Can I get to scratch?

With hard work and effort maybe it is possible. This is not aimed at you especially but all sportsmen in general. Sometimes with sport you get to a point where you just do not have the natural ability to get any better. If it was just about hard work and dedication then we would all have a chance of playing off scratch.

But I know of so many people that have got to a point in golf where they hit a brick wall and it does not matter how much they spend on lessons and quality time practicing they just do not seem to get any better. Sometimes it is just not possible to get to the level you would like to.

I tried a few years ago to try my hand at Pro darts tournaments as I am pretty handy with a set of darts in my hand and round local leagues happily smash most people that get in my way. I played several tournaments and really prepared for them with lots of good practice sometime up to 12-15 hours a week but to no avail I just did not have that natural talent that everybody needs to succeed at sport.

All the best mate and I hope you can do it as I have similar targets of getting my PGA Pro badge in the future. I do not want to sound negative but sometimes you have to be realistic. But hey I have never seen you play golf so what do I know about your own personal abilities I am just talking in general about sportsmen.
 
Depends on the shoes and waterproofs you wear doesnt it.....oh and you must have pink trousers!

(and it would also seem like gold shoes are now a must for any decent golfer ....:whistle:)
 
Ok im gonna have a stab at this and see if my sums are right......

Off 6 your are cat 2 and you would need to loose .6 to reach cat 1....Fairly achievable......But......With...... i think....... 35 weeks left till the handicap is deemed static till the following year then i reckon that you would have to beat par on average by 1.4 shots every week until october.......

Or am i waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy off.....Maths was never a strong point ;)


Best of luck though.... :):):)
 
I guess the question is, are you trying to get down to scratch for a specific of because it's there to achieve. Knowing your phobia of ranges and practice grounds I think it'll be hard to get low without some kind of practice regime and given the fragility of your body these days I'm not sure how that'll pan out.

On the plus side having seen you play there is definitely a very low golfer in there. Whether you can work on the faults and weaknesses enough is my concern but I think if you come up with a realistic plan and are prepared to invest the time and effort in I think you can get close. Will you be able to play enough comps to get the handicap down and do you think a change of course would amke a difference
 
Much of the ability to go low is mental, as he has been off 2 in the past psychologically that is not a barrier so I think he can do 2 again.
Lower than that, maybe not as the desire to put in the hard yards and compete naturally wanes as you age.
 
I had been struggling for about a year or two and went from scratch back up to 2.8. I picked up a few books by Bob and last year won 6 events at the club including the club championship and am now off 0.8. Worth a look.
 
I don't intend to practice too hard, I have the confidence, I just need to practice PROPERLY and manage my game much better.... still haven't hit the skin off a ball :whistle:
 
I had been struggling for about a year or two and went from scratch back up to 2.8. I picked up a few books by Bob and last year won 6 events at the club including the club championship and am now off 0.8. Worth a look.

well done, Bob who?
 
James, you are built like a chocolate tea pot, you have the application of a newt, the course management of bubba, lets face it, it's not going to happen. You also have the putter of a four year old. My money's on smiffy.

Just enjoy playing.

It's meant to be fun (my sticks will be on eBay soon, golf stopped being fun for me 6 weeks ago).

Setting targets takes the fun out of it.
 
@JO. I don't believe you will - but will be happy to be proved wrong!

Me neither.. will be happy to prove myself wrong too!

I need a lifestyle change. The way I'm thinking is to go to the course every morning for 1½hrs, practice one day, play 9 holes the next, see if I can do 18/36 or a comp on Saturdays and rest on Sundays. My subs are due in 3 days and if I pay them then it'll be a waste if I'm just chopping round once a fortnight. Time management has always been an issue with me so it might be life changing.
 
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