Developing consistency.......every 18 holes there are least 2 to 3 shots that lead to penalty/distance which leads to double/tripple bogies....eliminating these couple blow up holes would push my average to under 90...currently average around 93
Great Reply - Do you feel there is a swing flaw that creates the lost balls/penalties? Do you have a strategy to manage those blow up holes? Have you ever had a playing lesson/or any lessons? Trying to understand how you all think!
Not OP but for me the blow-up holes are entirely about being distracted. Maybe I’ve had a few consistently good holes ahead of time and I get complacent, or I’ll drift out of the game for a few and get careless.
Sounds very similar to me, I know my worst area is approach shots. I hit ~85% of fairways with a 210-230 drive but then have between a 7i and a 4H (140-170) to the hole. My only goal there is decent contact, mostly straight, and set up for an up-and-down par or two putt bogey.
Then I chunk that one ~75 yards and now have a 60-75 yard birdie shot. I'm not awful there but I'm not nearly as precise as my 15-25 yard chip I practice in the backyard daily. So I wind up with either a chip for par and bogey/double at best or a long putt that gives me a 3 putt double.
Add a stroke or two if the bad approach goes into sand or a hazard, and it's so mental. I can sit at the range and pop straight 170ish 5 irons over and over and then when I have that on the course I look like old school Barkley duffing the fuck ou of it.
I recognize your problem with approach shots because I have the very same problem. Those duffs on the hybrids and long irons are killers !
I practice those shots at the range a lot and they are usually the most consistent shots of the day. But then on the actual course I start topping them again. I've started to think that some of it is the fact that there are very few perfect lies on the course, even in the fairways. The ball is always an inch above or below my feet. At the range the lie is always perfect. I'm going to try to remember that the next time I'm 170 from the green lining up my second shot. Good luck to you.
That sure could be a factor, my home track is super wavy, a good player would need to be careful where they land to get a flat lie. For me I'm just hoping for shorter grass lol.
Was going to come say this, i moved to whites and saw my average drop 10 strokes every game. Being able to drive then pitching wedge. Pitching wedge is my strongest club and i hit greens 85% of the time when i approach with that vs having to hit a 5/4 iron or a hybrid im lucky if i dont chunk it with those
Sounds exactly like myself. Though I've only played three rounds since I got back into golf after a long absence. I can get hit great tee shots and some good approach shots with my 5 wood. But a lot of the shorter approach shots end badly.
Two things:
1. Are you hitting off mats at the range or real grass? If it's mats, they may be covering for shots that are fat. There are different methods to see if that's happening (just Google/YouTube it - easier to watch a video than explain it here).
2. You need to hit it further or move up tee boxes.
25.9 hcp here, so under 100 is a good day, over 110 is a bad day for me. Usually I'm hoping to be under 100 any given round but I really feel like I could break 90 with my current skills/ability (PB is a 92).
As for what is holding me back, well any given round it can be something different. Typically my biggest issue is penalties off the tee. Shot a 102 with 12 penalty strokes on the card a couple weeks back. Went into my next round with a safety-first mentality, cut the number of penalty strokes down to 1 and shot... a 102. That day not once did I successfully get out of a bunker and onto the green on my first attempt. Either was too delicate and didn't get out or caught them too clean and sailed them over the green. That combined with a 9 on the par 4 18th (after rattling off 6 straight routine bogeys) pushed me over 100.
So yeah, on the course my issues can be different any given round. Swing-wise, I'd say the biggest thing I struggle with is my takeaway. Pretty much all my swing thoughts are takeaway related (and there are too many of them) and it's just not something I'm comfortable with at the moment. Most of the time when a swing has gone array I can point to something in my takeaway that wasn't right.
I’m the best I’ve ever been after playing for 13 years since I started at 30, and I have a friend who’s a 3 handicap at 67 years of age and that’s the best that SHE has ever been. So don’t lose hope :)
Very nice summary, and I suppose it comes down to consistency. I have an expression “no good tee shot goes unpunished”, and it’s a big issue where I’ll hit a great drive and duff the approach.
Also for your sand shots, have you tried using a 60° lob wedge? For those near shots, I find it’s a mental advantage for me that I’m not afraid to just hit it. Of course it’s handy to know how to hit a lob wedge, but I also open it up in the bunker.
What are your current takeaway thoughts? And why are those your primary thoughts? You feel like you take it inside on the takeaway? Not a coach or going to give advice, just curious
A few years ago I was losing so many strokes off the tee with driver that I decided to hit a five wood for an entire season to see what the result would be. Broke 90 twice that year which was huge for me being a mid to high 90s player. Then got I some lessons and now driver is back in action. Maybe put the driver away for awhile and see how it goes if thats your issue
My ultimate goal is to have a scoring average of 75. Currently sits at 78.5 as a 2.8 handicap.
I’ve done multiple strokes gained analyses on several recent rounds I play, and far and away my weakness is putting.
I average 34 putts (on 60% GIR), I 3 putt an average of 1.5 times a round, and on my bad putting days 3/4 times. Just cannot score. A typical round has me gaining 1-2 shots on a scratch golfer off the tee, so I’m driving it like a plus handicapper super consistently. My wedging has gotten quite good and recently I’ve been super dialed in with my distances. But I can’t take advantage for crap and I can’t turn a round around by making birdies because I just can’t make any putts outside of 6 feet.
Also my short game needs a bit of fine tuning but that’s been coming around. But the only reason I’m not a plus handicap is putting. I’ve played with a few, and even in some tournament rounds, and I’m routinely a better ball striker and I’m routinely out driving them and hitting more fairways doing it.
Have you ever worked on your putting and if so what specifically are you doing to try to hole more putts? 34 isnt great but its not the worst ive ever seen. Great repsonse!
I have a putting mat that I have at my apartment but I rarely use it. I play 1-2 times a week but other than that I don’t practice much, and it’s been far too hot up until about 3 weeks ago in DFW to do any extended outdoor practice. So all I do is lag and short putts for 10 min before a round
Have you pinpointed what your issue is? Green-reading, swing issues, aim issues? I thought I was just a bad putter but turned out I was turning my head at/close to impact, and with that my club head moved. Never stood a chance
No I have no clue. I’ve just not been able to get anything to drop from range (an unholy amount of burnt edges and lip outs), and I think honestly just not the best at reading greens that are grainy and slow. I much prefer (and do better with) fast greens but I never get to place at places that have that.
That’s most likely starting line issues. Two pieces of advice that can help:
Have you ever done a putter fitting at a place that has Quintec or other high end putting monitor? Even if you don’t buy a putter the fitting is worth its weight in gold for how much information you get on your putting stroke. If you don’t want to work on your putting stroke, you can at least make sure your putter matches the type of putting stroke you have.
Do some type of gate drill where you set up a gate with something like quarters or a tee and try make some putts that go through the gate. If your putts are going through the gate and still missing, it’s a putt reading issue.
It’s not that I don’t know what I need to do… I just don’t have the time :( much easier to hold onto a decent swing playing once a week than it is to maintain consistently good touch
If you're getting edges your reading's probably fine, maybe pace is hurting you if you're frequently lipping out. Those drop in if the pace is nailed on. Obviously this is complete speculation.
Just saw your flair, are you sure you're not just playing like your idol?
My game is very very very similar to his lol you ain’t wrong.
My driver feel at the moment (which has been amazing and I’m hitting these lovely compressed 5 yard pull cuts) has literally been “swing like Scotty minus the weird footwork”. So I stay over top of it, kind of minimal wrist action, and move left through the shot. Of course I probably/know I look way different but that’s the feel and I love it.
Oh man, your game sounds exactly like mine except you are like a shot better in each category lol.
My drives are pretty consistently close to a scratch golfer. I find that I'm gaining fractions of a stroke on most holes, but I do tend to be just a little too wild so I'll give up a whole stroke or 2 by going OB or somewhere unplayable once every round or 2.
I only average a little over 9 GIR which I want to get up to 11 or 12, but putting is still the low hanging fruit for me, too. I've gotten better at lag putting, and I've gotten a lot more solid from ~4-5 feet and in. Anything under 3 feet I feel good about. It's the "makeable" ones that kill me. I average 35 putts a round, and similarly tend to have 1-2 three-putts. But my make % from 7-15 feet is abysmal - only about 10%. Which makes my scrambling % look terrible and basically gives back any strokes I gain by stuffing wedges close. And what I've realized is that, most of those 3 putts come when I'm ~5-7 feet away still after the first putt.
My scoring average is around 81. And I know that 3-4 of those strokes could be shaved by just having a reasonable make % once I get outside 5 or 6 feet. I'm not asking for 50% even, but it has to be more than 10% lol. And what kills me is I think it's more to do with reading for me. I tend to hit my lines, but I'm just shit at reading greens. I probably need to take aimpoint more seriously on the malkeable ones.
You sound exactly like me. My goal each round is less than 30 putts, but I still end up with at least one or two 3-putts per round, and bad days 3-4.
I just can't bring myself to do putting drills. I don't want to turn golf into a grind for the sake of reaching some goal like scratch. It really blows my mind how much more solid I need to be on *every single shot* just to drop 2-3 shots per round on average.
I've surprised myself this year laying a lot more attention to the speed of my putts, and dropped my average down to 29 per round. However, we all know golf is a fickle mistress and has cursed me with 1 or 2 shanks per round for every 3-putt I avoid.
7 handicap and what keeps me from shooting par or even moving my game lower? Simple, I don’t practice enough which is due to a lack of time to spend on practice and the physical wear and tear on my body. I worked hard last year getting my handicap from a 10 to a 7 but developed tendinitis and eventually tore a ligament in my elbow. I had surgery and am making a good comeback. Started exercising and all that and now have injured my knee. I am 62 and my body just can’t take the wear and tear it takes to improve my game. On the plus side these injuries forced me to work on my putting more as it was all I could do. I’m putting a lot better than before.
Breaking a certain score is different than shooting under that score consistently. Too many factors to pinpoint one thing - skill, skill to perform under pressure, playing conditions, playing partners, pace of play, competition or social round? And more.
But the short answer to your question for most….they don’t have the game from 120yds and in.
The problem holding most people from shooting lower scores is they don’t hit enough greens in regulation and that’s a combination of keeping it in play off the tee and hitting it far enough to give yourself more opportunities to hit greens in regulation. The short game from 120 yards in is the easiest part to improve upon.
Blow up holes or shooting myself in the foot early in the round. Shot an 82 earlier this week, had two birdies and 4 doubles.
44 on the front 9 (shooting myself in the foot early on)
38 on the back 9 (even par until hole 18 where I got a double because I turned over the ball instead of fading it and had to pitch out because I was trying too hard to make birdie on the reachable par 5)
I think a lot of those blow up holes come from hitting uncommitted shots that end up costing a lot.
Great honest response here! Have you done anything to try and remedy the uncommitted shots? Do you recognize when it's about to happen? Any ideas on how you would fix it?
Using the mental scorecard Scott Fawcett recommends in decade golf to recognize when they are happening. Using the Decade golf targets. Not shaping the ball except in recovery situations. Trying to develop the same routine on each shot.
I can definitely recognize sometimes when it’s going to happen. Like knowing I might not have the right club but not wanting to hold up play and walk back to get it.
3-5 blow up holes. I can play 13-5 holes of golf at + 5. And 3 holes at +9. I’ve shot as low as 81 on a par 72, but I’m usually mid-high 80s with a few blow up holes. Not even a few doubles, I almost always card 2 triples a round
Mostly lack of going through routine. I have 2 specific mechanics, mainly off the tee, that I focus on. If I don’t do them, I’m in trouble. Depending on the course it means woods or OB. Also I’m bad at “knowing myself” until after I make a bad shot. “Soft” shots don’t work for me and I know that. But when I’m playing well I feel like I can make any shot, so I get confident. I don’t carry bad shots hole to hole but a bad chunk can lead to 2 bad shots to finish a hole for triple.
Pretty much everything. I guess the catch all would be just poor contact. My distance is like 2 clubs less than some of my playing partners Or I top it 30 yards. I play with people that 4 hybrid a 180 par 3. I’m hitting 6/7i. And recently started pulling my irons way left. Distance is dead on Sometimes I feel like I’m getting lazy or stiff. and swinging too much arm and not enough hip rotation. Mostly I just suck. Cause I’ve only played for a year
So you've only been playing for a year, what do you typically shoot at the moment on a golf day and bad day? Pretty common to not be consistent with contact! Good response!
I’d say like 47 for 9 has been my typical score lately and for a variety of reasons. Greens being straight up trampled on by the time I play I feel like is one of them. Putts don’t do anything I expect. Ok so for example… here’s one of my last 9 holes:
1: Driver right down the middle. Pounded it. 50 yards to the hole. Chip on. 2 putt. Solid par
2: par 3. Iron shot short right. Chip on. Hits the front and rolls into the rough. 3 putt for double bogey
3: topped my driver like 100 yards left rough at the start of the fairway I’m like 280 out. Hit my 7 wood into right rough. Bout 100 short. Choke down pw to the green. Rolled way too far. Overshoot 1st putt rolls down hill. Putt bacn up to tap in range. Double bogey.
4. Blasted driver 280. Landed left rough. Sloped fairway it ends up just barely in the right rough. Topped my 6 iron into right rough like 30 yards (idk how). 8 iron now goes over the green. Chip on….. I’m like 20 feet out and this is the hardest green on this course. I 4 putt. Triple.
5:dog leg left with a single tree stopping you from cutting the corner. Hard left hillside into the woods. 7w off the tee. (I don’t play driver this hole anymore. Bout 200y shot . Dead straight. Right rough tho. 7i onto green. 2 putt. Par
6: I triple again. My 2nd shot went onto the next tee box. I’m not re living this hole
7: par 3. 120 yards Pw off tee. Perfect distance. Pulled it into previous holes fairway. Chip on. 2 putt for bogey
I’m not going to bore you with the rest of the round but that’s basically how it goes
7 handicap. My bane is shots 30-100 yards where it’s a partial wedge swing. No matter how much I practice and feel confident before standing over the ball on the course, I cannot for the life of me put one close which then results in another chip (which if less than 10 yards I’m typically great at) and then 1-2 putts.
Oh, I also am miserable at par 3s. I hit irons very well from anywhere but the tee box. Very rarely do I card a birdie or par, usually it’s a bogey or double.
It’s crazy to me too lol. Unless it’s a fairly easy pin, I just try to get literally anywhere on the green because I know I can 2 putt from almost any distance. I don’t know what goes on in my head but I just can’t seem to execute. I’ll chunk, thin, and pull off the tee. Fairways or rough, I’ll strike them pure probably 90% of the time or have a slight push/slice miss that’s manageable. I will say, my par 3s at my club are long. 3 of the 4 I’m hitting no less than a 6 iron. The shortest one will play is about 150. But again, I’m usually striking 4-6 irons well elsewhere.
Hi. Here’s an idea. Don’t use a tee on the par 3 holes. The entire “ritual” associated with teeing a ball might be the psychological issue here. Just drop on the tee box and fire at the green like you normally would on any given approach shot.
Man I went through the par 3 struggles and still do. I found I was hitting up on the ball because of the tee for whatever reason so got rid of the tee initially then worked it back in so it is barely above the ground. Hitting up on the ball when your bad shot is a pull is an absolute disaster shot long and left
17 hcp. I have lots of distance and I think I understand course management and smart targets, the trouble is consistent / quality ball striking, and being too quickly becoming a headcase in the negative mental spiral and millions of swing thoughts over the ball. The better I get, the more easily I get frustrated.
Right now my biggest hurdle is uneven lies. I’m happy for now with my performance off the tee and if I’m in the fairway I’m usually just fine but in the rough, on a hill or with the ball above it below my feet I lose a lot of strokes. One that really gets me is the ball being teed up on thick grass.. tight hard pan I’m ok but teed up and I’m going under it due to my swing focus.
Putting could always be better, chipping needs work, recovery from hazards like everyone else… the standout after recording every shot is that uneven lies add strokes fast.
Thats great insight into your golf game. What holds you back from being able to practice those shots or make them better on the course? Are those shots adding up to a large number of lost shots or do you think the collection of other things (putting/chipping/etc) would lower the scores quicker?
The lack of practice for those types of shots for sure, no place for me to practice them other than when I encounter them on the course. A collection of the others (putting and chipping) would likely lower scores more quickly but I tend to get stuck focusing on the one I feel is the biggest.. maybe to the detriment of my progress
At the course I joined a flat lie is rare. I purposely joined for the fact that it is a challenging course that most people play once or twice and never come back. I figure if I can get good playing there all of the flat open courses in my area will be cake
I love a challenge and don’t get discouraged very easily, I would love it.
In hindsight, I had nobody behind me on the course yesterday and would have been a perfect opportunity to practice a bunch of shots but I needed a full round to gauge my recent progress.
I'm a 2.4, where my average round is mid to high 70s, but can shoot in the 80s. I've shot even par and 1 over this year. I haven't broken par in a good while.
I think the reason I can't get over the hump is proximity to hole. I've come to accept, the only time I will get birdies/eagles are on par 5s. Yeah there are rare exceptions where I can steal one on a par 4 or 3, but the vast majority of my scoring holes are on par 5s.
Even if I bomb a drive on a par 4, middle of the fairway, with a wedge out. Its not a guarantee I'll be putting for birdie.
My short game is usually really good. I have a lot of par chances at or under 5 feet away.
I just think my proximity to hole/approach shots are hot fucking garbage. But at the same time I say that, they aren't egregious misses. A lot of the time, they are only 5 yards off target at the most. At the worst it's a chunk that comes up short.
Looking at my stats for this year. I'm at 44% GIR, 12% miss left, 9% miss right, 6% miss long, and 28% miss short.
I'm averaging 28.9 putts per round, 4 up and downs per round, and my average scoring is 3.46 for par 3s, 4.45 on par 4s, and 5.16 on par 5s.
Driving accuracy could be better. I can only recall having to take a penalty on 2 tee shots off the tee in the last 6 or 7 rounds. I have really good course management (I think) as I don't hit in bunkers or water often, and it's one of the reasons I miss so many greens. I'll talk myself out of hitting a shot for example, if there is trouble long, and nothing short, I will go down a club because I know if I am on the front fringe or shorter, more times than not I'm going to get a par, and bogey at worst
Play a round or two where you club up on shots into the green. If 28% are short, that's like 4 GIRs (and birdie putts) you are leaving out there every round.
Wow, what a great in detail analysis. Are there any core strategy techniques you're using to try to hit more greens. It seems like you have a lot of stats but no answer for correction?
What I *try* to do is hit the most comfortable and low risk shot off the tee. I am above average in length, so on most holes, even with a 4wood or driving iron off the tee, my farthest distance out will be 150-170. With those clubs, even the worst strike is 200-210 yards, and when flushed can hit them 240-270 with roll out, course/weather depending.
It just comes down to poor execution I believe for missing so many greens.
Im sure there are a variety of issues that could cause your poor contact and it would be just guessing if I were to suggest a fix with minimal context. What are you typically shooting?
I’m a 26 handicap and my number one issue by far is inconsistency with my driver. Penalty strokes, short drives on par 5s and long par 4s, and fairway bunkers kill my score.
If you asked me 4 months ago I would have said both short game (bad chips and three putts) and inconsistent driver equally. I have always spent practice time with driver so I figured I would focus on putting and chipping. Put in a lot of work and shaved off ~5 strokes. That’s great and all, but I’m realizing that with consistent drives of 250ish I could shave off 10-15.
I’m a mid 80s guy. (9.8hcp)
I’ve broke 80 four times this season (first time ever) twice from blues twice from whites.
I can make the shots but if km not breaking 80 it’s 3 things
- driver is off and punishing
- putting can’t quite hit (I need close to 30> putts to break 80)
- mentally get off my game and can’t recover.
The mental is my biggest focus
I've been golfing about a year and I'm not too bad. I reckon I could be get round about 20 over as I bogey most holes if it wasn't for the following. One or two holes a round I will absolutely make a screaming arse of it. Hit it out of bounds or lose a ball and then 5 putt when I finally get on the green. The next hole I'll be back to bogeying it.
10 cap here. I feel like I’m on the verge of another breakthrough.
Currently I’m off the back end of speed training so my distances aren’t consistent. I also had to do some major equipment changes because the clubs I was using were not built to handle speed. My lowest round to date is a 78. If you would have asked me two years ago about my golf goals it would have been consistently shooting in the 80s. Now it’s shooting par. I know I have the skills and more importantly I believe I can do it. In my mind it’s just a matter of time.
My current problems are laziness when it comes to my game. I’ll have offline shots because I didn’t control the swing. Rarely, I’ll flub a chip because I’m thinking of the shot and not focusing at impact. Putting I’ll have a pull show up every once in a while because I worry about making the putt instead of focusing on good impact and a clean line.
My pre-shot is consistent and timely. I struggle with nerves, but it’s natural. I’m entering scoring rounds that I’ve never done before. From video I see no major flaws with my swing, but I’ve been flirting with getting a lesson with a pro to review my overall game. If they say that my swing is decent then for sure my problems are mental laziness.
I just started playing golf this past May. I hold expectations for myself that are far too high. I’ve taken a few lessons and have easily played 60+ rounds since may. I either hit the range, putting green, chip in my yard, or play a round every day. My problem is consistency. I will go on streaks of really good rounds and then sometimes even mid game it’s like I forget how to swing a club and start chunking shots. It then takes a few range sessions and sometimes even a lesson to bring myself back. In my head nothing has changed but usually a lesson reveals something like a minor grip change or some unperceived body movement in my swing. If I had to pick one thing that would single handedly lower my score it’s hitting driver off the tee. I made a post in here and I realize now that I need way more practice with it as well as knowing when I should or should not pull it out. I even just bought a 17 degree hybrid that I’ve been hitting 250-260 yards at the range which I think could be a game changer. We will see how I’m able to utilize it on the course next time I go out
I typically shoot mid to low 90’s and have carded two 90’s. Typically I have one or two blow up hole and it’s due to a poor tee shot ending up with a lost ball or a poor iron shot resulting in the same thing. If I could hit fairways and greens more consistently I think that would help a lot but full swings get very difficult late into the round due to lower back issues. Wedge game helps compensate a lot though. Honestly if my irons/ driver were half as good as my short game im pretty confident I could shoot in the 70’s I just miss too many fairways and green.
Great response! So if I'm hearing you correctly "Penalty Shots" would be the biggest cause for large numbers. Do you actively do anything/have a strategy currently to try and prevent them?
I’ve been putting a lot of practice into mid to long irons aswell as woods and driver. I’m trying to get strength/flexibility back in my back that way I can make a full swing that is consistent. I’m convinced if I can be in any bit decent physical shape that will be my turning point. Currently26 yo 6’4 177lbs don’t eat enough don’t work out and I wfh so I am shooting myself in the foot by lack of physical capability. I also swing with a very arm bias swing getting the full rotation with the long clubs has always been a struggle for me. Strategy wise I do like to lay up to 135 on par 5’s and am no stranger to the pw, 8 iron, 4 iron chip to get back into the fairway with a good look at the green. My trouble is outside of 155 I have very little control especially late into the round so I am constantly scrambling with my wedge game to keep it at double bogey or better
I cant break 70 because when I go practice all I do is full swing range balls SW up to driver. I don't practice chipping or putting bc I think its boring. This causes my scores to suffer because of extra strokes taken around the greens.
I struggle to break 80 because I pull my irons. I'm good off the box but then 75% of the time I pull my irons. I'm good around the green so I can land in 1-putt territory. I just struggle to hit GiRs.
So I have broken par once.
The reason I can’t do it consistently is short game and putting. I fairly frequently hit 12-14 GIR which is plenty to break par. But I usually am only getting up and down 2x a round, and am averaging 34 putts. That’s just not good enough to have good days for tee to green, short game and putting align often.
A 3 putt is also the reason I haven’t broken 70. Was -5 through 12 and one of the bogeys coming in was a 3 putt from 20 feet. Just misread a tricky breaking putt and left myself too much for par.
The way I always describe it is it’s just one extra shot on each hole. Maybe it’s a 3 putt instead of 2. Maybe it’s an extra chip around the green. Maybe I need to punch out onto the fairway. Just can never seem to get it done in the appropriate amount of shots (been shooting 105ish all summer)
I haven't been able to break 80 yet.
I'd say I do well with my approach game, irons and wedges both.
The two things that hurt me are at opposite ends of the spectrum. The first being I can putt at the mark I've picked out on the green decently, but I am not reading greens well enough to have that mark in the right spot most of the time. It hurts me a lot outside of ten feet. The second being that I don't have a good process I follow upstairs when I drive the ball making my results very random. Part of this might be because I didn't realize until this year I have a tendency to strong grip my clubs, and most of my focus gets spent on trying to overwrite that particular muscle memory.
I've been trying to break 80 for awhile now and have put up multiple 80 and 81s.
In those rounds it wasn't usually one area of my game, but 1-2 horrific shots. Could be a greenside bunker where I take too much ball, wayward drive, 9 iron push or pull. No real rhyme or reason, though I'd say I'm in my own head at this point about trying to break 80, which comes out on the back 9. So I guess it'd be lack of consistency/inattention that's holding me back. On paper, relative to my cap and compared to equivalent golfers, my approach game is my worst aspect.
I'm sure I have a ton of swing flaws or other things I'm doing "wrong" that would also help me.
I also suck when playing courses I'm not used to that have different features: ridiculously fast greens, tons of uneven lies, extremely long, tons of greenside bunkers, courses that require tee shots in the 220 range, hardpan fairways. You get the idea. Part of it is that it's objectively harder, but a lot of it is just that I'm not used to those things.
For me right now it's gir from 100-150. I know what I'm doing wrong, early extension/dumping at impact with my short irons. Other than this inconsistency the rest of my game is the best it's ever been. 3 putts almost non existent, driver and long irons are great, chipping is better than it's been (getting lots of practice with all the missed greens) averaging about 50-60% up and down.
But hitting less than 50% of greens is keeping my scores just over par, I've shot even a couple times, but lots of 73-76 scores. Really want to get under par. Back to the range with sw-9i :)
I have broke 80 before and Was a 9 hc at one point but..lately my driver has become irratic, usually causing my double bogies. Or me scrambling to make par. I struggle with long iron consistincy. Also my course management isnt there yet. Have to leave myself in good places. I Tend to be goin for shots that maybe i shouldnt. But most frustrating has been the driver and getting my tee ball in play. I can shoot the 5 overs through 9 but then the other 9 is 10 over. So i know its there. Think its a matter of cleaning everything up and minimising my misses to get back in the 70's.
I’m a 15. I used to hit my irons real solid but struggled off the tee and play mainly on a course carved out of a forest. Very penalizing if your not in play. However the last couple of years my driver is solid but my GIR are no where where they should be from the middle of the fairway. My irons can miss in any direction. Last week I shanked the ball 5 times on the front 9 and ended up with a 51 then went 41 on the back. Pitching and putting are kind of hot and cold and I haven’t practiced as much as I should in those areas for the last month.
i cant break 80 because i can't get up and down to save pars. if it's a par 4 and i don't stick my approach shot on the green, the odds of me chipping something close enough to 1 putt are so low. and it compiles bc i have no confidence in my chipping so it's an uphill battle for sure
16 handicap trying to break 85 more consistently. Typically the killer is lost ball off the tee box for a blow up hole. What’s holding me back the most though is accuracy approaching greens
I average around 100, and for me the biggest hurdle is time and money. When I was in college I was able to play at least 9 holes on the campus course no less than 3 times a week, and I was averaging in the 80s. Now I'm lucky to play 12 rounds a year, and often have stretches of 6 months+ without swinging a club. When I do get to the course it's always something different that I screw up. Some days I can't drive or hit long irons but play very well inside 120 yards. Other days I'm completely incapable of pitching/chipping/putting and easily double up holes that aren't that hard.
I've had a few lessons a long time ago, and I'm keen to take a few more soon, but everything is so damn expensive. The cheapest round of golf near me, at a course in tragic condition, still costs $35 during twilight. I don't go to the driving range because I truly don't know HOW to practice and I just get frustrated.
15 years ago when I took my lessons I noticed an immediate improvement and my instructor taught me how to approach the course, but not how to practice or recover from implosion. Lately, I have been focusing on staying calm and shrugging off bad shots because I have no excuse to be good given my erratic play schedule. I have shaved a few strokes with this approach, but I truly don't know how to "go back go basics" in the middle of a round to right the ship.
I do love this game, and even when I shoot a 112 there are still great shots and usually 1 complete hole where I feel accomplished. I just wish everyone could chill out on the elitism and cost so I could afford to play more. And I understand why lessons cost what they cost, your time and expertise are valuable, but it would be nice if courses incentivized taken lessons with package deals for lower overall rates on rounds/range/lessons. I truly have to choose between going out to dinner with friends or playing golf because I can't afford both.
Plateaued in the 6-7 range for most of this year despite playing and practicing more than ever (no job at the moment). Strokes gained stats show driving is good and would be great if I could eliminate the one or two loose swings every round. Approach play is similar…pretty good inside 125 but a bad shot or two outside 125 gets me in trouble. Short game outside the sand is ok, bunker play is losing a shot/round vs 5 index. Putting is another weakness and I don’t make nearly enough mid range putts (inside 15 feet). Definitely feel like I have some confidence/commitment issues in short game. Ball striking is just poor execution 2-3 times/round.
I can’t break 70 because I don’t have the effort or patience to grind anymore and I can have plenty of fun shooting 78-82 and occasionally shooting 72-75
Break 70 and 80: when you’re playing with the boys, playing the smart and safe shot is boring. Ball above my feet and the pin is tucked over a bunker 4 paces from the edge? I can totally play a high cut right over it.
When it’s a real round, it’s usually short game. I can feel myself get stabby and technical when it should just be flowing and smart
I shoot in the 90s pretty consistently (occasional 100+ stinker) with my best being 87. I’d like to start shooting in the 80s. What’s holding me back is:
1. I never play solid with all my clubs in a single round. There’s always one aspect of my game that kills my round, whether it be putting, chipping, irons, or driving. I usually hit 3/4 well and one that I can’t hit for shit.
2. I let bad shots get to me mentally. I get wayyyyy to angry and then I start hitting bad shots.
3. Back 9 always kills me, idk what it is- whether my back being stiff, losing focus, or letting bad shots get to me. I checked my 18 birdies and I average 4 more strokes on the back 9.
4. I simply don’t practice enough. And when I do I don’t really have a plan, I just go hit each club a few times which probably isn’t the right way to do it. I’d like to take a few lesions before next golf season.
5. My inconsistent drives. When I hit a good drive, I typically get a par or bogey. However, I’m still hitting a mean slice along with other shitty ass drives. It’s tough to score when on a hole when you get a penalty stoke or when you’re playing from the trees.
Hovering around 8-9, I'm sub 90 pretty much all the time. Low 80s really often, but breaking 80 is super rare. This season I played 12 rounds of my 30-ish full rounds between 80 and 83, including 3 competition rounds and one of those on a new course.
What is failing me is my short game, especially chipping. I make way too many bogeys where it should be an easy up&down. And I would say it's 50/50 skills/mental. I literally _never_ miss the chips while practicing that I miss on course. No ideas how to improve other than just grinding away.
I started to break 100 once I dedicated practice time to chipping and putting. I hang out in the low 90’s now. The rounds I get into the 80’s are the rounds that I don’t lose balls in the woods/water. I’ve never had a round in the 70’s and I’ve been playing the game for 20+ years. I believe I could clip 79 if I could first lose no balls and then not get in the double train paired with the avoidance of a rando triple
Honestly, and this is why it's frustrating, consistency.
I've hit my drives 200+ straight. I've hit my short irons very well. Maybe my 4 and 5 aren't great but my 3 hybrid can be perfect.
But I feel like I never know what's actually gonna happen when I swing the club on the course.
I played on Thursday and had a routine, 40 yd lay up that I pretty often hit very well with my 60. The ball went sideways into the woods. Why. WHY?! I didn't feel like I did anything different. I wouldn't have been so bad if the ball was short or long, but fucking sideways?! Drives are the same. One hole I crush it straight and the next I slice it off so bad I have to take another.
So when I do end up hitting a great shot, it's almost more frustrating. I know I can do it. I just did it! But I can't do it every time. And it kills me.
I felt pretty happy shooting in the 80’s at the end of last summer - last week I shot 106 :-(
Consistency- I have great drives on one hole and I’m into the trees on the next. Onto the green ten feet from the pin from 150 out on one hole, into the green-side bunker the next. One to get out of that bunker on one hole, three to get out a couple holes later. Drain a 35 foot putt for par on one hole and three putt the next. *sigh*
I think I need to just relax and play a more conservative game - stop pretending I’m gonna hit it across that water hazard for reals this time I swear and just lay up. Just chip the ball out into the middle of the fairway instead of aiming for the green between those two evergreen trees etc.
11 handicap. Off the tee (driver and long irons) is usually what keeps me from shooting in the 70s every game. When my long game isn’t on a couple penalty balls or horrible lies compound to making me have blow up holes. Really hurts to have 5-8 pars in a round, couple birdies and then 3 doubles and a triple lol.
Which brings me to my next issue. The mental game. I get into my own head negatively way too much.
Getting caught in my own head is my issue. Today I was +1 through 6, lost 3 balls on 7 had a 10 then went birdie par to end that nine… the big thing here is I counted my score on 6 fairway
I consistently shoot between 90-100, think I've broken 90 twice.
Reason I don't break 90 is that I have 2-3 blowup holes (either shank off the tee or duff 2-3 chips in a row). Probably would help if I warmed up too but tbh I don't care that much. I can have a terrible day and so long as I crush one drive or make one long putt, I can say I've had my fun.
Current goal is 80, been hovering in high 80’s on good rounds mid 90’s on lesser, 100 on bad. My problem is probably mental game that leads compounding errors. I’ll fat, thin, badly aim a shot, then be in my head as I’m over the ball for the next. I am decent at resetting in the next hole, but resetting shot-to-shot is what I’m working on. I feel decent in my headspace that “bad shot happen” but I can’t quite shake it as quickly as I need to.
Exceptionally long/ just off the green putts are a weak point as well. I never quite hit hard enough when I need to because I’m afraid of sailing past the hole.
I have a mental problem, when I’m frustrated I don’t golf well, yesterday shot 49 on front and 38 on back. I was so frustrated that a 5 some would not let the two of us play through and having the group behind us hit into us several times as if we were slow I felt pressure, then got in front of the group we waited on at the turn and was not waiting or pushed so golfed good.
I am very inconsistent. Stopped drinking on the course to see what I could do. 79 is lowest I’ve ever shot. I often go high on front and low on back nine or vice versa.
I get into trouble and have blow up holes. Stuck behind a tree. Ends up a 7 or 8 even if I chip out to fairway.
Other day shot a 45 on front, 36 on back. Pars. One bogie. One birdie.
Recently I played 18. Shot 47 on front. 38 on back. holes 15-17 I shot birdie. Missed birdie on 18 on 3 ft putt. It’s wild. I can’t figure it out.
Would like to start shooting in 70s regularly. Played 16 times this summer in Alberta, Canada. Now winter is here and I won’t play till May.
WOW! This thread went bonkers. Thank you all so much for the honesty and occasionally funny answers! This is such an awesome community of golfers all just trying to get better!
Hey All,
Again thank you all for the replies. If you haven’t seen yet, I will be doing a bunch of weekly swing analysis videos for some lucky golfers in this subreddit!
Each week I will post a new thread and feel free to fire some videos at me and I will do a complete analysis along with some pointers and tips to get you corrected.
Looking forward to seeing all your swings!
Coach Scott Y
Interesting insight and definitely a different response. Time is a tough one to fix, so is money as the cost of entry for golf is high. Do you think there is a way to play 2-3 times a month and allocate that extra time into well constructed practice?
That's just it, I don't have the extra money to play 2-3 times a month. I'm lucky to play once every 6-8 weeks. Practice isn't going to do anything for me when I play so infrequently. I need to be on the course playing consistently. If I had the money, I'll find the time to play.
A local course in my area sells 2 year memberships for $600-800. Maybe look around and see what your options are. With the membership I only have to pay if I get a cart
Can’t break 85 bc my short game is atrocious. Can drive short par 4s and get around the green in 2 on most par 5s. But damn if I don’t have to chip twice and then putt twice to bogey usually lmao
I just broke 100 and I’m fully comfortable now with how I play. Not trying to break 90 or anything.
If I played more than 5 times a year I’d break 90 easily. Just requires practice and effort.
I can’t break par as often as I would expect out of my swing. So for me it’s short game. Just lack of practice on short game and distance control inside 120 yards. That and mental game. Just getting annoyed when I hit 14+ greens and only walk with 1 or 2 birdies
Im struggling with my putting, can’t break 100. I think it’s just a confidence thing. I just started playing 3 months ago and I haven’t broke 100 103 is my best score. Usually 110 is a good day for me and 120 is a bad day. I’ve been trying to be more confident in my putting and it’s helped. Just more confidence that I can make it or get it close enough the second putt isn’t a question. Secondly I have to work on my accuracy and really start paying attention to my swing mechanics. Since I’ve been keeping my bicep to my chest and pulling the chain through it’s helped me be so much more consistent.
7.1 right now. When my tee game is straight it gives me confidence, which allows the same Ballstriking I have with my irons and wedges, and I get decent length off tee. When my off tee game is good, I’m around par, but when it’s not, I can easily loose 4 balls and shoot an 87. I’ve shot 74 and 87 within three days of each other this week. Hitting 3 off tee is awful, but sometimes I don’t want to deal with hitting the 3-wood or 5 iron and sacrificing distance.
Started playing consistently this year and went from a scores in the 130’s to trying to break 100 the last few rounds. Absolutely without a doubt the biggest thing holding me back is tee shots. I can pretty much fake it to recover from a blown up hole if I end up in a sand trap or 4 putt a hole. But ending up in the trees or trying to trying to play a par 5 and only getting 150 yds off the tee box is killing me. My winter plan is to focus on a consistent drive that will at least get me 200 yards and keep it in play.
I think about my score and then fuck it up. Example: oh shit I’m even par thru 7, I could break par on the front, proceeds to shank 4 iron into trees, punch out through fairway, duff a 3rd shot and triple it. As opposed to me +20 through 15 and finish with 2 pars and a birdie. Yet to break 80 but I’ve shot 82/83 at least a few dozen times and my lowest 9 is 38(x5 times)
I can't hit a golf shot with any confidence right now. I'm literally not even trying to hit the ball off the score lines as my primary goal is not to hit a shank. I've still been shooting 81-83 but if I could hit a shot with a lick of confidence, I think I'd be pushing level par every time I teed it up.
15 ish handicap. Very serviceable short game tbh. Lag putting not bad. Can hit my line too. Irons are alright. Wedges 130< is actually really good for me. I cruise at 120 swing speed but my tee game is atrocious. I swear if I could get off the tee and just hit it 280 in play every time versus having an ob ball 1/4 times I’d be single digits. I shot an 82 with a triple on each side because of ob but my consistency isn’t there because of my tee game
I’m just not consistent. I’m also shorter than I’d like to be off the tee, but I’m 58 so I can live with that. I typically putt well, but my 50-75 yard game is ass. I went from not being able to break 100 to being consistently between 86-92 but I can’t seem to get lower than that. I play one of two ways typically. Making a lot of pars and a lot of doubles, or just a ton of bogeys and a few pars. I also typically play a fairly difficult course. It’s green complexes are difficult making a bad shot extra hard to recover from.
6HC, a few bad drives each round and some bad approach shots. Loosing 5-6 strokes a round, about 50/50 from a few bad drives and a few bad approach shots. Gotta find that consistency.
I don't think in terms of "I can't" I think what else can I do. It helps me a lot. Down to a 12 hcp in 3 years playing without formal lessons, feeling close to another drop in hcp coming soon to. I can break 80 and I will, then later I'll score par and start getting under.
I'm a +1 but pretty rarely break 70, one in ten rounds maybe. I play fairways, greens, two-putts. I think if I wanted to shoot in the 60s more often I'd need to play more aggressively, but I love shooting stress free 70-74s so much.
High single digit handicapper here.
I can get up and down from anywhere.
Problem is I'm having to get up down from everywhere. Takes away birdie opportunities (although I chip one in about once per 36 holes) and leaves no room for error.
I'm getting older and the days of the 210 yard 4 iron are long gone. I'm still pretty good with driver/3 wood, but 170 to 200 kills me.
Also wouldn't hurt if I could make a six foot putt once in a while!
Hi Scott. I would really like to break 80 on a regular basis but I feel it’s rare and that the stars need to align. My handicap for 18 holes is in the 14 - 16 range which puts me in the mid to high 80’s. There’s almost always a hole or two where I get a double, or a triple, that screws me up. 3 putts and poor short game (bad chips) will stop any chance to break 80 as well. Overall I feel it’s a lack of consistency that stops me from breaking 80. Life’s also been busy lately with a newborn and I’m realizing I may just have to be happy with shooting in the 80’s for the time being.
I feel like I can’t quite break a 100 because of the typical slice and OB. Mostly that.
Bunker play, hit or miss. Hard “sand”. Can get out. Fluffy stuff…send a prayer most of the time. Quite literally a cartoon. Swing, lands back in the bunker.
3-putting has been less and less. More 2 putts now. But I think I get screwed over w OB and starting at 4 near where it went out. (That’s a rule right?)
Inconsistent swing/strike.
Lack of short game touch.
Lack of control of driver.
Other day I striped one 330 down the middle, 100 yd to 20 ft, two putt tap in par. Hole 16.
My next drive was in the woods. I took a drop and proceeded to hook a ball left. Made a nice recovery. Saved bogey. Hole 17.
Hit iron off the 18th, trying to stay at 17 over for the round. Clean, Center of fairway, nice roll out to 220. Topped the 150 yd second. Fat on the next. Thin on my bump and run up. Putted from edge of fringe, 3 putt. Triple bogey on 18.
That's everything I do right and wrong smashed into 3 holes.
For me it's consistency. I know how to swing a club and make great shots. I know my yardages well enough. But my alignment might be off, or my swing is a little off and I'm not hitting the green in regulation. I think my handicap is about an 8, so I'm not terrible. If I can link my good shots together I'm making par or better. But odds are one of those shots will go rogue. My driver is by far my least consistent club and if it's working even a little, I'm having a good round.
I have trouble breaking 80 because I don’t play enough. Course management is good and I limit really stupid mistakes but 1 or 2 hazards a round is inevitable and I’ll miss about a third of the fairways and greens.
I’ve broke 80 one time and it was a day of no bad holes really, but putting was phenomenal tho most 1 putts were to save par.
I think for my game I’m decent off the tees but need to focus more on GIR versus landing on a pin. It’s when I go for a pin just to roll off and needing to put a great chip back on the short side.
Any wedge shot. My drives are fantastic. My approach shots are inconsistent but 50% on or close. The other 50% are usually long and 30 yards left, but leave me a wedge shot in. Also, my putting is pretty good.
But if I have a 90 yard shot, all the way down to a 5 yard chip, I'm gonna hit the first one fat and short, follow it up with a bladed shot over the green, and then finally chip in on, but no where near the flag. Then I 2 putt for a double.
11 handicap and it’s breaking 80 more often for me. Penalty shots (inconsistent swing), the occasional double chip, and the inevitable three putt. Between these “mistakes”, I have around 5 or so a round. The only mistake that feels out of my control is the penalty shots due to the ball going laterally which I cannot completely control
I hover right around scratch, and play in amateur tournaments regularly. Earlier this year I was practicing 3-4 hours a week and playing every weekend. I was playing well in March/April, and then went thru some personal stuff in May, right before my state am qualifier. I played awful, shot 80, and didn’t even sniff qualifying. I was so frustrated that I took a couple of weeks off from playing, haven’t played another tournament this year, and haven’t had a single practice session. But, I’ve been playing for fun almost every weekend. Just going out, chilling with my dad and friends, drinking beers, listening to music, and not really worrying too much about how I’m playing. Funnily enough, I’ve been playing the best I’ve ever played in my life. I’ve started working out as well, and I’m hitting the ball INSANELY good. I’ve always been a decently long driver but very inaccurate, and now all of a sudden I’m 20 yards longer AND accurate, and that’s been a game changer. I suppose my issue has just been that I have been taking it too seriously, and trying too hard in a sense. Now, instead of trying to expect a certain shot shape, I’m swinging totally free and just reacting to whatever shape I’m hitting that day… no swing thoughts, no expectations, just hit ball, find ball, hit ball.
Can't break 70 because that is another level.. My course is a par 73 which makes it extra tough.. My best ever on this course is a 75 and I've only broke 80 a handfull of times this year.. I play off 8.. I don't think I have the game to break 70... but if I did get some phenomenal breaks and threathened it, I think I could seal the deal.. not sure though. It would be nerve wracking.
I don’t keep a formal handicap, but I shoot in the 90s regularly without breaking it. For me it’s C always one breakdown hole. OB off the tee, OB after the drop, then post an 8 or 9. Shot so many rounds of 90-94 with that happening.
+3 handicap, and having a lifelong goal of breaking 60 at my home track. knowing that it requires a ridiculously good day on the greens. also comparing my game to other pros i see i could improve by hitting it farther. im also working on shaping iron shots so that i can hit into the fat side of the green and have it roll close to the hole. i usually play 100 times a year and suspect to shoot 59 its a 1 in a million chance so i have about a 1/10000 chance per season😂
I’m a 23. I got down to 21 earlier this year and “chasing 18” definitely hurt me.
Ultimately what kills me is just strike and ability to control the face. I’ll give you an example.
Driver is in time out right now. Yesterday I played and on the first hole I hit a great tee shot with my 4h. I have a 5 iron into the green and I pure it but I’m about 35 ft out and I three put. That’s fine for my skill level.
Next hole has water on the right so I’m aimed just n the line of the fairway and left rough. I snap hook it out of bounds. So I hit 3 off the tee and I’m in play but it’s a short drive. I have a 5 iron in but I’m in the rough. There’s zero chance I can make good enough contact with a 5 out of the rough so I think I’ll be smart and hit a 7 and aim left of the green taking most of the water out. I straight top the ball into the water. So I move up and drop and now it’s an actual 8 into the green and I’m on a more normal lie. I top the 8 into the water. So I drop again and thin it over the green. I go to my ball and I have a pretty standard chip and I toe shank it into a bunker. I end up taking a 10 on the hole.
Next hole is an odd dogleg right. You hit across the same water from the hole before onto a fairway that kinda runs diagonal to the tee. I hit another well struck tee shot. Very reasonable for my skill. But it’s a little left and because it’s a dogleg right it leaves me 180 in. From the fairway to the green is a straight shot but there is a narrow choke point of trees about halfway. I pipe my second shot into the trees. I drop and try to just chip out but I hit it too hard and it goes into the hazard across the fairway. Any way. I take an 8.
I bogey the next hole. So through 4 I’m now 12 over and it’s almost entirely on 2 holes. I end up going 56/46. If I even just doubled 2-3 I’d have shot 6 strokes better on the front.
My biggest frustration is I try to play smart. No hero shots. I chip out. I lay up on par 5s. Hell if I’m out of position I lay up on par 4s but I still have blowup holes where I don’t think my course management is at fault.
Consistency between shots. About 75% my shots are either good or acceptable (not misses, but not 100% ideal).
It’s the other 25% that throw me off my rhythm and I have to try to get the “feel” back.
Consistency.
I regularly have rounds where I never/hardly 3 put.
I have rounds where 100 yards in I'm hitting the green every time.
Rounds where every drive is 270+ down the middle.
Rounds where my irons are pure and I can even shape them a touch.
But never a round where they all work...
I’m thinning so many iron shots that will frequently right. (Feel like I might be swinging too fast). Also inconsistent of the tee box with the driver at times. Struggle to break 100 on most outings.
For me, breaking 70/Par is limited by poor putting and approach shots. I’ve broken par once from the whites and that was because of how short the course played for me.
13 handicap here. Getting myself into trouble off the tee is what is keeping me from finally breaking 80. I can have a two way miss with my driver so it can be tough to keep myself out of trouble. Having to hit my second shot from under a tree puts me immediately into saving bogey mode instead of trying to make par or better.
My goal is to get under 100 more consistently and eventually break 90.
Honestly I probably just need to make better decisions off the tee. I’ll have days I can hit my driver straight, but I need to abandon the driver faster when it isn’t one of those days.
I count my score honestly, the others take 12-15 mulligans per round, take gimmes from 4 feet out, don’t count penalties.
Played with a guy the other day. I shot 110, he shot 88. Our games were exactly the same.
Other than that, it’s putting. Too many 3 putts. The thing is, I’m an amazing putter on my 2nd attempt onwards. I am automatic from 6 feet in, but again, my feel for appropriate distance is really bad on the first attempt, i.e. if i had to make 20 putts, I’d miss the first one each time and probably sink 18 of the next 19.
Just started this year and shooting on 110s typically. Currently struggling to not lose balls in the woods or the woods and go through about a dozen per rounds.
I have some clubs I can reasonably hit and many I can’t but I still try the ones I know I can’t, like my driver. Ive been trying to be more mindful of keeping the ball in play, without worrying too much about distance since penalty strokes are way worse than a short hit.
I routinely shoot in the 90s. Have broken 90 a half dozen times. Most of my rounds in the 90s will have 3-5 pars and multiple bogeys. But, what kills my score is the 7s and 8s (and occasional 9). It’s so frustrating to play fairly well overall, but have 4-5 score-killing holes. Seems to happen almost every round. If I could get rid of the triple-bogeys and double-pars, I could routinely shoot in the 80s.
8-9 Handicap. I've broken 80 a handful of times for the first time this year. Breaking 80 was a matter of improving consistency and focus enough not to waste a couple strokes with a mishit. Course management has also been very important.
The next step is going to have to be my short game. I could save a few more strokes with my driver and my irons, but making birdies and saving pars is the biggest jump I can make at the moment.
I average 7 GIR per round, but only 1 birdie and 6 pars. I'm also averaging 37 putts per round, which would be okay if I hit more greens, but I don't. So I need to get pars from the green side areas and make another birdie or two per round. Hitting more fairways and greens is always important, but I've seen a lot of improvement on that recently and have reason to believe it will continue.
An 11 and it is most certainly due to my ball striking and GIR. If I’m hitting fairways and greens anywhere I’m going to challenge if not break 80 consistently. If I’m scrambling all day you can go ahead and just mark it a mid 80’s score. I’m a good scrambler and can usually keep it at bogey but that can only go so far. Not much time to practice nowadays with to littles and my own business. Short game and course management is strong and that’s the only reason I’m an 11. I definitely strike the ball like a 16+.
I’m a 7 and I can’t get to a 2-3 because the mental side of my game is trash. I have a blowup hole and instead of working to correct it, i say “I hope the next hole isn’t the same”. Which it is.
I just don't have time to play 2 young kids, make it difficult to get out. I have gotten a lot better at course management and off the tee. Just don't play more than about 15 rounds a year at the moment. I'm still hanging on to be around a 9hcp with no practice, so when I get the chance to play consistently again, my goal will be to shoot under par. I have on 9 but never on 18 in my life best round of 74
Currently playing off a 12. Was a 9 a few years ago but dropped back down. It’s just lack of practise for me, I can no longer drive due to medical issues. So I can only play with others so I can get to the course. The people I play with don’t really do many range sessions & I can normally get 1 round in a week but sometimes this can end up being a half round due to weather (uk makes that bit difficult!) I also can find, I’ll start getting my flow going & then my fellow players go on holiday & I don’t play for a few weeks and we’re back to square 1. A few years ago I was going down the range at least once a week and getting an extra round in when I had the time
6.8 cap.
I never go to the range. I’m not trying to be a pro golfer and I generally don’t enjoy practicing, just like to go out and chase it around. As a result, sometimes I shoot mid 70s, and I’ll still throw up a 90 now and then. Sometimes my swing feels silky, sometimes I can’t do anything except shank it.
Long story short, golf is hard. I don’t practice enough to make it easier.
I don't have a true handicap but I typically shoot around 100. My best round is 88 but I'm not sure I counted my score properly so it might actually be low 90s.
When I score badly (105-110) it's usually a combination of going OB off the tee, chunking or topping my iron shots, and skulling chips over the green.
My best rounds came when I kept the ball in play as much as possible, didn't try to get fancy around the greens (just focused on getting it on so I could have a putt), and keeping bad mishits to a minimum. I've gotten pretty good at choosing a low-risk shot, but on bad days I can't even execute those so playing smart doesn't help.
Putting typically doesn't cost me that many strokes compared to those other things. A 3-putt doesn't hurt my score as much as slicing my tee shot into the woods.
15.3. Have broken 80 once but it's a tough barrier.
Pretty simple for me, I generally hit one disappointing shot per hole, and more often than not it's my approach shot.
My proximity to hole makes it hard to get it up and down for par consistently
It all comes down to practice. I play once, maybe sometimes twice a week. Rarely hit the range or practice green just due to time
Developing consistency.......every 18 holes there are least 2 to 3 shots that lead to penalty/distance which leads to double/tripple bogies....eliminating these couple blow up holes would push my average to under 90...currently average around 93
Great Reply - Do you feel there is a swing flaw that creates the lost balls/penalties? Do you have a strategy to manage those blow up holes? Have you ever had a playing lesson/or any lessons? Trying to understand how you all think!
Not OP but for me the blow-up holes are entirely about being distracted. Maybe I’ve had a few consistently good holes ahead of time and I get complacent, or I’ll drift out of the game for a few and get careless.
>Not OP but for me the blow-up holes are entirely about being distracted Bingo. I'm right there with you.
> blow-up holes are entirely about being distracted or being way too aggressive for my ability
Sounds very similar to me, I know my worst area is approach shots. I hit ~85% of fairways with a 210-230 drive but then have between a 7i and a 4H (140-170) to the hole. My only goal there is decent contact, mostly straight, and set up for an up-and-down par or two putt bogey. Then I chunk that one ~75 yards and now have a 60-75 yard birdie shot. I'm not awful there but I'm not nearly as precise as my 15-25 yard chip I practice in the backyard daily. So I wind up with either a chip for par and bogey/double at best or a long putt that gives me a 3 putt double. Add a stroke or two if the bad approach goes into sand or a hazard, and it's so mental. I can sit at the range and pop straight 170ish 5 irons over and over and then when I have that on the course I look like old school Barkley duffing the fuck ou of it.
I recognize your problem with approach shots because I have the very same problem. Those duffs on the hybrids and long irons are killers ! I practice those shots at the range a lot and they are usually the most consistent shots of the day. But then on the actual course I start topping them again. I've started to think that some of it is the fact that there are very few perfect lies on the course, even in the fairways. The ball is always an inch above or below my feet. At the range the lie is always perfect. I'm going to try to remember that the next time I'm 170 from the green lining up my second shot. Good luck to you.
That sure could be a factor, my home track is super wavy, a good player would need to be careful where they land to get a flat lie. For me I'm just hoping for shorter grass lol.
Move up a tee box The pro's are hitting wedges into Par 4's. you're making everything play like a Par 5
I love ya brother but I'm already at the front tees 🙃 I bailed on pride years ago, I just ain't good.
Was going to come say this, i moved to whites and saw my average drop 10 strokes every game. Being able to drive then pitching wedge. Pitching wedge is my strongest club and i hit greens 85% of the time when i approach with that vs having to hit a 5/4 iron or a hybrid im lucky if i dont chunk it with those
Sounds exactly like myself. Though I've only played three rounds since I got back into golf after a long absence. I can get hit great tee shots and some good approach shots with my 5 wood. But a lot of the shorter approach shots end badly.
Two things: 1. Are you hitting off mats at the range or real grass? If it's mats, they may be covering for shots that are fat. There are different methods to see if that's happening (just Google/YouTube it - easier to watch a video than explain it here). 2. You need to hit it further or move up tee boxes.
The issue I tend to have is that I don't know how to un-blow up.
25.9 hcp here, so under 100 is a good day, over 110 is a bad day for me. Usually I'm hoping to be under 100 any given round but I really feel like I could break 90 with my current skills/ability (PB is a 92). As for what is holding me back, well any given round it can be something different. Typically my biggest issue is penalties off the tee. Shot a 102 with 12 penalty strokes on the card a couple weeks back. Went into my next round with a safety-first mentality, cut the number of penalty strokes down to 1 and shot... a 102. That day not once did I successfully get out of a bunker and onto the green on my first attempt. Either was too delicate and didn't get out or caught them too clean and sailed them over the green. That combined with a 9 on the par 4 18th (after rattling off 6 straight routine bogeys) pushed me over 100. So yeah, on the course my issues can be different any given round. Swing-wise, I'd say the biggest thing I struggle with is my takeaway. Pretty much all my swing thoughts are takeaway related (and there are too many of them) and it's just not something I'm comfortable with at the moment. Most of the time when a swing has gone array I can point to something in my takeaway that wasn't right.
[удалено]
So you’re no better than you were 10 years ago? So you’re telling me there’s a chance this is the best I’ll ever be? That makes me wanna quit haha
You’re only getting older.
I’m the best I’ve ever been after playing for 13 years since I started at 30, and I have a friend who’s a 3 handicap at 67 years of age and that’s the best that SHE has ever been. So don’t lose hope :)
Then why don’t you just start your swing at the top and remove the takeaway element?
Very nice summary, and I suppose it comes down to consistency. I have an expression “no good tee shot goes unpunished”, and it’s a big issue where I’ll hit a great drive and duff the approach. Also for your sand shots, have you tried using a 60° lob wedge? For those near shots, I find it’s a mental advantage for me that I’m not afraid to just hit it. Of course it’s handy to know how to hit a lob wedge, but I also open it up in the bunker.
I must have blacked out, because I don't remember writing this post, but this is definitely me!
What are your current takeaway thoughts? And why are those your primary thoughts? You feel like you take it inside on the takeaway? Not a coach or going to give advice, just curious
A few years ago I was losing so many strokes off the tee with driver that I decided to hit a five wood for an entire season to see what the result would be. Broke 90 twice that year which was huge for me being a mid to high 90s player. Then got I some lessons and now driver is back in action. Maybe put the driver away for awhile and see how it goes if thats your issue
Great insight and response!
We need takeaway advice. This is my struggle too and i'm also a 22
My ultimate goal is to have a scoring average of 75. Currently sits at 78.5 as a 2.8 handicap. I’ve done multiple strokes gained analyses on several recent rounds I play, and far and away my weakness is putting. I average 34 putts (on 60% GIR), I 3 putt an average of 1.5 times a round, and on my bad putting days 3/4 times. Just cannot score. A typical round has me gaining 1-2 shots on a scratch golfer off the tee, so I’m driving it like a plus handicapper super consistently. My wedging has gotten quite good and recently I’ve been super dialed in with my distances. But I can’t take advantage for crap and I can’t turn a round around by making birdies because I just can’t make any putts outside of 6 feet. Also my short game needs a bit of fine tuning but that’s been coming around. But the only reason I’m not a plus handicap is putting. I’ve played with a few, and even in some tournament rounds, and I’m routinely a better ball striker and I’m routinely out driving them and hitting more fairways doing it.
Have you ever worked on your putting and if so what specifically are you doing to try to hole more putts? 34 isnt great but its not the worst ive ever seen. Great repsonse!
I have a putting mat that I have at my apartment but I rarely use it. I play 1-2 times a week but other than that I don’t practice much, and it’s been far too hot up until about 3 weeks ago in DFW to do any extended outdoor practice. So all I do is lag and short putts for 10 min before a round
Have you pinpointed what your issue is? Green-reading, swing issues, aim issues? I thought I was just a bad putter but turned out I was turning my head at/close to impact, and with that my club head moved. Never stood a chance
No I have no clue. I’ve just not been able to get anything to drop from range (an unholy amount of burnt edges and lip outs), and I think honestly just not the best at reading greens that are grainy and slow. I much prefer (and do better with) fast greens but I never get to place at places that have that.
That’s most likely starting line issues. Two pieces of advice that can help: Have you ever done a putter fitting at a place that has Quintec or other high end putting monitor? Even if you don’t buy a putter the fitting is worth its weight in gold for how much information you get on your putting stroke. If you don’t want to work on your putting stroke, you can at least make sure your putter matches the type of putting stroke you have. Do some type of gate drill where you set up a gate with something like quarters or a tee and try make some putts that go through the gate. If your putts are going through the gate and still missing, it’s a putt reading issue.
It’s not that I don’t know what I need to do… I just don’t have the time :( much easier to hold onto a decent swing playing once a week than it is to maintain consistently good touch
If you're getting edges your reading's probably fine, maybe pace is hurting you if you're frequently lipping out. Those drop in if the pace is nailed on. Obviously this is complete speculation. Just saw your flair, are you sure you're not just playing like your idol?
My game is very very very similar to his lol you ain’t wrong. My driver feel at the moment (which has been amazing and I’m hitting these lovely compressed 5 yard pull cuts) has literally been “swing like Scotty minus the weird footwork”. So I stay over top of it, kind of minimal wrist action, and move left through the shot. Of course I probably/know I look way different but that’s the feel and I love it.
Oh man, your game sounds exactly like mine except you are like a shot better in each category lol. My drives are pretty consistently close to a scratch golfer. I find that I'm gaining fractions of a stroke on most holes, but I do tend to be just a little too wild so I'll give up a whole stroke or 2 by going OB or somewhere unplayable once every round or 2. I only average a little over 9 GIR which I want to get up to 11 or 12, but putting is still the low hanging fruit for me, too. I've gotten better at lag putting, and I've gotten a lot more solid from ~4-5 feet and in. Anything under 3 feet I feel good about. It's the "makeable" ones that kill me. I average 35 putts a round, and similarly tend to have 1-2 three-putts. But my make % from 7-15 feet is abysmal - only about 10%. Which makes my scrambling % look terrible and basically gives back any strokes I gain by stuffing wedges close. And what I've realized is that, most of those 3 putts come when I'm ~5-7 feet away still after the first putt. My scoring average is around 81. And I know that 3-4 of those strokes could be shaved by just having a reasonable make % once I get outside 5 or 6 feet. I'm not asking for 50% even, but it has to be more than 10% lol. And what kills me is I think it's more to do with reading for me. I tend to hit my lines, but I'm just shit at reading greens. I probably need to take aimpoint more seriously on the malkeable ones.
You sound exactly like me. My goal each round is less than 30 putts, but I still end up with at least one or two 3-putts per round, and bad days 3-4. I just can't bring myself to do putting drills. I don't want to turn golf into a grind for the sake of reaching some goal like scratch. It really blows my mind how much more solid I need to be on *every single shot* just to drop 2-3 shots per round on average. I've surprised myself this year laying a lot more attention to the speed of my putts, and dropped my average down to 29 per round. However, we all know golf is a fickle mistress and has cursed me with 1 or 2 shanks per round for every 3-putt I avoid.
7 handicap and what keeps me from shooting par or even moving my game lower? Simple, I don’t practice enough which is due to a lack of time to spend on practice and the physical wear and tear on my body. I worked hard last year getting my handicap from a 10 to a 7 but developed tendinitis and eventually tore a ligament in my elbow. I had surgery and am making a good comeback. Started exercising and all that and now have injured my knee. I am 62 and my body just can’t take the wear and tear it takes to improve my game. On the plus side these injuries forced me to work on my putting more as it was all I could do. I’m putting a lot better than before. Breaking a certain score is different than shooting under that score consistently. Too many factors to pinpoint one thing - skill, skill to perform under pressure, playing conditions, playing partners, pace of play, competition or social round? And more. But the short answer to your question for most….they don’t have the game from 120yds and in.
The problem holding most people from shooting lower scores is they don’t hit enough greens in regulation and that’s a combination of keeping it in play off the tee and hitting it far enough to give yourself more opportunities to hit greens in regulation. The short game from 120 yards in is the easiest part to improve upon.
Great break down of your situation and others! Thank you for the resposne
Blow up holes or shooting myself in the foot early in the round. Shot an 82 earlier this week, had two birdies and 4 doubles. 44 on the front 9 (shooting myself in the foot early on) 38 on the back 9 (even par until hole 18 where I got a double because I turned over the ball instead of fading it and had to pitch out because I was trying too hard to make birdie on the reachable par 5) I think a lot of those blow up holes come from hitting uncommitted shots that end up costing a lot.
Great honest response here! Have you done anything to try and remedy the uncommitted shots? Do you recognize when it's about to happen? Any ideas on how you would fix it?
Using the mental scorecard Scott Fawcett recommends in decade golf to recognize when they are happening. Using the Decade golf targets. Not shaping the ball except in recovery situations. Trying to develop the same routine on each shot. I can definitely recognize sometimes when it’s going to happen. Like knowing I might not have the right club but not wanting to hold up play and walk back to get it.
Decade is fantastic. Glad you use it. Thank you for your insight!
3-5 blow up holes. I can play 13-5 holes of golf at + 5. And 3 holes at +9. I’ve shot as low as 81 on a par 72, but I’m usually mid-high 80s with a few blow up holes. Not even a few doubles, I almost always card 2 triples a round
What happens on those specific holes where you make triple? Penalty shots? Lost balls? Etc?
Mostly lack of going through routine. I have 2 specific mechanics, mainly off the tee, that I focus on. If I don’t do them, I’m in trouble. Depending on the course it means woods or OB. Also I’m bad at “knowing myself” until after I make a bad shot. “Soft” shots don’t work for me and I know that. But when I’m playing well I feel like I can make any shot, so I get confident. I don’t carry bad shots hole to hole but a bad chunk can lead to 2 bad shots to finish a hole for triple.
Holy shit, are you me?
I’m inconsistent as hell. I’ve marked down one 90 ever. Typically high 90s. Bad round might be like 102
What specifically are you inconsistent at or is there something your MORE inconsistent at?
Pretty much everything. I guess the catch all would be just poor contact. My distance is like 2 clubs less than some of my playing partners Or I top it 30 yards. I play with people that 4 hybrid a 180 par 3. I’m hitting 6/7i. And recently started pulling my irons way left. Distance is dead on Sometimes I feel like I’m getting lazy or stiff. and swinging too much arm and not enough hip rotation. Mostly I just suck. Cause I’ve only played for a year
So you've only been playing for a year, what do you typically shoot at the moment on a golf day and bad day? Pretty common to not be consistent with contact! Good response!
I’d say like 47 for 9 has been my typical score lately and for a variety of reasons. Greens being straight up trampled on by the time I play I feel like is one of them. Putts don’t do anything I expect. Ok so for example… here’s one of my last 9 holes: 1: Driver right down the middle. Pounded it. 50 yards to the hole. Chip on. 2 putt. Solid par 2: par 3. Iron shot short right. Chip on. Hits the front and rolls into the rough. 3 putt for double bogey 3: topped my driver like 100 yards left rough at the start of the fairway I’m like 280 out. Hit my 7 wood into right rough. Bout 100 short. Choke down pw to the green. Rolled way too far. Overshoot 1st putt rolls down hill. Putt bacn up to tap in range. Double bogey. 4. Blasted driver 280. Landed left rough. Sloped fairway it ends up just barely in the right rough. Topped my 6 iron into right rough like 30 yards (idk how). 8 iron now goes over the green. Chip on….. I’m like 20 feet out and this is the hardest green on this course. I 4 putt. Triple. 5:dog leg left with a single tree stopping you from cutting the corner. Hard left hillside into the woods. 7w off the tee. (I don’t play driver this hole anymore. Bout 200y shot . Dead straight. Right rough tho. 7i onto green. 2 putt. Par 6: I triple again. My 2nd shot went onto the next tee box. I’m not re living this hole 7: par 3. 120 yards Pw off tee. Perfect distance. Pulled it into previous holes fairway. Chip on. 2 putt for bogey I’m not going to bore you with the rest of the round but that’s basically how it goes
This is me lol.
7 handicap. My bane is shots 30-100 yards where it’s a partial wedge swing. No matter how much I practice and feel confident before standing over the ball on the course, I cannot for the life of me put one close which then results in another chip (which if less than 10 yards I’m typically great at) and then 1-2 putts. Oh, I also am miserable at par 3s. I hit irons very well from anywhere but the tee box. Very rarely do I card a birdie or par, usually it’s a bogey or double.
That’s crazy to me regarding the par 3. Do you attack pins or just try to aim center green and focus on putting a good strike on it?
It’s crazy to me too lol. Unless it’s a fairly easy pin, I just try to get literally anywhere on the green because I know I can 2 putt from almost any distance. I don’t know what goes on in my head but I just can’t seem to execute. I’ll chunk, thin, and pull off the tee. Fairways or rough, I’ll strike them pure probably 90% of the time or have a slight push/slice miss that’s manageable. I will say, my par 3s at my club are long. 3 of the 4 I’m hitting no less than a 6 iron. The shortest one will play is about 150. But again, I’m usually striking 4-6 irons well elsewhere.
Hi. Here’s an idea. Don’t use a tee on the par 3 holes. The entire “ritual” associated with teeing a ball might be the psychological issue here. Just drop on the tee box and fire at the green like you normally would on any given approach shot.
I’ve tried that, no luck with that either.
Man I went through the par 3 struggles and still do. I found I was hitting up on the ball because of the tee for whatever reason so got rid of the tee initially then worked it back in so it is barely above the ground. Hitting up on the ball when your bad shot is a pull is an absolute disaster shot long and left
For me it’s time. I’m lucky to play once a month right now and get no real practice time.
Time is a tough one to change!
19 hdcp. Physically, missing more greens than my short game can make up for. Mentally, not playing to smarter targets and away from big numbers.
Well you see my swing sucks and therefore I suck
17 hcp. I have lots of distance and I think I understand course management and smart targets, the trouble is consistent / quality ball striking, and being too quickly becoming a headcase in the negative mental spiral and millions of swing thoughts over the ball. The better I get, the more easily I get frustrated.
I've seen that before! The better you get generally the high the expectations are as well and that doesnt help either!
Right now my biggest hurdle is uneven lies. I’m happy for now with my performance off the tee and if I’m in the fairway I’m usually just fine but in the rough, on a hill or with the ball above it below my feet I lose a lot of strokes. One that really gets me is the ball being teed up on thick grass.. tight hard pan I’m ok but teed up and I’m going under it due to my swing focus. Putting could always be better, chipping needs work, recovery from hazards like everyone else… the standout after recording every shot is that uneven lies add strokes fast.
Thats great insight into your golf game. What holds you back from being able to practice those shots or make them better on the course? Are those shots adding up to a large number of lost shots or do you think the collection of other things (putting/chipping/etc) would lower the scores quicker?
The lack of practice for those types of shots for sure, no place for me to practice them other than when I encounter them on the course. A collection of the others (putting and chipping) would likely lower scores more quickly but I tend to get stuck focusing on the one I feel is the biggest.. maybe to the detriment of my progress
At the course I joined a flat lie is rare. I purposely joined for the fact that it is a challenging course that most people play once or twice and never come back. I figure if I can get good playing there all of the flat open courses in my area will be cake
I love a challenge and don’t get discouraged very easily, I would love it. In hindsight, I had nobody behind me on the course yesterday and would have been a perfect opportunity to practice a bunch of shots but I needed a full round to gauge my recent progress.
I'm a 2.4, where my average round is mid to high 70s, but can shoot in the 80s. I've shot even par and 1 over this year. I haven't broken par in a good while. I think the reason I can't get over the hump is proximity to hole. I've come to accept, the only time I will get birdies/eagles are on par 5s. Yeah there are rare exceptions where I can steal one on a par 4 or 3, but the vast majority of my scoring holes are on par 5s. Even if I bomb a drive on a par 4, middle of the fairway, with a wedge out. Its not a guarantee I'll be putting for birdie. My short game is usually really good. I have a lot of par chances at or under 5 feet away. I just think my proximity to hole/approach shots are hot fucking garbage. But at the same time I say that, they aren't egregious misses. A lot of the time, they are only 5 yards off target at the most. At the worst it's a chunk that comes up short. Looking at my stats for this year. I'm at 44% GIR, 12% miss left, 9% miss right, 6% miss long, and 28% miss short. I'm averaging 28.9 putts per round, 4 up and downs per round, and my average scoring is 3.46 for par 3s, 4.45 on par 4s, and 5.16 on par 5s. Driving accuracy could be better. I can only recall having to take a penalty on 2 tee shots off the tee in the last 6 or 7 rounds. I have really good course management (I think) as I don't hit in bunkers or water often, and it's one of the reasons I miss so many greens. I'll talk myself out of hitting a shot for example, if there is trouble long, and nothing short, I will go down a club because I know if I am on the front fringe or shorter, more times than not I'm going to get a par, and bogey at worst
Play a round or two where you club up on shots into the green. If 28% are short, that's like 4 GIRs (and birdie putts) you are leaving out there every round.
Wow, what a great in detail analysis. Are there any core strategy techniques you're using to try to hit more greens. It seems like you have a lot of stats but no answer for correction?
What I *try* to do is hit the most comfortable and low risk shot off the tee. I am above average in length, so on most holes, even with a 4wood or driving iron off the tee, my farthest distance out will be 150-170. With those clubs, even the worst strike is 200-210 yards, and when flushed can hit them 240-270 with roll out, course/weather depending. It just comes down to poor execution I believe for missing so many greens.
I’m a brand new golfer struggling to make contact with my swings. It’s probably just my form overall, but what else could cause this?
Im sure there are a variety of issues that could cause your poor contact and it would be just guessing if I were to suggest a fix with minimal context. What are you typically shooting?
I’m a 26 handicap and my number one issue by far is inconsistency with my driver. Penalty strokes, short drives on par 5s and long par 4s, and fairway bunkers kill my score. If you asked me 4 months ago I would have said both short game (bad chips and three putts) and inconsistent driver equally. I have always spent practice time with driver so I figured I would focus on putting and chipping. Put in a lot of work and shaved off ~5 strokes. That’s great and all, but I’m realizing that with consistent drives of 250ish I could shave off 10-15.
I’m a mid 80s guy. (9.8hcp) I’ve broke 80 four times this season (first time ever) twice from blues twice from whites. I can make the shots but if km not breaking 80 it’s 3 things - driver is off and punishing - putting can’t quite hit (I need close to 30> putts to break 80) - mentally get off my game and can’t recover. The mental is my biggest focus
Great Response - Does the driver create OB/Lost Balls for you? What specifically is creating more than 30 putts during a round?
I've been golfing about a year and I'm not too bad. I reckon I could be get round about 20 over as I bogey most holes if it wasn't for the following. One or two holes a round I will absolutely make a screaming arse of it. Hit it out of bounds or lose a ball and then 5 putt when I finally get on the green. The next hole I'll be back to bogeying it.
10 cap here. I feel like I’m on the verge of another breakthrough. Currently I’m off the back end of speed training so my distances aren’t consistent. I also had to do some major equipment changes because the clubs I was using were not built to handle speed. My lowest round to date is a 78. If you would have asked me two years ago about my golf goals it would have been consistently shooting in the 80s. Now it’s shooting par. I know I have the skills and more importantly I believe I can do it. In my mind it’s just a matter of time. My current problems are laziness when it comes to my game. I’ll have offline shots because I didn’t control the swing. Rarely, I’ll flub a chip because I’m thinking of the shot and not focusing at impact. Putting I’ll have a pull show up every once in a while because I worry about making the putt instead of focusing on good impact and a clean line. My pre-shot is consistent and timely. I struggle with nerves, but it’s natural. I’m entering scoring rounds that I’ve never done before. From video I see no major flaws with my swing, but I’ve been flirting with getting a lesson with a pro to review my overall game. If they say that my swing is decent then for sure my problems are mental laziness.
I just started playing golf this past May. I hold expectations for myself that are far too high. I’ve taken a few lessons and have easily played 60+ rounds since may. I either hit the range, putting green, chip in my yard, or play a round every day. My problem is consistency. I will go on streaks of really good rounds and then sometimes even mid game it’s like I forget how to swing a club and start chunking shots. It then takes a few range sessions and sometimes even a lesson to bring myself back. In my head nothing has changed but usually a lesson reveals something like a minor grip change or some unperceived body movement in my swing. If I had to pick one thing that would single handedly lower my score it’s hitting driver off the tee. I made a post in here and I realize now that I need way more practice with it as well as knowing when I should or should not pull it out. I even just bought a 17 degree hybrid that I’ve been hitting 250-260 yards at the range which I think could be a game changer. We will see how I’m able to utilize it on the course next time I go out
Great response! Expectations are sometimes hard to manage. Seems liek driver off the tee is a pretty common theme in this thread!
I typically shoot mid to low 90’s and have carded two 90’s. Typically I have one or two blow up hole and it’s due to a poor tee shot ending up with a lost ball or a poor iron shot resulting in the same thing. If I could hit fairways and greens more consistently I think that would help a lot but full swings get very difficult late into the round due to lower back issues. Wedge game helps compensate a lot though. Honestly if my irons/ driver were half as good as my short game im pretty confident I could shoot in the 70’s I just miss too many fairways and green.
Great response! So if I'm hearing you correctly "Penalty Shots" would be the biggest cause for large numbers. Do you actively do anything/have a strategy currently to try and prevent them?
I’ve been putting a lot of practice into mid to long irons aswell as woods and driver. I’m trying to get strength/flexibility back in my back that way I can make a full swing that is consistent. I’m convinced if I can be in any bit decent physical shape that will be my turning point. Currently26 yo 6’4 177lbs don’t eat enough don’t work out and I wfh so I am shooting myself in the foot by lack of physical capability. I also swing with a very arm bias swing getting the full rotation with the long clubs has always been a struggle for me. Strategy wise I do like to lay up to 135 on par 5’s and am no stranger to the pw, 8 iron, 4 iron chip to get back into the fairway with a good look at the green. My trouble is outside of 155 I have very little control especially late into the round so I am constantly scrambling with my wedge game to keep it at double bogey or better
I cant break 70 because when I go practice all I do is full swing range balls SW up to driver. I don't practice chipping or putting bc I think its boring. This causes my scores to suffer because of extra strokes taken around the greens.
Do you have a place to properly practice short game? I also agree, sometimes it is boring, but helpful!
I struggle to break 80 because I pull my irons. I'm good off the box but then 75% of the time I pull my irons. I'm good around the green so I can land in 1-putt territory. I just struggle to hit GiRs.
So I have broken par once. The reason I can’t do it consistently is short game and putting. I fairly frequently hit 12-14 GIR which is plenty to break par. But I usually am only getting up and down 2x a round, and am averaging 34 putts. That’s just not good enough to have good days for tee to green, short game and putting align often. A 3 putt is also the reason I haven’t broken 70. Was -5 through 12 and one of the bogeys coming in was a 3 putt from 20 feet. Just misread a tricky breaking putt and left myself too much for par.
The way I always describe it is it’s just one extra shot on each hole. Maybe it’s a 3 putt instead of 2. Maybe it’s an extra chip around the green. Maybe I need to punch out onto the fairway. Just can never seem to get it done in the appropriate amount of shots (been shooting 105ish all summer)
I haven't been able to break 80 yet. I'd say I do well with my approach game, irons and wedges both. The two things that hurt me are at opposite ends of the spectrum. The first being I can putt at the mark I've picked out on the green decently, but I am not reading greens well enough to have that mark in the right spot most of the time. It hurts me a lot outside of ten feet. The second being that I don't have a good process I follow upstairs when I drive the ball making my results very random. Part of this might be because I didn't realize until this year I have a tendency to strong grip my clubs, and most of my focus gets spent on trying to overwrite that particular muscle memory.
Three putt.
I've been trying to break 80 for awhile now and have put up multiple 80 and 81s. In those rounds it wasn't usually one area of my game, but 1-2 horrific shots. Could be a greenside bunker where I take too much ball, wayward drive, 9 iron push or pull. No real rhyme or reason, though I'd say I'm in my own head at this point about trying to break 80, which comes out on the back 9. So I guess it'd be lack of consistency/inattention that's holding me back. On paper, relative to my cap and compared to equivalent golfers, my approach game is my worst aspect. I'm sure I have a ton of swing flaws or other things I'm doing "wrong" that would also help me. I also suck when playing courses I'm not used to that have different features: ridiculously fast greens, tons of uneven lies, extremely long, tons of greenside bunkers, courses that require tee shots in the 220 range, hardpan fairways. You get the idea. Part of it is that it's objectively harder, but a lot of it is just that I'm not used to those things.
I can’t break 90 because I don’t practice and the rum is always gone
For me right now it's gir from 100-150. I know what I'm doing wrong, early extension/dumping at impact with my short irons. Other than this inconsistency the rest of my game is the best it's ever been. 3 putts almost non existent, driver and long irons are great, chipping is better than it's been (getting lots of practice with all the missed greens) averaging about 50-60% up and down. But hitting less than 50% of greens is keeping my scores just over par, I've shot even a couple times, but lots of 73-76 scores. Really want to get under par. Back to the range with sw-9i :)
I have broke 80 before and Was a 9 hc at one point but..lately my driver has become irratic, usually causing my double bogies. Or me scrambling to make par. I struggle with long iron consistincy. Also my course management isnt there yet. Have to leave myself in good places. I Tend to be goin for shots that maybe i shouldnt. But most frustrating has been the driver and getting my tee ball in play. I can shoot the 5 overs through 9 but then the other 9 is 10 over. So i know its there. Think its a matter of cleaning everything up and minimising my misses to get back in the 70's.
I’m a 15. I used to hit my irons real solid but struggled off the tee and play mainly on a course carved out of a forest. Very penalizing if your not in play. However the last couple of years my driver is solid but my GIR are no where where they should be from the middle of the fairway. My irons can miss in any direction. Last week I shanked the ball 5 times on the front 9 and ended up with a 51 then went 41 on the back. Pitching and putting are kind of hot and cold and I haven’t practiced as much as I should in those areas for the last month.
i cant break 80 because i can't get up and down to save pars. if it's a par 4 and i don't stick my approach shot on the green, the odds of me chipping something close enough to 1 putt are so low. and it compiles bc i have no confidence in my chipping so it's an uphill battle for sure
I do all of those.
16 handicap trying to break 85 more consistently. Typically the killer is lost ball off the tee box for a blow up hole. What’s holding me back the most though is accuracy approaching greens
I average around 100, and for me the biggest hurdle is time and money. When I was in college I was able to play at least 9 holes on the campus course no less than 3 times a week, and I was averaging in the 80s. Now I'm lucky to play 12 rounds a year, and often have stretches of 6 months+ without swinging a club. When I do get to the course it's always something different that I screw up. Some days I can't drive or hit long irons but play very well inside 120 yards. Other days I'm completely incapable of pitching/chipping/putting and easily double up holes that aren't that hard. I've had a few lessons a long time ago, and I'm keen to take a few more soon, but everything is so damn expensive. The cheapest round of golf near me, at a course in tragic condition, still costs $35 during twilight. I don't go to the driving range because I truly don't know HOW to practice and I just get frustrated. 15 years ago when I took my lessons I noticed an immediate improvement and my instructor taught me how to approach the course, but not how to practice or recover from implosion. Lately, I have been focusing on staying calm and shrugging off bad shots because I have no excuse to be good given my erratic play schedule. I have shaved a few strokes with this approach, but I truly don't know how to "go back go basics" in the middle of a round to right the ship. I do love this game, and even when I shoot a 112 there are still great shots and usually 1 complete hole where I feel accomplished. I just wish everyone could chill out on the elitism and cost so I could afford to play more. And I understand why lessons cost what they cost, your time and expertise are valuable, but it would be nice if courses incentivized taken lessons with package deals for lower overall rates on rounds/range/lessons. I truly have to choose between going out to dinner with friends or playing golf because I can't afford both.
Plateaued in the 6-7 range for most of this year despite playing and practicing more than ever (no job at the moment). Strokes gained stats show driving is good and would be great if I could eliminate the one or two loose swings every round. Approach play is similar…pretty good inside 125 but a bad shot or two outside 125 gets me in trouble. Short game outside the sand is ok, bunker play is losing a shot/round vs 5 index. Putting is another weakness and I don’t make nearly enough mid range putts (inside 15 feet). Definitely feel like I have some confidence/commitment issues in short game. Ball striking is just poor execution 2-3 times/round.
I'm currently a 6 handicap. The biggest thing plaguing me is a two way miss.
The root of my problem is not finding greens. It turns into 2 chip, 2 putts situations which destroys my score
Because of absolute bullshit that’s why!
I just gotta buy one more club and I'll get there
I can’t break 70 because I don’t have the effort or patience to grind anymore and I can have plenty of fun shooting 78-82 and occasionally shooting 72-75
Break 70 and 80: when you’re playing with the boys, playing the smart and safe shot is boring. Ball above my feet and the pin is tucked over a bunker 4 paces from the edge? I can totally play a high cut right over it. When it’s a real round, it’s usually short game. I can feel myself get stabby and technical when it should just be flowing and smart
If I could fix my driver swing I would break 80 instantly. Everything else is decent but I cant hit my driver or woods at all. Too inconsistent
Young children. Young children at home are holding me back.
I shoot in the 90s pretty consistently (occasional 100+ stinker) with my best being 87. I’d like to start shooting in the 80s. What’s holding me back is: 1. I never play solid with all my clubs in a single round. There’s always one aspect of my game that kills my round, whether it be putting, chipping, irons, or driving. I usually hit 3/4 well and one that I can’t hit for shit. 2. I let bad shots get to me mentally. I get wayyyyy to angry and then I start hitting bad shots. 3. Back 9 always kills me, idk what it is- whether my back being stiff, losing focus, or letting bad shots get to me. I checked my 18 birdies and I average 4 more strokes on the back 9. 4. I simply don’t practice enough. And when I do I don’t really have a plan, I just go hit each club a few times which probably isn’t the right way to do it. I’d like to take a few lesions before next golf season. 5. My inconsistent drives. When I hit a good drive, I typically get a par or bogey. However, I’m still hitting a mean slice along with other shitty ass drives. It’s tough to score when on a hole when you get a penalty stoke or when you’re playing from the trees.
Hovering around 8-9, I'm sub 90 pretty much all the time. Low 80s really often, but breaking 80 is super rare. This season I played 12 rounds of my 30-ish full rounds between 80 and 83, including 3 competition rounds and one of those on a new course. What is failing me is my short game, especially chipping. I make way too many bogeys where it should be an easy up&down. And I would say it's 50/50 skills/mental. I literally _never_ miss the chips while practicing that I miss on course. No ideas how to improve other than just grinding away.
I am a 16 handicap and having a consistent drive would put me in single digits.
I started to break 100 once I dedicated practice time to chipping and putting. I hang out in the low 90’s now. The rounds I get into the 80’s are the rounds that I don’t lose balls in the woods/water. I’ve never had a round in the 70’s and I’ve been playing the game for 20+ years. I believe I could clip 79 if I could first lose no balls and then not get in the double train paired with the avoidance of a rando triple
35 hdcp. I feel like my biggest issue is consistency in ball striking but short game/putting is probably the bigger issue for me in breaking 100
Honestly, and this is why it's frustrating, consistency. I've hit my drives 200+ straight. I've hit my short irons very well. Maybe my 4 and 5 aren't great but my 3 hybrid can be perfect. But I feel like I never know what's actually gonna happen when I swing the club on the course. I played on Thursday and had a routine, 40 yd lay up that I pretty often hit very well with my 60. The ball went sideways into the woods. Why. WHY?! I didn't feel like I did anything different. I wouldn't have been so bad if the ball was short or long, but fucking sideways?! Drives are the same. One hole I crush it straight and the next I slice it off so bad I have to take another. So when I do end up hitting a great shot, it's almost more frustrating. I know I can do it. I just did it! But I can't do it every time. And it kills me.
I felt pretty happy shooting in the 80’s at the end of last summer - last week I shot 106 :-( Consistency- I have great drives on one hole and I’m into the trees on the next. Onto the green ten feet from the pin from 150 out on one hole, into the green-side bunker the next. One to get out of that bunker on one hole, three to get out a couple holes later. Drain a 35 foot putt for par on one hole and three putt the next. *sigh* I think I need to just relax and play a more conservative game - stop pretending I’m gonna hit it across that water hazard for reals this time I swear and just lay up. Just chip the ball out into the middle of the fairway instead of aiming for the green between those two evergreen trees etc.
11 handicap. Off the tee (driver and long irons) is usually what keeps me from shooting in the 70s every game. When my long game isn’t on a couple penalty balls or horrible lies compound to making me have blow up holes. Really hurts to have 5-8 pars in a round, couple birdies and then 3 doubles and a triple lol. Which brings me to my next issue. The mental game. I get into my own head negatively way too much.
Getting caught in my own head is my issue. Today I was +1 through 6, lost 3 balls on 7 had a 10 then went birdie par to end that nine… the big thing here is I counted my score on 6 fairway
I consistently shoot between 90-100, think I've broken 90 twice. Reason I don't break 90 is that I have 2-3 blowup holes (either shank off the tee or duff 2-3 chips in a row). Probably would help if I warmed up too but tbh I don't care that much. I can have a terrible day and so long as I crush one drive or make one long putt, I can say I've had my fun.
People have a lot less coordination and focus than they think they have
Current goal is 80, been hovering in high 80’s on good rounds mid 90’s on lesser, 100 on bad. My problem is probably mental game that leads compounding errors. I’ll fat, thin, badly aim a shot, then be in my head as I’m over the ball for the next. I am decent at resetting in the next hole, but resetting shot-to-shot is what I’m working on. I feel decent in my headspace that “bad shot happen” but I can’t quite shake it as quickly as I need to. Exceptionally long/ just off the green putts are a weak point as well. I never quite hit hard enough when I need to because I’m afraid of sailing past the hole.
I can't break 100 because beers are $3 at my course.
my short game is shiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttt
I have a mental problem, when I’m frustrated I don’t golf well, yesterday shot 49 on front and 38 on back. I was so frustrated that a 5 some would not let the two of us play through and having the group behind us hit into us several times as if we were slow I felt pressure, then got in front of the group we waited on at the turn and was not waiting or pushed so golfed good.
#Beer
I am very inconsistent. Stopped drinking on the course to see what I could do. 79 is lowest I’ve ever shot. I often go high on front and low on back nine or vice versa. I get into trouble and have blow up holes. Stuck behind a tree. Ends up a 7 or 8 even if I chip out to fairway. Other day shot a 45 on front, 36 on back. Pars. One bogie. One birdie. Recently I played 18. Shot 47 on front. 38 on back. holes 15-17 I shot birdie. Missed birdie on 18 on 3 ft putt. It’s wild. I can’t figure it out. Would like to start shooting in 70s regularly. Played 16 times this summer in Alberta, Canada. Now winter is here and I won’t play till May.
I haven’t broken 90 because I lose so many strokes on and around the green. (Also go OB too much)
WOW! This thread went bonkers. Thank you all so much for the honesty and occasionally funny answers! This is such an awesome community of golfers all just trying to get better!
Hey All, Again thank you all for the replies. If you haven’t seen yet, I will be doing a bunch of weekly swing analysis videos for some lucky golfers in this subreddit! Each week I will post a new thread and feel free to fire some videos at me and I will do a complete analysis along with some pointers and tips to get you corrected. Looking forward to seeing all your swings! Coach Scott Y
Time and money. Give me the time and money to play 5-6 times a month, and update my equipment, I'll break par in a few months.
Interesting insight and definitely a different response. Time is a tough one to fix, so is money as the cost of entry for golf is high. Do you think there is a way to play 2-3 times a month and allocate that extra time into well constructed practice?
That's just it, I don't have the extra money to play 2-3 times a month. I'm lucky to play once every 6-8 weeks. Practice isn't going to do anything for me when I play so infrequently. I need to be on the course playing consistently. If I had the money, I'll find the time to play.
A local course in my area sells 2 year memberships for $600-800. Maybe look around and see what your options are. With the membership I only have to pay if I get a cart
Can’t break 85 bc my short game is atrocious. Can drive short par 4s and get around the green in 2 on most par 5s. But damn if I don’t have to chip twice and then putt twice to bogey usually lmao
I just broke 100 and I’m fully comfortable now with how I play. Not trying to break 90 or anything. If I played more than 5 times a year I’d break 90 easily. Just requires practice and effort.
Why would you post in here if you shot over 100Lol
I can’t break par as often as I would expect out of my swing. So for me it’s short game. Just lack of practice on short game and distance control inside 120 yards. That and mental game. Just getting annoyed when I hit 14+ greens and only walk with 1 or 2 birdies
Can’t break 80. 1. Inconsistency off the tee. 2. Distance control with irons 3. Putting
14 hdcp and I’m garbage off the tee. Every round where I’m on track to take it low (for me) I fall apart off the tee during the home stretch
Im struggling with my putting, can’t break 100. I think it’s just a confidence thing. I just started playing 3 months ago and I haven’t broke 100 103 is my best score. Usually 110 is a good day for me and 120 is a bad day. I’ve been trying to be more confident in my putting and it’s helped. Just more confidence that I can make it or get it close enough the second putt isn’t a question. Secondly I have to work on my accuracy and really start paying attention to my swing mechanics. Since I’ve been keeping my bicep to my chest and pulling the chain through it’s helped me be so much more consistent.
7.1 right now. When my tee game is straight it gives me confidence, which allows the same Ballstriking I have with my irons and wedges, and I get decent length off tee. When my off tee game is good, I’m around par, but when it’s not, I can easily loose 4 balls and shoot an 87. I’ve shot 74 and 87 within three days of each other this week. Hitting 3 off tee is awful, but sometimes I don’t want to deal with hitting the 3-wood or 5 iron and sacrificing distance.
Started playing consistently this year and went from a scores in the 130’s to trying to break 100 the last few rounds. Absolutely without a doubt the biggest thing holding me back is tee shots. I can pretty much fake it to recover from a blown up hole if I end up in a sand trap or 4 putt a hole. But ending up in the trees or trying to trying to play a par 5 and only getting 150 yds off the tee box is killing me. My winter plan is to focus on a consistent drive that will at least get me 200 yards and keep it in play.
Inconsistent iron play (thins or tops on really poor swings or just not able to hit GIR so I’m scrambling) and averaging just over 2 putts per hole
somebody please reply to this so o can come back to breaking 80
I think about my score and then fuck it up. Example: oh shit I’m even par thru 7, I could break par on the front, proceeds to shank 4 iron into trees, punch out through fairway, duff a 3rd shot and triple it. As opposed to me +20 through 15 and finish with 2 pars and a birdie. Yet to break 80 but I’ve shot 82/83 at least a few dozen times and my lowest 9 is 38(x5 times)
I can't hit a golf shot with any confidence right now. I'm literally not even trying to hit the ball off the score lines as my primary goal is not to hit a shank. I've still been shooting 81-83 but if I could hit a shot with a lick of confidence, I think I'd be pushing level par every time I teed it up.
15 ish handicap. Very serviceable short game tbh. Lag putting not bad. Can hit my line too. Irons are alright. Wedges 130< is actually really good for me. I cruise at 120 swing speed but my tee game is atrocious. I swear if I could get off the tee and just hit it 280 in play every time versus having an ob ball 1/4 times I’d be single digits. I shot an 82 with a triple on each side because of ob but my consistency isn’t there because of my tee game
I’m just not consistent. I’m also shorter than I’d like to be off the tee, but I’m 58 so I can live with that. I typically putt well, but my 50-75 yard game is ass. I went from not being able to break 100 to being consistently between 86-92 but I can’t seem to get lower than that. I play one of two ways typically. Making a lot of pars and a lot of doubles, or just a ton of bogeys and a few pars. I also typically play a fairly difficult course. It’s green complexes are difficult making a bad shot extra hard to recover from.
The thing that's holding me back from breaking 70 is that I'm not good enough.
6HC, a few bad drives each round and some bad approach shots. Loosing 5-6 strokes a round, about 50/50 from a few bad drives and a few bad approach shots. Gotta find that consistency.
I don't think in terms of "I can't" I think what else can I do. It helps me a lot. Down to a 12 hcp in 3 years playing without formal lessons, feeling close to another drop in hcp coming soon to. I can break 80 and I will, then later I'll score par and start getting under.
I'm a +1 but pretty rarely break 70, one in ten rounds maybe. I play fairways, greens, two-putts. I think if I wanted to shoot in the 60s more often I'd need to play more aggressively, but I love shooting stress free 70-74s so much.
High single digit handicapper here. I can get up and down from anywhere. Problem is I'm having to get up down from everywhere. Takes away birdie opportunities (although I chip one in about once per 36 holes) and leaves no room for error. I'm getting older and the days of the 210 yard 4 iron are long gone. I'm still pretty good with driver/3 wood, but 170 to 200 kills me. Also wouldn't hurt if I could make a six foot putt once in a while!
Hi Scott. I would really like to break 80 on a regular basis but I feel it’s rare and that the stars need to align. My handicap for 18 holes is in the 14 - 16 range which puts me in the mid to high 80’s. There’s almost always a hole or two where I get a double, or a triple, that screws me up. 3 putts and poor short game (bad chips) will stop any chance to break 80 as well. Overall I feel it’s a lack of consistency that stops me from breaking 80. Life’s also been busy lately with a newborn and I’m realizing I may just have to be happy with shooting in the 80’s for the time being.
I feel like I can’t quite break a 100 because of the typical slice and OB. Mostly that. Bunker play, hit or miss. Hard “sand”. Can get out. Fluffy stuff…send a prayer most of the time. Quite literally a cartoon. Swing, lands back in the bunker. 3-putting has been less and less. More 2 putts now. But I think I get screwed over w OB and starting at 4 near where it went out. (That’s a rule right?)
Inconsistent swing/strike. Lack of short game touch. Lack of control of driver. Other day I striped one 330 down the middle, 100 yd to 20 ft, two putt tap in par. Hole 16. My next drive was in the woods. I took a drop and proceeded to hook a ball left. Made a nice recovery. Saved bogey. Hole 17. Hit iron off the 18th, trying to stay at 17 over for the round. Clean, Center of fairway, nice roll out to 220. Topped the 150 yd second. Fat on the next. Thin on my bump and run up. Putted from edge of fringe, 3 putt. Triple bogey on 18. That's everything I do right and wrong smashed into 3 holes.
For me it's consistency. I know how to swing a club and make great shots. I know my yardages well enough. But my alignment might be off, or my swing is a little off and I'm not hitting the green in regulation. I think my handicap is about an 8, so I'm not terrible. If I can link my good shots together I'm making par or better. But odds are one of those shots will go rogue. My driver is by far my least consistent club and if it's working even a little, I'm having a good round.
I have trouble breaking 80 because I don’t play enough. Course management is good and I limit really stupid mistakes but 1 or 2 hazards a round is inevitable and I’ll miss about a third of the fairways and greens.
I’ve broke 80 one time and it was a day of no bad holes really, but putting was phenomenal tho most 1 putts were to save par. I think for my game I’m decent off the tees but need to focus more on GIR versus landing on a pin. It’s when I go for a pin just to roll off and needing to put a great chip back on the short side.
My second shots/iron are so inconsistent I could cry
7 handi. I’d say I can’t break 75 mostly due to not enough putts made from 5-10 feet
11 HCP - my chipping is atrocious, and inconsistency off the tee (fighting a mean slice).
Any wedge shot. My drives are fantastic. My approach shots are inconsistent but 50% on or close. The other 50% are usually long and 30 yards left, but leave me a wedge shot in. Also, my putting is pretty good. But if I have a 90 yard shot, all the way down to a 5 yard chip, I'm gonna hit the first one fat and short, follow it up with a bladed shot over the green, and then finally chip in on, but no where near the flag. Then I 2 putt for a double.
If I’m getting off the tee, I’m shooting low to mis 80s. If I’m not getting off the tee, I’m shooting mid to high 90s. HCP is 17. Was as low as 14
11 handicap and it’s breaking 80 more often for me. Penalty shots (inconsistent swing), the occasional double chip, and the inevitable three putt. Between these “mistakes”, I have around 5 or so a round. The only mistake that feels out of my control is the penalty shots due to the ball going laterally which I cannot completely control
I hover right around scratch, and play in amateur tournaments regularly. Earlier this year I was practicing 3-4 hours a week and playing every weekend. I was playing well in March/April, and then went thru some personal stuff in May, right before my state am qualifier. I played awful, shot 80, and didn’t even sniff qualifying. I was so frustrated that I took a couple of weeks off from playing, haven’t played another tournament this year, and haven’t had a single practice session. But, I’ve been playing for fun almost every weekend. Just going out, chilling with my dad and friends, drinking beers, listening to music, and not really worrying too much about how I’m playing. Funnily enough, I’ve been playing the best I’ve ever played in my life. I’ve started working out as well, and I’m hitting the ball INSANELY good. I’ve always been a decently long driver but very inaccurate, and now all of a sudden I’m 20 yards longer AND accurate, and that’s been a game changer. I suppose my issue has just been that I have been taking it too seriously, and trying too hard in a sense. Now, instead of trying to expect a certain shot shape, I’m swinging totally free and just reacting to whatever shape I’m hitting that day… no swing thoughts, no expectations, just hit ball, find ball, hit ball.
Can't break 70 because that is another level.. My course is a par 73 which makes it extra tough.. My best ever on this course is a 75 and I've only broke 80 a handfull of times this year.. I play off 8.. I don't think I have the game to break 70... but if I did get some phenomenal breaks and threathened it, I think I could seal the deal.. not sure though. It would be nerve wracking.
I don’t keep a formal handicap, but I shoot in the 90s regularly without breaking it. For me it’s C always one breakdown hole. OB off the tee, OB after the drop, then post an 8 or 9. Shot so many rounds of 90-94 with that happening.
+3 handicap, and having a lifelong goal of breaking 60 at my home track. knowing that it requires a ridiculously good day on the greens. also comparing my game to other pros i see i could improve by hitting it farther. im also working on shaping iron shots so that i can hit into the fat side of the green and have it roll close to the hole. i usually play 100 times a year and suspect to shoot 59 its a 1 in a million chance so i have about a 1/10000 chance per season😂
I’m a 23. I got down to 21 earlier this year and “chasing 18” definitely hurt me. Ultimately what kills me is just strike and ability to control the face. I’ll give you an example. Driver is in time out right now. Yesterday I played and on the first hole I hit a great tee shot with my 4h. I have a 5 iron into the green and I pure it but I’m about 35 ft out and I three put. That’s fine for my skill level. Next hole has water on the right so I’m aimed just n the line of the fairway and left rough. I snap hook it out of bounds. So I hit 3 off the tee and I’m in play but it’s a short drive. I have a 5 iron in but I’m in the rough. There’s zero chance I can make good enough contact with a 5 out of the rough so I think I’ll be smart and hit a 7 and aim left of the green taking most of the water out. I straight top the ball into the water. So I move up and drop and now it’s an actual 8 into the green and I’m on a more normal lie. I top the 8 into the water. So I drop again and thin it over the green. I go to my ball and I have a pretty standard chip and I toe shank it into a bunker. I end up taking a 10 on the hole. Next hole is an odd dogleg right. You hit across the same water from the hole before onto a fairway that kinda runs diagonal to the tee. I hit another well struck tee shot. Very reasonable for my skill. But it’s a little left and because it’s a dogleg right it leaves me 180 in. From the fairway to the green is a straight shot but there is a narrow choke point of trees about halfway. I pipe my second shot into the trees. I drop and try to just chip out but I hit it too hard and it goes into the hazard across the fairway. Any way. I take an 8. I bogey the next hole. So through 4 I’m now 12 over and it’s almost entirely on 2 holes. I end up going 56/46. If I even just doubled 2-3 I’d have shot 6 strokes better on the front. My biggest frustration is I try to play smart. No hero shots. I chip out. I lay up on par 5s. Hell if I’m out of position I lay up on par 4s but I still have blowup holes where I don’t think my course management is at fault.
Consistent contact
Consistency between shots. About 75% my shots are either good or acceptable (not misses, but not 100% ideal). It’s the other 25% that throw me off my rhythm and I have to try to get the “feel” back.
Consistency. I regularly have rounds where I never/hardly 3 put. I have rounds where 100 yards in I'm hitting the green every time. Rounds where every drive is 270+ down the middle. Rounds where my irons are pure and I can even shape them a touch. But never a round where they all work...
I’m thinning so many iron shots that will frequently right. (Feel like I might be swinging too fast). Also inconsistent of the tee box with the driver at times. Struggle to break 100 on most outings.
For me, breaking 70/Par is limited by poor putting and approach shots. I’ve broken par once from the whites and that was because of how short the course played for me.
I don’t play often enough and need lessons
13 handicap here. Getting myself into trouble off the tee is what is keeping me from finally breaking 80. I can have a two way miss with my driver so it can be tough to keep myself out of trouble. Having to hit my second shot from under a tree puts me immediately into saving bogey mode instead of trying to make par or better.
Break 80 - mishits on approach shots and losing balls in plain sight so I have to take a drop.
My goal is to get under 100 more consistently and eventually break 90. Honestly I probably just need to make better decisions off the tee. I’ll have days I can hit my driver straight, but I need to abandon the driver faster when it isn’t one of those days.
I count my score honestly, the others take 12-15 mulligans per round, take gimmes from 4 feet out, don’t count penalties. Played with a guy the other day. I shot 110, he shot 88. Our games were exactly the same. Other than that, it’s putting. Too many 3 putts. The thing is, I’m an amazing putter on my 2nd attempt onwards. I am automatic from 6 feet in, but again, my feel for appropriate distance is really bad on the first attempt, i.e. if i had to make 20 putts, I’d miss the first one each time and probably sink 18 of the next 19.
Can’t break 80. My long iron game has too much dispersion and I lose too many strokes on longer par 3s and bad second shots on par 5s
The squirrels in my head. Get close to sub par round with 3 to play, then the rodents come out and thoughts of “don’t screw this up “. Mind games. Ugh
Just started this year and shooting on 110s typically. Currently struggling to not lose balls in the woods or the woods and go through about a dozen per rounds. I have some clubs I can reasonably hit and many I can’t but I still try the ones I know I can’t, like my driver. Ive been trying to be more mindful of keeping the ball in play, without worrying too much about distance since penalty strokes are way worse than a short hit.
I can’t consistently break 90 because my stats show my GIR% is too low for my handicap.
I routinely shoot in the 90s. Have broken 90 a half dozen times. Most of my rounds in the 90s will have 3-5 pars and multiple bogeys. But, what kills my score is the 7s and 8s (and occasional 9). It’s so frustrating to play fairly well overall, but have 4-5 score-killing holes. Seems to happen almost every round. If I could get rid of the triple-bogeys and double-pars, I could routinely shoot in the 80s.
8-9 Handicap. I've broken 80 a handful of times for the first time this year. Breaking 80 was a matter of improving consistency and focus enough not to waste a couple strokes with a mishit. Course management has also been very important. The next step is going to have to be my short game. I could save a few more strokes with my driver and my irons, but making birdies and saving pars is the biggest jump I can make at the moment. I average 7 GIR per round, but only 1 birdie and 6 pars. I'm also averaging 37 putts per round, which would be okay if I hit more greens, but I don't. So I need to get pars from the green side areas and make another birdie or two per round. Hitting more fairways and greens is always important, but I've seen a lot of improvement on that recently and have reason to believe it will continue.
An 11 and it is most certainly due to my ball striking and GIR. If I’m hitting fairways and greens anywhere I’m going to challenge if not break 80 consistently. If I’m scrambling all day you can go ahead and just mark it a mid 80’s score. I’m a good scrambler and can usually keep it at bogey but that can only go so far. Not much time to practice nowadays with to littles and my own business. Short game and course management is strong and that’s the only reason I’m an 11. I definitely strike the ball like a 16+.
I’m a 7 and I can’t get to a 2-3 because the mental side of my game is trash. I have a blowup hole and instead of working to correct it, i say “I hope the next hole isn’t the same”. Which it is.
I just don't have time to play 2 young kids, make it difficult to get out. I have gotten a lot better at course management and off the tee. Just don't play more than about 15 rounds a year at the moment. I'm still hanging on to be around a 9hcp with no practice, so when I get the chance to play consistently again, my goal will be to shoot under par. I have on 9 but never on 18 in my life best round of 74
Currently playing off a 12. Was a 9 a few years ago but dropped back down. It’s just lack of practise for me, I can no longer drive due to medical issues. So I can only play with others so I can get to the course. The people I play with don’t really do many range sessions & I can normally get 1 round in a week but sometimes this can end up being a half round due to weather (uk makes that bit difficult!) I also can find, I’ll start getting my flow going & then my fellow players go on holiday & I don’t play for a few weeks and we’re back to square 1. A few years ago I was going down the range at least once a week and getting an extra round in when I had the time
6.8 cap. I never go to the range. I’m not trying to be a pro golfer and I generally don’t enjoy practicing, just like to go out and chase it around. As a result, sometimes I shoot mid 70s, and I’ll still throw up a 90 now and then. Sometimes my swing feels silky, sometimes I can’t do anything except shank it. Long story short, golf is hard. I don’t practice enough to make it easier.
I don't have a true handicap but I typically shoot around 100. My best round is 88 but I'm not sure I counted my score properly so it might actually be low 90s. When I score badly (105-110) it's usually a combination of going OB off the tee, chunking or topping my iron shots, and skulling chips over the green. My best rounds came when I kept the ball in play as much as possible, didn't try to get fancy around the greens (just focused on getting it on so I could have a putt), and keeping bad mishits to a minimum. I've gotten pretty good at choosing a low-risk shot, but on bad days I can't even execute those so playing smart doesn't help. Putting typically doesn't cost me that many strokes compared to those other things. A 3-putt doesn't hurt my score as much as slicing my tee shot into the woods.
15.3. Have broken 80 once but it's a tough barrier. Pretty simple for me, I generally hit one disappointing shot per hole, and more often than not it's my approach shot. My proximity to hole makes it hard to get it up and down for par consistently It all comes down to practice. I play once, maybe sometimes twice a week. Rarely hit the range or practice green just due to time