How low can I go?

[w1ndw1ll]

Thanks for all your encouragement for my first competiition tomorrow. I have to say the pressure is building, I'm convinced I'm going to fall foul of the many rules and be d/q!!!! I've been playing golf for 6 months and don't feel confident about the idiosynchronies of the game, but hopefully once I get the first comp out of the way I should be all right.
My question to you experienced lads is: I am 47, play off 22, play about 4 or 5 times a week, what should I aim for as far as handicap is concerned?

 

[thecraw]

Level 5's.

 

[pokerjoke]

Good luck for tommorow,however the first thing to try and do is relax the more pressure you put on yourself the worst you will play,smile and enjoy.As for the rules if in doubt ask.As for how low can you go that will be down to you and your goals,you can go much lower obviously but one step at a time.

 

[HTL]

Just relax and have fun. Do not focus upon your handicap. I did that all of last season and it really got to me. I stood over the ball towards the end of the season not wanting to hit it! My handicap went up a shot as a result, however, my Golf has improved. Now when I play for fun I usually score 40 + point, put a score card in my hand in a comp playing for handicap and I fall apart.

 

[JustOne]

If you are 22 h/cap then everyone who plays off 23,24,25,26,27 & 28 wishes that they could play like you.

Step on the tee, hit it, walk to your ball, hit it again....

good luck, enjoy it.

 

[Qwerty]

Just try to practice as much as possible and you will no doubt improve, taking it to the course is a different matter and will take time,its all about experience and putting yourself in a position to score well.
As HTL said, don't put too much pressure on yourself, its all about enjoying the game.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

If you are in any doubt tomorrow about how to proceed (casual water, staked tree, lateral hazards etc) ask BEFORE you touch the ball or do anything. Other than thatr elax and enjoy it. Your score will be what it will be. I guess if you really need something to pin it against why not aim for level 5's where you treat every hole as a par 5. What you gain on the short par 4's and the 3's you can ffset against the long hard par 4's and the par 5's. Dependant on your course par level 5's is 90 so if your course is par 72 then its playing to 18

 

[Tiger]

Hi there. I had the fear factor about rules and bought the pocket rule book from www.improvemygolf.co.uk utterly brilliant, small, compact and fits nicely in the bag. Sorry it's no help for tomorrow but should see you right for the future. Best of luck for tomorrow.

 

[jedsta20]

As for going for a low score, i've just purchased a dvd ......Breaking 90. And he completed the task using a 7 iron and a putter. I played 9 holes this afternoon using the same principles and shot a 42. Course management and a good short game is the key. I'm playing in the winter league tomorrow and I'll bring out the driver, I know I won't be getting 42 on the front 9. COURSE MANAGEMENT AND CLUB SELECTION!!!!!!!!!

 

[madandra]

Thecraw has already said it but level 5's is the equivalent of golfing stabilisers.

Keep calm and take each shot as it comes.


One other thing I dont like is seeing someone decide the club and shot before even looking at the balls lie and position.

 

[DMC]

Aim to enjoy yourself rather than aiming for a particular score.

 

[SharkAttack]

I would have to say if more people off 15 and above took TheCraw's advice and played for level 5's and not par, they would score a lot better. They would feel better about their game because 4,4,6,6 on 4 par 4's would not have you feeling you had just had a disaster because you are level to your par, but you would be four over if you go by the scorecard and be thinking your score was in trouble.

So get out there and enjoy your game.

PS You could always play for level 6's and once you get your handicap after another 2 of these you could wipe up for the rest of the season and get your trophy count up.

 

[Smiffy]

I am 47, play off 22, play about 4 or 5 times a week, what should I aim for

Hopefully the middle of the fairway

 

[CrapHacker]

I am 47, play off 22, play about 4 or 5 times a week, what should I aim for

Hopefully the middle of the fairway

Hmmmmmmm

Kettle


Black


&



Pot



spring to mind. I wonder why

 

[RGDave]

My question to you experienced lads is: I am 47, play off 22, play about 4 or 5 times a week, what should I aim for as far as handicap is concerned?

First, get to 18.
Once you can keep the big numbers at bay you can set your sights higher.

Everyone makes some pars and the odd birdie, so you don't need to be marvellous to play off 12-16, just consistent enough to keep the ball in play.

 

[patricks148]

I started playing four years ago and got dowm to 14 in the first year i played, hit a bit of a plateu since got down to 9.8 start of last year but gone back up to 11. Only play twice a week and practice twice a week during the season. if you have time to play 5 times a week at the moment no reason why you could'nt go really low.

 

[birdieman]

Slightly concerned the OP hasn't come back on here to tell us how it went?

Not that good perhaps?

Come on W1ndw1 what happened?