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What Does it Take to Become a Scratch Golfer?
Being a scratch golfer is defined as “a player who can play to a Course Handicap of zero on any and all rated golf courses.” Most of us would associate it with having a handicap of zero. In plain words, scratch golf means that on a neutral golf course a player has the ability to shoot par on any given day.
Becoming a scratch golfer is the ultimate goal for many players. I have been chasing it for more than 20 years. Currently, my handicap sits at .7, and I am right there. That gives me a unique perspective on what it takes to get down to this level of golf, and what I think separates the golfers who have made it from those who have not.
We will take a look at a few things in this article. Overall I want to give you a realistic understanding of what it really takes to get down to this level.
What Does a Scratch Golfer Look Like?
I can tell you without a doubt that there is a huge misconception in regards to what scratch golf looks like. First off, they are not birdie machines. Scratch golfers are not firing at pins left and right, and draining putts from 20 feet all of the time.
They are remarkably steady with their games. They don’t make double bogeys much, and are hitting tons of greens in regulation. Additionally, their short games get them out of trouble when their swings aren’t performing well. Most importantly, they have a ton of grit and resiliency.
Let’s take a look at some top-level stats from scratch golfers to provide some perspective (provided by GAME GOLF)
As you can see they are pretty good at everything, which is what you would expect. As someone who plays close enough to this level, here is what I would tell you is the main key.
Your game needs to be built around ball striking. While you don’t need tremendous length, you need to be hitting the majority of greens in regulation during your rounds. If you miss them, then you better be getting up and down for par most of the time as well.
Sound easy enough?
Skills are one thing, Belief is Another…
It should go without saying that you need to be very skilled in all parts of the game to become a scratch golfer. But there’s one main difference that I have noticed playing with golfers at this level, and noticed in the evolution of my own game.
You need to have a deep belief in your abilities.
Here’s what I mean when I say that…
Golf is an incredibly difficult game, which is why I wrote a book entitled 101 Mistakes All Golfers Make. No matter how great you are, you will make many mistakes during your round.
The difference between a scratch golfer and the rest of the pack is that they know they can recover from these mistakes. It is incredibly rare to see a golfer at this level make two disastrous mistakes in a row. That takes a combination of mental fortitude, course management skills, and of course physical talent.
So when they hit an errant tee shot, miss a green, or three putt – they don’t panic. A scratch golfer knows they are good enough to recover and that there will be opportunities to score later in the round.
How Do You Get to That Level?
You’re probably wondering, “how do I do that?” If I could bottle up how you get that kind of belief in your game then I would likely be sitting on a beach right now sipping a cold beer counting my fortune.
It is not something you can be taught, or learn overnight. This kind of belief has to be earned over time.
You have to practice effectively, play a lot, fail, learn from your mistakes, adjust, and stay positive. It is a long, winding journey that is easier for some golfers, and much more difficult for others.
Most will not reach scratch golf. According to the USGA, less than 2 percent of golfers have a handicap of zero or lower. That is because it is incredibly difficult, and it takes a great deal of time to accomplish this goal. For most people this is a very lofty goal, and that is OK; you can make an argument that many higher-handicap players enjoy the game more.
A Prerequisite for Scratch Golf
This can’t be a “how to play scratch golf” guide. That would be dishonest on my part.
Here are a few things that I know are necessary from my own experience, and being around plenty of scratch golfers during my life:
- You need to be playing and practicing quite a bit. At this level, you really need to be doing something golf related almost every day. Scratch golf does not happen by accident!
- Striking a balance between effective practice and playing is key. Doing too much of either will hinder your progress. You need to be experiencing live action all of the time, and then making sure your practice sessions are addressing the issues you see during your rounds.
- Tempers and negativity should have no part of your game. Remaining positive, and keeping your emotions at bay is critical. Scratch golf is a steady ship.
- Your ball striking needs to be good enough to keep the ball in play at all times. That means avoiding major trouble off the tee and with your approach shots. That leads me to my next point…
- Most scratch golfers are incredible course managers. They don’t take unnecessary risks. They manage their game on the course through smart club selections, and choose targets that give them the best opportunity to score, but limit big mistakes.
- Their short games are skilled enough to save par the majority of the time and avoid three putts.
It is a Big Goal
That list was meant to scare you off a little bit. That’s because this is one of the hardest goals to achieve for any golfer. I’ve been at it for over 20 years, and have been stuck on the finish line for the better part of three years. Hopefully, by the time you read this article I will have crossed over into the promised land!
Scratch golf requires a well-rounded game, deep psychological belief in your abilities, and great emotional fortitude. All of those things take time and experience to develop. That is why most golfers fail to get there.
If you are serious about becoming a scratch golfer I would think long and hard about what it takes. Expectation management is one of the most important parts of being a happy golfer. This goal might be unreasonable for you simply because you don’t have the time or experience to achieve it. You could put yourself through a lot of heartache simply because it is an unreasonable expectation.
However, if you are close enough, it is certainly a great journey to embark on. I have had a great deal of fun being a rabbit trying to chase this carrot. It has been a lifelong pursuit that continues to be challenging, frustrating, exhilarating, but mostly fun for me.
Do you have what it takes to become a scratch golfer? Share your experiences in the comments section…
Thanks for the thoughtful, realistic advice. I can practice more than I can play due to only having bite-sized chunks of time during the week. And being married, this leaves me only 1 AM a weekend to get out and do what I’ve practiced. Fortunately I enjoy practicing almost as much as playing, and I ‘play’ rounds in my head during my range time and play games during my short game time.
For me, scratch isn’t reasonable despite being a pretty good athlete with above average length. There’s too much to hone in too little time, so my goal is single digit. I’ve gone from a 17 eighteen months ago to an 11.8 today. Slow progress maybe, but the journey has been fun and I recently posted my first round in the 70s in nearly 5 years. (I was a 10.1 in 2009.) I agree completely with your ball-striking advice. Hard to shoot low scores when you’re constantly taking drops. Drive for show and putt for dough may be the mantra for the truly elite players (top 10% or so), but not for me. I’m not putting for any dough if I’m having to 1-putt just to make bogey. Tee game has been my focus, and I’ve recently posted 2 consecutive rounds without losing a ball. I’m honestly not certain I’ve ever done that before, and it directly affected my posting the 2 lowest scores in my current handicap 20.
One suggestion back to you, if I may. I’m an Insider, and have both the book and the eBook. Is there any way to ease up on the marketing? I know you require $ to continue but, for example, this article had that ‘Sorry For The Intrusion’ ad embedded 3x in the article. 3x. Same ad, single article. In the marketing business, we call that spam, and I don’t think it’s doing your brand any favors. It makes for a less enjoyable experience for your regulars, or really anyone just stopping by reviewing their first article. Just a thought.
Don – Thanks for the feedback, and glad you liked the article. We actually are having some issues today with the site, which is why the message is appearing so much. It should be fixed by the end of the day, and I apologize for the inconvenience.
Totally agree on everything said in this article, I started the season 3 handicap and finished the season almost scratch with 0.9, if the season hadn’t finished I was on a roll and almost positive I would be scratch or plus I had a run of 3 69s a 68 and 2 more sub par rounds in my last 6 rounds, I mainly concentrated on 100 yards and in including hitting a lot of 40-70 yard pitches but with a variety of different clubs and totally different flights and shots completely!!! Then I worked on chipping with putting aswel but felt really good didn’t want to change much then moved on to the proper scoring zone which is in fact 125 yards to 165 , hitting 8 irons to a flag that was 150 then to a flag that was 130 . Obviously the 70-120 shot is so important too but I found I was good in that distance but could be a lot more effective with the 125 to 165 range as almost every hole I will have this yardage for my approach shots in, work on this let me know how it goes !
I’m happy to get to single digit handicap. Almost there currently at 10 started the season at 11.3 . I recently bought The Scoring Method based on the discount code you offered. I have been able to drop 3.4 strokes per round using Will’s system. I too am a insider member and also have the Strike Plan.
Jon,
I would like to comment on your article. I feel that you also must have support. It’s so hard to do it alone; you need to be in constant contact with a golf teacher to help you stay on track. I have been about a 14.3 handicap index for the whole summer. I have the time now to practice and play since I’m retired. But I am still not exactly sure what the best balance is for me yet. Hopefully this article will help me.
Hello Jon.
I have played fairly well the past two years and occasionally very well but only have been able to move my handicap from 6.3 to 6.0. It really takes a lot of time to improve. It is so difficult to play my best without a proper warmup. Men’s league for instance has beeen frustrating at times this year. I started my golf journey before I was 10 years old. Now at 50 years old my mind is stronger but my body is where I need to concentrate more time. I love the feeling when competing against others but only in my later years have noticed big improvements with course management skills. I fit the model described above almost perfectly, but if I don’t retire soon, I’m afraid time may run out for me to obtain my scratch card. You are so close. Congratulations! Keep up the good work on the course and with Practical Golf.
Jon – Thanks for your response and encouragement!
I have to apologise as the written word is not my forte…. I think though if you beleive scratch is achievable only ones utter determination can make it achievable. This can be said of 99% of golfer and even tour pros that pure talent does not exist. So I think for us other 99% we need to be able to out work those 1%ers! I think this phrase is super important! You gotta say ” I will outwork everyone! I can and I will make every golf coarse beholden to my will and i will impose my will on it as i seem fit. I and will make every golf shot fearlessly at the target i deem” For me it’s just ment altinating every day one the range or on the chipping and putting green to achieve this confidence. So where am i at? Adter 6 months i have gone from 27 to 11 and honestly i feel like the 75, 74 round isnt far away. The thing i have realised is that every single one of us can hit perfect golf shots! So all I figure u can work at is making the shit shots not so bad, or when u do hit a bad one, being confident u can get your nervous little shaking self out of the SHIT. Im currently 28 and really i still brleive i can make scratch before 30. Even more so i will acheive scratch before 30!
I went from a 20+ handicap to an 8 in a year, but in order to do that I went from playing 9 holes a week to 72 holes a week, practicing putting most days and going to the range a lot in the off season. You have to become obsessed with it. It’s much easier to get from a 20 to a 10 than it is from a 10 to a 5. I’ve shot under par or par on 9 holes several times and I didn’t miss many shots and putting was super consistent.
If you go to the range practice 100 yards and in. I used to get upset if I wasn’t within 15 feet of the pin from 100 yards and in. Most people practice their tee shots when it’s mostly short game.
My friend is a scratch golfer and in order to get there he did 100 puts a day when he woke up. 3 putting has to be eliminated from your game and you need to get up and down a lot.
Yep. Spot on. Agree with all of this. So true.
My handicap nosedives pretty quickly when I hole birdie putts. Even though I’m in my 60s, it’s a blend of hitting greens and then grabbing those strokes by making more 15-20 footers, and not missing short putts. For example, a golfer consistently shooting in the low eighties may make one birdie a round. You see pros and they are making 5-8 birdies a round. But they have a short iron in their hands with a variety of shots at disposal. They string birdies together. A few weeks ago, I made 5 birdies and a 73 and the handicap went from 9.1 to 7.5 in one round. The point is that when a hole you would bogey 60 percent of the time becomes a birdie, you feel a net gain of 2 shots. Short par 3s that are well-bunkered can be a good place to begin to follow your trend.
Great article and great advice. I played as a junior and got down to 7 but I never enjoyed handicap golf. I don’t see the point in thinking I beat someone by 3 shots when the gave me 4 of them. As a result of this I always strived for scratch. I quit golf at 20 and just took it up again recently 30 years later. There is so much more equipment and information (you tube,etc) and surprisingly enough after two months of hard work I am playing way better than before. I am already scratch, which shocked me. I put this down to wisdom. I don’t crack under pressure or do stupid things to waste strokes. I learned to really love the short game and putting. The big game changer for me is always getting down in 2 or less from inside 100 yards. It’s not hard to get within 100 yards within regulation. Because I never lost my full swing in 30 years break I decided to spend 90% of my practise on the short game. I used to always practise the full swing, then I would get close to the green and beg not to take more than 3 shots. It’s a fascinating sport and very mental and spiritual.
Good luck to everyone who pursues this goal. Remember The journey is the best part. If you can find good players to play against without using handicaps it helps a lot. I used to play with a group of club Pros and that helped a lot.
I am 63 have not played for 15 years .I was playing with blaids. now ping g425.hope to get better
I’ve played golf for over thirty years. I got down to one 20 years ago and couldn’t improve. Got married had 3 kids . Even stopped playing for a bit my handicap went up to 5. Now back off 1 again. Bought bushnell range finder this summer. Ridiculous I know but this has improved my golf. Saving me a few shots a round. I am confident I will get down to scratch next year and maybe even better. Mark
I sure hope it doesn’t take me as long as mark to get to scratch lol
I’m picking my clubs up after a long time off! I’ve just turned 47 I stopped playing around age 13. From 13-30 nothing didn’t pick up a club. 30-46 one tournament a year a fund raiser. This past July that all changed; all new equipment, lessons, golfing in Florida (I live in CT), indoor putting, chipping/pitching, full swing practice. After 15 rounds I’m a 17 handicap. By the end of the 2019 summer I’m planning on gunning for a single digit! When I stopped playing as a kid I was a 11-12 handicap player that was at 12-13 yrs old. I joined a club and practice something everyday! I’m back and I’m going to do it again I can feel it down to my toes.
I picked the game up about 8 months ago with about 4 months break in between. I am currently at 2.2 handicap. People say it’s amazing what I am doing but honestly I practiced effectively and law of attraction is real. Don’t make the game so complicated. Don’t think to yourself it’s such a hard game. Take an approach as it’s just hitting the ball with a stick (which you can build muscle memory) and you just need to avoid mistakes. You have plenty of time before every shot. Just my thoughts on the approach factor. I’ve never had a coach or gotten any lessons.. just YouTube and Instagram vids
A true scratch golfer are those who always play the back of the box on courses 6900-7400 yards hitting 285-300. Anything less is not true. I hate hearing people talking about low scores from golfers when their from the blues and whites. Playing courses less than 6500. If your a scratch golfer your hitting a stock 5 iron on 215 par 3s. I dont play courses less than 6900 cause its not a challenge. I always hated handicaps – either you can play or you cant.
SMH. This guy
stock 5 iron 230
You’ll get older and shorter some day and will move up to.the shorter tees. 😁
Agreed with 2 hands 🙂
i used to work at Gleneagles scotland where the best i achieved was a 14 handicap ( long courses off competition tees ).. i guess on an average course i would have maybe been off 10.. now 15 years later i have taken the game up again and have far more time, but my body is older, fatter.. I have decided to challenge myself to get as low as possible by training like an athlete.. going to take video logs and make a youtube film to hopefully inspire others that anything is possible… My short game is good, driving okay but my irons stink to high heaven.. research taught me that a so called club fitter gave me xp95 shafts on my teitleist irons… i swing long and fast … and he gave me shafts for a senior golfer… lol… heading for a club fitting as soon as i have saved up the cash, but i know that its not the gear but the mind and the practice that will make the difference
Great article, I needed this right now. I’m a former NAIA college golfer from a small school in the Kansas City area. I got as low as a +0.8 in the early 2000’s and my first two years out in the real world was still playing pretty good golf. These days, I hover between 1.4 to 2.3 and am trying to get back to scratch. I think your point about expectations is HUGE, and am just reminding myself that golf is a game and supposed to be fun! So I’m going to do my best to improve my ball striking and short game, but also remember it’s not the end of the world if you’re never get back to scratch. My wife and kids aren’t checking my handicap card at the door when I come home at the end of the day! Keep up the good work.
thanks! Glad it could help
I enjoyed your article. So very true. I’ve been lucky to play scratch for a few decades. I’m in my mid sixties now and my handicap now hovers between a 4 and a 5. I still play 6800 yard plus tees but I‘m weighing a move up. What you said about purposeful practice and competitive play is very helpful. I would always even in a practice round play with the best competition I could find. I always wanted to be pushed. I also think working on your body to be able to perform at its best helps.
Totally agree on everything said in this article, I started the season 3 handicap and finished the season almost scratch with 0.9, if the season hadn’t finished I was on a roll and almost positive I would be scratch or plus I had a run of 3 69s a 68 and 2 more sub par rounds in my last 6 rounds, I mainly concentrated on 100 yards and in including hitting a lot of 40-70 yard pitches but with a variety of different clubs and totally different flights and shots completely!!! Then I worked on chipping with putting aswel but felt really good didn’t want to change much then moved on to the proper scoring zone which is in fact 125 yards to 165 , hitting 8 irons to a flag that was 150 then to a flag that was 130 . Obviously the 70-120 shot is so important too but I found I was good in that distance but could be a lot more effective with the 125 to 165 range as almost every hole I will have this yardage for my approach shots in, work on this let me know how it goes !
Thank you for your article – it’s very timely for me. On Jan 15 2019 (1 year ago tomorrow), I almost severed all the fingers of my left hand. For 6 months I assumed I’d hit the last big drive of my life.
My h’cap was 9 at the time and after 6 months of intense rehab, I was able to do some putting and very small chips, moving on to pitching 30m after another 2 months. Back to comps and a whole new grip (can’t bend my ring finger, limited strength in the left hand etc.) and after blowing out to 10.9, I’m now down to 8.5 with a lot of work.
This accident has completely changed my attitude to golf and every shot now feels like a bonus. No longer do I get upset with bad shots or the odd shank and last Saturday, I posted 33 points with 3 wipes and kept smiling!
So now I’m working harder than ever to get to 5 by the end of June 2020, hopefully to scratch by the end of the year. At 52 now I’m striking the ball better than ever and not having emotional episodes during rounds any more, there is more headspace for smarter decision making and every shot is full of wonder and learning!
Love your work and will have a deeper look at your site. Many thanks for the efforts and cheers from Sydney, Australia – Dave
Dave – what an amazing story. Thanks for sharing! I hope your recovery continues to go well. Stay in touch 🙂
Nice, simple, straight forward article!!!
My take…
Short game, short game, short game… along with some decent mechanics, ability to keep the ball in play and good course management are what’s needed to get to a scratch or better level in my opinion. Bombing it helps, but is not the end all (my swing speed is 115).
I’m currently a .6 even though I just returned from a 7 year absence from golf due to TOS (Thoracic Outlet Syndrome). My golf season is a 7 week stretch due to work commitments and courses are closed Oct – May where I currently live (Canada). The point being, I usually start the season playing like a 5 even though my fairways and GIR are at the same % as when I’m playing at a peak level. Once I get my touch back (80 yds and in) and shake enough the rust off the putting, it’s only then that I start to shoot sub par rounds… just in time to hang ’em up for 10 months or so. haha
you’re still generating some tremendous speed with the driver! thanks for sharing
I read a lot of advice about practicing from 100 yards and in. However, most holes are par 4s. To shoot low scores, you need to make greens in regulation. Unless you’re bombing it +300yds off the tee, your approach shot (i.e. your shot for GIR) will be longer than 100 yards on par 4s. I’m thinking one of the keys is being able to hit a green from 150-180 yards out.
My biggest issue is GIR. A two-putt bogey is normal for me. I’m thinking I need to work on 2 things. 1 – Long game. Not for distance, but for accuracy. I need to hit fairways. Tough to make GIR when you need to hit the green from 170 out from the rough, under a tree! 2 – Hitting greens from 170 out from the fairway. My scorecard clearly shows it takes me an extra stroke to get to the green. I keep stats: Over 60% of my pars are from up-and-downs (decent wedge game and luck).
Any advice you single-digit players can give is much appreciated!
What a great article. Currently on this journey myself, dabbled a bit as a kid and then started again 2 or 3 years ago. At 3.9 European handicap right now, working hard to improve in our enforced “off season”. Everything in the article is great advice in my opinion. The most important part for me – not everyone will get to scratch so work on those expectations! Also, it’s hard and takes time (don’t get distracted by some of the comments – no one plays for 8 months and has a 2.2 handicap). Fact is though (sorry!), to get to scratch or post under-par, the length needs to be there to reach greens in reg. So while it’s totally fine to drive the ball 220, and the length says nothing about the quality of the shot or someones general game – it’s gonna be a lot harder to have another 220 shot into the green and make par than having a wedge in hand after a 290 yard drive. Of course sometimes it’s appropriate to shorten the tee shot and accept the long shot in (or the bogey for that matter if it keeps you out of trouble on a tricky hole!). Just my two cents. Good luck to you all enjoying this great game and keep having fun on the course!
Hello all my son started playing a 9 hole pitch and putt Back in july 2016 school summer holidays, with me walking with him looking for his balls cause he was hitting them everywhere apart from down the middle of the fairway, then i signed him to our local golf club then he was hooked , today after representing our County and Country his current handicap is 0.3 he reached scratch at the end of last season so in total He got down to scratch in less than 4 years from picking a club up and as parents are soo proud of him , he still loves the game and hopefully he will do his best to get on the tour one day fingers crossed , We would need help with sponsorship for him to achieve his goal but as parents we will do our best to help.
I used to play off a 4.5 handicap at the age of 16, played from when i was a young boy… Im 23 now. Looking back on this time i had ZERO course management, HUGE ego, ALWAYS hit driver, was always in the trees, and still managed to play off 4.5.
Ive just recently found my clubs in the corner of the garage, all rusted and neglected because we live near the ocean here in Australia. I polished up my clubs and went out and played. With only a little bit of practice, I was amazed to see how good i can play now with more of a mature and less emotional outlook on golf. With a bit of practice, i imagine seeing my self playing off scratch in mere months.. Only time will tell. I’ll keep you guys updated.
Good article. I usually struggle with my lag putting and my strategy. I hit about 280 with the driver, but since I reach very consistently 250 with my hybrid, I tend to hit that one. However, I score about mid 80’s. I will practice all what you said.
Give it a read, I’d love some feedback
I do not have an established GIN, but I am 28 (as of the 28th of June 2020). My father tried to get me to play golf when I was about 10… didn’t go over well. Had he got me a golf coach instead of coaching me himself, I probably would have stuck with it. Instead, his high expectations of me ruined the fun of it. Fast forward to age 16. When I said he tried to get me to golf at 10, I mean we went to the range and putting green like two times. So at 16, I’m a complete beginner. We had a par 3 golf course up the street from my neighborhood. Longest hole was 205 yards, which at that point in my “golfing career” might as well been a par 7. I had no coach, no lessons, just paid my $3 to
Play 9 holes with my friends. I did this for about a year or two then quit again because of unforeseen circumstances. Around age 20, I’ll never forget, my friends and I were all hanging out at a park behind his house, and my friend had a club and a ball. A PW to be exact. I could not for the life of me get the ball up in the air. Then my friends brother told me one thing that I still tell others who I see struggle, “pretend there is a dime under the ball, and you want to see the dime after your swing”. I hit my first pure shot ever at age 20 in a park, and I was addicted. I got jobs at golf courses (I lived in Colorado) and was able to get free rounds of 18. I never practiced at the range anywhere because that cost money (where I worked would have been free, but they have balls that you hit into a lake, and they float.. I just didn’t like that). I did, however, enjoy chipping, and that is always free. So at age 20 I’m shooting 110+. A good round was 94. I never used a driver when in rounds, I never practiced irons, all I could really do was chip and putt decently. I again took another hiatus from golf. Fast forward to age 24. My game from 4 years prior was double bogey golf. Well I landed another job at a golf course, a country club this time. My manager allowed me to chip and putt when we weren’t busy, and this was often. I would take care of the members needs, and knew I had an hour at least to chip and putt. I worked there from June 2016 until December of 2018. Everybody knew I was amazing at chipping the ball, I’d always have challengers to try and beat me, or we’d make up games. Problem was… chipping was all I was good at. I started watching tour players, and their swings when they came out with the “ konica minolta bizhub swing vision camera” and realized how much I was doing wrong. So I emulated those swings, and all the sudden I’m shooting high 80s to low 90s. 100+ rounds were gone. I started to play a lot, and be methodical. Harvey Pennicks little red book, I gleaned one thing from it, and that was course management. Punch out, don’t try to make up for a mistake in one Hail Mary shot. Punch out, or even take an unplayable to stop the bleeding and get up and down for par, or bogey with the penalty. Putting has always been natural for me, it really is simple. We should all inherently know how much force it takes to move an object to a certain target At a certain distance. I also look at every side of the putt, at the very least from behind my ball to the flag, and from behind the flag to my ball. I watch a lot of weekend golfers not even kneel down to look just from behind the ball. I also have a knack for reading greens and the undulation. I can see the line as of it were drawn on the grass. That doesn’t mean I make them all, but I never went to hit a 25 foot putt, and left it 15 feet short. So 3 putts for me have always been rare, especially if I miss my GIR, because I could chip to within 1-3 feet of the hole 90% of the time. Last summer, 2019, i shot my first par round. That same week of play, I had 3 rounds of under par golf on 18 holes. This course says par is equivalent to a 69.7 if scratch instead of 71. I have a huge stack of cards that are in the 60s. I never shoot in the 80s anymore. And it’s a baaaaad round of i shoot a 75. On Father’s Day this year (my first ever) I shot a 67. The next day I shot a 65, and the day after that i shot a 64. I shot 32 on front, and 32 on back to finish -7 par. I play titliest mb blades, the new ones, I bought them one year ago. What does this make me since I don’t have a GIN? This course I play is very narrow fairways, with low lying pine trees on each side. and the greens used to be sand greens in the 30s, so some are quite small, and hard to hit when it’s a 430 yard dogleg left with a postage stamp green that has ridiculous slope. The greens are some of the hardest I’ve played because if you are above the hole on a quarter of them, you tap and pray it doesn’t go off. So I went from shooting 100 in 2016, to shooting 64 in 2020. It’s not a fluke, my irons are incredibly unforgiving, not even pros use a full set. I don’t have a wedge other than my PW, and I recently started using an old driver that’s like 10 years old. I use my 3 iron or 4 iron on a lot of holes because the fairways are so narrow, except for when the tips are too far back and a driver is better. My 3 iron has a sweet spot the size of a marble. I can stripe it 250+ if I catch it perfect. Should I get handicapped? I want to start playing tournaments. I love pressure, I don’t get upset over bad shots because I go by the motto of “the next shot can always go in the hole” and I try to treat each hole like it’s own game. Either I win it or I don’t, but I don’t let it affect my other games. If I were to handicap myself I’d say with my last 20-30 cards, I’m probably averaging 1 under par.
I should also add that accumulatively, the longest I’ve folded meaning not taking 1-x amount of years off has been since summer 2016. So 4 years is longest I’ve ever kept playing golf. And went from 100 a round, to shooting par and under, and having about 9-14 girs a round.
*golfed . Not folded
Read an article or two and really like your take on the game.
A life long 10-13 HDCPer, I retired at 59 and took lessons 2x/week for 3 months, practicing several times/week. After an additional couple of months of play/practice I am down to a 3-4 HDCP were I have been for 18 months. My biggest improvement is my short game (43% up & down inside 60 yards). My game is pretty tight, but I am still giving away a 3putt a round and nearly a penalty stroke a round. 60% fairways and 50% GIR’s. Swing speed about 100mph.
I do realize when I stay loose and positive, I play my best golf……but I struggle to not get upset after too many mistakes / bad shots. Battling negative thoughts is very difficult, though I realize visualizing the shot I want to hit will help me execute better. I feel this mental part of my game is what holds me back, but it is a real challenge!!
Thanks for your article & encouragement.
Larry
This is my first summer ever golfing so I’ve been playing for about 3 months now never had lessons and have kijiji clubs that definitely don’t fit me but my past four 9 hole scores have been +7 +8 +7 +8. I played a 9 an 18 then a 9 as I’m very busy sometimes 9 is all I can fit in but it’s still great.
I would say I have picked up the sport naturally and I’m getting pretty good. For my first year and I’m 19 years old I think I could reach scratch golf what do you think?
That’s a great start! It’s impossible to say what your ceiling will be, but that’s the fun part of golf – you keep putting the work in and see how good you can get.
I agree with your comments entirely. It takes graft or ‘grind’ as my pro says. There are no quick fixes or short cuts – No magic potion. I played and practiced as a kid but by my mid 30’s I was a weekend golfer who sprayed it about playing off 3 but could easily shoot 85. Since Nov 2019 its taken regular lessons to improve technique with driving, irons (including knowing how far i (honestly) hit each one!!), pitching, chipping, putting, bunker play, mental and course management; effective and structured practice along with honestly assessing every strength and weakness and playing i have improved. Playing under pressure to find the weaknesses; have the strength of mind to address it head on and practice it. Then put it under pressure again to see if you have improved. Constantly repeating the cycle and raising the bar higher and higher. Nine months later I am playing off +1.
Now that sounds like an honest appraisal Alex 👏🏽🏌️♂️
Great article – Very informative!
I am a steady 6 to 7 handicap. I am 50 and stay in shape, and can’t say enough how important it is to stay fit, both strength and flexibility.
I think warming up prior to your round helps greatly. Also, maintaining your focus and practicing good course management makes golf more enjoyable. Hydrating and eating every few holes gives you the energy needed for a strong mental game.
Lastly, I live in the tropics, so wearing the correct clothing, hat, sunglasses, sunblock, lip balm, aftersun etc..protects you from the sun and keeps you comfortable.
Hope this helps!
Thanks for this article John, hope you have reached the promised land by the time you read this.
I spent a few years hovering around 10-12 until I got sick of not going lower and decided to commit more. I get a lesson, ingrain one change over 3 months until its automatic on the course and then get another one. I’m now down to 5 but recently found rotating more on the backswing until my left shoulder touches my chin gives me 25 more yards on my driver. This may be the factor to push me lower if I can harness the power properly.
I took up golf at 50 and am now in my 60s and a grandmother. Like many, I still have work and family commitments. I love my golf and try my best to play comp once a week and practice in some way most days, whether it be 20mins or a couple of hours. I started off on a 45 handicap and now play off around 8. It’s been a lot of work and I quite often get remarks at the range of ‘your here practicing again’? That’s what it takes BUT you need quality practice, a good teacher and patience. Because I took the game up later in life I get a little panicky that I’ll run out of years to get to a lower handicap, so that gets me feeling discouraged and frustrated especially on days when my swings off. The handicapping system doesn’t help, last week I had a 5 coming off and although I had a good score I went out a whole stroke because of it. That 5 I played to was ages ago, the moons were aligned, no wind, no worries, etc. I know a couple of ladies who play off low single digits, one plays off +3! I’ve asked her what, apart from sheer talent, does it take? Her answer was, ‘you need to be selfish’. Not only do you need to be selfish about your time but also with your head space, which is my main struggle. Trying to go out and play with a clear mind instead of worrying about elderly parents, grandies, work and so on can be tuff. I have my goals written down and it’s not over yet. I want to get fitter and a little more selfish and who knows, halving my handicap may just happen.
Good luck everyone!