For all the Cat 1 golfers

[Pistol Peter]

Hi all, i have been playing golf for 4 years and currently play off 12 which i class as a high handicap. I think i have the game to get to single figures next year but would like to know how long it took you guys to get to Cat 1 and how you manage to stay there.

thanks

Pistol Pete

 

[Oddsocks]

Most will say short game practice, the ability to miss greens and still get up and down regular. Also a lot is course management, not taking clubs that bring trouble into play, this comes as you mature as a golfer, at only 4 years in you may not have looked at this yet

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Hi all, i have been playing golf for 4 years and currently play off 12 which i class as a high handicap. I think i have the game to get to single figures next year but would like to know how long it took you guys to get to Cat 1 and how you manage to stay there.

thanks

Pistol Pete

Not have your attitude towards golf. 12 is not a high handicapper

And practise and work on a good short game whilst ensure the ball stays in play.

 

[CMAC]

a season, but stuck until next season

 

[Liqdaddymac]

I have played for 4 years (2 years as a member somewhere playing comps) and I am currently off 6.1. Hopefully get to cat 1 pretty quick next season as I played to under 6 quite a lot last year (in comps) but the handicap hasn't followed quite so quick. Getting to 9 was the easy and fast bit, getting lower is a slower process and requires good short game (120 and in plus putting). I have had some shocking games including the last medal of the year (scorecard below) but I managed to get up and down a lot and somehow shot 2 over. With no short game it would have been 20+ over.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

You went round 2 over and said it was a shocking round ? You don't have a shocking round and go round 2 over - that's a great round

Why if you played to under 6 quite a lot last year in comps didnt your handicap change ?

 

[Liqdaddymac]

Ok - think you missed what I was getting at.
I was delighted with the score, but from the tee to about 100 yards I was fatting, thinning, duffing etc (classing that as shocking for how I expect to play) but highlighting the importance of short game to rescue/create a score.

re handicap - started season on 11 and played 22 comps and received 7 cuts. My biggest issue is for whatever reason midweek ones are off yellow tees and requires at least 2 or 3 shots better than hc due to CSS and yes I know you will say well to play to 6 you need to play to 3 off yellows....that's not the point of the thread.

 

[Robobum]

Hi all, i have been playing golf for 4 years and currently play off 12 which i class as a high handicap. I think i have the game to get to single figures next year but would like to know how long it took you guys to get to Cat 1 and how you manage to stay there.

thanks

Pistol Pete

It took me about 6 years to get to Cat 1, where I've been for the last 12 years.

You do not need to be a great driver of the ball.
You do not need laser like irons
You do not need a pin sharp short game
You do not need to be dead eye dick with the flat stick.

You do need to be reasonable at the majority of elements in the game
You do need to understand your own game very well
You do need to make very few mental errors

Learn how to score - it's very different from learning how to swing.

 

[jimbob.someroo]

Realising that it's OK to miss a green, as long as you're comfortable getting up & down. Over the past month or so when I've been playing really well I've felt like I've already holed every putt under 10ft before I've hit it, and if I miss a green, I feel confident about getting the chip within that 10 foot.

Getting the ball 400 yards in two shots is something most can do, sometimes I'll hit the green in two and don't 3 putt that often, but on the many many occasions I don't hit the green, the amount of times I've gotten up & down has resulted in a drop in my hcp at the end of this year. Compared to me a year ago, I probably don't hit that many more greens, but if you miss 9 greens and get up and down 7 times, you're only dropping a couple of shots a round ...

 

[patricks148]

It always makes me smile when someone asked a question of a certain handicap , then half the replies are not from this group. Oops!

I won't give you any advice though Pete cos I'm far from a cat 1 myself

Good luck though in getting to cat 1.

Lets home the SGU adopt ESR so everyone you shot a couple of good scores you might get an additional cut

 

[JCW]

I started playing in nov 1996 with a 26 handicap and was down 9 in 2 years and 1 week , it took me another 3 years to get to cat 1 where I have been since , the last few years been in and out of cat 1 due to not playing as much ..........You have to improve off the tee then its 100 yards and in and getting up and down more times then not , course management and shot selection too , but the key is your short game , no use hitting it 300 yards of the tee and miss the green and make bogey or worse often ..................you will find you will come down to say 7 then be there for awhile till you further improve your game then you will come down again . let it happen don't force it ......................good luck

 

[Tommo21]

It took me about 6 years to get to Cat 1, where I've been for the last 12 years.

You do not need to be a great driver of the ball.
You do not need laser like irons
You do not need a pin sharp short game
You do not need to be dead eye dick with the flat stick.

You do need to be reasonable at the majority of elements in the game
You do need to understand your own game very well
You do need to make very few mental errors

Learn how to score - it's very different from learning how to swing.

Wise words..............I will add my thoughts in two shakes of a lambs tail.........

 

[Hickory_Hacker]

Hi all, i have been playing golf for 4 years and currently play off 12 which i class as a high handicap. I think i have the game to get to single figures next year but would like to know how long it took you guys to get to Cat 1 and how you manage to stay there.

thanks

Pistol Pete

First of all good luck ... It sounds like your making a valid attempt but you've got to be good enough!

Getting to 12 is hardly a challenge but it proves that you've got hand/eye/ball coordination. Are you getting lessons from a Pro or are you a computer golfer?

 

[IanG]

Getting to 12 is hardly a challenge.....

ouch, that one hurt....

 

[Deleted member 15344]

First of all good luck ... It sounds like your making a valid attempt but you've got to be good enough!

Getting to 12 is hardly a challenge but it proves that you've got hand/eye/ball coordination. Are you getting lessons from a Pro or are you a computer golfer?

Yet it's at least 6 shots below the average handicap in the country

Would suggest it is a challenge

 

[JCW]

Yet it's at least 6 shots below the average handicap in the country

Would suggest it is a challenge

YES I say so too , average handicap is about 18 .....................................................................eyg

 

[Robobum]

If anyone harbours Cat 1 ambition then I'd agree with HH's point - getting to 12 is not a big challenge if the ability is there to get under 5.

 

[Tommo21]

First of all.......don't listen too much to other people when they tell you whats wrong, only listen to those who really know your swing or a good coach.

Practice your putting more than anything else. If you hit a 100 balls on the range then hit more than 100 putts.

Practice your putting to put the ball past the hole..........on every putt bar the longer ones. Try 10 balls at 25 feet and if you don’t get every ball past the hole then start again.

Don't just practice the weak areas of your game. Sometimes you need to accept your weakness and play within it and don’t let it worry you if you rely on a particular area of your game, every good player has their strong points as well as weak.

Don't ever feel uncomfortable to use the club you need. If it's a 5 iron when your mates are hitting 7 then hit the 5. I know many players who kid themselves on, and for many years.

Take note on how often you're short of the target, you'll be shocked.

Practice around the greens goes without saying and always think more about pin positions by keeping away from the tight side of the green. A miss on the tight side makes recovery much tougher.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

There is prob no set way to get to cat 1 - I didn't do endless hours on the practise range or hitting hundreds of putts

I just went out and played a lot on the course - just enjoyed the game and my game improved as I played and my handicap came tumbling down

What I would say that I have seen is sometimes people desire to get a handicap down starts to overcome the enjoyment and then it becomes a harder game and the tension whilst playing starts to increase and the scoring gets worse and you start to get into a never ever ending circle.

Ability has a lot to do with it - if you are good enough you will get there

 

[JCW]

First of all.......don't listen too much to other people when they tell you whats wrong, only listen to those who really know your swing or a good coach.

Practice your putting more than anything else. If you hit a 100 balls on the range then hit more than 100 putts.

Practice your putting to put the ball past the hole..........on every putt bar the longer ones. Try 10 balls at 25 feet and if you don’t get every ball past the hole then start again.

Don't just practice the weak areas of your game. Sometimes you need to accept your weakness and play within it and don’t let it worry you if you rely on a particular area of your game, every good player has their strong points as well as weak.

Don't ever feel uncomfortable to use the club you need. If it's a 5 iron when your mates are hitting 7 then hit the 5. I know many players who kid themselves on, and for many years.

Take note on how often you're short of the target, you'll be shocked.

Practice around the greens goes without saying and always think more about pin positions by keeping away from the tight side of the green. A miss on the tight side makes recovery much tougher.

Very true , we don't hit enough club and are short more times then we are long ...............practice the 3 or 4 footers for hours as in a comp/match and make most if not all to win or score well , how do you recover from missing one ? tap it in , no you need to make them all ...............................................................y:fore: