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The Truth About Lowering Your Golf Scores
If you don’t manage your expectations properly in golf, then you most likely will not enjoy this game. Worse, you probably won’t see any improvement in your golf scores either.
I’m sad to admit it, but for a good 5-6 years I really didn’t enjoy playing golf, and it largely had to do with unrealistic expectations. The combination of not practicing enough, thinking I could shoot better scores than I was capable of, and not even playing that much made my time on the course largely unenjoyable.
Expectations are everything in golf, and explaining them is one of the cornerstones of my book.
I wanted to write an article that tries to simplify what your expectations should be based on the amount of time you have available, and help you figure out realistic goals.
I’m going to break things down in the most basic form so that a wide range of golfers can take something away from this article.
All of this will be centered on time.
Why? Because time is the most precious resource on this Earth, and is certainly the most important thing for golf scores. If you want to get to a certain level of play, time is going to be your biggest limiting factor. This will greatly influence what your expectations should be.
A lot of people argue about the best way to lower scores for a golfer. However, most of these debates forget to talk about what kind of time it’s going to take to get there. I feel this is the missing piece of the puzzle, and probably the most important one.
Adding 20-30 yards to your drives and becoming more proficient with your irons is going to lead to dramatic drops in scoring.
There’s just one small issue. For most players that takes a tremendous amount of time to get there.
So let’s go through three scenarios, all based on time:
Scenario #1: You have very little to almost no time to practice, or play much
I’m going to place a large bet that a lot of you reading this fall into this category.
You work a full time job. You might be married with kids. As much as you would like for golf to be a focal point of your life, it’s just not. It probably won’t be until you retire.
If this is you, I am going to advise you to set little to no expectations for your golf scores, and here’s why.
If you can’t play or practice much, you won’t have much to build on every time you go out to the golf course. Playing a round in April, and then your next one in late May without picking up a club much in between means that literally anything is possible when you get out on the course (good or bad).
Do not ruin your precious time when you do get that opportunity, just try and have fun. I wouldn’t even blame you if you didn’t keep score.
Some people might find that notion crazy, but unless you were a golfing savant at one point in your life, it’s almost impossible to improve at golf with very infrequent practice or play.
Your only goal should be to have fun, don’t worry about improving because it’s just not realistic.
Scenario #2: You can play on average once a week, and can devote a few hours of practice
This is also another category that a majority of golfers will fall into. You might have a Sunday group that plays once a week like clockwork, and somewhere during your week you can carve out 2-4 hours for some practice time.
If you are in this group, I would say that there can be a reasonable expectation of improvement if you spend that time wisely. Playing once a week is enough to build a bit of momentum, and see progress over time. Don’t get too ahead of yourself though!
If this is the type of time you can commit, I would not expect huge jumps in scoring ability. If you are starting the year at a 20 handicap, maybe your goal is to finish at a 17 or 18. That might not sound like a lot, and it’s possible you can exceed that goal. However, if you go in thinking that you will get all the way down to a 10, you will likely stunt your progress because your expectations are way out of line.
Progress in golf occurs in small steps. You make small breakthroughs, and then maybe you have a setback or two. But if you can keep practicing and playing a decent amount you will see small incremental progress that will build over time.
Most of us would love for this to happen, but it’s very rare for a sudden drop in your golf scores after any kind of “eureka” moment.
Most people envision their path to lower scores to look like this:
But in reality, it’s more like this if you can only practice a little bit, and play at most once a week:
So if this is you, here is my recommendation to try and shave a few strokes off your game.
- Increase the amount of time you spend practicing with your wedges and putter. You can make quick gains in scoring with your short game. This means as much as 50% of your practice time.
- Do not worry about your full swing that much. With the amount of time you have, you are not going to make dramatic strides in ball-striking ability. Work on your tempo, figure out your impact tendencies, but do not make constant changes to your swing. For the most part you’ll work with what you’ve got, and that’s OK. You can still reach your goals without changing your swing dramatically.
- Focus on your strategy on the golf course. There are definitely 2-3 strokes waiting to come off your scores because you are making mental mistakes and being too aggressive. Check out my book on course management, I will send you a free copy (link).
A lot of golfers fall into this category in terms of the amount of time they can dedicate to their games. I believe if you can focus your time on where you can impact the most amount of change (mental game/strategy & short game) you will see results rather quickly.
Many players fall into the trap of expecting too much of themselves with these kinds of time restraints, and it’s why their scores never change.
Scenario #3: I have the time; I want to see how low my golf scores can become!
The last scenario is probably what most of you would love to be doing, having the time and desire to really lower your golf scores.
If you are in this final category you have time to practice almost every day, and can play as much as 2-4 times a week. This is the amount of time that is going to be necessary to make huge strides in scoring ability.
At this point you know that golf is a relatively difficult game. If you want to get to the top of the mountain it’s going to take a lot of time and effort. There is simply no shortcut around this.
I talk a lot about improving your short game on my site because I know most people reading my articles fall into category #2.
However, if you really want to get better, and drop 5-10 strokes off your golf scores or even more….you are going to have to become much better at ball striking and improve your swing. There’s just no way around it.
That’s not to say you should abandon the short game. You still need to be very good at scrambling to lower your scores quite a bit. Golfers who are in the single-digit handicap range still miss roughly half their greens during a round, which means they are faced with having to get up and down for par 8-9 times.
I can’t tell you how to become a better ball striker because it’s complicated and unique to every individual. Honing a golf swing to hit the ball farther with more accuracy takes a lot of hard work. It is a calculated effort.
If you are really serious about improving your golf swing I would suggest working with a qualified teaching professional. They can accelerate your progress by evaluating your current swing, and giving you a plan on how to reasonably fix it.
Then you are going to have to practice…a lot.
I go through some extremes to work on my ball striking, and I try to hit balls almost every day. I know it’s the only way I can continue to play at my level, and improve. It is just part of the deal.
On top of practicing, you need to play golf quite a bit too. You need to be on the course dealing with the pressures of a live round. I believe this is where most learning takes place because practice can only take you so far.
Making huge jumps in golf scores is a complete package. It’s mental game, strategy, practice, and playing. All of them need to be heading in the right direction if you want to reach the mountaintop.
The reality is all of them require a great deal of time to improve. If you have that time, by all means go for it. See if you can go from a 15 handicap down to a 4. It will be a long journey with a lot of twists and turns, but if you reach your goal it will feel amazing.
Just don’t fool yourself into thinking you can do it playing infrequently, and not practicing much.
That is the truth.
So take a look at these three categories. See which one you fall into in terms of the amount of time you can dedicate to golf. There may be some exceptions, but I would advise adjusting your expectations based on how much time you have to practice and play.
I absolutely agree with what you say above. Golf, even more so than some other sports, requires constant effort in order to see improvement. While there’s nothing wrong with going out three times a year and playing, you shouldn’t expect any significant improvement if you don’t put in the time to practice. Great content on your blog! I’ll be back soon for me!
-Sully
So true! I fall into the third category, and I’ve gone from shooting 110 at my local club to shooting a probable 90, 85, or even lower in just a few months!!
I get so tired reading golf articles that say”if you are a 20 handicap”, and other such nonsense. 90% of ALL golfers NEVER break 100. I took my own survey. Lasted for 16 strangers. I am often a single so I am often paired. Of the 16 strangers I played with I asked them what they shot. What I got was low 80s,mid 80s,high 80s,low 90s, mid 90s. So how many of the 16 broke 100? ONE! So I quit asking. I get so tired of reading an article that’s starts by saying” so if you are a 20 handicap that can only play once a week etc etc. If you can only play once a week then you CANT be a 20 handicap you are part of the 90% of ALL golfers who will NEVER break 100. Golfers are like fisherman. They all lie. They shoot an eight and write a seven. They have a 3 footer and say it’s a gimme etc etc.
So please stop writing fiction and start addressing the 90% of all golfers who will NEVER break 100
lol. I routinely play with a guy who only plays once a week and never practices. He shoots in the mid to low 80’s (legit). I know because he takes my money every week. I’m very inconsistent. Will shoot an 85 one week and a 95 the next. I have a net in my backyard so I get to practice when I want. With that said, I’m usually too lazy to practice yet rarely shoot over a 100
it’s relative. You’re probably fairly athletic and and have played your entire life. The majority of golfers aren’t athletic and have started late in life. I have a friend like yours, he plays 10 rounds a year and is a legit 5 handicap but he has played since he was 5, beautiful swing and immense knowledge. I have another friend who has a horrid swing, driver slice is wider than it goes far and says he’s an 8 lol
Wow man, i feel completely comfortable with assuming you’re a complete douchebag after reading this. You’re not wrong about the scores but your emotional fragility is really showing.
Where in this article did you read that Jon was saying if you play once a week, you should be a 20-handicap? Because I can’t find it. What I CAN find is a statement regarding one’s goals for the year. “If you are starting the year at a 20 handicap, maybe your goal is to finish at a 17 or 18.” I’m sorry that you have a hard time understanding what you read. Maybe he should have dumbed it down a bit for you and said “If you are starting the year shooting 102, maybe your goal is to finish shooting 100.” Then maybe you would have understood what he was saying better.
Don’t be so quick to criticize something before thinking about how stupid it will make you look.
Has nothing to do with “time”—has all to do with ability—most people don’t have it.
yes, because you cant get better at things with practice. Everyone knows that……
One thing that frustrates me with golfers is the ones that say they would get better if only they practiced more. The problem is if they have an obvious golf swing fault that they refuse to fix no amount of practice will ever fix that.
I would say performing smart practice working on fixing faults in your game is the right way to go about it.
Totally agree with all of this.
People hugely underestimate how much time needs to be put into this game to improve quickly.
The only reason I got down to a low handicap was because I played 5-6 days a week, continuously for years (I was at school). So I played all weekend and in the summer, played after until it was dark.
Now I can ‘maintain’ my level with scenario two.
But I certainly wouldn’t have got down to that level with scenario two, like most people think you can.
My bros a PGA coach and he moans about lots of his clients who expect miracles whilst putting such minimal amount of time in.
Players need to realise what is required and it’s a lot of time and practise.
People don’t like to hear this, but it is the TRUTH.
Great post Jon
thanks Dean! appreciate you taking the time to read it
Most people try to buy a game around my area I am 59 and still take lessons and practice its a lot cheaper than buying clubs I can’t hit the clubs don’t care who is swing them after you learn to swing the clubs then you can buy what you need
best advice I’ve ever gotten – a new driver is the same price as 10 golf lessons.
Re; Sligo.
What a tiresome comment. Almost all skills can be learned, developed, all techniques honed and improved. Not just golf – everything!
Think positive, man!
And give credit to anyone who practices and improves… unless you’re a multiple major winner yourself, then maybe even you could get better!
Thank you for your comments. I’m 61 yrs old and once played at an 11 handicap with second hand Spaulding golf clubs in the early 80s. I gave up the game when I started my family in the early 90s and haven’t played more than 1-2 a year since. Just replaced my clubs with new Calloway clubs and I suck. Your words turned the light on for me and I’m going to spend 4-5 days on the range a week to develop my swing and consistency. I’ll stay in touch on my progress.
Fred is dead
He’s right about people having the expectations that are too high. The truth is that most people dont have a clue what there swing looks like and the causes an effects of swinging a certain way. So people go to the range and try to fix a bad swing by beating hundreds of balls. In reality all they are doing is reinforcing bad habits and maybe some hand eye coordination will help them hit some good shots. Lessons with video from a good teacher is the best way. I have seen it over and over that as people understand their swing and make changes and then practice those changes correctly, they will improve.
If you shoot 100+ and want to lower your score fast. practice your short game from 75 yards and in and get rid of your 3 puts. Most 100+ shooters waste 5-15 shots from 75 yards and in.
Time and purposeful practice is of essence in golf. I play HC 14 and probably falls in category 3 because of my daily job. But I still manage to play twice a week. In recent times what I have learned about golf is that it more of a mind game and your ability to have a realistic expectations. My plan this year is to become a single handicapper. I Have designed a program for it.
1) I am 68 years old
2) never took golf lessons between 30 years old to 67
3) counting all strokes, my real score was 120+
4) this year, I started lessons, after 10 lessons – hitting balls a driving range 2 times a week
A) I played 4 games on a full length course ( only using a 7 iron – wedges and putter ) my 4 scores were 88-89 – 90 & 91
B) I have now played golf on the same course using all clubs, my scores range from 95 to 102
C) I bought Callaway OS irons and Epic driver and fairway woods ( all with reg shafts ) all iron shafts were extended – 80 grams
D) I finally got my drives back to 230 yards + after much effort
E) the best club in my bag is a 7 iron with distance of 170 yards to 137 yards
F) this has not been an easy game for me, and still trying
G) I bought Callaway MC daddy wedges and found them to be to heave – and very little feel –
H) I replaced those wedges with OS AW and Callaway sure out wedge which has help me get over and out of traps
that’s super motivating! I had some lessons as a 10 year old, always had a good swing but never committed. I’m 29 now, haven’t golfed since I was 15, have been to the range every day for a week and shot 102! I need to commit to some lessons and practice like you! Would love to be scratch by 40 but have realistic expectations and would be ecstatic to break 90 like you by next year!
You dont need lessons. But you do need time and the power of observation. A 95 shooter my whole working life . That changed at retirement. I practice 4 days a week and play twice each practice 30 min on short game 30 on long game 20 on putting chose to copy justin thomas. I watch his videos during practice and never attempt the same shot twice in a row either change club or trajectory each shot and try to pose. Shot 67 after three years. 7 handicap now.
And I work out at jym 3 days a week
I dont think now i cant go lower unless i get coached that means more TIME. Double practice time I think for say 3 months to drop maybe 2 strokes dont know if its worth it?
Definitely in group 2. I can “at best” get to the course once a week, more often than not its at least every other week. In reality, I started the season shooting in the 130-140 range. Yes, my son and I play as it lies and count the duffs, bad lies, water balls, etc. Currently the game has improved to an honest 110 score. How? Course management is key – figure out the best way out of trouble when in the rough, lay up rather trying to carry a water hazard – if using a short iron to get near the hazard and another short iron to carry to the green is the best option then do it, work on pitch / chip shots w/8i thru wedges – this is the biggest area I work on as I can do this all day in the backyard, be confident in putting – learning to focus on stopping w/in 2′ of the hole on misses, and most of all – each hole/each stroke is its own entity, don’t carry the mistakes to the next hole.
This article is absolutely spot on. Or at least totally consistent with my experience — I’ve started to dedicate more time to my game and have seen some improvement in my handicap, but it has been a very slow progress. Not the eureka moment (I had hoped), but slow and steady. I confirmed this recently by charting my handicap index for the past several years…and it looks exactly as Jon describes above–up and down, up and down, but with a general trend line moving down! I’ve dropped 3 strokes off my handicap, but it has taken almost four years! I’m down to an 11 now, am definitely in category 2 (play once a week and practice a few hours). I feel my swing is in a good enough place and plan to take Jon’s advice and focus on wedges and putting. Thanks Jon!
Play plus or minus hold instead. Helps when you aren’t great. A +9 after 9 holes feels better than a +27 in strokes. Seriously though. If you aren’t playing the amount the author said to aren’t going to score. If the keep track of below, par, and above you can enjoy the game without beating yourself up as bad.
Golf is a great game and I hate to see people go send 1200 on clubs and cant break 100 you can take lessons for about 60 to 100 a lesson ,then go get fitted for the clubs you really need you will enjoy the game a lot more.
I agree and disagree with this comment. I do think lessons should be the priority, but that’s only 6-10 lessons. Be realistic with pricing. If you can’t break 100, you’ll need at least 50 lessons for around 4 years to make real progress to make legitimate club fitting even worth while at which point the irons alone will be around 1,500.