bobmac
Major Champion
I've never seen a high handicapper with a good short game
Lowering you handicap.
- Thread starter Tashyboy
- Start date
Val
Ryder Cup Winner
Bob, how would you define a good short game?
Oddsocks
Ryder Cup Winner
It's tha because they generally don't understand a short game or that once they understand a short game they don't stay high cappers for very long
bobmac
Major Champion
Someone who can play a variety of shots with good technique without having to think about, therefor turning 3 shots into 2 on a regular basis
bobmac
Major Champion
Most people when they start concentrate on driving a long way.
When they can do that ok, they then think about the short game.
If they have a reasonable long game and a good short game, their h/cap will come down
Tashyboy
Please don’t ask to see my tatts 👍
Te General consensus seems to be a short game will improve my game. When warming up pre game with 60 balls what would be the ideal spread of loosening up.
ie, 20 wedge, 20 mid iron and 20 driver/ woods and twenty mins putting.
ie, 20 wedge, 20 mid iron and 20 driver/ woods and twenty mins putting.
Oddsocks
Ryder Cup Winner
Ah warming up is another thread all together, if I had sixty balls to warm up pre round, I doubt I'd hit more than 10 drivers/3w's max.
ScienceBoy
Money List Winner
As anyone knows who play with me I cannot hit anything above a 5 iron but I got down to 11 and was shooting around the 80 mark for a while.
I always score better than my handicap on shorter courses, Ive done 36 consecutive holes round my local par 3 to just +4. Thats 20 under my handicap!
Put a longer club in my hand and you could not tell me apart from a 20+ handicapper.
Simbo
Tour Rookie
Everyone seems to be going for the short game, I agree to a certain extent but I think the long game matters more for high handicaps, there's no benefit to being great out the green side bunker or razor sharp with a wedge if your slashing it all over the shop with your driver or long clubs,
To get to 18 your don't really need to be really good at anything but you need to be reasonably good with everything. Keeping the ball out of trouble is more important.
To get to 18 your don't really need to be really good at anything but you need to be reasonably good with everything. Keeping the ball out of trouble is more important.
Region3
Ryder Cup Winner
But the question was "how can I lower my handicap", not "how can I have the most fun at the range".
If you're keeping it in play off the tee, and provided your iron play is good enough to get it somewhere near the green, I'm afraid the 'boring' short game practice is the quickest way to get below 18.
You could miss every green, but as long as you're somewhere near it you only need to get up and down once and take 3 17 times to break 90.
If you have a very good short game, you can miss every green and still break 80.
Bobirdie
Journeyman Pro
I reckon knowing your yardages will knock a stroke or 2 off your handicap. Bushnell etc. Certainly knocked 2 shots off my h/cap
Foxholer
Blackballed
Well, that's just about every permutation covered!
Personally, I'd advise someone at your level to practise short game (100 yds in), putting and course management. By Course Management, I mean recovery from bad situations - and only making Bogey on any hole where you are in trouble is a success - rather than trying the miracle shot that ends up with a treble or worse!
Once lower than 18, then the emphasis changes slightly (to consistency) because you haven't got that shot a hole to play with, but short game (including putting) is always worth practicing!
For range work, I'd suggest that getting a good contact should be what you aim for rather than pure distance, unless you are trying to groove a specific change. I agree that practicing your faults has limited benefit!
Personally, I'd advise someone at your level to practise short game (100 yds in), putting and course management. By Course Management, I mean recovery from bad situations - and only making Bogey on any hole where you are in trouble is a success - rather than trying the miracle shot that ends up with a treble or worse!
Once lower than 18, then the emphasis changes slightly (to consistency) because you haven't got that shot a hole to play with, but short game (including putting) is always worth practicing!
For range work, I'd suggest that getting a good contact should be what you aim for rather than pure distance, unless you are trying to groove a specific change. I agree that practicing your faults has limited benefit!
John_R7
Assistant Pro
Work out where you loose most of your shots and work there.
No real bad advice so far but without being rude it should be fairly 'easy' to get to 18 from where you are.
Do you slice 3 balls OOB each round? - practice / change that
Do you play the 'Seve' recovery 4 times per round and run up triples? - easy route & take medicine
Is your short 'feel' game truely terrible? - practice that
Do you hit 18 GIR & 60 putt? - practice that
In general score hierarchy comes from putting back to tee.
BUT if you blast it OOB all the time that is your first place to start.
Finally, once you have decided on your shot that is it. No second guessing, no uncertainty, COMMIT 100% to the shot you choose - even a 120 yard wedge to leave 140 yards for your 3rd to a par 5.
No real bad advice so far but without being rude it should be fairly 'easy' to get to 18 from where you are.
Do you slice 3 balls OOB each round? - practice / change that
Do you play the 'Seve' recovery 4 times per round and run up triples? - easy route & take medicine
Is your short 'feel' game truely terrible? - practice that
Do you hit 18 GIR & 60 putt? - practice that
In general score hierarchy comes from putting back to tee.
BUT if you blast it OOB all the time that is your first place to start.
Finally, once you have decided on your shot that is it. No second guessing, no uncertainty, COMMIT 100% to the shot you choose - even a 120 yard wedge to leave 140 yards for your 3rd to a par 5.
r11john
Assistant Pro
Short game,short game,short game. Practice getting down in two.
srixon 1
Journeyman Pro
Putting. Sort that out and it will save you a couple of shots every round.
Look at the pro's, that is usually the difference between a win or a top ten finish if the rest of their game is working and they are hitting fairways and greens in regulation.
Look at the pro's, that is usually the difference between a win or a top ten finish if the rest of their game is working and they are hitting fairways and greens in regulation.
Beezerk
Money List Winner
As a player who's managed to come down to 18 last year I'd say my biggest benefit was having a short game lesson, it gave me a solid technique to use as my base and tweak it for different shots. Putting practice as well, I always try and spend a good 10/15 minutes before I play, helps with confidence if nothing else.
Other things which cost me big...
Trying the 200+ yard bomb onto the green, probably half the time it ends up in trouble.
Being too aggressive around the green ie attempting the cheeky flop shot over a bunker with a tight pin position and ending up in the sand.
Taking driver on a tight hole rather than maybe a 5 wood or even an iron.
To be fair I only usually do the above when playing for fun, in comps I hope I'd make the sensible decision and play safe on tricky holes/shots.
Other things which cost me big...
Trying the 200+ yard bomb onto the green, probably half the time it ends up in trouble.
Being too aggressive around the green ie attempting the cheeky flop shot over a bunker with a tight pin position and ending up in the sand.
Taking driver on a tight hole rather than maybe a 5 wood or even an iron.
To be fair I only usually do the above when playing for fun, in comps I hope I'd make the sensible decision and play safe on tricky holes/shots.
thepodgster
Head Pro
Tashyboy, being in a very similar situation to yourself during my first year I went from 28 to 24 and then last year I went from 24 to 15.6.
Reading this thread with interest to see what help I can find, personally I found a couple of things worked for me throughout last year:
1. A lot of advice on here talks about thinking about various things - personally I found that over complicated and just pick up a club and swing it
2. Course management is all well and good, but the amount of times I pick up a 5 iron or 3 wood to play safe, still mess it up and could have done the same with the driver and be further down the hole - I don't swing it the same regular enough to apply course management all the time - although I do appreciate there is a time and place for this to be implemented
3. I practiced a lot (3 to 4 times a week) of going and playing for an hour and finishing with chipping, pitching and putting practice at the end for 20 mins
For me number 3 was then followed up with the next 2 which certainly made a massive difference:
4. Number 2 was implemented by way of aiming at the front centre of the green and not the middle for the following reasons:
A. It became a range on a number of holes I could reach - the middle would sometimes be on my limit
B. I found there was less pressure aiming at the front centre instead of trying to hit the middle
C. My ball flight has a tendancy to roll out (I appreciate that may be the starter clubs from ebay I use) so aiming at front centre, in the summer, tended to work
5. When playing with others keep playing your own and don't try to match the big hitters or go for the same long iron shots - don't feel pressured in to keeping up with the big boys - this for me was easier said than done and wasn't always put in to practice especially if I had a good few holes where I would then try shots that were to big a shot for my capacity
Just some thoughts and what worked for me
Reading this thread with interest to see what help I can find, personally I found a couple of things worked for me throughout last year:
1. A lot of advice on here talks about thinking about various things - personally I found that over complicated and just pick up a club and swing it
2. Course management is all well and good, but the amount of times I pick up a 5 iron or 3 wood to play safe, still mess it up and could have done the same with the driver and be further down the hole - I don't swing it the same regular enough to apply course management all the time - although I do appreciate there is a time and place for this to be implemented
3. I practiced a lot (3 to 4 times a week) of going and playing for an hour and finishing with chipping, pitching and putting practice at the end for 20 mins
For me number 3 was then followed up with the next 2 which certainly made a massive difference:
4. Number 2 was implemented by way of aiming at the front centre of the green and not the middle for the following reasons:
A. It became a range on a number of holes I could reach - the middle would sometimes be on my limit
B. I found there was less pressure aiming at the front centre instead of trying to hit the middle
C. My ball flight has a tendancy to roll out (I appreciate that may be the starter clubs from ebay I use) so aiming at front centre, in the summer, tended to work
5. When playing with others keep playing your own and don't try to match the big hitters or go for the same long iron shots - don't feel pressured in to keeping up with the big boys - this for me was easier said than done and wasn't always put in to practice especially if I had a good few holes where I would then try shots that were to big a shot for my capacity
Just some thoughts and what worked for me
Birchy
Money List Winner
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
To be honest I'd rather spend several hours chipping and putting and never find it boring. Frustrating. Definitely, but not boring
