Question:
I was in a similar situation and the way I got in to single digits and and stayed there was a sound all around short game. I’m not talking about just being a good chipper or a good putter, you have to be able to walk up to any shot that you have around the green and feel like you know how to play that shot. Whether or not you execute it correctly every time is another story. Get a good short game book like the Dave Peltz one and study and practice what he discusses. I think that once you have this down the next level would be course management. Hope this helps. Matt
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Colin, I’ve read all of the present responses to your dilemma, and I agree with everything that was offered. I might add a few things that may take you to the next highest level of golfing expertise. You mentioned that you have taken lessons: That is good. You might consider, at this time, going to another pro/instructor. It might be that you have absorbed all that your present teacher can impart, and simply need new perspective, or maybe hear the same things, but in a new and fresh way. You no doubt play with golfers who sufficiently challenge you in competition (preferably, narrow this down to the one/ones who regularly beat you in matches). Make it a point of asking who they go to for lessons. Sign up for lessons with the professional resulting from your consensus. If you go to another pro, you, of course, know to give this person time to get to know you and your needs. It would be extremely helpful, I believe, if you had several play lessons (the more the better). The pro, by going out on the course with you can spot the little things to change/correct/improve/remove, which I believe will help you fine tune your golf game. Gook luck. Kris Wise Since I took up golf four years ago, my dream has been to get to a single-figure handicap. I started off on 25 in 1996, and whittled my handicap down in subsequent years to 19, 16 and 13 at the end of 1999. I have religiously followed what I think is a good regimen of practice, competition play, lessons, course management and psychology. Well, I’m within 0.1/0.2 of a stroke, but at the moment I just can’t make the last little step! I’ve been playing pretty well, and reduced my handicap over summer to 10.5 (11). In January I had a "blinder" — 72 (par 70) off the stick, reducing my handicap to 9.5 in one round. But knocking off the last 0.1 is proving really difficult. The following round I scored 40 points and thought that might do it … but the CCR was 40, so I stayed the same! Then I drifted out 0.2, then back 0.2 two weeks ago with +3 in a Par event (CCR +2). Last Saturday I went out another 0.1. All I need is *one* round where I beat the CCR by *one* stroke! How do you go the last step? I feel like a mountaineer who’s within reach of the summit but running out of oxygen. I’m trying to go out and just enjoy each round, taking every shot as it comes, but I think there’s something in my head that keeps reminding me of the difficulty of that last step. Maybe I’m golf’s own version of the Peter Principle! BTW, it won’t really be the last step. When I reach 9, my goal will re-adjust to 8, 7, 6 … P.S. For those interested, the kid’s still on 10.3. 
Cheers Colin Wilson Current Australian handicap: 9.6 RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm Trentham Golf Club: http://publishing.kyneton.net.au/trentham
Response:
ooh…good reply, I like this one. I have been often told,achieving a stretch goal is one of the hardest things to do *the first time*, but once accomplished it is fairly easy to do again. Holds pretty true for me. Just like the pro’s first tournament win, a major milestone. Very upbeat response… Mark – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How do you go the last step? I feel like a mountaineer who’s within reach of the summit but running out of oxygen. I’m trying to go out and just enjoy each round, taking every shot as it comes, but I think there’s something in my head that keeps reminding me of the difficulty of that last step. Maybe I’m golf’s own version of the Peter Principle! BTW, it won’t really be the last step. When I reach 9, my goal will re-adjust to 8, 7, 6 … Last step Colin..?? When you were on 25 your target was miles off…infact probably not even on your mind as you played through those halcyon days of constant improvement. It is only when you decided that your target was single figures that your game took on a different purpose. I would say that right now your target should be in the ‘A-grade’ range of 0 to 4 (if you must have a target!) and that passing through to single digits is only a as a scratch golfer already…..they don’t worry about ‘the next level’….they just puzzle over what they did wrong that day….and not what they ‘didn’t do’. If you think like an expert you tend to work like an
expert….just feed on failure, not on success! I like the Peter principal analogy….can we really become that incompetent in our success…or is it all relative?? david
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Response:
Colin, I’ve read all of the present responses to your dilemma, and I agree with everything that was offered. I might add a few things that may take you to the next highest level of golfing expertise. You mentioned that you have taken lessons: That is good. You might consider, at this time, going to another pro/instructor. It might be that you have absorbed all that your present teacher can impart, and simply need new perspective, or maybe hear the same things, but in a new and fresh way. You no doubt play with golfers who sufficiently challenge you in competition (preferably, narrow this down to the one/ones who regularly beat you in matches). Make it a point of asking who they go to for lessons. Sign up for lessons with the professional resulting from your consensus. If you go to another pro, you, of course, know to give this person time to get to know you and your needs. It would be extremely helpful, I believe, if you had several play lessons (the more the better). The pro, by going out on the course with you can spot the little things to change/correct/improve/remove, which I believe will help you fine tune your golf game. Gook luck. Kris Wise
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Since I took up golf four years ago, my dream has been to get to a single-figure handicap. I started off on 25 in 1996, and whittled my handicap down in subsequent years to 19, 16 and 13 at the end of 1999. I have religiously followed what I think is a good regimen of practice, competition play, lessons, course management and psychology. Well, I’m within 0.1/0.2 of a stroke, but at the moment I just can’t make the last little step! I’ve been playing pretty well, and reduced my handicap over summer to 10.5 (11). In January I had a "blinder" — 72 (par 70) off the stick, reducing my handicap to 9.5 in one round. But knocking off the last 0.1 is proving really difficult. The following round I scored 40 points and thought that might do it … but the CCR was 40, so I stayed the same! Then I drifted out 0.2, then back 0.2 two weeks ago with +3 in a Par event (CCR +2). Last Saturday I went out another 0.1. All I need is *one* round where I beat the CCR by *one* stroke! How do you go the last step? I feel like a mountaineer who’s within reach of the summit but running out of oxygen. I’m trying to go out and just enjoy each round, taking every shot as it comes, but I think there’s something in my head that keeps reminding me of the difficulty of that last step. Maybe I’m golf’s own version of the Peter Principle! BTW, it won’t really be the last step. When I reach 9, my goal will re-adjust to 8, 7, 6 … P.S. For those interested, the kid’s still on 10.3. Cheers Colin Wilson Current Australian handicap: 9.6 RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm Trentham Golf Club: http://publishing.kyneton.net.au/trentham
Response:
A CCR of 40 seems very high – it can only be a max of 2 above the ACR – is your course ACR 2 above its par? Cheers, Bob howe
actually its the other way around. 40 is very low. ie the CCR was 4 under par for the course on the day. the ccr can be +/- 2 from the ACR (though i think it can be as much as +/- 4 in some instances). so all in all if the ACR for the course is -2 which is a fairly normal thing, a CCR of -4 in the middle of summer when everyone is about 20m longer off the tee is also relatively normal. brett
Response:
A CCR of 40 seems very high – it can only be a max of 2 above the ACR – is your course ACR 2 above its par? Cheers, Bob howe – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Since I took up golf four years ago, my dream has been to get to a single-figure handicap. I started off on 25 in 1996, and whittled my handicap down in subsequent years to 19, 16 and 13 at the end of 1999. I have religiously followed what I think is a good regimen of practice, competition play, lessons, course management and psychology. Well, I’m within 0.1/0.2 of a stroke, but at the moment I just can’t make the last little step! I’ve been playing pretty well, and reduced my handicap over summer to 10.5 (11). In January I had a "blinder" — 72 (par 70) off the stick, reducing my handicap to 9.5 in one round. But knocking off the last 0.1 is proving really difficult. The following round I scored 40 points and thought that might do it … but the CCR was 40, so I stayed the same! Then I drifted out 0.2, then back 0.2 two weeks ago with +3 in a Par event (CCR +2). Last Saturday I went out another 0.1. All I need is *one* round where I beat the CCR by *one* stroke! How do you go the last step? I feel like a mountaineer who’s within reach of the summit but running out of oxygen. I’m trying to go out and just enjoy each round, taking every shot as it comes, but I think there’s something in my head that keeps reminding me of the difficulty of that last step. Maybe I’m golf’s own version of the Peter Principle! BTW, it won’t really be the last step. When I reach 9, my goal will re-adjust to 8, 7, 6 … P.S. For those interested, the kid’s still on 10.3. Cheers Colin Wilson Current Australian handicap: 9.6 RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm Trentham Golf Club: http://publishing.kyneton.net.au/trentham
Response:
How do you go the last step? I feel like a mountaineer who’s within reach of the summit but running out of oxygen. I’m trying to go out and just enjoy each round, taking every shot as it comes, but I think there’s something in my head that keeps reminding me of the difficulty of that last step. Maybe I’m golf’s own version of the Peter Principle! BTW, it won’t really be the last step. When I reach 9, my goal will re-adjust to 8, 7, 6 …
Last step Colin..?? When you were on 25 your target was miles off…infact probably not even on your mind as you played through those halcyon days of constant improvement. It is only when you decided that your target was single figures that your game took on a different purpose. I would say that right now your target should be in the ‘A-grade’ range of 0 to 4 (if you must have a target!) and that passing through to single digits is only a golfer already…..they don’t worry about ‘the next level’….they just puzzle over what they did wrong that day….and not what they ‘didn’t do’. If you think like an expert you tend to work like an expert….just feed on failure, not on success! I like the Peter principal analogy….can we really become that incompetent in our success…or is it all relative?? david
Response:
Colin: The other suggestions are worthy ones to try, IMO, but let me throw a different slant on this. Could it be that you can’t take that final step because you are trying too hard, or missing some aspect of the mental game that’s letting your down? This sounds like a little bit of Rotella here, and maybe it is. It’s hard to imagine that, at a 10, you are having much if any difficulty with the mental side of the game, but there’s always that chance. Perhaps you’re just too focused on the score. I don’t write my score down until I leave the course (or perhaps after 9 holes) because I don’t want score to become my focus. If I’m thinking about the score I’m not thinking about the next shot, and it is that wandering of focus that can be dangerous. Just like the comments that if you make just one more putt per round–and thus that is where you should concentrate–perhaps too there are places where your mental routine fails you. It can’t be failing a lot, judging by how well you are doing, but maybe there are a few holes, or just a few shots, where your concentration gets away. At any rate, good luck with it. I’ll be very interested to watch your progress. Maybe we can have a party here on RSG when you do it! Mike — Mike Dalecki RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/daleckim.htm – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Since I took up golf four years ago, my dream has been to get to a single-figure handicap. I started off on 25 in 1996, and whittled my handicap down in subsequent years to 19, 16 and 13 at the end of 1999. I have religiously followed what I think is a good regimen of practice, competition play, lessons, course management and psychology. Well, I’m within 0.1/0.2 of a stroke, but at the moment I just can’t make the last little step! I’ve been playing pretty well, and reduced my handicap over summer to 10.5 (11). In January I had a "blinder" — 72 (par 70) off the stick, reducing my handicap to 9.5 in one round. But knocking off the last 0.1 is proving really difficult. The following round I scored 40 points and thought that might do it … but the CCR was 40, so I stayed the same! Then I drifted out 0.2, then back 0.2 two weeks ago with +3 in a Par event (CCR +2). Last Saturday I went out another 0.1. All I need is *one* round where I beat the CCR by *one* stroke! How do you go the last step? I feel like a mountaineer who’s within reach of the summit but running out of oxygen. I’m trying to go out and just enjoy each round, taking every shot as it comes, but I think there’s something in my head that keeps reminding me of the difficulty of that last step. Maybe I’m golf’s own version of the Peter Principle! BTW, it won’t really be the last step. When I reach 9, my goal will re-adjust to 8, 7, 6 … P.S. For those interested, the kid’s still on 10.3. Cheers Colin Wilson Current Australian handicap: 9.6 RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm Trentham Golf Club: http://publishing.kyneton.net.au/trentham
Response:
MHO, without really knowing you, is that you do need to practice the 4-12 foot (1-4 meter) putting range and the 30-50 foot (10-15 meter) ranges. Outside of 12 feet are not really reliably makeable putts. And practicing from the 4-12 foot range is plenty good practice for the 20 footers. Your putts should go 1-2 feet past the hole on average when you miss. You should get good enough that you start to relish putts in this range on the course. On the long putts, you should try and always get the putt within 10% of the original distance. For example, if you are at 45 feet, then you should try and get all your putts within 4.5 feet of the hole. You should devote at least 30% of your practice time to the short game (really 50%, but that’s hard for many people to do). Before your round, if you have to make a choice between putting and going to the range, skip the range! If your goal is to hit the ball really nicely, then go to the range. But if your goal is to improve your score, get on that practice green. This is game management. You also need to be thinking about course management. Lay up at the right times, hit irons or fairway woods off some tees, know what you are reliably capable of doing. Get into the practice of never aiming directly at a pin if you’re outside of 100 yards. This will force you to pick some aiming point either left or right of the flag and will teach you to think about the best way to aim to not necessarily make birdies, but to minimize your average score over a great number of shots.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Practice 3-footers and 30-footers. They’re the only lengths that matter.
Response:
Since I took up golf four years ago, my dream has been to get to a single-figure handicap. I started off on 25 in 1996, and whittled my handicap down in subsequent years to 19, 16 and 13 at the end of 1999. I have religiously followed what I think is a good regimen of practice, competition play, lessons, course management and psychology. Well, I’m within 0.1/0.2 of a stroke, but at the moment I just can’t make the last little step! I’ve been playing pretty well, and reduced my handicap over summer to 10.5 (11). In January I had a "blinder" — 72 (par 70) off the stick, reducing my handicap to 9.5 in one round. But knocking off the last 0.1 is proving really difficult. The following round I scored 40 points and thought that might do it … but the CCR was 40, so I stayed the same! Then I drifted out 0.2, then back 0.2 two weeks ago with +3 in a Par event (CCR +2). Last Saturday I went out another 0.1. All I need is *one* round where I beat the CCR by *one* stroke! How do you go the last step? I feel like a mountaineer who’s within reach of the summit but running out of oxygen. I’m trying to go out and just enjoy each round, taking every shot as it comes, but I think there’s something in my head that keeps reminding me of the difficulty of that last step. Maybe I’m golf’s own version of the Peter Principle! BTW, it won’t really be the last step. When I reach 9, my goal will re-adjust to 8, 7, 6 … P.S. For those interested, the kid’s still on 10.3. Cheers Colin Wilson Current Australian handicap: 9.6 RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm Trentham Golf Club: http://publishing.kyneton.net.au/trentham
Response:
Practice 3-footers and 30-footers. They’re the only lengths that matter.
Response:
I have to agree with Randy here, you need to make 1 or 2 more putts per rounds. SInce you are sitting on a 10 already, I’ll presume that you are already making just about everything inside of 4-6 foot range, which means that anything longer that goes in is a bonus. Make one more of those per round and you’ll be a 9 in no time. 
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Since I took up golf four years ago, my dream has been to get to a single-figure handicap. I started off on 25 in 1996, and whittled my handicap down in subsequent years to 19, 16 and 13 at the end of 1999. I have religiously followed what I think is a good regimen of practice, competition play, lessons, course management and psychology. Well, I’m within 0.1/0.2 of a stroke, but at the moment I just can’t make the last little step! I’ve been playing pretty well, and reduced my handicap over summer to 10.5 (11). In January I had a "blinder" — 72 (par 70) off the stick, reducing my handicap to 9.5 in one round. But knocking off the last 0.1 is proving really difficult. The following round I scored 40 points and thought that might do it … but the CCR was 40, so I stayed the same! Then I drifted out 0.2, then back 0.2 two weeks ago with +3 in a Par event (CCR +2). Last Saturday I went out another 0.1. All I need is *one* round where I beat the CCR by *one* stroke! How do you go the last step? I feel like a mountaineer who’s within reach of the summit but running out of oxygen. I’m trying to go out and just enjoy each round, taking every shot as it comes, but I think there’s something in my head that keeps reminding me of the difficulty of that last step. Maybe I’m golf’s own version of the Peter Principle! BTW, it won’t really be the last step. When I reach 9, my goal will re-adjust to 8, 7, 6 … P.S. For those interested, the kid’s still on 10.3. Cheers Colin Wilson Current Australian handicap: 9.6 RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm Trentham Golf Club: http://publishing.kyneton.net.au/trentham
– Dan Driscoll Current USGA Handicap Index – 16.3 RSG Roll Call http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/driscolld.htm Keep Usenet Clean, Trash a Spammer!
Response:
Y’know, we often hear of how higher handicappers can improve their scores most easily be focusing on the short game. After hearing your tale of woe, Colin, I think I’d revise that statement slightly. Higher handicappers can probably shave strokes most quickly by working on their CHIPPING. Chip it closer, and they’re liable to make a few more putts. Or at least not 3-putt as often. But in your case, it seems to me there’s a correlation with what the best players in the world often discover. They’re all pretty good ball-strikers, and usually hit their share of greens. So quite often, what separates the winners from the also-rans boils down to who’s got the hot putter that week. The lower you get your handicap, the harder it is to shave strokes. So short of just flat-out *getting better*, it seems to me the key to your getting over that little hump lies in holing just one or two more mid-range putts per round. Putts in that 10-15 foot range, maybe the occasional 25 footer. If you’re like a lot of us, you probably practice 4 to 6 footers quite frequently. It might be time to start practicing some 15-20 footers. You’re never really going to get your percentage of "makes" perceptively up from that range, but if you practice them often enough, you’ll sink your share during practice sessions, and you’ll be able to draw upon that experience of having seen the ball go in from that range when you’re playing. Quite a few years ago, before I got intent on practicing 4-footers, most of my practice at home was in the 20-ish foot range. Sure enough, I got to where I’d make one or two of those nearly every round. (The fact that I missed more 4 footers than I’d like is what got me to switch my practice regimen.) But if you spend enough time on the short ones so you don’t lose that, all you really need is to hole one or two more putts per round from just outside the "automatic" range. So that’s where I’d spend my practice time if I were you. Randy website: http://wwwgolfer.home.mindspring.com RSG Roll Call profile: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/brownr.htm "Preparing now for Y3K."
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Since I took up golf four years ago, my dream has been to get to a single-figure handicap. I started off on 25 in 1996, and whittled my handicap down in subsequent years to 19, 16 and 13 at the end of 1999. I have religiously followed what I think is a good regimen of practice, competition play, lessons, course management and psychology. Well, I’m within 0.1/0.2 of a stroke, but at the moment I just can’t make the last little step! I’ve been playing pretty well, and reduced my handicap over summer to 10.5 (11). In January I had a "blinder" — 72 (par 70) off the stick, reducing my handicap to 9.5 in one round. But knocking off the last 0.1 is proving really difficult. The following round I scored 40 points and thought that might do it … but the CCR was 40, so I stayed the same! Then I drifted out 0.2, then back 0.2 two weeks ago with +3 in a Par event (CCR +2). Last Saturday I went out another 0.1. All I need is *one* round where I beat the CCR by *one* stroke! How do you go the last step? I feel like a mountaineer who’s within reach of the summit but running out of oxygen. I’m trying to go out and just enjoy each round, taking every shot as it comes, but I think there’s something in my head that keeps reminding me of the difficulty of that last step. Maybe I’m golf’s own version of the Peter Principle! BTW, it won’t really be the last step. When I reach 9, my goal will re-adjust to 8, 7, 6 … P.S. For those interested, the kid’s still on 10.3. Cheers Colin Wilson Current Australian handicap: 9.6 RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm Trentham Golf Club: http://publishing.kyneton.net.au/trentham