how low can you get your handicap if...

[Fabia999]

Hey all,

Since I started playing golf I always knew that distance was going to be a problem, due to medical conditions.

I always wondered how low I can get my handicap with such short distances. Driver is about 170/180, 7 Iron is about 125.

Any other short hitters and what handicap do you play from?

Thanks.

 

[Imurg]

If you're unable to get more distance then develop a killer short game (100 yards in) and you can still get pretty low as long as you're straight with the driver.

 

[Sats]

If you're unable to get more distance then develop a killer short game (100 yards in) and you can still get pretty low as long as you're straight with the driver.

Imurg has summed it up perfectly.

 

[Curls]

Was just reading the GM article about Charlie Hull. She hit scratch when she was 11. I wonder how far she was hitting it? Couldn’t have been much further?

Talk about short games though! And she was out there all day and night. It’s a good question, I guess a more precise question would be: what are you off now and how low do you think you’d be happy with? Then you could gauge (with help from those on here) how much work you’d have to put in and then ask yourself are you willing to do that.

 

[CountLippe]

An ex pro I used to know had a bad accident and subsequently struggled to hit the ball 150 yards. He later played off 4 or 5 in his society. His short game and putting were beyond good. So in answer to your question, you hit it further than him... try and down get to 3!!!

 

[hines57]

As the old saying goes - "it's not how far - it's how many" - keep it straight and focus on 100 yards and in

 

[robinthehood]

As the old saying goes - "it's not how far - it's how many" - keep it straight and focus on 100 yards and in

That's a new one..... It's very much how far...
But not to disparage the OP, you'll be able to have a very reasonable game with those sort of distances. Maybe into the low teens handicap wise.

 

[Orikoru]

Yeah, your short game needs to be absolutely mustard. It may take you three shots to get to the par fours, but if that third shot puts you close and you sink the putt you're still making pars. Similarly if you miss the green with the third you need to get up and down for bogey.

 

[robinthehood]

The course you play will also be a factor. A long 6800 yarder would probably be little fun. But a tight 5800er could well suit your game more.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

One of the chaps in my swindle hits the balls similar distances to those you said, he’s north of seventy and plays off 8. He rarely is anything other than straight.

 

[patricks148]

whats your handicap now?

 

[hovis]

I know a 12 year old girl that plays off the yellows to a handicap of 4. speaks volumes really. she's about 200 yards with her driver

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Yeah, your short game needs to be absolutely mustard. It may take you three shots to get to the par fours, but if that third shot puts you close and you sink the putt you're still making pars. Similarly if you miss the green with the third you need to get up and down for bogey.

This plus post #9 is what sums it up for me. I'm a short hitter, slightly longer than the OP but not by much, and play on a long course, doh! For most of the year I am hitting 3 shots to reach the par 4's on my course. To have a good day my chipping has to be spot on as that 3rd shot is the one that sets up the scoring chance. That is the shot that leads to a 4, 5 or 6 (hopefully no more ). It is quite a relentless way to play golf so you either have to move to a short course, see post #9, practice like a demon, or accept you are unlikely to be a low handicapper. It depends on how committed the OP is or wants to be.

From my own perspective, off 20 h/c, I'm not prepared to put in hours and hours of practice so whilst I aim to get cut this year by a few shots I am not planning for a major chop, I am just not that dedicated or prepared to cut back on family time to get there.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Will all depend on your short game skill set(ie. 100 yards & in & putting) and how good is your dispersion on all clubs.

Those distances, basically mean any par 4 over 340ish yards, is out of range in 3, along with any par 5s over 470(ish) yards. Also when taking such a long club to par 3, it can be tricky to hold them or even reach them(see this with the wife who hits it shorter than you)

Its tough to play to low or even mid single figures(yes it can be done, but you must be highly skilled in the first line of the post), when you start thinking about the number of greens you can hit in regulation.

At a guess, I would have thought 11-18 is a reasonable range to aim at. Certainly with my current skill set, that is the range I think I would play to, hitting it those distances(probably nearer 12-14 I would expect).

 

[Deleted member 1147]

You can cover 300 yd par 4's with a driver and 7 iron. So you should be ok up to 350, with a hybrid/FW wood.
Most courses don't have too many over 400, and those tend to be shot holes anyway.
Par 5's should mostly be a struggle to reach in 3 good shots, especially the 500+ yd ones.
Long par 3's may be a problem, length wise.

So what this shows is that you need to be accurate off the tee, to keep it on the short stuff, get good with your woods & hybrids off the deck, and get up and down a lot.
I've played with loads of old boys who do this (a few of whom can beat their age) - their only real advantage is that most of them started low and have gone up due to age & injury.

 

[Fabia999]

whats your handicap now?

I played the majority of last year (Jan-August, took a back injury followed by a knee injury) as my first year and I'm playing off 23.

 

[Curls]

I played the majority of last year (Jan-August, took a back injury followed by a knee injury) as my first year and I'm playing off 23.

What's the target? Or are you as happy to play and enjoy it? Because that's just as valid a target!

 

[patricks148]

I played the majority of last year (Jan-August, took a back injury followed by a knee injury) as my first year and I'm playing off 23.

depending on how old you are, no reason you couldn't get down to 12 with those distances.

are the injury's cured now or are they long term?

 

[Fabia999]

depending on how old you are, no reason you couldn't get down to 12 with those distances.

are the injury's cured now or are they long term?

early-mid 20's. Back and knee are doing okay, but ill always have the distance problem.

 

[patricks148]

early-mid 20's. Back and knee are doing okay, but ill always have the distance problem.

can i ask why?

I didn't start playing until i was in my 40's and have real flexibility issues and when i started as many do had distance issues, i can't remember exact distances with irons but i only hit a 5 wood 150 and driver was under 200, but managed to go from 24 to 12 pretty quickly and now off 5, i don't hit it that far but hit a 7 iron 150 ish carry, now and starting to work on my flexibilty at 55 so no reason you cant improve and increase distance