5s into greens, you're too far back. If you don't want to move up, get stronger and faster. Start speed training.

For the biggest improvements, a mid teens cap who wants to be a mid single, I would spend most of my efforts getting to more greens in regulation. Less time short game and putting, more time getting better with the driver and full irons.

 

[BigMac]

Perhaps someone already suggested this, but having a good short game. And, you don't have to be young or athletic to develop one. Anyone can have a good short game.

A lot of people waste a lot of strokes from 100 yards in. Even right around the green.

 

[darthweasel]

Y

Next. play a tee box that allows you to make more greens in regulation. I

Still kicking myself a bit. My second round New Years day was at Old Mac. I gave serious consideration to moving up not one but two...or even three...tee boxes just to see how it felt as compared to how I knew it would feel the next day. At the last second I decided to just play the standard boxes. Some day I will do it...I am just going to choose a less special course lol. I am intrigued by the idea of shorter lengths...curious if I can hit more greens if I am chipping from 20 yards instead of bringing in a wedge.

 

[blugold]

Still kicking myself a bit. My second round New Years day was at Old Mac. I gave serious consideration to moving up not one but two...or even three...tee boxes just to see how it felt as compared to how I knew it would feel the next day. At the last second I decided to just play the standard boxes. Some day I will do it...I am just going to choose a less special course lol. I am intrigued by the idea of shorter lengths...curious if I can hit more greens if I am chipping from 20 yards instead of bringing in a wedge.

Playing a shorter course, the secret is being smart and playing to a very comfortable full club into the green. Not just grabbing driver and trying to bomb the ball into narrow windows. I am unable to do that. I just see short 4s and I want to SMASH a driver.

 

[Typhoon]

Short game practice, especially chipping and spinny shots you need from just off the green.

Taking more club. Know your distance to the back of the green and work off of that.

GIR’S. Focus on hitting the middle of the green

One consistent shot shape. Don’t get fancy, don’t think you’re a tour pro. Groove the ball going one way so you can depend on it. I play a draw. Off the tee I aim down the right side. Should find the middle. Worst case it doesn’t draw and I’m down the right side. Into the green… I aim center for a left pin, right side for a center pin. Right pins I don’t bother with… just get it on the middle and try to make the putt.

I average 16 GIR’S and am a +3…. Seems to work fine for me

 

[pattyboy21]

Shooting in the low teens probably means you're getting on or near most greens in regulation (i.e., distance isn't a problem). If that's the case, a sharper short game would be the most expedient way to get into single digits.

Other things that help, though not as much as short game improvement, are 1) better course management, 2) learning to shape the ball and vary your trajectory/spin, 3) learning to hit escape/trouble shots, 4) having a go-to shot that performs under pressure, and 5) learning to self-diagnose and self-correct when things go sideways.

 

[Golfmasta69]

Short game practice, especially chipping and spinny shots you need from just off the green.

Taking more club. Know your distance to the back of the green and work off of that.

GIR’S. Focus on hitting the middle of the green

One consistent shot shape. Don’t get fancy, don’t think you’re a tour pro. Groove the ball going one way so you can depend on it. I play a draw. Off the tee I aim down the right side. Should find the middle. Worst case it doesn’t draw and I’m down the right side. Into the green… I aim center for a left pin, right side for a center pin. Right pins I don’t bother with… just get it on the middle and try to make the putt.

I average 16 GIR’S and am a +3…. Seems to work fine for me

Appreciate all the thoughts and will in addition to short game, focus on taking more club into middle of greens.. the shot shape thing for me I now realized contributed to many of my course management mishaps. When I first started I played a draw, irons and woods, but bc I hooked the driver at times I started trying to fade woods but still draw irons.. but to play the fade I opened up my alignment and often would hit the ball solid straight left into trouble..
Last couple rounds when I really really focused on better alignment and not being so open I hit many good drives but still with the occasional straight left..
I think your suggestion of just buckling down and work it one way for all will simplify life a lot so will give that a go at the range and my next couple of rounds..
And now when I also think about it.. the couple of drawn shots into greens that I called hooks were also not helped by where I was aiming!..


A course mgmt issue I have many times is on relatively narrow holes , or even short par 5s is still hitting driver and then going straight into trouble or OB.. not quite sure when to gear down off the tee

For the chipping and spinny shots.. I’ve been working on using my 58 vs my normal 54 wedge..I’ve found these added shots and different flights have made me more confident around the greens..

But I like the simpler idea of getting my alignment tuned up and might even find I gain some yrds by going back to the draw with all my clubs!!


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[MacTourney]

But I like the simpler idea of getting my alignment tuned up

Posting lower scores can require revisiting the basics and fine tuning them, especially set up.

 

[Birdman03]

Reducing your average scoring requires measurement of your current performance with an eye on identifying areas for improvement. The largest differentiator between scratch and better golfers and everyone else is consistency of contact and the accuracy of their shot patterns. There's a good probability that you are close to as good as you can be in those areas (without extraordinary effort in lessons, etc), as many of us 80s shooters are.

So with that in mind the mental game really comes into play particularly shot and club selection strategy and managing your misses. Yes you can chip and putt better, but those will improve by leaving yourself easier greenside shots. Three putts will increase as GIRs increase because sometimes you will be on but far from the pin, so that's not necessarily a stat to worry about.

Good metrics to track (I stole these from Michael Breed) are:

-Driver accuracy (% safe and in play)
-Doubles and worse and why they happened
-# of penalty shots and why they happened
-Putting results when GIR and especially inside 5 ft

Another one I like is approach shot distances when attempting GIR. This is a very useful indicator for whether or not I'm playing the correct tees. For me there's a large drop-off in my chance of scoring par or better if that distance is >140 yds.

I found that my lower scoring usually included a more conservative approach where I accepted bogey as a good score after making just about any kind of mistake. I cut out difficult recovery shots and accepted smart lay-ups a lot more often. With better ball striking and playing the proper tees my miss pattern tightened, for example I very rarely end up in bunkers or water.

 

[Typhoon]

A course mgmt issue I have many times is on relatively narrow holes , or even short par 5s is still hitting driver and then going straight into trouble or OB.. not quite sure when to gear down off the tee


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Last year I didn’t have any clubs, only a demo driver, 7 iron, 2 wedges and a putter. I still shot under par. It forces you to hit to spots. This brings me to your par 5 issue..

Our first hole is a slightly uphill 460yard par 5. Trees left, woods and OB right and a brook at 160 off the tee. You cannot imagine , well maybe you can…. So many balls OB in the woods to the right. The brook freaks people out. They ALL think they have to carry it. Most of these people are hacks to begin with so they aren’t making birdie. But they take driver, swing out their ass and all you hear is them swearing.

When I’m standing out there ( I work there), I tell people to take a short iron and lay up short of the brook. Next hit a hybrid or a 7 iron and then a short iron to the green… putt for birdie. Everyone laughs and says “I’m an idiot, I don’t play smart”.

Sometime I go out with only a 7 iron on the front 9. On that hole I go full 7iron, full 7 iron and then a bump and run 7iron on the green. You gotta break tight holes down

 

[GolfTravelDude]

Short Game. That is where the best players are superior.

 

[Birdman03]

Short Game. That is where the best players are superior.

According to the Grint (https://thegrint.com/range/2021/09/scrambling-par-saves-handicap/):

Scratch golfers get up and down at a 52% rate and 10 HCs par save rate is 26%. However, I wonder how much a 10 HC can actually improve that with practice? Getting from 26% to 35% would be 35% better than they are currently doing. A 35% improvement in any aspect of the game is very large.

Overall the best players are just better in all parts of the game. I'm not sure that short game is where mid-HCs should concentrate to reduce their scoring. Things like better driving and avoiding penalty strokes might be the first place to look.

 

[Golfmasta69]

According to the Grint (https://thegrint.com/range/2021/09/scrambling-par-saves-handicap/):

Scratch golfers get up and down at a 52% rate and 10 HCs par save rate is 26%. However, I wonder how much better a 10 HC can actually improve that with practice? Getting from 26% to 35% would be 35% better than they are currently doing. A 35% improvement in any aspect of the game is very large.

Overall the best players are just better in all parts of the game. I'm not sure that short game is where mid-HCs should concentrate to reduce their scoring. Things like better driving and avoiding penalty strokes might be the first place to look.

Totally agree about where to focus.. while I know I have to keep at the short game, as I’ve mentioned earlier, now that I’m on this journey to get as good as possible I’ve started to really lock in what club choices, shot targets I’m making and for eg the last round I played truly captured a lot of my areas I need to work at.

The par 5s didn’t necessarily need me to hit driver off the tee but I still chose driver and hit it solidly OB.. and coupled with me wanting to play a fade ive at times now been too open and shots are going straight left of targets..

Someone earlier gave me a great tip that I’ll try right away which is get back to the one predominant shot shape I have, which for me is a draw, and just get better at it..

I’ve come to terms that while getting a little longer would be nice, there’s plenty I can do course mgmt wise that will result in far lower scores quickly than just doing a speed training type of thing


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[Golfmasta69]

Last year I didn’t have any clubs, only a demo driver, 7 iron, 2 wedges and a putter. I still shot under par. It forces you to hit to spots. This brings me to your par 5 issue..

Our first hole is a slightly uphill 460yard par 5. Trees left, woods and OB right and a brook at 160 off the tee. You cannot imagine , well maybe you can…. So many balls OB in the woods to the right. The brook freaks people out. They ALL think they have to carry it. Most of these people are hacks to begin with so they aren’t making birdie. But they take driver, swing out their ass and all you hear is them swearing.

When I’m standing out there ( I work there), I tell people to take a short iron and lay up short of the brook. Next hit a hybrid or a 7 iron and then a short iron to the green… putt for birdie. Everyone laughs and says “I’m an idiot, I don’t play smart”.

Sometime I go out with only a 7 iron on the front 9. On that hole I go full 7iron, full 7 iron and then a bump and run 7iron on the green. You gotta break tight holes down

Again.. great insights..can’t wait to adapt the one shot shape (for me going back to my natural draw and working to not hook) and simplify my approach shots yardage selection.

Because many times we play these skins games, I immediately follow along and hit driver.. thinking I have to max my yardage off the tee , which for me is around 240.. and as a result so often I’m in jail off the tee, scrambling to make par on relatively easy holes..

And now as I think back.. I’d probably have had better birdie opportunities had I played more conservative 1st and 2nd shots on par 5


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[Birdman03]

Totally agree about where to focus.. while I know I have to keep at the short game, as I’ve mentioned earlier, now that I’m on this journey to get as good as possible I’ve started to really lock in what club choices, shot targets I’m making and for eg the last round I played truly captured a lot of my areas I need to work at.

The par 5s didn’t necessarily need me to hit driver off the tee but I still chose driver and hit it solidly OB.. and coupled with me wanting to play a fade ive at times now been too open and shots are going straight left of targets..

Someone earlier gave me a great tip that I’ll try right away which is get back to the one predominant shot shape I have, which for me is a draw, and just get better at it..

I’ve come to terms that while getting a little longer would be nice, there’s plenty I can do course mgmt wise that will result in far lower scores quickly than just doing a speed training type of thing


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Yes, dialing in your full swing and hitting to smart targets is most important. You can have a below average to bad short game and it just means you didn't make a few pars/birdies that you could have made. Or occasionally make a double instead of a bogey by double chipping or three putting.

On the other hand poor driving and poor contact on the approach shots will blow up your scores quickly.

 

[BigMac]

According to the Grint (https://thegrint.com/range/2021/09/scrambling-par-saves-handicap/):

Scratch golfers get up and down at a 52% rate and 10 HCs par save rate is 26%. However, I wonder how much a 10 HC can actually improve that with practice? Getting from 26% to 35% would be 35% better than they are currently doing. A 35% improvement in any aspect of the game is very large.

Overall the best players are just better in all parts of the game. I'm not sure that short game is where mid-HCs should concentrate to reduce their scoring. Things like better driving and avoiding penalty strokes might be the first place to look.

It depends on why somebody is a mid-HC, though. Some can bomb it off the tee, but they suck around the greens and/or can't putt. Some lose a lot of strokes off the tee, but can get up and down from around the green to save their bogeys. Some are good on either end, but their iron game is bad and they can't hit approach shots to save their life. Not everybody is a mid or high cap for the same reason. That's where knowing your own game and your strengths/weaknesses comes in handy to figure out your priorities for improvement.

 

[Birdman03]

It depends on why somebody is a mid-HC, though. Some can bomb it off the tee, but they suck around the greens and/or can't putt. Some lose a lot of strokes off the tee, but can get up and down from around the green to save their bogeys. Some are good on either end, but their iron game is bad and they can't hit approach shots to save their life. Not everybody is a mid or high cap for the same reason. That's where knowing your own game and your strengths/weaknesses comes in handy to figure out your priorities for improvement.

Exactly. You have to analyze your own game to be clear on where to improve. The potential improvement in terms of strokes gained is much greater in the long game for most, but not all, golfers.

In my experience there are two types of long hitters - the ones that are wild and the ones that aren't. The second type are usually low handicappers

 

[darthweasel]

Exactly. You have to analyze your own game to be clear on where to improve. The potential improvement in terms of strokes gained is much greater in the long game for most, but not all, golfers.

In my experience there are two types of long hitters - the ones that are wild and the ones that aren't. The second type are usually low handicappers

I suspect you and I have very similar ideas on it. And I also tend to think the following statement, paraphrased from a few people I have seen similar things from:

for sort-term, quickest improvement, putting and short game. For long term best benefit the full swing.

The idea being a lot of times the short game and/or putting are low-hanging fruit. Going from taking 2 chips (or more) to get on to 1 saves numerous strokes. It is quick and easy. But going from one chip to get on with an average proximity of 20' to 15' A) takes longer and B) a 15' putt versus a 20' putt might save one stroke every 4-5 rounds so yeah...there was improvement, but how much did it matter?

Meanwhile, the best way to 2 putt or less is proximity to the hole. Proximity to hole is best achieved by proximity to green. Proximity to green is best achieved by getting a good long way off the tee...

So long term the most improvement will be available from the long game.

As someone, not sure where I read it as it has been a couple years, but he said, "If I am preparing for a tournament I am going to spend the bulk of my time on putting and short game. If I am preparing for the season I am going to spend my time on driver and the long game."

 

[Birdman03]

I suspect you and I have very similar ideas on it. And I also tend to think the following statement, paraphrased from a few people I have seen similar things from:

for sort-term, quickest improvement, putting and short game. For long term best benefit the full swing.

The idea being a lot of times the short game and/or putting are low-hanging fruit. Going from taking 2 chips (or more) to get on to 1 saves numerous strokes. It is quick and easy. But going from one chip to get on with an average proximity of 20' to 15' A) takes longer and B) a 15' putt versus a 20' putt might save one stroke every 4-5 rounds so yeah...there was improvement, but how much did it matter?

Meanwhile, the best way to 2 putt or less is proximity to the hole. Proximity to hole is best achieved by proximity to green. Proximity to green is best achieved by getting a good long way off the tee...

So long term the most improvement will be available from the long game.

As someone, not sure where I read it as it has been a couple years, but he said, "If I am preparing for a tournament I am going to spend the bulk of my time on putting and short game. If I am preparing for the season I am going to spend my time on driver and the long game."

I like that approach. Before any round that counts for something I think it's critical to chip and putt using the type of ball you are going to play. From course to course greens are always different. For me it is a must to make sure my lag putts and chips are going the right distances before playing.

For the full swing some kind of warm-up and development of a good motion/thought for the day is key. And I find that hitting off mats for that may actually be detrimental.

 

[SunnyWalker]

I've gotten to a 5 hdcp or lower twice during my golfing career. Once in my mid 30's and now in my early 60's.

Early on it was all about ball striking and putting. I hit the ball long enough and really consistent off the tee. I made a ton of putts but really chipped and pitched the ball well below average if not poorly.

Nowadays, I still putt it really well and now wedge it about average. My ball striking is more about managing what skills I have than overall talent at this point.

My keys to shooting mid 70's ;

Putt well, really well. The easiest to way to lower your score(any score) is drain a bunch of putts. I practice putting nearly every day and know my stroke and keys inside and out.

Drive it in play off the tee. So get fitted, take lessons, whatever but you have to hit playable tee shots to have any chance at scoring.

Manage your iron game. Hit the shot you got in your bag to the best place you can score from. Sometimes thats away from trouble so that your worst score is bogey.

A solid short game around the greens is a plus and makes scoring more consistent, but it can't be the only improvement in your game or you'll never stay a 70's shooter.

 

[Golfmasta69]

I've gotten to a 5 hdcp or lower twice during my golfing career. Once in my mid 30's and now in my early 60's.

Early on it was all about ball striking and putting. I hit the ball long enough and really consistent off the tee. I made a ton of putts but really chipped and pitched the ball well below average if not poorly.

Nowadays, I still putt it really well and now wedge it about average. My ball striking is more about managing what skills I have than overall talent at this point.

My keys to shooting mid 70's ;

Putt well, really well. The easiest to way to lower your score(any score) is drain a bunch of putts. I practice putting nearly every day and know my stroke and keys inside and out.

Drive it in play off the tee. So get fitted, take lessons, whatever but you have to hit playable tee shots to have any chance at scoring.

Manage your iron game. Hit the shot you got in your bag to the best place you can score from. Sometimes thats away from trouble so that your worst score is bogey.

A solid short game around the greens is a plus and makes scoring more consistent, but it can't be the only improvement in your game or you'll never stay a 70's shooter.

Thanks .. all great points!.. curious what’s your avg driver yardage and do you mostly have one shot shape ?

Course mgmt wise I so agree with you about having playable tee shots, which for me might mean taking less than driver and changing targets off the tees..

Putting wise I’ve started practicing almost every day and a couple of keys have emerged that feel like I should be in good shape once the season gets going


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[GolfTravelDude]

According to the Grint (https://thegrint.com/range/2021/09/scrambling-par-saves-handicap/):

Scratch golfers get up and down at a 52% rate and 10 HCs par save rate is 26%. However, I wonder how much a 10 HC can actually improve that with practice? Getting from 26% to 35% would be 35% better than they are currently doing. A 35% improvement in any aspect of the game is very large.

Overall the best players are just better in all parts of the game. I'm not sure that short game is where mid-HCs should concentrate to reduce their scoring. Things like better driving and avoiding penalty strokes might be the first place to look.

Short game starts with putting. Not just up and down. Your scoring improves from the pin backwards to the tee.

 

[BigLeftyinAZ]

Short game is where it's at . Gotta practice 100 yards in ,around greens ,bunker play and your putting. Make an assessment of your game in those areas and practice the areas you know need work 2x harder than what I posted