Attaining a single digit handicap

[Javs]

1 hour ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

I do and I also have experience as a personal trainer and have spent the last 4 years learning about the golf swing and how to teach. I have two people I’ve worked with in person on their swing. One already had a good swing and shoots in the low-mid 70s. He wanted to improve his driving so we spent some time making small adjustments to setup and takeaway. 
 

The other was the typical high handicap who also never played any racquet or stick sports. He went from never breaking 100 to breaking 90 regularly and a few rounds in the 80s on tough courses.

 

So, are you a personal fitness trainer or a golf instructor. Those are two different things. I only ask because here in Sun City we have trainers in the gym that do fitness training. However, I have watched a couple of them trying to “teach” movements for golfers. I say trying because after watching I realized they had no idea about the golf swing. I think teaching the swing and teaching golf are two different animals. For me, I am not going to take lessons off someone who couldn’t out play me. It is frustrating watching someone get paid to teach bad movements in the gym. Not saying that is you, just what I have witnessed first hand here. 

[StrokerAce]

practice what you're bad at, not what you're good at....

tighten your dispersion on shots within 100 yards and be good - really good - at chipping on to the green no matter where your ball ends up.

practice lag putting --- stop trying to make 30 footers.

a good bogey is always better than a bad double (or worse)

[buckpillar]

21 hours ago, Sharp.shell said:

I am You Tubing Dan GRIEVE atm and watching a lesson that he gave Rick SHIELS and it looks like the same issues I have with my short game around the greens.

Check out AlexElliott on YouTube, he simplies everything during his short lessons.

Ive been following him for awhile, Also Danny Maude, Rick is good , been following him also a long time

Edited April 18 by buckpillar

[buckpillar]

16 hours ago, Cfhandyman said:

Javs, thanks for sharing. Good points raised by all. Here are my 2 cents with 2 options.

Option 1.

1.  With respect to lessons, find a good golf coach/teacher that you can relate to. Be open to suggestions and practice those changes between lessons. Take putting and short game lessons. Make sure your fundamentals (grip, setup, alignment and stance) are solid. Start slow with slow half speed swings. 

2.  Go to a reputable fitter and invest in fitted equipment. Don’t forget to get fitted for your wedges (scoring clubs) as well as putter (35-40% of your strokes). You don’t have to buy everything at once. 

3.  Dedicated Practice (have a plan) and practice some more. Don’t play all the time. Build regular practice into your schedule. Concentrate on shots from 100 yards and in as that accounts for 65-70% of your shots. You can save yourself a bucket load of strokes by deploying a good short game by hitting the ball to within 5 to 6’ from the hole and then making 1 putt. Develop a wedge matrix where you know how far a half swing, 3/4 and full swing go. Practice your putting and develop a feel how far a 10’ goes vs a 20 or 30 footer. 

4.  Course management. Work from the green back and calculate which distances you are more comfortable hitting as an approach shot. E.g 75 or 100, 125 yard full swing club vs a 42 yard shot. If you don’t hit the fairway with your drive, Don’t go for the hero shot, rather hit the shot you can repeat 8 times out of ten. I.e. Play for the bogey and avoid the double, triple or worse. 

5.  Invest in Arccos or Shotscope - the data provided is invaluable as you will reliably know how far you hit each of your clubs and where you are losing strokes. An alternative is to spend an hour of time indoors using Trackman or GCQuad and hit 10 shots with each club and email the report to yourself. Eliminate the outliers and you will have a good idea of your carry and total distances for each club. 

6.  Use the winter (for us northern folks) to set goals and practice and work on your swing

Option 2 - don’t take lessons, learn from your buddies, buy what’s on sale, don’t practice and then be surprised your game hasn’t improved (in 30 or so years of playing).  

Great information and reasoning, 

[DanieldR]

I think so many players can improve really quickly by ensuring strong set-up fundamentals and through good course management. Everyone can ensure they are aimed at their target with a good grip and posture. In terms of course management, use (your) shot dispersion to pick smart targets, don't use a 3 wood for a second shot if you can't reach the green anyway, etc.

I have had my struggles with both, but if you work on these when they're off, results follow quickly! These two alone will not get you to single figures, but they can have a massive impact!

Edited April 18 by DanieldR

[fixyurdivot]

Good articles.  I finally broke back into single digits last summer... after over 35 years.  Ultimately, for me, it was getting back to playing regularly, working hard on all aspects of the game.  But, most importantly, it was finding the right instructor to get me moving away from the OTT tendency... especially when shooting the long arrows.

[twyatt700]

For me, I’ve gone from an 18 handicap to a 5 in the last two years. My biggest improvement came after I got fit for my irons and had some lessons. But, the last several strokes that I have shaved off the handicap has come from course management.
Learning how to PLAY GOLF and not golf swing/driving range hero has been the biggest difference. At the end of the day golf is a sport, and sports need to be played with strategy and athleticism. I think we forget that a lot. Golf has gotten so technical and analytical that the athletic side of it gets lost. I was a high-level collegiate baseball player at one point and still a pretty competitive pick up basketball player. I’ve taken that part of my brain and skill and applied it to playing golf. I’ve been working on making the correct decision and then reacting to the shot/swing needed for that situation. Whereas before I would focus on my golf swing, trying to make a good technical swing, verse focusing on what do I need to do to get the ball where in needs to go.
This has been the biggest shift in my game to playing really good golf.
Due to a new job, essentially I started a new practice for my company, I’ve had very little time for the driving range and actual rounds of golf, but I have played two rounds this year.
My first was at Chambers Bay with one driving range session before, I shot an 83 with three birdies and 7 3 putts, my next round was at a challenging public course locally where I shot a 74 and was had a bogey free 2 under on the back nine. This was with very little practice and feeling a bit rusty. These two rounds was wasn’t perfect, I didn’t hit ever green or fairway, I didn’t always feel like I was hitting it perfect, but I was grinding and making good club choices. Clubbing up and playing the smart shot. It was really boring golf honestly. Nothing flashy, just controlled boring golf.

So I would say the biggest thing to get you you to single digits is improving your skill level, more importantly, improving your mentality and decision-making on the course.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Preeway]

I think the importance of the mental game is often left out when trying to understand how to become a single digit handicapper. Especially if you want to get into the low single digits. 

[Bubba1985]

1 hour ago, twyatt700 said:

For me, I’ve gone from an 18 handicap to a 5 in the last two years. My biggest improvement came after I got fit for my irons and had some lessons. But, the last several strokes that I have shaved off the handicap has come from course management.
Learning how to PLAY GOLF and not golf swing/driving range hero has been the biggest difference. At the end of the day golf is a sport, and sports need to be played with strategy and athleticism. I think we forget that a lot. Golf has gotten so technical and analytical that the athletic side of it gets lost. I was a high-level collegiate baseball player at one point and still a pretty competitive pick up basketball player. I’ve taken that part of my brain and skill and applied it to playing golf. I’ve been working on making the correct decision and then reacting to the shot/swing needed for that situation. Whereas before I would focus on my golf swing, trying to make a good technical swing, verse focusing on what do I need to do to get the ball where in needs to go.
This has been the biggest shift in my game to playing really good golf.
Due to a new job, essentially I started a new practice for my company, I’ve had very little time for the driving range and actual rounds of golf, but I have played two rounds this year.
My first was at Chambers Bay with one driving range session before, I shot an 83 with three birdies and 7 3 putts, my next round was at a challenging public course locally where I shot a 74 and was had a bogey free 2 under on the back nine. This was with very little practice and feeling a bit rusty. These two rounds was wasn’t perfect, I didn’t hit ever green or fairway, I didn’t always feel like I was hitting it perfect, but I was grinding and making good club choices. Clubbing up and playing the smart shot. It was really boring golf honestly. Nothing flashy, just controlled boring golf.

So I would say the biggest thing to get you you to single digits is improving your skill level, more importantly, improving your mentality and decision-making on the course.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Might should start a topic out of this question, but is shooting a 74 and taking the "exciting" shots out of the question worth it, or do u miss trying to hit ur 3 wood over a pond 250 yards away?

[David Leighton Reid]

9 minutes ago, Preeway said:

I think the importance of the mental game is often left out when trying to understand how to become a single digit handicapper. Especially if you want to get into the low single digits. 

I second this with a hearty "Amen, brother".  When faced with a difficult shot, how many times do you make the decision to play for par/bogey or do you try to hit a miraculous shot which could bring a big number into play? How many times do you aim at the flag instead of playing to the center of the green?  Do you always hit driver just because it is a par 4/5 or do you think about manageable distances from the fairway with less than driver?  Do you confidently commit to your choice of club and the shot you want to hit and maybe visualize the shot in your mind?  Sometimes, the golfers that are beating you aren't better ball strikers, they just play smarter.  

[cnosil]

10 minutes ago, Bubba1985 said:

Might should start a topic out of this question, but is shooting a 74 and taking the "exciting" shots out of the question worth it, or do u miss trying to hit ur 3 wood over a pond 250 yards away?

If you can't do it 8 out of 10 times you shouldn't try to hit over the pond.   But the question back to you is do you want to achieve the best score you possible can or hit shots you will fail at more than you are successful?

[DaveP043]

6 minutes ago, cnosil said:

If you can't do it 8 out of 10 times you shouldn't try to hit over the pond.   But the question back to you is do you want to achieve the best score you possible can or hit shots you will fail at more than you are successful?

Another way of asking the same question, do you want the lowest scores on a consistent basis, or do you want relatively rare moments of excitement?

[Preeway]

23 minutes ago, David Leighton Reid said:

I second this with a hearty "Amen, brother".  When faced with a difficult shot, how many times do you make the decision to play for par/bogey or do you try to hit a miraculous shot which could bring a big number into play? How many times do you aim at the flag instead of playing to the center of the green?  Do you always hit driver just because it is a par 4/5 or do you think about manageable distances from the fairway with less than driver?  Do you confidently commit to your choice of club and the shot you want to hit and maybe visualize the shot in your mind?  Sometimes, the golfers that are beating you aren't better ball strikers, they just play smarter.  

Nailed it

[Preeway]

25 minutes ago, Bubba1985 said:

Might should start a topic out of this question, but is shooting a 74 and taking the "exciting" shots out of the question worth it, or do u miss trying to hit ur 3 wood over a pond 250 yards away?

I’ll take shooting 74 without hitting over the pond everyday. There are times where I will take the chance but it’s always a risk/reward analysis. My goal is to score as best as I can each round. I’m not looking for the miracle shot. Just me. 

[Bubba1985]

10 minutes ago, cnosil said:

If you can't do it 8 out of 10 times you shouldn't try to hit over the pond.   But the question back to you is do you want to achieve the best score you possible can or hit shots you will fail at more than you are successful?

That's what I'm trying to figure out.. I'm still early in my golfing career..I love the sport, but I'm afraid if I want to shoot a consistent 78 or below it's gonna become more of a job than a release from work..I know I'm never going to make the tour, hell my very first tournament is in two weeks, and different strokes for different folks, but I play to get away from pressure of everyday life..I definitely want to get better, just don't want to pressure myself in something I do to relax me

[Bubba1985]

6 minutes ago, Preeway said:

I’ll take shooting 74 without hitting over the pond everyday. There are times where I will take the chance but it’s always a risk/reward analysis. My goal is to score as best as I can each round. I’m not looking for the miracle shot. Just me. 

And I get this thought.. I'm betting ur way better than I am.. Even if I buckled down and hit smart shot and set ups in still not good enough to get below 84, and that's a great day

[twyatt700]

50 minutes ago, Bubba1985 said:

Might should start a topic out of this question, but is shooting a 74 and taking the "exciting" shots out of the question worth it, or do u miss trying to hit ur 3 wood over a pond 250 yards away?

Oh I did have a 240 shot with a carry distance of 225 after a chunked 4 iron off the tee that I pulled off and was a blast! Those shots are still out there but it's just making that decision at the right time. Shooting 74 is still pretty exciting.

Edited April 28 by twyatt700

[cnosil]

22 minutes ago, Bubba1985 said:

That's what I'm trying to figure out.. I'm still early in my golfing career..I love the sport, but I'm afraid if I want to shoot a consistent 78 or below it's gonna become more of a job than a release from work..I know I'm never going to make the tour, hell my very first tournament is in two weeks, and different strokes for different folks, but I play to get away from pressure of everyday life..I definitely want to get better, just don't want to pressure myself in something I do to relax me

makes sense.   Hard to say/figure out,   I've been a single digit for a while. I got down to a 4 with almost no practice but as I get older it is starting to creep upward.   Probably no one on here will make the tour;  we just want to play our best golf and have fun playing the game.    At this point I am more motivated to practice more to see if I can get better.    On the course,  I simply want to hit basic simple shots and make golf "boring".    Pick good targets, hit good shots, and hopefully score well.    The more I have learned about solid course strategy, the more relaxed and less frustrating the game has become.   Golf isn't a job to me, but it is something that I am willing to work at to get better.   That desire to get better is a release from work for me.  

[Preeway]

40 minutes ago, Bubba1985 said:

And I get this thought.. I'm betting ur way better than I am.. Even if I buckled down and hit smart shot and set ups in still not good enough to get below 84, and that's a great day

My initial response is, am I “better” because I play “smarter” and thus score better or am I just a better ball striker and scoring comes easy? My guess is more the former than the latter. I am a good ball striker but I also pride myself in playing smart golf and managing risk as much as possible. 

[Bubba1985]

20 minutes ago, cnosil said:

makes sense.   Hard to say/figure out,   I've been a single digit for a while. I got down to a 4 with almost no practice but as I get older it is starting to creep upward.   Probably no one on here will make the tour;  we just want to play our best golf and have fun playing the game.    At this point I am more motivated to practice more to see if I can get better.    On the course,  I simply want to hit basic simple shots and make golf "boring".    Pick good targets, hit good shots, and hopefully score well.    The more I have learned about solid course strategy, the more relaxed and less frustrating the game has become.   Golf isn't a job to me, but it is something that I am willing to work at to get better.   That desire to get better is a release from work for me.  

I like this answer! I just know eventually Father time is gonna catch up to me..I went from benching 400lbs in my 20s to about 300lbs coming up on 40.. Love to try to hit the impossible shot while I still can bc one day it's just going to be club ups and lay ups, and that's ok, just don't wanna start till I have too or I'm warming up for tournament play

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, Bubba1985 said:

Might should start a topic out of this question, but is shooting a 74 and taking the "exciting" shots out of the question worth it, or do u miss trying to hit ur 3 wood over a pond 250 yards away?

Hero shots are fun when you don’t care about score. Once you decide you want to start scoring better you lessen the risky shots for the better play. I don’t miss the hero shot at all. Going low or trying to go low is far more exciting than one or two hero shots a round 

[chisag]

2 hours ago, Bubba1985 said:

Might should start a topic out of this question, but is shooting a 74 and taking the "exciting" shots out of the question worth it, or do u miss trying to hit ur 3 wood over a pond 250 yards away?

 

... Others have responded but I will add to your would be Tin Cup moment. cnosil mentioned this and I first heard it from Annika Sorenstam. If she can't pull off the shot with an 80% chance of success and we are talking about shots she has practiced, she doesn't attempt it. She amassed 89 worldwide victories, including 72 on the LPGA and 10 Major Championships and she sure looked like she was having fun with every one of them. 250 over a pond was not part of her equation for success. 

... It is the cornerstone of all sports. Is it worth striking out 9 times and blasting a Home Run with the 10th? Or is it more fun to hit several singles and a double over 10 at bats? Channeling Jamis Winston but throwing that 65 yd bomb for a spectacular TD isn't worth the 3 picks and losing the game. Golf especially isn't about hitting it 250 over the pond, unless that is a shot you know you can hit successfully. Golf is about writing the lowest number in 18 boxes. How you do that is irrelevant. Obviously you should play to your strengths and if you are a long hitter you certainly use that power. But the beauty of the game is a short hitter can develop a killer short game. 

... Honestly I get it. Blasting a 3 wood over a pond an on the green is exciting and fun. But it isn't golf. That's a video game or TopGolf, both a ton of fun. As you become more skilled, driving a 3/4 wedge from 40 yds low that skips and stops next to the pin is very exciting. Holing a bunker shot, chipping in and hitting a gentle fade/draw to fit the fairways is insanely rewarding. There is nothing more fun than taking a stick and hitting a little round ball and making it react with the spin, distance and trajectory you want. 

Edited April 28 by chisag

[Bubba1985]

25 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... Others have responded but I will add to your would be Tin Cup moment. cnosil mentioned this and I first heard it from Annika Sorenstam. If she can't pull off the shot with an 80% chance of success and we are talking about shots she has practiced, she doesn't attempt it. She amassed 89 worldwide victories, including 72 on the LPGA and 10 Major Championships and she sure looked like she was having fun with every one of them. 250 over a pond was not part of her equation for success. 

... It is the cornerstone of all sports. Is it worth striking out 9 times and blasting a Home Run with the 10th? Or is it more fun to hit several singles and a double over 10 at bats? Channeling Jamis Winston but throwing that 65 yd bomb for a spectacular TD isn't worth the 3 picks and losing the game. Golf especially isn't about hitting it 250 over the pond, unless that is a shot you know you can hit successfully. Golf is about writing the lowest number in 18 boxes. How you do that is irrelevant. Obviously you should play to your strengths and if you are a long hitter you certainly use that power. But the beauty of the game is a short hitter can develop a killer short game. 

... Honestly I get it. Blasting a 3 wood over a pond an on the green is exciting and fun. But it isn't golf. That's a video game or TopGolf, both a ton of fun. As you become more skilled, driving a 3/4 wedge from 40 yds low that skips and stops next to the pin is very exciting. Holing a bunker shot, chipping in and hitting a gentle fade/draw to fit the fairways is insanely rewarding. There is nothing more fun than taking a stick and hitting a little round ball and making it react with the spin, distance and trajectory you want. 

Well said, and at this point I guess I didn't have a lot of the "weapons" in my bag as some of y'all do..I can pull off the moon shot 8 and 9 irons for the nice landing and the long ball..I could def see where hitting the fade on point or the 56 rollback on the green would be fun and exciting, I just dont  have the opportunity to play with ppl of that caliber yet that I can learn from.. as of right now it's just a few of us learning and passing along what we have learned to each other.. Gotta start somewhere though, right

[Shapotomous]

7 hours ago, Bubba1985 said:

Might should start a topic out of this question, but is shooting a 74 and taking the "exciting" shots out of the question worth it, or do u miss trying to hit ur 3 wood over a pond 250 yards away?

I guess i am in the minority but I would miss trying to carry the 3w on the green. Or hook a 7i around a dogleg tree stand to a green.  Or open the 57* and flop one to a short sided pin guarded by a bunker.

The simple reason is that outside of a stroke play, gross score only tourney, nobody but you cares that you shot a 74.  And in the grand scheme of things i dont even care that i shot a 76 on a new to me course today.  I will remember two individual shots i pulled off today long after i forget what my final score was.

The fun in playing golf for me is pulling off fun shots i am picturing in my head.  I am not trying to make every shot a hero shot but if the proper opportunity comes up i am happy to give it a try.

 

Edited April 28 by Shapotomous

[Bubba1985]

34 minutes ago, Shapotomous said:

I guess i am in the minority but I would miss trying to carry the 3w on the green. Or hook a 7i around a dogleg tree stand to a green.  Or open the 57* and flop one to a short sided pin guarded by a bunker.  When i have no hope of pulling off those shots

The simple reason is that outside of a stroke play, gross score only tourney, nobody but you cares that you shot a 74.  And in the grand scheme of things i dont even care that i shot a 76 on a new to me course today.  I will remember two individual shots i pulled off today long after i forget what my final score was.

The fun in playing golf for me is pulling off fun shots i am picturing in my head.  I am not trying to make every shot a hero shot but if the proper opportunity comes up i am happy to give it a try.

 

Was starting to think I was the only one lol.. I've tried to go between tree limbs to hit the green more times than I can count..80% of the time it cost me a stroke but the other 20% I go home grinning thinking about that shot.... And thinking about how I missed the 5ft putt after that beautiful shot

[Preeway]

9 hours ago, Bubba1985 said:

Was starting to think I was the only one lol.. I've tried to go between tree limbs to hit the green more times than I can count..80% of the time it cost me a stroke but the other 20% I go home grinning thinking about that shot.... And thinking about how I missed the 5ft putt after that beautiful shot

I would also add, play the game your way. Sounds like you are happy taking the risky shot and that’s all that matters. When I play in scrambles I always take the risky play because I have others in my group playing the “smart” shot first. 

[Hacker60521]

@Javs thanks for sharing these two articles. They were really good reads. Golf in Chicago is a short season, so I needed to maximize my indoor work. So this year I started practicing in January, and took the Tiger Woods approach of working from the green backwards. January was putting, chipping, pitching, and full swing wedges. February added short irons and then long irons. March added long hybrids and woods. It was a lot of fun for me, and my first round in April was about mid-season form. So pretty pleased starting the season 

[Javs]

1 hour ago, Hacker60521 said:

@Javs thanks for sharing these two articles. They were really good reads. Golf in Chicago is a short season, so I needed to maximize my indoor work. So this year I started practicing in January, and took the Tiger Woods approach of working from the green backwards. January was putting, chipping, pitching, and full swing wedges. February added short irons and then long irons. March added long hybrids and woods. It was a lot of fun for me, and my first round in April was about mid-season form. So pretty pleased starting the season 

Hope you have a great season!

[Josh Parker]

12 hours ago, Shapotomous said:

I guess i am in the minority but I would miss trying to carry the 3w on the green. Or hook a 7i around a dogleg tree stand to a green.  Or open the 57* and flop one to a short sided pin guarded by a bunker.

The simple reason is that outside of a stroke play, gross score only tourney, nobody but you cares that you shot a 74.  And in the grand scheme of things i dont even care that i shot a 76 on a new to me course today.  I will remember two individual shots i pulled off today long after i forget what my final score was.

The fun in playing golf for me is pulling off fun shots i am picturing in my head.  I am not trying to make every shot a hero shot but if the proper opportunity comes up i am happy to give it a try.

 

I enjoy these types of shots as well but it's out of necessity and not because my previous shot went where I wanted it too. Haha. 

I hit one on Friday.  Second shot on par 5 and I pushed it a bit and it left me on a downhill lie, behind trees and a bunker in front of the green.  I had a window thru a couple branches for a 65yd "flop".  I struck it perfectly and ended up about 12ft past the flag.  Great shot to have but not one I want all the time. 

[funkyjudge]

On 4/17/2024 at 10:40 AM, Javs said:

Read these articles this morning and found them interesting. I agree with many of the points, but also believe there is more that could have been offered.

https://www.golfmonthly.com/features/ive-been-a-single-figure-golfer-for-30-years-these-are-the-seven-keys-to-getting-and-keeping-a-low-handicap?utm_term=CFEB69DA-8695-406A-822D-71925C4B6E39&lrh=afabd56f8788996dec1eed39e53e29756a4fe34c1aff9fa4fdfa9f254cbb042a&utm_campaign=075440B8-601C-4440-A9B1-8A7444061AA8&utm_medium=email&utm_content=8207736F-800A-4EEB-8DF0-EC8DC4B227AD&utm_source=SmartBrief

https://www.golfmonthly.com/features/the-steps-that-helped-me-go-from-beginner-to-single-figures-in-a-year?utm_term=CFEB69DA-8695-406A-822D-71925C4B6E39&lrh=afabd56f8788996dec1eed39e53e29756a4fe34c1aff9fa4fdfa9f254cbb042a&utm_campaign=075440B8-601C-4440-A9B1-8A7444061AA8&utm_medium=email&utm_content=8207736F-800A-4EEB-8DF0-EC8DC4B227AD&utm_source=SmartBrief

For me, KEEPING my single digit handicap has been far more difficult than initially attaining that single digit ‘cap. As I have previously posted on this forum, I played to a single digit handicap (between 6 and 8.3) for the better part of two decades. However, following some serious injuries, including ACL, MCL and multiple meniscus tears, plus two bouts with cancer and a very serious infection that occurred following one of my cancer surgeries and prevented me from playing golf or doing much at all for more than 7 months, my handicap index has not been below 11 in the last 12 years.

Try as I might, I have not been able to get back down to single digits since I was in my early 60s in age. I occasionally shoot some good scores, and have broken 80 a handful of times over the last couple of years, but too many scores between 85 and the low 90s keep my handicap in the double digits these days.