@club members - how did you adjust to a big handicap cut?

[jim8flog]

This is one thing that bugged me. I started to dislike par 3s as they tended to be the holes where I don't get shots in Stableford. But I've had to change my mindset. I now try and ignore which shots I get where and just think of it as needing to get 4 pars plus another par for every double - and which holes you get them on doesn't particularly matter because it all adds up the same in the end. 1 point on a par 3 and 3 points somewhere else is no worse than getting 2 and 2.

It is funny. Our SIs are based upon difficulty

Our par 3s SIs are 3, 5, 7 and 14.

 

[Bamberdele2.0]

will definitely try and just enjoy my golf, perhaps even ease up on betting with the lads

The S.I I lose shots on are both the par 5’s which can be an easy blob for me if I am wild off the tee. So scoring on there from now will be extremely difficult if I’m not on the fairway.

No committee cut bdill, got cut 0.5 for a comp Saturday and 2.0 for Sunday so 2.5 total for the weekend. Obviously the aim is to play as well as you can which I’ve been trying but the reality is everything is beginning to feel so much harder. As someone said, the better you become the harder it is

I guess it comes down to being in unchartered territory, when you have been roughly at the same HC for almost 2 years you get comfortable

 

[Jason.H]

I’ve always thought I should be I should be a lower handicapper, maybe I’m over optimistic but unless you believe that it can mentally hold your progress back.

 

[HampshireHog]

I just concentrated on my gross score, and if I shot a score I’d have been pleased with before the cut, I’d be happy.

The nice thing about WHS is that you still have 7 other scores that you can improve on.

 

[Billysboots]

The S.I I lose shots on are both the par 5’s which can be an easy blob for me if I am wild off the tee. So scoring on there from now will be extremely difficult if I’m not on the fairway.

So play sensible and use a 3 wood, hybrid or long iron from the tee and play the par 5’s as they are designed to be played. With a lower handicap comes the need to be smarter.

There’s a whole heap of trouble from the tee on two of our four par 5’s, so I take a 2 iron from the tee, as I rarely miss a fairway with it. The other two par 5’s are the only holes on the course where my driver currently comes out of the bag, such is our second cut.

The fewer shots you have to play with, the fewer you can waste. Course management becomes far more important.

 

[Hobbit]

You got the new handicap because that’s how good you are. Bask in the achievement and just play golf as you always have. Remember, we play for fun, not food on the table.

 

[Canary Kid]

I didn’t realise one’s handicap could go down

 

[Barking_Mad]

Imposter syndrome

or

Return to the mean.

Which will it be!? Just enjoy it.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Stop press.................Golfer unhappy at getting better at golf.

 

[Bdill93]

will definitely try and just enjoy my golf, perhaps even ease up on betting with the lads

The S.I I lose shots on are both the par 5’s which can be an easy blob for me if I am wild off the tee. So scoring on there from now will be extremely difficult if I’m not on the fairway.

No committee cut bdill, got cut 0.5 for a comp Saturday and 2.0 for Sunday so 2.5 total for the weekend. Obviously the aim is to play as well as you can which I’ve been trying but the reality is everything is beginning to feel so much harder. As someone said, the better you become the harder it is

I guess it comes down to being in unchartered territory, when you have been roughly at the same HC for almost 2 years you get comfortable

Glad to see it wasn't committee - its just a reflection on how you are playing atm.

If your scoring starts to suffer then it'll soon rise back up, nothing to worry about!

Its low because you've got the golf in you, just relax and enjoy it!

 

[BiMGuy]

I’d play the same as I always do.

Tee it up on the first, hit it, go find it, hit it again till I hole out. Rinse and repeat for 17 more holes trying to shoot the best score I can.

Other than a handful of holes I couldn’t tell you the stroke indexes on my course. They are only really relevant for match play.

I’d just be happy that I have shot a low score. After all, isn’t that what we are out there trying to do. And, once you’ve done it, you should have confidence in the knowledge that you are capable of shooting a low score and should be able to do it again.

 

[mikeb4]

Had a day in the sun during a comp and have been cut 3 shots. It’s by far the lowest I’ve been and although it’s a very nice feeling to have hit such a milestone (breaking 80 in comp on slope 134) I am now worrying about how it will effect me and how I will enjoy my golf moving forward.

I was fairly competitive before this weekend - playing at the same handicap for around a year - and now feel I will struggle to compete for however long that green round takes to drop off (probably 6 months due to only putting in comp cards)

My question is aimed at those who have been in similar shoes in the past.

How did it affect your game psychologically? And if there was a big change how did you get past it.

How long was it until you played to your new handicap?

It almost feels as though I will be quite miserable on the course for a while so any help appreciated

Still one shot at a time