Maintaining a single figure handicap advice

[Crawley1981]

After shooting a 4 over 75 in this weeks comp i am for the first time now down to single figures from being between 11-12 for the last few years.

i play twice a week but living 20 miles a way from the golf club i have probably used the practice facilities once this year. I probably could find more time but if i don't do you think it would benefit my game if i swapped a round every few weeks for 2-3 hours practice instead.

Also making practice more fun tips would be appreciated.

 

[ger147]

Practice your putting in the house as much as you can.

 

[patricks148]

I also live about 20 miles away from my club and almost hardly ever use the range. play at least twice a week though the season though maybe only once when the bad weather sets in. I chip in the garden in the summer, but not the winter. I do swing a club a couple of times a week, just getting the feeling of the swing really, just with a mid iron.

 

[SugarPenguin]

I shall let you know when I get there

 

[louise_a]

Congratulations of reaching single figures :clap:

As for your question, I am not quite there yet and so cannot comment.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Play regulary :thup:

 

[Craigg]

As someone that will probably never reach those dizzy heights, this is a guess, but surely once you can play to that standard it's all about putting and short game?

 

[Curls]

After shooting a 4 over 75 in this weeks comp i am for the first time now down to single figures from being between 11-12 for the last few years.

i play twice a week but living 20 miles a way from the golf club i have probably used the practice facilities once this year. I probably could find more time but if i don't do you think it would benefit my game if i swapped a round every few weeks for 2-3 hours practice instead.

Also making practice more fun tips would be appreciated.

Good question, but difficult to answer without knowing how your game stacks up.

First off - congrats on the cut to singles and what sounds like a great round - you clearly have the skills to knock it around pretty low.

Dropping a round for practice? Yes, but only if its focussed practice, no point battering balls if you're not getting any better at it. Every point practicing short game, putting, sand play, but again if you have fundemental flaws in those departments you're just ingraining them. Perhaps a lesson with a pro would point you in the right direction. I'd advise anyone to go out on the course for 9 holes with the pro so they can see your game and advise where to focus your time.

Finally one practical piece of advice I'd give to myself if I turned the clock back to April when I got to single figures is don't be so focussed on your new h/c, the holes you've just lost a shot on, and the stableford score. You've shot 75, at what point would/should you be thinking about points scored in a round like thta?! It wasn't until I went back to thinking in terms of gross score that I started scoring better.

Good luck for next season - kill it.

 

[patricks148]

As someone that will probably never reach those dizzy heights, this is a guess, but surely once you can play to that standard it's all about putting and short game?

prob true, I would say Im a no better ball striker then i was as a 9 or 10 handicap... I'm just a better putter now.

 

[Foxholer]

Play regulary :thup:

And practice chipping and putting ,ore than you currently do!

 

[garyinderry]

You will miss a pile of greens so upping your up and down percentage is the key.

It really is that simple.

 

[ruff-driver]

You will miss a pile of greens so upping your up and down percentage is the key.

It really is that simple.

Agreed, played with a cat one player midweek and this made up for his good scoring. his short game was sublime

 

[Crawley1981]

My game is still totally unpredictable as my last 10 scores being 82, 91, 85, 80, 81, 87, 89, 80, 75, 81 show. For instance yesterday i was 9 over after 9 and then did the back 9 in one over.

Definitely Going to make more of an effort to work on my game and appreciate your comments so far.

 

[Imurg]

Play regulary :thup:

This..
I got there after a couple of years and I'm not the best practicer...
I played and played and then played some more.
All the practice on the range won't always teach you to score, to grind out a round when you're not playing well.
Also keep expectations realistic. You're not going to shoot 75 every time..

 

[FairwayDodger]

Forget about trying to maintain it. Try to go lower.

 

[jamielaing]

There are a number of things that you can do, several have been mentioned already. As I don't know your game I can't tell you what you should be practising but you will know that yourself. Identify the areas for improvement and work on them. One area that is great to look at now is your mental game. Read some books by rotella et al (Golf flow by Gio worked for me)

As mentioned, at single figures (well done by the way!) short game becomes key to getting better and going lower. Practice these as much as you can. Even getting to the course early for your round to do some practice.

Warm up for your rounds. I get laughed at by my playing partners but I arrive an hour early. I do some putting, chipping, pitching then hit into the net. I then have a couple more putts and I feel like I have been playing. It helps to remove the anxiety over your first swing and you are looser.

Change your mindset. 80 is no longer a good round, mid 70s is. On the plus side, the first time I shot 74 in a medal gave me the confidence that I now knew I could do it rather than think I could.

You mentioned living away from the course and playing a couple of times a week. I would try to increase that if possible. Even an extra 9 holes after work. You can focus yourself by playing on your own and adding practice into your round. One I do on my own is I play two balls off the tee and play from the worst of the two. I drop another and play from the worst shot and on and on. This really focuses you to play well and your aim should be to play to your handicap always playing the worst shot. Then in medals your good ones get you the cut.

Good luck!

 

[patricks148]

There are a number of things that you can do, several have been mentioned already. As I don't know your game I can't tell you what you should be practising but you will know that yourself. Identify the areas for improvement and work on them. One area that is great to look at now is your mental game. Read some books by rotella et al (Golf flow by Gio worked for me)

As mentioned, at single figures (well done by the way!) short game becomes key to getting better and going lower. Practice these as much as you can. Even getting to the course early for your round to do some practice.

Warm up for your rounds. I get laughed at by my playing partners but I arrive an hour early. I do some putting, chipping, pitching then hit into the net. I then have a couple more putts and I feel like I have been playing. It helps to remove the anxiety over your first swing and you are looser.

Change your mindset. 80 is no longer a good round, mid 70s is. On the plus side, the first time I shot 74 in a medal gave me the confidence that I now knew I could do it rather than think I could.

You mentioned living away from the course and playing a couple of times a week. I would try to increase that if possible. Even an extra 9 holes after work. You can focus yourself by playing on your own and adding practice into your round. One I do on my own is I play two balls off the tee and play from the worst of the two. I drop another and play from the worst shot and on and on. This really focuses you to play well and your aim should be to play to your handicap always playing the worst shot. Then in medals your good ones get you the cut.

Good luck!

If you shot 80 at Nairn you will be playing to 6 or 7

 

[mat100p]

Hi. I've come down this year from 7 to 5 mainly by concentrating on short game and putting often your lowest scores can come from better scrambling than better ball striking. I have swapped a playing round for practice seasons every other week and found definitely beneficial.
Also i have found if you can avoid penalty shots ie ob lost ball etc (obviously easy said than done) or if your in a bad spot play more percentage golf , miracles rarely come off. Keep up the good work.

 

[needmoreclub]

I'd say practice the chipping/pitch and run, you're not gonny hit 18 GIR, so it's vital to get up and down as often as possible imo. Well done on getting into single figures.

 

[davidg2010uk]

Practice shorts putts 3-4 footers. These are the ones that can stop the double bogeys which is key to staying in single figures.