Cutting Your Handicap

[Gubog]

Hi, any of you guys/gals been a high handicap, lets say 54, how long did it take to get to around a 7 handicap roughly. Im practicing pretty much everyday, short game is good, averaging a regular 2 putt on the greens, but my swing has gone awol.

 

[Andy]

54 down to 7? Your not asking much.

Sort the swing out and keep practising. It'll happen but think 7 is a few years away yet.

Andy

 

[drawboy]

basically there are a few steps to getting down to 7 each harder than the next. Lets go off 28 to 7. 28-20 should be reasonably straight forward as the swing improves slightly and the 4 putts turn to 3 or 2 then the scores get better quite quickly, still mainly bogeys and doubles. 20-14 this will take longer as it requires more pars and less bogeys/doubles however the greens in regulation still do not need to be high as the chipping and occasional 1 putt will save the day quite a bit. 14-7 requires more green in reg even more accuracy with the chipping good bunker play and a heck of a lot more 1 putts. It can be done with good practice and regular lessons.

 

[RGDave]

Hi, any of you guys/gals been a high handicap, lets say 54, how long did it take to get to around a 7 handicap roughly. Im practicing pretty much everyday, short game is good, averaging a regular 2 putt on the greens, but my swing has gone awol.

What an odd question.

If you averaging 54 over par I reckon you might consider taking up another sport.

If this is a typing error and should read 24, then apologies.

24-7? I never managed it. I started on 24 (aged 22) and got down to 8 (aged 27).
I practised 3-4 times a week. 2 or 3 sessions on short game and an hour on the putting green twice a week in winter, nearly everyday in summer.

Then, I couldn't be bothered to try any more, down to a mixture of "issues"....

Perhaps if I'd started in my teenage years, I'd have done better.

 

[ColinR]

Of course it can be done, its about practice, practice and practice and don't be to hard on yourself. Break it into small chunks as 'drawboy' says.

Don't be to aggressive with the timescales, if you have some natural ability it is going to take you 3-4-5 years I would think. But great fun getting there !!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Not sure if anyone has started so high and aimed so low (so to speak). I think if you use 28 (maximum for man) as a starting point then with regular tuition, dedicated practice, especially on the short game and putting a drop to around 18 is achievable.

From there it boils down to how much natural talent you have as everyone has their own plateau after which it is nigh on impossible to go much further. If your level is much lower then from 18 down to say 10 it evolves around making the swing more repeatable still especially under pressure and honing the short game. You'll need to start hitting fairways and greens on a regular basis and so course management will come into this.

Once you are down to 10, it becomes increasingly harder to shave those extra shots and this is where consistant and regular practice is a must although it needs to be done carefully so flaws aren't ingrained.

I started at my club three years ago off 20 and so have nearly halved my handicap thanks to a great coach and hours of practice and dedication. We have a plan in place for the winter and next year hopefully will be a breakthrough into single figures.

 

[USER1999]

Flipping heck, where do you get a 54 handicap, and can I have one?

Seriously, it isn't a matter of time, but effort and will power. My first h/cap was 18, and two years later I was off 11. Sadly, 20 years later I am still there. There are plateaus in golf, and without considerable effort, moving off one is difficult. Good luck, but I think assuming that you can get to 7 just through time is naieve at best. Most golfers don't get beyond 18 handicap. There is a reason for this.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'm not au fait these days with junior golf but is there an upper handicap limit for younger golfers? Perhaps that is where he is coming from with his 54 assuming it wasn't a typo

 

[RGDave]

Most golfers don't get beyond 18 handicap. There is a reason for this.

I'm doing better than most then!

I never expected to even get under 20. It does come, but time alone won't do the trick.

t.b.h. I can hardly believe my last few scores, but then again, I put the time in.

 

[Gubog]

Ive never had a handicap as im fairly new to golf, just put 54 as its the highest & i might be that rubbish, judging by your posts, its going to take 2 to 5 years with practice to reach single figures, better get practicing.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Gubog

Out of interest how old are you and how often do you play. When you say "fairly" new how long have you been playing

 

[Herbie]

Sorry to say this but most people I have known who have shot down to a very low h/c in a short space of time have been kids taken on by a pro from early age or people who have a natural ability with this game, who started off playing with a decent playing h/c standard. Now 54 is pretty bad really, I recon I could get almost anyone below that with just 3 clubs in the bag pretty swiftly.

This doesnt mean you cannot achieve your goals, but it takes time for most, but there must be something significantly wrong with the way you are going about your game, so I would suggest seeing a pro, because I recon just one lesson could remove half that figure you quoted.

 

[berrymoss]

At my club:

Max male adult handicap: 28
Max male boys handicap: 36

I'm not too sure about the ladies and the girls, but i do know that a girl was playing in one of the junior comps lately alongside my son and here handicap was 52 !!!