I read What a Waste and thought.... thats me! (Bring on the abuse)

[Hacker Khan]

Sorry I know I am asking alot but I guess all I do is hit the practise range and play on the course and I really want to get down to the numbers I see on peoples signatures!

But make sure you are enjoying it!! As I say a lot it is a pass time, a hobby, something you do in your spare time that is supposed to be pleasurable and not a source of constant frustration. Once it gets to that then I suggest taking up bowls

 

[DaveyG]

But make sure you are enjoying it!! As I say a lot it is a pass time, a hobby, something you do in your spare time that is supposed to be pleasurable and not a source of constant frustration. Once it gets to that then I suggest taking up bowls

Yeah I agree with you mate, don't get me wrong there are times I play and feel so frustrated I chuck the clubs in the car and have a few days off... Enjot going home and chilling out but when the bug returns I pick it up again.

I thought in that msg I may have sounded a little handicap obsessed but I wouldn't say thats the case... I have always wanted to get to a point where I could tee it up on any course and enjoy it without going round in crazy numbers. I started in 120's two years ago and I am now capable of Mid 80's... I sometimes need to remind myself of that as you do get caught up on things. I would have killed to have gone round in 93 last year let alone taking a 5 over par on a par 5... I still feel sick about that ;-)

 

[One Planer]

I think your handicap is affected more significantly by how good your bad shots are. When the pros hit a bad approach shot they tend to hit the wrong part of the green, I tend to miss the green and leave a chip. When I've played with big hitting higher handicaps their bad shots seem to be totally wild putting them in all sorts of bother. Is that you?

I like this mucho :thup:

This is one thing I've worked on, along side my pro, effectively trying to take one side of the course out of play. If I'm going to miss it's semi-predictable where, unless I hit an absolute honker, I'm going to be.

 

[JustOne]

For what it's worth, your yardages seem OK, not prolific but far enough to be a good club golfer. I know people off scratch who hit it less far.

 

[DaveyG]

For what it's worth, your yardages seem OK, not prolific but far enough to be a good club golfer. I know people off scratch who hit it less far.

Oh yeah, without doubt I know I am not the longest hitter but I have seen a few times anyone who hits a 7iron over 150 should be burnt at the stake for being a witch!

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Got on the green in two last night on our 551yd par 5 14th. Would have been pin high but for the big step up from the fairway to the green - so let's say I hit a drive and a 4w 550yds. It was dead calm and warm. I don't see myself as a long hitter - in fact this is probably the first time I have reached in 5yrs. I just struck the ball really well off the tee and got a cracking draw of a 4-wood to the green - I wasn't actually trying that hard (clue there methinks). Some would say I hit the ball quite a long way. Then on 17th just under 150yds - nice little cut in 7i to 6ft. And some would say on that basis I don't hit the ball long.

Point is distance and club weren't the important things in my mind - I thought about the shot I wanted to play to try and achieve the result I would like. I am a true believer that how far we hit any one club really doesn't matter for most of us - my enjoyment comes from working out the type of shot I want to play and then occasionally managing to pull it off.

 

[JustOne]

Oh yeah, without doubt I know I am not the longest hitter but I have seen a few times anyone who hits a 7iron over 150 should be burnt at the stake for being a witch!

True... there's a high percentage of golfers who can't hit the ball very far - and refuse to believe that anyone but a tour pro CAN.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

True... there's a high percentage of golfers who can't hit the ball very far - and refuse to believe that anyone but a tour pro CAN.

They will eventually realise that one of the beauties and joys of golf is that, given time, just every so often we can all hit a shot a tour pro would be proud of (or at least find very acceptable). They are rare beasts - like my 550yd on in two last night - a very rare beast. It doesn't define my golf (any more than did my hitting consecutive Lucy Lockets like I did last week) and I would never pretend that it did - but golly it was a good feeling.

 

[Jack_bfc]

True... there's a high percentage of golfers who can't hit the ball very far - and refuse to believe that anyone but a tour pro CAN.

I had a spell where i worked with guys who thought I was a girl because I couldnt drive 250 or was hitting 8 irons whilst they were hitting wedges.

Thankfully the guys I play now with are all comfotable with there own game and only playfull banter is thrown about...

Although saying that there are some in tomorrows society who dont think anyone should play (or god forbid, win) with a HC over 18...

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Although saying that there are some in tomorrows society who dont think anyone should play (or god forbid, win) with a HC over 18...

Ah well - they are deserving of you sympathy

 

[socky]

My recent scores have been

Par 70 (sss 71)
91
92
87
93 – Yesterday with a disaster 10 on the last (par 5 3 off the tee and a mess in the trees)

Sorry for the long post and conscious I will have missed a few things here so ask away!

how many putts for each of those rounds?

a mate of mine was moaning about shooting high scores, we did a count up and realised he'd had 13!!! 3 putts. pointed out that he could have broke 80 with better putting.

 

[JustOne]

Length certainly isn't everything (in golf).... but when you see someone stripe an 8-iron 185yds onto the green and pull out a wedge on a par3 when you've considered it to be a 7-iron (and you're already a pretty good hitter) then you know that THEY have it.... and you don't :angry:

 

[DaveyG]

I haven't documented them but I am going to from now on... I am extremely busy in the office today oo: so I have just written out the round including penalties putts etc for the 93.
6 penalties shots
15% fairways
30% GIR
36 putts

Its telling me things already!!!

Other than penalties for lost balls I was happy with how I played overall. When I missed fairways it was only by yards or the ball rolling off.
I always feel hard done by being right behind a tree but I have no excuse in the rough do I... even though in two cases there was only one bloody tree in a 50 yards space.

36 is a decent putting score for me but I lipped out far too many times and missed a couple of sitters for birdie so work can definitely be done there.

Looking forward to my lesson now...

 

[socky]

I'm guessing most penalty shots were due to poor tee shots?

How about a round where you use a 3 wood or 3 iron off the tee instead of the driver and see what happens to your FIR, GIR and penalty shots?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Length certainly isn't everything (in golf).... but when you see someone stripe an 8-iron 185yds onto the green and pull out a wedge on a par3 when you've considered it to be a 7-iron (and you're already a pretty good hitter) then you know that THEY have it.... and you don't :angry:

I may be mis-reading your sentiment - but you seem to be upset/angry/disappointed that someone can 'stripe' (even use of this word implies some admiration on your part) an 8i 185yds? If so I suggest that you needn't be or I really don't understand why you would be. All they have is an ability to whack a ball a long way - and nothing else - doesn't mean he has a clue how to play the game or get enjoyment out of playing golf. But tell me I misinterpreted the sentiment in your post.

 

[Ian_S]

I haven't documented them but I am going to from now on... I am extremely busy in the office today oo: so I have just written out the round including penalties putts etc for the 93.
6 penalties shots
15% fairways
30% GIR
36 putts

I used to be a 40+ putt man so if I can offer some advice, it'd be work on your putting and chipping a lot.

Over the last dozen rounds, my stats are 2.14 putts/GIR and 1.7 putts/missed GIR. With those numbers, at 30% GIR that'd give you 33 putts and you've shaved 3 shots off your score easily, and I am by no means a great putter (you can tell that with the 2.14 average on GIRs, bobmac would be ashamed at the 3 putts for bogey). Your average tour pro takes 1.85/1.2, so would save 11 strokes on your round. Obviously that's an unrealistic target, but get down near 2/1.5 and you're breaking 90 easily.

You said 6 penalty shots - is that 6 stroke and distance penalties (essentially costing you 12 strokes), or is it 3 that you've double counted them because S+D penalty is, for all intents and purposes, an extra two shots onto your score?

Either way, taking those out of your game and sharpening up your game around the green and your 93 is turning into a pretty low 80s very quickly.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

I haven't documented them but I am going to from now on... I am extremely busy in the office today oo: so I have just written out the round including penalties putts etc for the 93.
6 penalties shots
15% fairways
30% GIR
36 putts

Its telling me things already!!!

It's telling me things as well. Your problem looks to be in the short game area mainly. 30% GIR suggests you hit 5 or 6 greens so you were chipping on to 12 or 13 greens yet you still took 36 putts. Work on chipping and putting and you'll see your scores tumble.

Distance is completely irrelevant. Gary Wolstenholme is GB's most successful amateur golfer, he could knock a 5 wood into the green and get it closer than opponents who were bombing it past him and hitting 7 and 8 irons in.

 

[JustOne]

I may be mis-reading your sentiment - but you seem to be upset/angry/disappointed that someone can 'stripe' (even use of this word implies some admiration on your part) an 8i 185yds? If so I suggest that you needn't be or I really don't understand why you would be. All they have is an ability to whack a ball a long way - and nothing else - doesn't mean he has a clue how to play the game or get enjoyment out of playing golf. But tell me I misinterpreted the sentiment in your post.

You've read me wrong. I am appreciative of his play as one would be if you attended a pro tournament, you can only stand back and admire. He doesn't 'whack' the ball, he plays it.... nicely, very nicely.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I am not a long hitter by any stretch of the imagination and it is consistency, self belief and short game that is holding me back. I find that if the short game fires, confidence grows. For me the problem is mental as well as technical. I have good course management but need to marry technique and positivity. It is a long road but I am sure single figures is still there for the taking

 

[JustOne]

It's telling me things as well. Your problem looks to be in the short game area mainly. 30% GIR suggests you hit 5 or 6 greens so you were chipping on to 12 or 13 greens yet you still took 36 putts. Work on chipping and putting and you'll see your scores tumble.

I would tend to agree.

I always thought along the lines of.... you hit 6 greens and make 6 pars (you might make 1 birdie and one three-putt bogie so it's 6 pars)

That leaves 12 greens that you miss..... you get up and down on 4 of those greens (33% which isn't great but not crap)

So now you have 10 pars, that only leaves 8 holes, if you bogie them all then that's 8 over, if you double them all that's 16 over.... no need for any grown man to have more than 16 shots h/cap

Easier said than done though... 10 pars is pretty good shooting as your alround game has to have an air of stability about it. Doesn't help if you're taking 6 penalty shots in there....