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How to become a mid to low single digit HC?


sai-jin

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I've been getting deeper with my game and specially when I'm off, to the point that I'm consistently scoring in single digits.

Once in a while I can score a 2 or 3 over par, but I average about 5-6 over par and 1/3 of the time 7-9 over par.

 

It made me think... how do people actually score in the low single digit all the time and then become scratch , then under par?

Is it technique? Do you have to be dedicated to golf in doing so? Would someone like me who can't just play golf every week be able to achieve it?

 

Just kinda depressing when I think about it.

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Not being scratch I can only offer my opinion.

2 things

 

Natural ability- you have to be quite coordinated to hit a little ball on a dime, again and again. You have to have a certain degree of strength to be able to get a decent distance. Sometimes I think people are either born with a swing, or not

 

Dedication- you have to play. A lot. Practice, a lot. Understand what you are doing. This is my problem. I spend too much time doing my other two hobbies. I'm not committed enough to take it to the next level, I'm not willing to spend the time. But, I'm happy where I'm at, if I wasn't, I would do something everyday to improve.

 

That's one guys opinion anyways

 

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1378088375[/url]' post='114292']

I've been getting deeper with my game and specially when I'm off, to the point that I'm consistently scoring in single digits.

Once in a while I can score a 2 or 3 over par, but I average about 5-6 over par and 1/3 of the time 7-9 over par.

 

It made me think... how do people actually score in the low single digit all the time and then become scratch , then under par?

Is it technique? Do you have to be dedicated to golf in doing so? Would someone like me who can't just play golf every week be able to achieve it?

 

Just kinda depressing when I think about it.

 

 

 

Sai, if your averaging 5 to 6 over par how is your handicap 9? Your handicap is not your average score after all, but your potential over the last 20 rounds (US system). I play off 9, I average this year +10.5 gross. I can shoot 72 or 73 once maybe twice per year, probably 6 or 7 rounds of 76 and then the rest between 77 and 85. If you averaged 5 or 6 over I'd expect you to have a handicap nearer 3 or 4.

 

If you want to be low single figures you need to be able to shoot under par on occasion, which means making plenty of birdies and not making doubles! Which means being good round the green and holing puts, you don't see many good players who chip and put badly.

 

How do you get good at chipping and putting? Hours and hours of practice I'm afraid, if there was a short cut we'd all have taken it by now! I wish there was another way, I'm at best average on the green and this stops me getting down to 5 or 6......I shot 79 the other day, which included 39 puts - agony when you hit 14 greens in reg.

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#1--you start playing golf when you are a kid.

 

 

#2--see #1. Seriously, how many of you, or how many people do you know, that took up golf after the age of 20 have low handicaps, or even handicaps under 10? There's always exceptions, but I wouldn't be surprised if everyone of the single digit handicaps on this board began playing golf as a child.

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My father played off 6 when he was 60 years old. I am not sure if he ever got lower than 6. There were a couple of things that stood out in his game.

 

1. Did not drive the ball all that long, but he was arrow straight and always on the fairway;

2. Only hit 5 or 6 greens in regulation on average; but

3. From anywhere inside a 100 metres he was up and down for 2 always; and

4. He practiced his chipping everyday and that was all he practiced.

 

I can not remember ever seeing him 2 putt, ever!

 

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Sai, if your averaging 5 to 6 over par how is your handicap 9? Your handicap is not your average score after all, but your potential over the last 20 rounds (US system). I play off 9, I average this year +10.5 gross. I can shoot 72 or 73 once maybe twice per year, probably 6 or 7 rounds of 76 and then the rest between 77 and 85. If you averaged 5 or 6 over I'd expect you to have a handicap nearer 3 or 4.

 

If you want to be low single figures you need to be able to shoot under par on occasion, which means making plenty of birdies and not making doubles! Which means being good round the green and holing puts, you don't see many good players who chip and put badly.

 

How do you get good at chipping and putting? Hours and hours of practice I'm afraid, if there was a short cut we'd all have taken it by now! I wish there was another way, I'm at best average on the green and this stops me getting down to 5 or 6......I shot 79 the other day, which included 39 puts - agony when you hit 14 greens in reg.

 

Westy, I just don't believe that I'm a 3 or 4 even though I score 5-6 semi-consistently. I always go on the err side. Plus the courses here are not as tough as courses like in Myrtle Beach.

Chipping and putting are my best forte actually. lately I have been chipping within 2ft to inches to the flag and I almost never miss a 5ft putt. And I love bunker shots too.

 

I tend to pull my driver into trouble. Like yesterday, I hit a double bogey 2 times when I could have shot 2 birdies, because I drove the into behind trees. Ended up with 8 over.

 

And my flaw also when my hips are tired, my upper body took over and come the fade and pulls.

 

Darn... under par?? Definitely not even close to m ability.

 

 

#1--you start playing golf when you are a kid.

 

 

#2--see #1. Seriously, how many of you, or how many people do you know, that took up golf after the age of 20 have low handicaps, or even handicaps under 10? There's always exceptions, but I wouldn't be surprised if everyone of the single digit handicaps on this board began playing golf as a child.

 

I can definitely see that and I was thinking about it too. I was a National Karate champion in Japan, but I started when I was a little boy and no one has ever won starting late.

Golf I did start only a few years ago, I'm still in my 20s, so it made me wonder if I'll ever be able to score that low. Also considering my work and future goals take priority over golf

and I know that I don't miss golf that much in Winter.

 

My father played off 6 when he was 60 years old. I am not sure if he ever got lower than 6. There were a couple of things that stood out in his game.

 

1. Did not drive the ball all that long, but he was arrow straight and always on the fairway;

2. Only hit 5 or 6 greens in regulation on average; but

3. From anywhere inside a 100 metres he was up and down for 2 always; and

4. He practiced his chipping everyday and that was all he practiced.

 

I can not remember ever seeing him 2 putt, ever!

 

AJ

 

That's impressive. I think I'm starting to see a better picture.

I guess you can't be perfect with all shots from tee to green all the time huh?

 

I'm obsessed in making good shots all the time. ANd I think this caused me to ignore practicing one area I thought I'm decent in and just focused on the other that gives me trouble at times (IE: Driver & approach shots)

Maybe I need to get even better at short game, focus on that the most and not think that I'm good enough in that area =\ , rather than practicing erratically.

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Scoring low?

 

Don't beat balls, hit shots with purpose at the range. The best players won't be the guys with the jumbo bucket, he'll be the guy with the small bucket.

 

Don't obsess over the driver. Most players will score as well or better if they leave the driver in the bag. It's the toughest club to his consistently, leave it in the bag at the range. Instead, practice hitting your fairway wood or hybrid for the same amount of balls you would with the driver.

 

Practice your inside 150 clubs 75% of the practice time on the range. You're going to use these more than any others, you should be the best with those.

 

Spend more practice time chipping and putting and less on the range, if I were dividing my practice time for range and putting/chipping, I'd divide it 70% around the greens and 30% on the range. You're not going to hit every fairway and you're not going to hit every green in regulation. Can it happen? Sure, but if anyone wanted to make a bet with me, I'd bet you individually every round for the rest of your life that you wouldn't hit every fairway and green in regulation(new bet every round). You'll owe me a bunch of money if you take that bet. Practice the things that will allow you to not drop shots.

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As always Richard is spot on and I'll give the nicer version.

 

Actually Westy is right regardless of how difficult the courses are where ever you might be at - if you look at course ratings and slopes they make a slight difference in your handicap not a huge, huge one - you're already giving a gap - between 5-6 over - which is it? If you want to get from 9 to a 3-4 every little stroke matters so which is it? 5 or 6 over. Either way if that is truly your average score (77 or 78) you are closer to a 3-5 than a 9 - Westy gave the 9 profile spot on.

 

Next do you want to be scratch or low single digit - there's a difference there - I've been low single digit - 5 or below - for some time - I've made it as low as a 0.8 handicap index and even that was for a short time - a revision or 2 - generally the lowest that I can maintain is a 2 and I'm best off when I'm in the 3/4 range - that's the reality of who I am as a golfer and has been for the past 10 years.

 

Absolutely it takes dedication - that's a silly question -

 

IMO I shoot better scores than my golfing friends, even those who play more golf than I do, lots more in some cases, because I want to - that's my goal and so I make time to practice those things that will allow me to shoot lower scores - read mostly I make time to go the the practice green where I chip and putt. I only go to the range if I'm having trouble with an aspect of the long game or if I'm having an overall swing issue. Right now I wouldn't set foot on a range and haven't in a month other than once to warm up before a round - I've played 3 times in that month and shot 75,76,72. I have been to the practice green countless times in that period sometimes for only 15 minutes - I've also putted nearly every night in my converted garage - the glued down carpet in there is very similar to an average green.

 

So long as you can hit the ball 220 yards or so consistently the short game and the mental game are really the key to shooting good scores.

 

Getting to scratch is a matter of figuring out how you waste strokes and eliminating the wasted strokes.

 

I'm a low single digit player and I average between 75-77 - 3 - 5 handicap - I will shoot in the low 70's - below 74 once every four or five rounds and will shoot in the 60's a time or two each season - I've done it once this year. I have an idea of what it would take for me to get to scratch and don't see it happening because my life won't permit it at this time.

 

There is a long, long way to go from 9 to scratch - the first part of it should be easy - the second part will have to be a matter of you saying,"Can I afford to do this or are there other things in life that are more important to me than golf?"

 

One final thing - lots of people throw the word scratch around - "Yeah, he's a scratch golfer."

 

I've heard that said about myself -

 

There is a huge difference between me and a scratch golfer - I'd hazzard to guess that even though its 3 strokes off of the handicap there's a bigger gap between me and a scratch than between me and a 9.

 

Someone else can do the math to figure that one out though.

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#1--you start playing golf when you are a kid.

 

 

#2--see #1. Seriously, how many of you, or how many people do you know, that took up golf after the age of 20 have low handicaps, or even handicaps under 10? There's always exceptions, but I wouldn't be surprised if everyone of the single digit handicaps on this board began playing golf as a child.

 

I know one!

He is a 20 something year old kid... played 1 year of golf and became our club champion... now he has a 4.x HCP :blink:

He's a freak of nature I know. Some people are just that talented.

And he has a full time job as a cop, so it's not like he practices every day... go figure!

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Sai, if your good from 100 yards in then you may already be a lower handicap than you think. Do you have an official handicap? If not its definitely time to get one if your shooting scores like that.

 

My rounds are all in competition - I'm not counting rounds played socially. Oh and of course no gimmes in comps. These social rounds are often very low or very high depending on beers consumed!

 

So I'm looking at my 20 to 25 competition rounds I play each year - if your not playing comps (or handicap rounds off the harder tee pegs) then it's hard to judge how you really play. It sure as hell ain't easier off the back pegs with 100 guys trying to beat you.

 

Your a sportsman though so you know about pressure and its impacts. I only learnt to handle it in golf as I got older. There are many younger players who are better than me who I can see off regularly because they don't handle that tricky tee shot when it counts.

 

And as normal Rev is right, there is a mile between a 9 handicapper and a 5 player, let alone a scratch player. Its the consistency thing, you need to be able to pop in a fair number of par or close to par rounds to get cut to 5 or below.....that is damn hard!

 

Imagine how intimidating it was when justin rose used to turn up to play our junior open off +4 (aged 15). If he shot level par his handicap went up - FFS that's crazy!

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Yea, I think it's time to get an official handicap. I feel pretty confident in my basic skills at least. This year I also increased my accuracy, distance as well as consistency. Heck, I can even shape balls to a degree.

 

The only tournament I play are for charity, scramble and singles. And I don't play mulligans nor gimmes even when I'm just playing for fun. I do play 2 balls when it's really slow, so I keep double score in one 18 holes.

 

But any how, I'm getting a better picture on what I need to do to try eliminate scoring 9 over at least. Whether I can do it tho... we'll see.

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This last weekend I played in my club championship. I did not qualify for the Championship Flight. It required a 2 under par qualifying round this year and I shot 1 under. The winner was a +4 high school senior and he beat the defending champion, a +4 college golfer Freshman. We had 19 guys who shot 70 or below, par 72 plus the defending champ. There was a playoff between the five guys that were on the cut line and only one of them advanced to the champions flight. The other four along with four others made up the President's flight. They claimed 0-4 handicaps. This was the flight that I played in this year. I lost in the semi final round.

 

A little about my history. I was a recreational golfer who could not break 100 until in 2007 at 43 years old. I enjoyed playing but in 2010, I played in my first tournament, the club championship, in the 20-30 handicap bracket and failed miserably. I decided that I was going to qualify for the Championship Bracket in the coming years. I won it my flight 2 years ago as a 14 handicap. I can say that this year I was qualified for the Champions Flight for 3 whole days before some others turned in a score that beat mine during the next qualifying appearance.:angry: I also tried because I knew 71 was on the bubble but shot a 75 so while I was not happy about it, I had my chance, and could have played better.

 

I normally play with friends and many of them are higher handicappers. We play a quota system and keep pretty good records and have had many times when a 15 handicapper broke 90 and beat me when I broke par. But for the week leading up to the Championship and this last weekend, until yesterday, I played 8 or 10 rounds with just 5 and below handicappers. I paid attention to what they did and considered making thread about it but since you started this one I will write it here. It all pays the same.:lol: To qualify it is stroke play and the tournament itself is match play, so I got to see some peoples strategy play out differently.

 

I will say that I do not agree with some of the thoughts that I have read here. Someone said that it was physical talent and ability etc. I say poppycock to that. I am 49 years old and could wear Craig Stadlers shirts. I will also admit that I played golf, or went to the range or hit balls into a net 350 days last year to drop from a 13.9 to a 2.5. This transition took at least 18 months. It consisted of a complete swing change. I am still in the process of tweaking it, but it started with a grip change and went from there.

 

Normally, I would consider anyone under a 10 a low handicapper. But after giving it some thought I have decided there are single digit handicappers (SD), less than 10 and low handicappers (LC) 0-4 and the below par handicappers (+C). The +C guys, well lets face it, there is a lot of natural ability in that, but IMHO anyone can be an LC with the proper practice. I may some day be a +C while I have many rounds under par, I am far from the point where I consistently shot under par, although I did 5 rounds in a row. I wish I knew what I did then.:rolleyes: I would be out playing for money instead of typing this.

 

Common traits of the LC that I noticed in no particular order:

  1. They all had sound fundamentals. I saw no outrageous grips or stances or what ever. Yes, I set up a bit closed as I like to draw the ball, and there were some others who set up a bit open to promote a fade, but nothing like I see with higher handicappers (HC).
  2. Not all the shots were great shots. I would bet that after any given round if a golfer was polled they would say they only hit 30 or 40 % good shots. The rest were slightly off. "Slightly" being the key word. They were no where as bad as I see with the HC.
  3. They rarely hit two bad shots in a row. Also, while there were some really bad shot, some by me, they were usually followed by good decisions and a good shot.
  4. You could not tell by looking at them if they were playing well or poorly. From the first shot to the handshake the golfers demeanor remained the same. Sure when someone hit it out of bounds they said something and slammed the club down. Perhaps walked around the box for 5 seconds doing what Shakespeare would call a soliloquize, but after declaring and hitting a provisional, they did not dwell on the bad shots. Likewise, a 40'er dropped in the cup was more like, "Yes, that was where I was aiming." Yes, there are three + C guys (a father and his 17 year old and 14 year old sons) at the club who wear their emotions on their sleeves. They are incredible golfers but allow bad shots to get to them and are beaten every year by the calmer heads.
  5. They all have the same preshot routine. While these vary from player to player, I have developed a 20 second range session to cover the areas where I tend to have trouble, but every player did his preshot routine before every stroke. They funny thing is that no one seemed to rush but pace of play was still pretty fast.
  6. They did not stand in the fairway waiting for the group ahead of them. We ended up one morning behind a much slower group. When this happens with my regular group, the HC tend to get their clubs out and swing and pace, and practice some more, and pace some more, and then stand over the ball and when the group in front of them leaves the area, they hack at the ball and it comes no where close to where it should. With the LC's, they tend to sit in the carts, under a tree and chat or twiddle their thumbs or something. As the group is nearing completion in that spot, the LC will head to their ball and after the area is clear, they will get out of the cart and go through the preshot and fire away. It may have taken them 20-30 seconds longer to get the shot off, but it was a much better shot.
  7. They stood still while someone else was hitting. This is such a small thing, but especially on the green. HC for some reason have to pace or swing a club or scratch their ass or something while someone is putting. STAND STILL it is only a few seconds.
  8. Direction and distance focus is key. It comes as no surprise golf is a game of direction and distance. HC spend a great deal of time, effort and money trying to hit the ball farther. The focus off the tee is distance. The LC realizes that the key is to focus on direction off the tee. The funny thing is that the next flight below ours, the 5-10 handicaps, probably hit the ball farther then our flight. Yes, there were some long knockers in the +C flight, and the LC flight did hit the ball a reasonably long distance but I know that almost everyone in the SD flight hit the ball longer than I do. Direction is the single most important thing off of the tee. Distance and more importantly distance control is more important the closer you get to the hole. 5 yards on a drive is nothing. 5 yards on a putt or a chip is everything. You rarely miss a putt by 5 feet left or right but often three putt because you were 5 feet short or long. The short game of the LC's was head and shoulders above that of the SD.

 

 

This concludes my ramblings for now. I am sure I left out something out and will be back.

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I will say that I do not agree with some of the thoughts that I have read here. Someone said that it was physical talent and ability etc. I say poppycock to that. I am 49 years old and could wear Craig Stadlers shirts. I will also admit that I played golf, or went to the range or hit balls into a net 350 days last year to drop from a 13.9 to a 2.5. This transition took at least 18 months. It consisted of a complete swing change. I am still in the process of tweaking it, but it started with a grip change and went from there.

 

 

This concludes my ramblings for now. I am sure I left out something out and will be back.

 

Seriously? If there wasn't a physical and naturally ability required to be a single capper, then why are 90% of golfers shooting over 100?

 

I didn't say in tip top physical condition, I said having a natural ability. If you're a 2 mate, you HAVE some natural abilities... Craig stabler shirts included!

 

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I want to say plus 100 to everything Rover Rick just said. I want to make two things very clear. When You guys are talking about talent/physical ability I think a better term for what It takes talent wise to be a scratch or better golfer is Mental Focus and Hand Eye Coordination. I have never been a great athlete. I cannot run fast, or jump high. I am fat and slow. I do have good hand Eye coordination. If a ball is thrown close I will generally catch it. I am good at ping pong, shuffle board, washers, corn hole, etc. That is the kind of Talent I think you need for golf. You also have to have a good head on your shoulders, Rover talked about it with respect to routine, being target oriented, focusing on the shot at hand, not letting bad shots get you down, etc. However, the most important thing Rover mentioned is practice. This is going to make some people angry but the reason why 90% of golfers can't break 100 is because they are either unwilling or unable to put in the effort necessary to play their best. One of my favorite books is called "Talent is Overrated" the author spent time studying people at the top of their games in many fields; professional musicians, athletes, business tycoons, the two percenters as RP likes to refer to them. He says that to master a skill it takes 10,000 hours of "focused practice". Focused practice is not just mindlessly repeating balls or hitting 100 drivers a day or playing golf a lot. Focused practice is working on the things other people don't want to practice. It is working on your weaknesses and small matters of technique. It is also focusing the most on the areas that effect score the most. This is the realm of making 100 putts in a row on the four foot circle drill. This is where you keep stats on your game and if you see that bunker play is a weakness you practice out of bunkers more than anywhere else until it becomes your strength. This is hitting range balls to exact targets with accurate feedback following the same routine you use on the course. This means practicing as much or more than you play. Hours and hours of focused practice is the true difference maker. Most people do not have the time or the dillagence required to practice this way. Most people are just content to play and have fun with their buddies. If they practice they practice what makes them feel good because they are already good at it or they mindlessly hit balls rather than work on their short game or short putts.

 

If you are interested in going from a high single digit to a scratch really boils down to shaving a few strokes over time when you play and it usually is not found with the long game.

 

A few less mental mistakes. A little bit more swing consistency. A couple more up and downs or a chip in. Eliminating penalty shots. A couple more made putts. This is the difference between a high single digit and a scratch or better.

 

I know because I was a plus two in my mid twenties and now I am a 1.1 as of today. I actually hit it straighter. I am a little shorter but that doesn't really matter. What does matter is that with a real job, a wife, and two small children I am unwilling to put in the practice on my short game and putting that I used to. I only get a certain number of hours a week for golf. I am choosing to use them to play more than practice and I know it is causing my game to suffer. However, I am more concerned with playing golf for fun and being a good Dad and Pastor. Most people don't play their best golf because it is a commitment that many including myself are not willing to make because there are more important things to them than golf.

 

Right now I am still playing well (although not my best) because of the thousands of hours of practice I put in when I was younger and using my mental game. If you have not been engaging in focused practice and haven't put in your 10,000 hours you will have to catch up. Rover Rick did it and you have to as well. I'm not practicing enough and so he has passed me by. There are no short cuts or secrets. Put in hard focused work.

It's all about the short game, unless you can't keep it in play!

What's in my Bag:
Driver: Adams Speedline Super LS 10.5 with Excalibur T7+ tour stiff shaft
3 Wood: Adams Speedline Super LS 13 degree with Excalibur TFW Tour stiff shaft
Hybrid: Nickent 6DT 19 degree Aldilla Voodoo NV Stiff shaft
Irons: 4-9 KZG Tour Evolution with Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 tour 120 x flex shafts
Wedges:49 degree Dave Pelz wedge with a Nippon N.S. Pro Modus tour 120 x flex shaft. 54,64 Dave Pelz wedges with Rifle spinner shafts 59 Degree Scor wedge with rifle spinner shaft.
Putter: Bentinardi Ben Hogan Big Ben Center shafted 33 inches with best grips custom pistol putter grip.

Ball: Titleist Pro V1X, Callaway Hex Chrome +

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Seriously? If there wasn't a physical and naturally ability required to be a single capper, then why are 90% of golfers shooting over 100?

 

I didn't say in tip top physical condition, I said having a natural ability. If you're a 2 mate, you HAVE some natural abilities... Craig stabler shirts included!

 

 

From what I see in people here that play, they are not willing to put some time aside to truly practice, they don't have the motivation, and they'd rather

complain and blame everything else but themselves. This is what I see from the average golfer. Pretty much the same as the average people.

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I could shoot free throws and dribble for 20 hours a day. I'm still never going to be in the nba..

 

I'm an old fat guy.

 

:titleist-small: TSr2 on tensi blue stiff

:cobra-small: Speedzone 3-wood on Tensi blue S

:callaway-logo-1: Epic Max 5 and 7 woods on HZRDUS  Reg flex

:callaway-logo-1: Paradym 9 wood on HZRDUS reg flex

:taylormade-small: P770 / P790 combo set on Ventus R-6 shafts 6-AW

:mizuno-small:  T22 Denim Copper 54°, 58° on Kinetic X Trajectory 

:EVNROLL: ER3 or,

:edel-golf-1: E.A.S. #4   (“Fang” or “Adele”)
 

:titelist-small: ProV1x, or, Maxfli Tour X

:callaway-small: .Org 14 cart bag

Adidas Tour 360 , or Sketcher shoes

 

 

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I could shoot free throws and dribble for 20 hours a day. I'm still never going to be in the nba..

 

I'm an old fat guy.

 

But you can fantasize about playing on the PGA Tour or at least the Champions' Tour. At least, I can. At 45 I told my wife my goal was to be a scratch golfer and be good enough for the Champions' Tour by the time I am 50. Well, I now realize that being a scratch and being good enough for that is two very different things so I have adjusted my plan somewhat. BUT, I can still dream. It provides me the motivation, because believe me, we did not have 350 days of nice weather last year. The other 15 days that I was unable to practice I was traveling, and carried the grip end of a broken club and worked on my swing in the hotel room.

 

I just remembered this picture my wife took. I was practicing my bunker play in the snow.

 

Bunker practice in the snow.JPG

:ping-small:G430LST 10.5° on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Driver 

:ping-small:G430MAX 3w  on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Fairway 

:ping-small:G425 3H on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Hybrid 

:taylormade-small:P790 Black 4-A 
on :kbs: TGI 80S
 

:mizuno-small: ES21 54-8° & 58-12° on :kbs: Hi Rev

:L.A.B.:DF2.1 on :accra: White

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:918457628_PrecisionPro: Precision Pro  NX7 Pro

All Iron grips are BestGrips Micro-Perforated Mid

Driver, 3w, 3H are JumboMax JMX UltraLite XS 

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I could shoot free throws and dribble for 20 hours a day. I'm still never going to be in the nba..

 

I'm an old fat guy.

 

Thank goodness golf doesn't require you to be young and skinny then. There are a lot of sports that limit how far you can go based on your body shape and size, golf is not really one of them.

 

Getting to scratch is all about mental toughness. You have to be mentally tough enough to practice, admit your faults, practice those more, and play the game shot by shot and throw out the bad ones. I'm sure there is an exception to every rule, but I've not seen too many scratch golfers that are headcases on the course. (off the course doesn't count :) )

Driver: :taylormade-small: SLDR w/ Fujikura Ventus Black

3w: :taylormade-small:'16 M2 hl w/ Diamana D+ 82

5w: :cleveland-small: Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Yellow

Hybrid: :cleveland-small: 22 deg. Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Black

Irons: :cleveland-small: 5i - gap Launcher CBX w/ Nippon Modus 3 125

Wedges: :cleveland-small: 54 CBX & 58 Zipcore w/ Nippon Modus 3 125

Putter: :odyssey-small: Red 7s

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Thank goodness golf doesn't require you to be young and skinny then. There are a lot of sports that limit how far you can go based on your body shape and size, golf is not really one of them.

 

Getting to scratch is all about mental toughness. You have to be mentally tough enough to practice, admit your faults, practice those more, and play the game shot by shot and throw out the bad ones. I'm sure there is an exception to every rule, but I've not seen too many scratch golfers that are headcases on the course. (off the course doesn't count :) )

 

Sergio Garcia is the exception you are searching for.

:ping-small:G430LST 10.5° on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Driver 

:ping-small:G430MAX 3w  on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Fairway 

:ping-small:G425 3H on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Hybrid 

:taylormade-small:P790 Black 4-A 
on :kbs: TGI 80S
 

:mizuno-small: ES21 54-8° & 58-12° on :kbs: Hi Rev

:L.A.B.:DF2.1 on :accra: White

:titelist-small: ProV1  

:918457628_PrecisionPro: Precision Pro  NX7 Pro

All Iron grips are BestGrips Micro-Perforated Mid

Driver, 3w, 3H are JumboMax JMX UltraLite XS 

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Sergio Garcia is the exception you are searching for.

 

Ha ha, definitely true!! I knew there was at least one :)

Driver: :taylormade-small: SLDR w/ Fujikura Ventus Black

3w: :taylormade-small:'16 M2 hl w/ Diamana D+ 82

5w: :cleveland-small: Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Yellow

Hybrid: :cleveland-small: 22 deg. Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Black

Irons: :cleveland-small: 5i - gap Launcher CBX w/ Nippon Modus 3 125

Wedges: :cleveland-small: 54 CBX & 58 Zipcore w/ Nippon Modus 3 125

Putter: :odyssey-small: Red 7s

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Thank goodness golf doesn't require you to be young and skinny then. There are a lot of sports that limit how far you can go based on your body shape and size, golf is not really one of them.

 

Getting to scratch is all about mental toughness. You have to be mentally tough enough to practice, admit your faults, practice those more, and play the game shot by shot and throw out the bad ones. I'm sure there is an exception to every rule, but I've not seen too many scratch golfers that are headcases on the course. (off the course doesn't count :) )

 

 

Well said

It's all about the short game, unless you can't keep it in play!

What's in my Bag:
Driver: Adams Speedline Super LS 10.5 with Excalibur T7+ tour stiff shaft
3 Wood: Adams Speedline Super LS 13 degree with Excalibur TFW Tour stiff shaft
Hybrid: Nickent 6DT 19 degree Aldilla Voodoo NV Stiff shaft
Irons: 4-9 KZG Tour Evolution with Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 tour 120 x flex shafts
Wedges:49 degree Dave Pelz wedge with a Nippon N.S. Pro Modus tour 120 x flex shaft. 54,64 Dave Pelz wedges with Rifle spinner shafts 59 Degree Scor wedge with rifle spinner shaft.
Putter: Bentinardi Ben Hogan Big Ben Center shafted 33 inches with best grips custom pistol putter grip.

Ball: Titleist Pro V1X, Callaway Hex Chrome +

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Putt better...

 

:titleist-small: TSr2 on tensi blue stiff

:cobra-small: Speedzone 3-wood on Tensi blue S

:callaway-logo-1: Epic Max 5 and 7 woods on HZRDUS  Reg flex

:callaway-logo-1: Paradym 9 wood on HZRDUS reg flex

:taylormade-small: P770 / P790 combo set on Ventus R-6 shafts 6-AW

:mizuno-small:  T22 Denim Copper 54°, 58° on Kinetic X Trajectory 

:EVNROLL: ER3 or,

:edel-golf-1: E.A.S. #4   (“Fang” or “Adele”)
 

:titelist-small: ProV1x, or, Maxfli Tour X

:callaway-small: .Org 14 cart bag

Adidas Tour 360 , or Sketcher shoes

 

 

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Speaking of mental toughness, when I shoot 1 or 2 over in the front 9... that's when the question : "Can I keep that lead or even shoot birdies to go lower?"

 

And that's usually when I get screwed on the back.

 

Gotta try and focus on the one shot at a time approach

Driver:   :callaway-small: Epic 10.5 set to 9.5 w/ Tour AD-DI 44.5

FW:   :cobra-small: F6 baffler set at 16º

Hybrid:  NONE
Irons:   :taylormade-small:  3i 2014 TP CB  4-PW 2011 TP MC w/ TT S400

Wedges:   :nike-small: 52º :nike-small: 56º  :edel-golf-1: 60 º w/ KBS C-Taper XS Soft-stepped

Putter:   :ping-small: Sigma G Tyne 34 inches Gold dot

 

 

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Speaking of mental toughness, when I shoot 1 or 2 over in the front 9... that's when the question : "Can I keep that lead or even shoot birdies to go lower?"

 

And that's usually when I get screwed on the back.

 

Same happened to me. Last week I shot +3 on the front nine... but somehow still managed to shoot a 97 for the whole round.

:cobra-small: SpeedZone 9* w/ Aldila Rogue Silver 60 S
:callaway-small: X2 Hot 3 Deep 14.5* w/ Aldila Tour Green 75 S
:taylormade-small: JetSpeed 5W 19* w/ Matrix Velox T 69 S OR :adams-small: Super LS 3H 19* w/ Kuro Kage Black 80 S
:mizuno-small: JPX919 Forged 4-PW w/ Modus3 105 S
:titelist-small: Vokey SM7 50/08F, 54/14F & 58/08M w/ Modus3 115 Wedge
:EVNROLL: ER1 34" w/ SuperStroke Fatso 2.0
MfleKCg.jpg Pro / 9dZCgaF.jpgH2NO Lite Cart Bag / :Clicgear: 3.0 / :918457628_PrecisionPro: NX7 Pro LRF

My reviews: MLA Putter // Titleist SM7 // PING i500 // PuttOUT

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This has become a 6 hour round.

Course is full of idiots who wants to tee off from black or gold and they always end up 150-200yds off the tee.

Marshalls here NEVER did anything.

 

Extremely frustrating day on this course. And now that I think about it... it's always like this there.

Truly testing my patience. I blew the front 9, but after that I decided that what ever happens happens on the back 9.

I did manage to contain my anger on the back, but when I got home, I was really angry again. I didn't enjoy the round.

 

photo (2).JPG

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Approximately 7 years ago I went from a 2-handicap to a +2 from the beginning of the season by late in the season. It was ALL short game. We tend to spend so much time up at the range beating balls that we forget that average amateurs hit 10 of 18 greens maybe - I believe I was hitting 15 of 18 greens (approximate) and making 4-6 birdies but on the 3 or 4 greens I was missing I was making bogey or worse. It was killing me.

 

So I started to focus on 50 yards and in. And let me tell you it made a huge difference for me. All of a sudden I was going for par-5's in two again because I knew I could get up and down for birdie if I missed the green.

 

50 yards in, chipping, putting - make that your focus and you'll get down to a low single digit handicap. I'm not saying to dismiss the range. If you're practice is 95% range with driver and irons drop down to 50% range and 50% short game. See how it works for you.

What's in my Sun Mountain 3.5 Deluxe Bag?

 

Driver - Callaway Razr Fit, 9.5 degree loft, standard face setting, fade bias weighting, Matrix Ozik HD6 Stiff shaft, tipped 1 inch

3 Wood - Callaway Razr Fit 15 degree loft, open face setting, stiff shaft

 

Irons 3 to PW - Titleist 712MB with KBS Tour Stiff steel shafts

3 to 5 iron - .5 degree flat; 2 degrees stronger

6 to PW - 1.5 degree flat; 3 degrees stronger

 

Mizuno MP-R12 54 degree - 62.5 degree lie; 53 degree loft; now 8 degree bounce

Mizuno MP-R12 58 degree - 62.5 degree lie; 57 degree loft; now 9 degree bounce

Titleist Vokey 64 degree - 62.5 degree lie; 62 degree loft; now 5 degree bounce

 

Putter - Odyssey Metal X 9

 

Ball - Callaway Chrome +

 

 

My Golf Site

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This has become a 6 hour round.

Course is full of idiots who wants to tee off from black or gold and they always end up 150-200yds off the tee.

Marshalls here NEVER did anything.

 

Extremely frustrating day on this course. And now that I think about it... it's always like this there.

Truly testing my patience. I blew the front 9, but after that I decided that what ever happens happens on the back 9.

I did manage to contain my anger on the back, but when I got home, I was really angry again. I didn't enjoy the round.

 

photo (2).JPG

 

That's a seriously long course! The front tees are longer than the back tees on some courses around here

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