I see quite a lot of me in your post @patrick148.
Will I ever get to 5? Dunno. I think I would have to actually practice...and not sure I'm up for that - playing is my thing.
But one thing I am 99% sure of. I might have got to 5 when I was off 6 those many years ago having never had a lesson but playing with a swing that had a fundamental flaw in it ...but if I get to 6 in the coming couple of years, I believe that have a decent chance of getting to 5 as the two lessons I had 18months ago addressed the flaw - and my swing today is a much better base for me reducing my handicap.
Just looking at my stats for the last year - starting not long after I had my most recent of the two lessons) and what I was actually shooting in comps - on 28th August 2016 I shot 11 over par. From then until 10th June this year I did not score better than 13 over and was regularly up to 17 over. This I put down to getting the lessons bedded in - I was less concerned about what I was scoring than focussing on doing what I had been taught. Since then over 6 qualifiers my worse score has been 12 over (one over handicap) and in all 6 I have been buffer zone or better.
My game is now heading quite strongly in a good direction - and feels better and more solid than it, frankly, ever has. Sunday August medal this coming weekend. I am 9.1 - another three under handicap will see me 8.5 - and that is very nearly 8
Yes I know - but see me thinking positively about my game...and all because I had a couple of lessons and then worked on what I was taught. For the first time in my golfing life I realised that I could not fix my game - I put my arrogance in a box and sought help and advice
TBH, i rarely practice on a range.
i have a largish garden and about the only practice i do is chipping and sometimes 100 yard shots, trouble is that takes divots out the lawn and i don't like doing that.
i do have an Ok chipping game Though always have, enjoyed that from the start. used to chip for hours into a bucket or an umbrella. the biggest difference for me was putting, never made many birdies as a 6 and 7 handicapper, now make a few as i actually hole putts.
if you start holing out reg from 6ft and under you are going to save a fair few shots.
