Membership or practice

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stirry

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Hi,

looking for some advise, this year I played my first year with a full membership & gained a handicap of 23.

Looking to improve next year & not too sure if I should give up the membership, get lessons' spend more time at the range & trying playing different courses rather than just play my home course all the time.

Due how much I can afford I couldn't do all 3.

Whats the thoughts on what could help improve my game.
 
erm stay at your course and practice there, do they have a range and a pro?

playing the course when empty will give you time for loads of practice i.e fire 2 or 3 second shots to a green and when there throw half a dozen balls around the fringe to chip and putt.

You'll glean far more from this than 50 cr@ppy range balls 3 times a week.
 
what suits your aim most, if you give up membership means you lose your official handicap meaning no competation golf but if you just play with your mates not such a problem. also when dod you play most can you pay and play at convienent times?
23 is decent for first year and sound base i would personally retain membership have an odd lesson and practice on the course late in the day or early morning playing a couple of balls or rehitting shots.
there is no easy fix for the conundrum everyone is different.
 
Stay at your course - you can't beat playing, and having the freedom to play more or less when you want. Play in 10 opens a year at other courses (which is also cheap) and improves your game through playing at other courses. Practice and have lessons when you can, and can afford it.
 
9 holes of practice after a long days work through during the summer. way better than the range.
 
People who are members tend to play more than nomads and if you're wanting to improve practice is going to help.
 
I must say keep your membership and practice in the evenings on your own as you play a few holes , a single player can play 2 balls no more as more would be deem as practice on the course and this is frown upon and if caught could get you in trouble , have the odd chip or putt at the greens if you want but don't hold anyone up as they could well report you , we all do it but don't get caught .............membership is cheaper then pay and play and a few holes beats the driving range where you have to pay , if your club has a practice ground and chipping green where you can use your own golf balls , use this to improve ...............EYG:):):):):):thup:
 
Nothing beats IMO practise on the golf course as opposed to the range.

Stick with your membership
 
Keep your membership and play in comps as I find the competitive golf keeps you sharp and improves your game.

It's easy to stand on a range when there's no pressure on and hit it down the middle all day but it's different when out on the course.

Then maybe just get a lesson every month or so then go out and practice it on the course rather than the range.
 
I'm dropping my associate course membership next year for nomadic/society golf and have taken membership at the standalone range instead

It's logistics really, course play averaged once a week over the year (but that includes all courses I played not just the one I joined) while range visits are 2-3 times a week
 
As the general opinion seems to be, the practice you can have around the course when out yourself is huge. I found I got my biggest handicap reductions from practicing my short game by playing a round myself but then doing a lot of pitching and chipping practice around the greens. You just can't get that opportunity at the range.

I also think you learn a lot from the experience of playing in competitions and medals and that will be a big part of getting your handicap down. One the one hand theres learning to cope with the pressure of keeping a good round going when it counts but also there's learning the course management aspects. I was stuck on 18 for years but after getting some good coaching around not taking on stupid shots (3 wood from the rough trying to hit a green 200 yards away) I learned how to put that into practice in medals and it saved me 3+ shots a round.
 
I've had the best part of 3 1/2 years membership at my place, playing once most weekends.

I feel my game has hit a ceiling, and only regular practise will get me through it. So, instead of playing 1 round a week, and no practise - i'm going to be sarificing my membership - and playing a different course every month. 1 round of golf, and two or three range/practice area sessions a week.

3 years of membership have given me the knowledge to 'think' my way around a course (unless things have gone the shape of the pear after 3 holes) so course management isn't an issue. I feel like i'm going to get more benefit by practising, rather than playing. I'll be able to build a more effective, consistent swing, rather than chunking it about the place at weekends.
 
Personally there is no substitute for being a member of a club - able to play however many holes you want just about whenever you want - by yourself if you fancy a little practice and trying things out.

But then I say this as being totally averse to range practice as it does my game no good whatsoever - no-one ever having taught me the game and hence given me any idea of what and how I should practice. Most of my play is in my head and imagination, and I hence I find I can only practice and sort things out on the golf course.

Stay a member sir!
 
JCW said:
I must say keep your membership and practice in the evenings on your own as you play a few holes , a single player can play 2 balls no more as more would be deem as practice on the course and this is frown upon and if caught could get you in trouble , have the odd chip or putt at the greens if you want but don't hold anyone up as they could well report you , we all do it but don't get caught .............membership is cheaper then pay and play and a few holes beats the driving range where you have to pay , if your club has a practice ground and chipping green where you can use your own golf balls , use this to improve ...............EYG:):):):):):thup:
Click to expand...

your course sounds a bundle of fun:rolleyes: think you need to send yer EYG to your members :whistle:
 
CMAC said:
your course sounds a bundle of fun:rolleyes: think you need to send yer EYG to your members :whistle:
Click to expand...

Quite - for me only practice lines that shouldn't be crossed are pumping loads of high pitches into a green - even if you repair them it's a bit marginal whether you should do it; and bunker practice. I've see on a few occasions folk chucking a load of balls into their least favourite most commonly hit bunker and half empty it of sand. Very naughty.
 
HomerJSimpson said:
Seems a bit of a no brainer. Membership gives you everything you need and nowhere better than the course to learn
Click to expand...

Except - I could buy an awful lot of lessons if I took a year off membership. Putting lessons into practice in occasional games then rejoin the next year. £35 a 1hr lesson? That would be 45 lessons for the cost of my annual subs. I could rebuild my swing from scratch with that number of lessons.
 
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