Help with my golf ?

[Cityfanbrian]

Hi everybody, this is my first post so please be gentle with me lol!!
i started playing golf when I was 50 and was given a 28 handicap, 7 years later I'm off 20 having briefly played off 18. My problem is I've stagnated for about 2years now and can't seem to get my handicap down, I can have 7 or 8 pars in a round but then lose all my shots on the other 10 holes. I've had quite a few lessons and I practice on a regular basis. It appears when I get a card in my hand I fall to pieces....any advice?

 

[ScienceBoy]

Short game, Short game, Short game...

Buy a V-Easy and get your putting better. Get some short game lessons and practice chipping LOTS.

Finally get a game plan, work out your strengths and play to them.

I have a game plan called the The 3 Goals Method, works well for me but I am shooting mid 90s at my best ATM

 

[RollinThunder]

I'm in the same position as yourself, as I play off 20 also. The pars are easy enough to come by, it's just the doubles and triples in between that pump-up my scores . All you can really do is go to the range to hone your under-100 yard game, and if you have the use of a putting-green, then you know what to do At the moment I'm trying to get those chip/pitch & two-putts into one-putts. Practicing those wedge shots and getting them within 4ft of the hole will make a hell of a difference to your scores

 

[Ian_S]

I'm in the same position as yourself, as I play off 20 also. The pars are easy enough to come by, it's just the doubles and triples in between that pump-up my scores . All you can really do is go to the range to hone your under-100 yard game, and if you have the use of a putting-green, then you know what to do At the moment I'm trying to get those chip/pitch & two-putts into one-putts. Practicing those wedge shots and getting them within 4ft of the hole will make a hell of a difference to your scores

Agree there. I'm off 20s too and the problem isn't a lack of pars, but rather a lack of bogeys. Too many big numbers coming from a sloppy short game that is ok when I'm hitting GIR but when you just miss the green, or can't reach due to a bad drive, taking 4 shots from inside 100 yards eats away at your score.

I don't know how many subscribe to Mark Crossfield on YouTube but he did some on course videos recently where he took a 9 doing basically that. OOB off the tee, hitting approach shot long, poor chip from the back and then 3 putts. Taking 4 shots when you should be taking 2 or at most 3 is classic high handicap play.

All you can really do is practice - a lot.

 

[Khamelion]

Inconsistancy is my main problem, sometimes I can hit a decent ball which lands on the fairway and then the next tee shot is back in the cabbage.

As Scienceboy wrote, short game, short game, short game, if you can land on the green from 150-100yds out 9 times out of 10 then 1 or 2 putt, in theory your scores should come down. That written, if it's taken you 5 shots to get to 100yds out, then perfecting the short game may not be the best place to start.

 

[RollinThunder]

I don't know how many subscribe to Mark Crossfield on YouTube but he did some on course videos recently where he took a 9 doing basically that. OOB off the tee, hitting approach shot long, poor chip from the back and then 3 putts. Taking 4 shots when you should be taking 2 or at most 3 is classic high handicap play.

Yes, I watch a lot of his videos, but I haven't seen that one yet. He's pretty good, I like his teaching style. That's the drawback of playing against par: One bad hole ruins the card. Last summer at the local course I parred the first 6 holes (Although they are quite easy), and ended up still only managing to break 100. It's a cruel game when you think about it

 

[pbrown7582]

Course management to take punishment and get back in play helps keep big numbers off card why gamble the glory shot from poor position with a fairway/hybrid when 2 seven irons gets the job done better more often than not.
Bob Rotella books will help with playing with a card in hand and positive thinking.

 

[louise_a]

Welcome to the forum Brian, where do you play?

Where do you feel you lose shots? certainly the short game is usually a great way to save them. Also have you tried lessons?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Clearly there is a modicum of technique and I think you need to look at which holes on your course cause the biggest issues and review how you play these in a comp and what causes the big scores. If you are getting in trouble off the tee, why not hit a 3 wood or an iron and use the shots. A good tee shot in play, a mid iron to 100 yards and a wedge on and two putts (three at most) and job done. Yes it isn't proper golf to the purist and would take a strong mind to stick to the game plan in a comp but has to be worth looking at.

 

[Ian_S]

Yes, I watch a lot of his videos, but I haven't seen that one yet. He's pretty good, I like his teaching style. That's the drawback of playing against par: One bad hole ruins the card. Last summer at the local course I parred the first 6 holes (Although they are quite easy), and ended up still only managing to break 100. It's a cruel game when you think about it

http://youtu.be/ckGIbNFvD_k

 

[Cityfanbrian]

Welcome to the forum Brian, where do you play?

Where do you feel you lose shots? certainly the short game is usually a great way to save them. Also have you tried lessons?

Hi
i play at Fairfield golf club in audenshaw, I've had quite a few lessons but I think it's an age thing, I get tired or lose concentration too easily, I'm taking on board the coarse management theory, it may be boring but it sounds like it it works, thank you for the comments and the encouragement!

 

[full_throttle]

lack of concentration is caused by tiredness, and dehydration.

make sure you drink plenty of fluids on the way round the cause and snack on high energy foods, belvita cereal bar is good and nibble a banana.

Course management is a must, if you can stay on the short stuff the job is half done. As previously posted think about the club selection, take a longer club and swing easier, you may find it's something simple thats missing from your game that racks the score up.

I'm playing in the mid 80's on more occasions than not, and that is thanks to a couple of lessons and heeding the above advice I was given by a fellow forumer

 

[chrisd]

As Scienceboy wrote, short game, short game, short game, if you can land on the green from 150-100yds out 9 times out of 10 then 1 or 2 putt, in theory your scores should come down. That written, if it's taken you 5 shots to get to 100yds out, then perfecting the short game may not be the best place to start.

I am sure that I read, the best player on tour only hit 75% of greens from 100 yards during the season, so 9 out of 10 greens from 150 to 100 is unrealistic, learning to chip close is necessary

That being the case then, for me, saving some of the wasted shots getting to the green is the way forward and that is course management. Don't compound errors, play the safest shot when in trouble, get back to the fairway. The biggest fault I see on the course is people trying to hit the ball way too hard, that can lead to tops, fats, thins and all sorts of swing path errors. Try and take an extra club and swing smooth and easy, you shouldn't lose distance but should be more accurate

 

[drawboy]

Whilst I agree that short game is important at your level it isn't as important as using good course management. You need to have a plan to get around the course. Things like playing short of danger such as OOB, bunkers and water hazards is important. Off 20 there is no need to hit long par 4's and par 5's in 2&3. You need to use your shots to your advantage. For instance if you are looking at a par 3 that is surrounded by bunkers then ,if you can, play either short of them or play to the safe side then either chip on or even better putt on. On par 5's leave the fairways in the bag and play drive, 7 iron 7 iron, wedge to the green. Play within yourself and take the danger out of the course and your scores will come down. Yes it's not glamorous and people will disagree with me but it does work.

 

[Ian_S]

I am sure that I read, the best player on tour only hit 75% of greens from 100 yards during the season, so 9 out of 10 greens from 150 to 100 is unrealistic, learning to chip close is necessary

According to PGA Tour stats, the percentages for hitting GIR from a given distance are
75-100 81%
100-125 76%
125-150 71%
150-175 63%
175-200 54%

These are tour averages - for our level hitting the green half the time from 150 yards is probably good enough. The one we probably should pay most attention to then is the scrambling from 20-30 yards, where the pro's average 52%. More often than not, they make par from just off the green.

I've no idea what my numbers are for that, but I do know I'm chipping from just off the green quite a lot, and I'm not one-putting a huge number of those (Just went through my last medal round - I reckon I had 12 opportunities to get up and down in two and I managed it only once).

 

[mashleyR7]

Short game, Short game, Short game...

Buy a V-Easy and get your putting better. Get some short game lessons and practice chipping LOTS.

Finally get a game plan, work out your strengths and play to them.

I have a game plan called the The 3 Goals Method, works well for me but I am shooting mid 90s at my best ATM

I've just read your plan and passed it on to my Dad. He's in his 60's and retired, playing twice a week but not improving below 100 on a regular basis. I played with him last week and he's trying to bash 3 woods from the rough!! I tried to tell him but don't want to look like I'm telling him what to do. I've adapted it a bit to suit him and his home course. Thanks !

 

[londonlewis]

Whilst I agree that short game is important at your level it isn't as important as using good course management. You need to have a plan to get around the course. Things like playing short of danger such as OOB, bunkers and water hazards is important. Off 20 there is no need to hit long par 4's and par 5's in 2&3. You need to use your shots to your advantage. For instance if you are looking at a par 3 that is surrounded by bunkers then ,if you can, play either short of them or play to the safe side then either chip on or even better putt on. On par 5's leave the fairways in the bag and play drive, 7 iron 7 iron, wedge to the green. Play within yourself and take the danger out of the course and your scores will come down. Yes it's not glamorous and people will disagree with me but it does work.

Great advice. Won't make you a hero to your kids but it is solid advice.

 

[SteebWBA]

I'm in the same boat as you (and a fellow new member too!). I went to try a new driver on the weekend and when trying it and was complemented on my 'technically sound swing' (Ego massage or what?!). He asked me my handicap and was visibly shocked when i replied with 23! My issue is consistency on/around the greens. Though some of that with me is confidence. I seem to decelerate some of my chips and putts because in my head I feel I may be going for a big over-hit, resulting in a duffed chip or a putt that barely goes halfway to the cup. With that bit of confident, resulting from practise, I would more than likely have had a decent chip or putt.

Funny thing is, when I was last a regular player, around 8 years ago, this was my strongest part of my game, with my mid-long iron play being awful, complete opposite now (at the moment....)!

 

[Cityfanbrian]

I'm in the same boat as you (and a fellow new member too!). I went to try a new driver on the weekend and when trying it and was complemented on my 'technically sound swing' (Ego massage or what?!). He asked me my handicap and was visibly shocked when i replied with 23! My issue is consistency on/around the greens. Though some of that with me is confidence. I seem to decelerate some of my chips and putts because in my head I feel I may be going for a big over-hit, resulting in a duffed chip or a putt that barely goes halfway to the cup. With that bit of confident, resulting from practise, I would more than likely have had a decent chip or putt.

Funny thing is, when I was last a regular player, around 8 years ago, this was my strongest part of my game, with my mid-long iron play being awful, complete opposite now (at the moment....)!

Are you me in disguise?

 

[Cityfanbrian]

Thanks for the advice, I'll be trying the course management out on Wednesday , also I have a short game lesson booked for Wednesday morning so watch this space