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To scratch in a year!

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PrinceVlad

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I know its been discussed at length before all over the internet.....can you become a scratch player in a year.

I attended the first round of tge Nedbank Golf Challenge yesterday and it became clear to me. The two things (in my mind) which separate the pros from an amateur is consistency and the short game. They can just play good shot after good shot and repeat it over and over.

That consistency comes with lots of time, practise and effort.

So the question is....can you become a scratch golfer in a year...not a pro....just a scratch golfer. I dont believe you can, but so many have ask the same question....can I become a scratch golfer in a year and the answer has always been a resounding no.

So I decided instead of asking the same question and getting the same answer, I'll turn the question around....what handicap can I reach in a year. That will hopefully answer the question of so many.

Just a bit of background. I am 36, married, two children and self employed. I played off a 12 about 10 years ago and quit. Played 2 rounds recently for the first time again and shot a 88 and a 90. I also dont have an official handicap as yet.

So against that backdrop and under that circumstances I'll put as much time as I can into the game (juggle it with family life, employment and life in general) and see what handicap I am at the same time next year. Maybe I'll even blog about it in order to answer so many guys' burning question.

Let the game begin......

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I would say that you cannot get to scratch in a year. If you had 40+ hours a week to devote to golf (treat it like a job), I think you would have a shot, but it would still be a long road. Given the information above, I think it would be a tremendous feat to get under a 5 handicap, with your situation. If I had to guess at your handicap within one year, I would say an 8, if you are truly committed to it given your "restraints".

Good luck!
 
I wish you the best of luck. I will never say something is impossible, but it will be very very hard to do, and will require quite a bit of time dedicated to practicing and playing.
 
no offense, but i say it's impossible for you. i'm 34, married with 2 kids, self-employed, and play off an 8, and i know it's impossible for me.
 
Anything is possible in that regard of you have the time, energy and motivation.

I *think* it is easier to set a specific goal and try to reach it, then to just say, I will improve as much as I can in a given time frame. This will allow you to make changes where you see weakness.

Once I establish an actual handicap, that's the road I will likely chose.
 
I echo precisely the points made by you guys. I also think it cant be done. So many guys have asked whether it is possible I thought that I would show what handicap you can reach in a year realistically if you have a job and a family

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I would give it a shot. But please / and I stress please don't ever pass up on family time. Spending time with that is so precious and so short . Personally , I would rather shoot in the 100's versus be a 70 shooter to spend quality time with my son

golf will always be there. But a young family only lasts a short time
 
The effort to drop a stroke from your handicap gets infinitely harder as you get closer to 0. I dropped from a 15 to a 5 in less then a year and I have been hovering at a mid-3 for 18 months.
 
From shooting 88-90 to scratch in 1 year Id say theres a .0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% chance
 
I have floated from a 6 to a 2 over the last few years and that was with a good amount of practice and THP events I played in to prepare. It's a tall task, and I'll never say you couldn't do it, but your wife and kids might be gone after a year if you put the time needed.
 
Good luck! I think I could do it or get close, if I had a year to dedicate to only golf. With 60 hour weeks and two kids, no chance in reality. I'm lucky I hover near 11. Enjoy your journey though, lots of ups and downs
 
If you're extremely hand eye coordinated and have a very good understand of your body physically, you're going to be able to improve at a much much faster rate than someone who isn't very coordinated to start with. Is it possible to reach scratch in a year with where you are starting? Probably not. But depending on how high your physical awareness is and how much hand eye coordination you have, you could improve a good amount.
 
I don't know of very many that could be a traveling scratch player. I do know some that could probably become scratch on their home course but to be a scratch player that travels is something special very few are.


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Good luck, but that's a tall order.

An aggressive goal would be to cut it by half in a year's time.

This is a little bit on the silly side. Either way, enjoy the journey!
 
If I'm reading your post correctly, you stated you think getting to scratch is not going to happen in a year under your circumstances, and I think most agree. I think you are asking what can you get to in a year with a concentrated effort.

Your two recent rounds would put you in the 15 to 18 range. So I would say with your past ability and a year of work, getting to high single digits, 9 or possibly 10 would be a very good improvement. Not setting limitations on you, but just thinking realistically. That would be lower than you were 10 years ago, so that in of itself would be quite the accomplishment.

Good luck in whatever you do.
 
I wouldn't say there is NO chance, but if you'd have been there before, taken some time off and are just now coming back...I'd give you a better shot at it. I'm in almost the exact same position as you, life wise. 36, married, two kids and a full time job. I USE to be a scratch golfer, back when I played in college and was an assistant pro right out of school. I was working on my game at LEAST 20 hours a week, on top of my job....but that WAS my job. Now, it's not. I have a desk job and work here around 60 hours a week. If I wanted to get back to scratch in a year, I'm confident I could because I was there and know the swing....with that said...I'd basically never seem my wife and kids to accomplish that. SO, I won't be doing that any time soon, unless I win the lottery or come into so much money I don't have to work anymore! lol

Good luck with your adventure, I'd say you should document it if you can. Remember, you'll only accomplish as much as you're willing to practice and correct your swing. Not fixing your swing and practicing is a lot like that old saying by Albert Einstein: "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."...that could be applied to a LOT of people and their golf swing/practice sessions.
 
From 15 to 5 is pretty easy but you won't see that until you try to go from a 5 to a 0. Fupresti nailed it IMO.

I bet 7 or 8 is realistic. You'll then spend the rest of your life trying to get to 0. It's the consistency that is so hard
 
I'd say it is theoretically possible but entirely improbable.
 
fupresti said:
The effort to drop a stroke from your handicap gets infinitely harder as you get closer to 0. I dropped from a 15 to a 5 in less then a year and I have been hovering at a mid-3 for 18 months.
Click to expand...

I will second this. I went from a 36 (first time ever playing) to 27 in a year, then went from a 27 to 18 the next year, and in the 8 years since the lowest I have reached is 12.2. If I was independently wealthy, had no other commitments than golf and was truly committed to doing it I would think I could get close to scratch in a full year. I have none of those things, so I am hoping I can get to a single digit at some point in my life.
 
If you have the time to practice and play I think you can get to a high single digit in a year. I went from a 15 to 9.8 this year and when I didn't have the time to,practice my scores reflected it.
 
With the schedule for golf and family that you have, which is similar to mine, I think in a year's time you can get to consistently 15 to 20 from 36. Note that consistently is the operative word, meaning you can score mid 80 to low 90 in almost all games and courses you play.

To hit scratch is nowhere near. I have friends who are naturally good at golf, they've gone as low as 5 all their lives, so scratch is an intentional act, a mission. Nobody wakes up one day and becomes a scratch golfer. To have a handicap of scratch means you need to have some rounds that score under par.

As for me, for as long as I'm having fun, I'm not in pain, and I'm slowly getting better (about two strokes a year to my present 19) despite the fact that I'm getting older every year, I'm cool with my golf the way it presently is.
 
I say no. Millions and millions will never be a single digit.
 
Without being pessimistic, I'd say it would cost many thousands for an average golfer to get to scratch in a calendar year, assuming they were mentally tough and athletic already.

If neither of those things, no. Not really. The pressure to reach a goal like that is pretty immense and would get infinitely worse as the year went on.
 
mikedean441 said:
From shooting 88-90 to scratch in 1 year Id say theres a .0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% chance
Click to expand...

So you're saying there's a chance.


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To answer your question I think you could shave 4 or 5 shots off your handicap in a year. That is will sound fundamentals to build upon. Not a break down of the swing but maybe a few adjustments and very precise practice.
 
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