Question:
Frankly, if you’ve been playing for 18 months and can break 100 regularly you are holding your own. I play as a single myself and usually play as well as most groups that I play with and I rarely break 90. I’ve yet to go out there and and pick up a match with a scratch handicapper. I don’t think you should be embarassed in the least. I would suggest that if you sense that you’re holding people up and are going to shoot a high number on a hole to pick up after the opportunity to make a triple bogey is lost. I do that anytime I’m not in a match. After 7 or 8 shots, I ve had enough of the hole anyways. With regard to suggestions, I find that people rarely offer them where I play, and I think that politely ignoring them is the best thing to do. I like to say that I don’t make big changes on the golf course, but will remember what they said at the range. Another thing to do is to try to make friends with people out there that play at your level and try to arrange to play with them. It’s a good way to break into a rregular Saturday Foursome. Bottom line though is that if you keep pace and have a good sense of humor out there, most people really don’t care how you play. I know I don’t. Skil
Response:
But, being as competitive as everybody else, I find it distressing that 18 months after taking this game up, I’m still often the worst guy out there. This message is for all of you 18 and less handicappers. Was your trek similar?
Jeff: Here’s a post a wrote awhile ago. I thought it might help you out a bit. Four things that helped me break 100 more consistently. ***1. Playing conservative off the tee.*** Take the driver out of your bag. You don’t need it. On short par 4s (360 ids. & less) hit a five wood or a long iron. Same for short par 5s (510 ids & less). On longer holes either play very conservative and use an iron or five wood and shoot for par 4s in three shots and par 5s in four shots. More aggressive play is to hit a 3 wood. Shoot for your tee shots to go 180-200 yards, and more importantly IN PLAY/THE FAIRWAY. If your approach is anywhere over 200 ids. seriously consider laying up within a full wedge shot to the green. Remember…..your goal is to shoot +9 over bogey golf or less. Keep your score in perspective with bogey golf. Double bogey counts as +1 and par counts as -1. You can shoot 9 double bogeys and 9 bogeys and still break 100. Keep the score in perspective. Also, play by/know the rules (no mulligans!) and be honest–it will be much more satisfying when you reach your goal. ***2. Practicing LOTS of short putts (six feet and in).*** Just make your mind up that your going to be dedicated to practicing your short putts for 20-30 minutes EVERY time you go to the range (should be at least 1-2/week). Try to practice at least as much as you play. The short ones are most important. Set 4-5 balls around a hole 4-6 feet away and don’t go to the driving range until you can sink all of them in a row. If you miss one, start over. Unless your already a great putter, you’ll be amazed how long it will take you to get around the circle without missing. Go through your routine with every putt and putt in your misses also. Analyze your misses….do you consistently miss left or right? Get a lesson to get you on the right track or have a friend tell you where you are actually aiming. Alignment perceptions are, IMHO, a big reason why people miss short putts–you might think you’re lined up where you want the ball to go, but in reality you’re not. Last year, I started missing almost all of my putts to the right….I found two things through analysis. (1) My perception of being lined up at the hole from address is actually lined up farther right than I think and (2) my perception of lining the center line of my putter at the center of the ball was actually at the towards the toe of the putter. Both of these problems caused my putts to go to the right. I figured these out from just setting up at address through my normal routine and then, while holding my putter in place, I would look behind the ball and analyze where I was actually lined up with both my intended line and where the ball was on the center of the putter. One of the best tips I’ve heard was from Brad Faxon on putting (one of the best putters on the PGA Tour). Simply, "here’s the ball, there’s the hole……put the ball in the hole." What Brad is trying to say here is… don’t get bogged down in mechanical thoughts when putting. Once you’ve aligned your putter and body (correctly!) on your chosen line, keep your mind clear and let your brain tell your body how hard to stroke the putt. ***3. Getting chips & pitches on the green the first time.*** I find that eliminating flubbed and bladed chips/pitches cuts many strokes. When faced with a difficult pitch from a lie/stance or other factor, my swing thought is GET IT ON THE GREEN. Don’t get cute with it. Another key thought of mine when playing any short game shot (chip/pitch) is to keep the tempo "smooth" and to "follow through". I think decelerating/hesitating is a cause many blown chips/pitches/putts. Experiment with different clubs to pitch and chip with: 6-9 iron, PW, SW, LW. Practice different lies (bare, deep rough, etc), distances, and stances (downhill, uphill, sidehill, etc). ***4. Become educated in the game and your own game.*** Subscribe/read magazines. I recommend Golf Tips–well written, good instruction, nice articles on club design and specs also. Good illustrations too. Read books for learning/pleasure. Bob Rotella’s "Golf is Not a Game of Perfect" is great for any level of golfer. It reads fast and is very enjoyable and informative about the mental game. Nick Faldo’s "A Swing for Life" has great instruction about the swing with drills and illustrations. Ben Hogan’s "The Five Fundamentals of Golf" is very compact and informative. Corey Pavin’s "Shotmaking" has helped me with my short game and has brought some fun to my long game with experimenting in intentionally controlling the shot trajectory and direction. Take a few lessons. Pros can set you on the right course with grip, stance, posture, setup, etc. The basics. If you get a good one, it’s money well spent. Let them know your goals and some of the problems you want to eliminate. Remember to get some lessons on your short game! Keep a detailed scorecard. Fairways, putts, greens-in-regulation, chips, penalties, etc. Shoot for 50% fairways, 25% greens, one-chips, one & two putts (low 30’s for the round), one or two penalties (or hopefully none!). Hope this helps somebody! Scott D. Newell Washington State University "That shot is impossible!…..Jack Nicholson himself couldn’t make it!" — Homer Simpson
Response:
Well, heck, that’s the answer: Shoot in the low 80’s by playing a par 3 course!!!! Excellent! NOTE: Big 
— —Joel Maillie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Jeff, I am 32 have been playing for 4 years and shoot in the loe 80 on a regular basis. I play once a week and NEVER go to the range. The following basics work best for me, maybe you will find them helpful. Play a local par 3 course instead of banging range ball after range ball. It will help you focus on what counts, getting the ball in the hole and developing nice mid and short irons. Of course your chipping and putting get plenty of work here also. Do not get too excited about distance. Most of my regular playing partners are longer than I am (i’m 6′2" 215) but if it takes 3 to get on the green at the par 5, so be it. trying to hit an impossible (for me, anyway)shot just leads to trouble. Stay focused but loose when playing. Good shot, don’t get too excited, bad shot, same applies. The only other things I do are try to have good fundamentals, and not get too wrapped up in "wrist cock at point x with x% of shoulder rotation relative to y". If you have been reading all the magazines they do a nice job of covering the basiscs. oh well, just my 2 cents. everyone is different. Make sure you have fun no matter what the score. As for your playing partners, they should realize that thier opinions are of interest when solicited rather than volunteered. Hello Golfers: I have found that I can get into a peaceful golf zone as I wander the fairways and this experience makes the sport worthwhile to me. But, being as competitive as everybody else, I find it distressing that 18 months after taking this game up, I’m still often the worst guy out there. This message is for all of you 18 and less handicappers. Was your trek similar? I had trouble breaking 120 at first. Then I bought some used N1 irons (I still don’t own any woods – I’m using borrowed metal burners now). I was reading all I could find and going to the range 2-3 times a week. I got down to 105. I’m now taking lessons and shot a 95 at Balboa (67.7/105) a couple of months ago. On Saturday I shot a 101 at Whittier Narrows (69.1/113). Then yesterday I took on a course I wasn’t ready for, Oak Valley (69.7/126), and ballooned to 115. Yuck. People I play with often make suggestions which I (politely) ignore, since I’m already paying someone to teach me. I "know" I’m improving since I hit more crisp shots now and have a better short game than I ever did before. I "know" that course management is a problem, since my 101 included a nine on a par-4 (push 3-wood to rough, in trees–but there’s a big opening, hit tree with drop-dead-gorgeous 4-iron, tree swallows ball, penalty, still think there’s plenty of room, hit different tree with another good shot, finally past trees, blade approach, etc….). I don’t expect to turn pro in this sport, but I would like to hold my own and get these people to stop shaking their heads. Does this sound familiar? What do you have to score to be left alone? Is there a way to tune them out? I need to play with strangers since my friends don’t want to play as regularly as I do. Thanks, Jeff
Response:
Jeff, I am 32 have been playing for 4 years and shoot in the loe 80 on a regular basis. I play once a week and NEVER go to the range. The following basics work best for me, maybe you will find them helpful. Play a local par 3 course instead of banging range ball after range ball. It will help you focus on what counts, getting the ball in the hole and developing nice mid and short irons. Of course your chipping and putting get plenty of work here also. Do not get too excited about distance. Most of my regular playing partners are longer than I am (i’m 6′2" 215) but if it takes 3 to get on the green at the par 5, so be it. trying to hit an impossible (for me, anyway)shot just leads to trouble. Stay focused but loose when playing. Good shot, don’t get too excited, bad shot, same applies. The only other things I do are try to have good fundamentals, and not get too wrapped up in "wrist cock at point x with x% of shoulder rotation relative to y". If you have been reading all the magazines they do a nice job of covering the basiscs. oh well, just my 2 cents. everyone is different. Make sure you have fun no matter what the score. As for your playing partners, they should realize that thier opinions are of interest when solicited rather than volunteered. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello Golfers: I have found that I can get into a peaceful golf zone as I wander the fairways and this experience makes the sport worthwhile to me. But, being as competitive as everybody else, I find it distressing that 18 months after taking this game up, I’m still often the worst guy out there. This message is for all of you 18 and less handicappers. Was your trek similar? I had trouble breaking 120 at first. Then I bought some used N1 irons (I still don’t own any woods – I’m using borrowed metal burners now). I was reading all I could find and going to the range 2-3 times a week. I got down to 105. I’m now taking lessons and shot a 95 at Balboa (67.7/105) a couple of months ago. On Saturday I shot a 101 at Whittier Narrows (69.1/113). Then yesterday I took on a course I wasn’t ready for, Oak Valley (69.7/126), and ballooned to 115. Yuck. People I play with often make suggestions which I (politely) ignore, since I’m already paying someone to teach me. I "know" I’m improving since I hit more crisp shots now and have a better short game than I ever did before. I "know" that course management is a problem, since my 101 included a nine on a par-4 (push 3-wood to rough, in trees–but there’s a big opening, hit tree with drop-dead-gorgeous 4-iron, tree swallows ball, penalty, still think there’s plenty of room, hit different tree with another good shot, finally past trees, blade approach, etc….). I don’t expect to turn pro in this sport, but I would like to hold my own and get these people to stop shaking their heads. Does this sound familiar? What do you have to score to be left alone? Is there a way to tune them out? I need to play with strangers since my friends don’t want to play as regularly as I do. Thanks, Jeff
Response:
Hello Golfers: I have found that I can get into a peaceful golf zone as I wander the fairways and this experience makes the sport worthwhile to me. But, being as competitive as everybody else, I find it distressing that 18 months after taking this game up, I’m still often the worst guy out there. This message is for all of you 18 and less handicappers. Was your trek similar? I had trouble breaking 120 at first. Then I bought some used N1 irons (I still don’t own any woods – I’m using borrowed metal burners now). I was reading all I could find and going to the range 2-3 times a week. I got down to 105. I’m now taking lessons and shot a 95 at Balboa (67.7/105) a couple of months ago. On Saturday I shot a 101 at Whittier Narrows (69.1/113). Then yesterday I took on a course I wasn’t ready for, Oak Valley (69.7/126), and ballooned to 115. Yuck. People I play with often make suggestions which I (politely) ignore, since I’m already paying someone to teach me. I "know" I’m improving since I hit more crisp shots now and have a better short game than I ever did before. I "know" that course management is a problem, since my 101 included a nine on a par-4 (push 3-wood to rough, in trees–but there’s a big opening, hit tree with drop-dead-gorgeous 4-iron, tree swallows ball, penalty, still think there’s plenty of room, hit different tree with another good shot, finally past trees, blade approach, etc….). I don’t expect to turn pro in this sport, but I would like to hold my own and get these people to stop shaking their heads. Does this sound familiar? What do you have to score to be left alone? Is there a way to tune them out? I need to play with strangers since my friends don’t want to play as regularly as I do. Thanks, Jeff