Cant hit greens in regulation

[Orikoru]

I wouldn't worry about greens in regulation in winter. Always going to be lower, due to ball not travelling as far, not rolling as far either, and hitting longer clubs into the greens which are harder to get accuracy with. Just use it as time to sharpen up your short game when you do miss the greens. That's what makes the score.

 

[IanM]

It’s just not possible to have a short game good enough to overcome missing so many greens.

Absolutely , but you can chip away at it (no pun intended)

 

[Deleted member 1147]

I wouldn't worry about greens in regulation in winter. Always going to be lower, due to ball not travelling as far, not rolling as far either, and hitting longer clubs into the greens which are harder to get accuracy with. Just use it as time to sharpen up your short game when you do miss the greens. That's what makes the score.

I would be concerned if I couldn’t hit a green in winter.
Fairways are easier to hit as they are effectively wider due to the wetness.
As such more chances should be available.
Holes are often shortened in winter, what with not playing off back tees.
&
Greens hold better.

 

[Tashyboy]

Just make certain of not being short on the 1st!

I Remember when I played it and thought I had hit a screamer for my second shot. Was gutted when I got down there and saw the council had dug a trench and my ball was in there ?

 

[HeftyHacker]

I wouldn't worry about greens in regulation in winter. Always going to be lower, due to ball not travelling as far, not rolling as far either, and hitting longer clubs into the greens which are harder to get accuracy with. Just use it as time to sharpen up your short game when you do miss the greens. That's what makes the score.

I'm the opposite, find greens much easier to hold in the winter as they're softer, and our course is sufficiently shortened that I'm hitting the same club into the greens as I do in summer anyway.

I find its the exact opposite for the greenside short game, the soft ground makes it impossible to use bounce and so its much easier to duff it and bump and runs don't run.

Depends on the course I guess.

 

[Orikoru]

I would be concerned if I couldn’t hit a green in winter.
Fairways are easier to hit as they are effectively wider due to the wetness.
As such more chances should be available.
Holes are often shortened in winter, what with not playing off back tees.
&
Greens hold better.

Fairways might be easier to hit but if you're hitting a 7 wood to the green instead of a 7 iron then they're going to be more difficult. Greens may be softer but again that means you have to hit a longer club and carry it all the way there. And no club I've played at ever seems to have shorter tees - the tees are actually longer on some of the holes at my club because of where they've put the mats.

 

[Orikoru]

I'm the opposite, find greens much easier to hold in the winter as they're softer, and our course is sufficiently shortened that I'm hitting the same club into the greens as I do in summer anyway.

I find its the exact opposite for the greenside short game, the soft ground makes it impossible to use bounce and so its much easier to duff it and bump and runs don't run.

Depends on the course I guess.

Short game, that's kind of what I meant. If you can sharpen up the short game in winter conditions it should be a doddle in summer. Theoretically. ?

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Fairways might be easier to hit but if you're hitting a 7 wood to the green instead of a 7 iron then they're going to be more difficult. Greens may be softer but again that means you have to hit a longer club and carry it all the way there. And no club I've played at ever seems to have shorter tees - the tees are actually longer on some of the holes at my club because of where they've put the mats.

In 30 years of golf I’ve noticed that the majority of course shorten holes in winter. Be it moving from whites to yellows.

 

[Shooter McPowick]

70% of your practice should be from 120 yards and less. As you’re driving it well I would spend a lot of time practicing wedges from all distances and lies.

 

[BiMGuy]

70% of your practice should be from 120 yards and less. As you’re driving it well I would spend a lot of time practicing wedges from all distances and lies.

I don’t disagree that short game practice is important. But wouldn’t the OP be better of spending more time practicing to improve the area of his game that is causing the problems in the first place?

 

[Orikoru]

In 30 years of golf I’ve noticed that the majority of course shorten holes in winter. Be it moving from whites to yellows.

Nine times out ten we play off the yellows so some of the mats are in between the yellow and white tees hence longer for us. Even if they are shorter than the whites it's only by ten yards at the most. My previous club was at a public course so they never made it any shorter either, just left the tees as they were mostly.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Whats "regulation" for a 17hcp?
A par 4 for me in this instance would be a 5, so 3 to the green and 2 putts, if playing to hcp and "in regulation"
It seems many overlook what their hcp allowance is when talking about par and regulation.

Thats how I use my hcp anyway

 

[Backache]

Whats "regulation" for a 17hcp?
A par 4 for me in this instance would be a 5, so 3 to the green and 2 putts, if playing to hcp and "in regulation"
It seems many overlook what their hcp allowance is when talking about par and regulation.

Thats how I use my hcp anyway

I guess people can use statistics how they like but on your point about handicaps not may people that I've seen 'use their handicap' by getting bogies on the number of holes they are getting strokes to the card on particularly by planning on taking an extra stroke to the green all the time. Quite a few people are known to three putt. No matter what your handicap how many people plan on taking two to get onto say a 120 yd par three?
Many may miss the green but few do it by design.

 

[bobmac]

I can't really advise anything until I find out why the OP is missing the greens.
Long, short, left or right

 

[bradleywedge]

Shooting 90 with what you said, its lots of chips or pitches then 2 putts.

More "up and downs" has the same impact as hitting more greens! Might be easier to make gains quicker too.

Justin Thomas averaged 75% gir last year....if he misses 4 or 5 every round.. sure we'll be missing plenty more. His scoring average was still around 70.

Practice that chipping!

Nailed it IanM!

Chipping is woeful, in fact 80 yards in I've totally lost it, I seem to have forgotten how to play the shot, dont know what club to use, can't fathom a swing, no touch or feel. Hitting the driver OK, and yesterday tried the reverse grip putting stroke which only garnered one 3 putt so happy with that.

A lesson on 80 yards in is needed I think.

 

[bradleywedge]

I can't really advise anything until I find out why the OP is missing the greens.
Long, short, left or right

Majority to the left. In fact I have a slight leftitis in a lot of my shots

 

[bradleywedge]

A 17 HC will hit 24% of GIR on average. That’s 4.3 greens per round.

It’s just not possible to have a short game good enough to overcome missing so many greens.

As has already been mentioned. Try using the yardage to the back of the green and aiming at the centre. Are you aiming correctly. Many of us think we have hit a poor shot, when in fact we have hit a shot exactly where we were aiming. We were just set up wrong.

What is your strategy off the tee? Getting closer to the green significantly improves your chances of hitting the green with your second shot.

Strategy off the tee? Hit it as far as I can!!!

 

[bradleywedge]

GIR will be massively influenced by the course. For example a longer course or one with smaller greens (or both) will reduce GIR

The course was fairly tough to be fair (open qualifying links course)

 

[Mike79]

In my game last week, hit 5 GIR and 39 putts, and that’s a decent figure re putts for me! Total was 100 though… many fat fluffs and 3 reloads off the tee. Awaiting handicap but I’m guessing high teens.

As other have said already - club up. My fault was always coming up short of the target. And at the moment with wet ground there is no roll - distance is pretty much only as far as you carry.

 

[bobmac]

Majority to the left. In fact I have a slight leftitis in a lot of my shots

That could be aim, grip or swingpath.
Try aiming at the right side of the green and see if that helps.

But definitely have that lesson on 80yds in.
In the meantime, try holding your PW half way down the grip, half backswing, half follow through.