Advice on improving

[Siolag]

I am a new golfer and currently playing for a handicap. I have been lucky enough to inherit some pretty decent clubs and have irons a wood and a driver. As I am also a club member, I have everything I need to get going. Currently, I am just going out and p[laying a few holes of golf in the evening a few times a week, and then will be playing at the weekends. I would like to improve, and I'll get a handicap of 28 within a few weeks when I have put more cards in.

What is the best way forward? There is a practice area, but I don't really know what to do when there, save for a little putting and pitching practice.

I think lessons are what I need, but how often should I take them?

 

[bobmac]

Lessons will definitely give you things to practice which will get the basics sorted.
If you leave it too long, bad habits may become ingrained and will be harder to fix down the road.
I always say
Learn how to hold the club properly
Learn how to stand at the start
Learn how to stand at the end
That should get you started
As for how often to have lessons........
Have one when you feel ready for something new

 

[Siolag]

Lessons will definitely give you things to practice which will get the basics sorted.
If you leave it too long, bad habits may become ingrained and will be harder to fix down the road.
I always say
Learn how to hold the club properly
Learn how to stand at the start
Learn how to stand at the end
That should get you started
As for how often to have lessons........
Have one when you feel ready for something new

Thanks for that!

 

[jim8flog]

. I would like to improve, and I'll get a handicap of 28 within a few weeks when I have put more cards in.

?

28 is not the highest handicap. It is 54

To work out what your handicap will be, roughly, take your best card look at any hole where the score is worse than twice the par, amend this score to twice the par total the card and multiply by .9 round to nearest hole number.

 

[GolfingPastor]

Spend some time at the range just focusing on a good connection with the ball- always looking to hit the sweet spot

 

[Siolag]

28 is not the highest handicap. It is 54

To work out what your handicap will be, roughly, take your best card look at any hole where the score is worse than twice the par, amend this score to twice the par total the card and multiply by .9 round to nearest hole number.

Ah right, my dad seemed to think it would be 28.

Thanks for all the tips!

 

[GolfingPastor]

28 was the highest handicap, and you won’t make many friends winning if your off 54! Ridiculously too high imho.

If your not playing to 28 within a year, I doubt you will enjoy it anyway!

 

[Siolag]

28 was the highest handicap, and you won’t make many friends winning if your off 54! Ridiculously too high imho.

If your not playing to 28 within a year, I doubt you will enjoy it anyway!

I agree that is too high, and I’d sooner be 28 and work to get that down. I am at the start of a long journey and I don’t want to set any unrealistic goals but I’d like to be lower than 28 by this time next year, that’s for sure.

 

[Siolag]

Vast improvement in yesterday’s medal. 131 compared to 162 last week. Went round with 2 very nice guys too, they were so helpful and a really nice afternoon. My putting was dreadful at times, so I know my focus for practice for the next week or so.

 

[Siolag]

New handicap today of 32!

Sub 30 next target!

 

[Slime]

Vast improvement in yesterday’s medal. 131 compared to 162 last week. Went round with 2 very nice guys too, they were so helpful and a really nice afternoon. My putting was dreadful at times, so I know my focus for practice for the next week or so.

Just be a bit careful what hints and tips you take off playing partners.
They mean well, I'm sure, but you may end up with an information overload.
Keep us up to date with your improvements, it's encouraging to hear.

 

[Siolag]

Just be a bit careful what hints and tips you take off playing partners.
They mean well, I'm sure, but you may end up with an information overload.
Keep us up to date with your improvements, it's encouraging to hear.

It was more the rules/marking cards they were helping with! I know what you mean though.

I’m booked in for lessons with the Pro, really nice guy, so that is the next step.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

It was more the rules/marking cards they were helping with! I know what you mean though.

I’m booked in for lessons with the Pro, really nice guy, so that is the next step.

Well done for making progress. It is sensible to stop and ask for help with rules before ever doing anything and in particular, touching the ball. Marking cards will become easier the more you play and the more you play different formats so don't worry about that side of things. Plenty of online stuff which explains the rules including the 2019 changes, whch may help you get a better understanding. Nothing wrong with asking though but be aware there are plenty of golfers who "think" they know the rules but in fact are totally incorrect in their ideas or interpretations so may actually give you incorrect information

 

[Siolag]

First lesson was last night and was very good. With just a few little tweaks I was getting the ball moving much better. Intrigued now to get out and practice it. Thankfully there was 'A fair amount to work with' in the words of the pro. I need to get more flexible, but I knew this already. It was very enjoyable.

 

[clubchamp98]

Apart from what your pro tells you.
The main thing that helped me years ago was practicing my distance putting.
Most can get it more or less online but distance is key in putting and if you cut the three putts out your scores will improve..

 

[Siolag]

Apart from what your pro tells you.
The main thing that helped me years ago was practicing my distance putting.
Most can get it more or less online but distance is key in putting and if you cut the three putts out your scores will improve..

Cheers for that! Are there any particular videos you would recommend?

 

[clubchamp98]

Cheers for that! Are there any particular videos you would recommend?

Not really you can’t learn golf from videos.
They can show you how but you have to learn yourself on the practice ground.
Putting is half the game and is not practiced enough by beginners.

 

[njt1986]

Cheers for that! Are there any particular videos you would recommend?

I’m in the same journey as you after not playing for 12/13 years buddy so good luck with it! 32 is what I’ve roughly estimated my Hcap to be, sometimes play much better, sometimes much worse - but that’s the fun of it, right?

I’d definitely second what Clubchamp98 said and work on putting, it’s helped me get my score down massively, as has general course management when I play a round.

For putting I follow my mates drill where he places a tee at 2ft, 3ft, 4ft, 5ft, 6ft & 10ft at different points around a selected hole, he then tries to make all 6 putts in a row without missing one. Takes absolutely ages to do at my (terrible) level, but I’ve found that when I’m out on the course that my misses aren’t rolling a mile beyond the hole as often as they were before I started doing this and it’s eliminated a lot of 3putts from my rounds.

As for course management, I took a tip from my dad on that one and try to think of what’s the best that could happen each shot and what’s the worst that could happen, then try to find a middle ground. So for example I played a course last week where about 170yds out it was a 90* dog leg right around a lake, which was on the right from the tee box. So, best that could happen is I take a driver and smash it over the corner and onto the fairway. Worst that could happen is I take a driver and smash it over the same corner but massively slice it into the lake and incur a penalty. So i was left with two options; 1 - take an iron and play it to the corner and leave a longer second shot in, or 2 - take the driver and aim down the left side of the fairway, if it goes straight I should be ok, if I slice it then unless it’s the worst slice I’ve ever hit then I should be safe.

I took option two and only had a small slice on it and it bounced nicely around the corner. Previously I’d have just gone for it without even taking into consideration that I could put it in the lake like an idiot.

I played the same course Monday & Tuesday, Monday playing the old way, Tuesday deliberately thinking about the worst option and where I can hit a bad shot but still be ok and there was a 27 shot swing between days! For maybe 1 minute of actual thought going into it

 

[HomerJSimpson]

If the budget stretches I'd definitely get a putting mirror to make sure your set up is correct. I was lucky enough to get the Visio putting template and the putting gates (https://visioputting.com/mi-putting-template-face-lines/ and https://visioputting.com/the-new-putting-gate-pack/ ) for Christmas. The gates in particular aren't cheap (and I probably wouldn't have got them but now I have them they are invaluable. They have both made a huge difference to my stroke and ability to start the ball on line

Like others I tend to do short putting drills from 2-7 feet and usually set five sets of tees in a circle around a hole and putt 4 balls (so 20 putts for each distance) and keep a tally of how many I make each practice session. Also, trying to make 20 consecutive putts (or start again) from 3 or 4 feet is a good way to rack up the pressure.

Finally if you want to combine short game work with putting practice, try the Par 18 game. Simply pick 9 targets (3 easy, 3 medium and 3 hard) and try and get up and down. If you do that's par and if you hole out its a birdie. Take 3 and you're over par. Beats hitting ball after ball aimlessly to a hole and gives you a chance to play different shots with different clubs.

Well done on the big scoring leap and keep that trend going. Stick to the drills you've been given, work hard at the putting and short game and that handicap will drop like a stone

 

[Siolag]

That's great guys, thanks! When i said videos I meant ones with drills in them. I will try the ones suggested. I am looking to try and get to the practice area more, at the moment I have only been there on Saturdays and it can be busy, so long putts especially can be difficult with lots of guys there. Perhaps mornings before work!