My journey to (Hopefully) CAT 1 - Can i do it?

[Crawley1981]

Currently just gone back up to 9 (8.7) as have 0.1 in the last few comps so to get to Cat 1 i suppose could be achieved but is going to take lots of practice which is something i seriously lack in at the moment but i do play atleast twice a week.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated and practice tips especially because i could count on two hands how many times i have been on the range, putting green or chipping green in the last year.

Really struggling with my irons at the moment also as ball striking not consistent enough so possibly looking at trading them in why AG are offering double. Problem i have for example is a 6 iron will go 160 some hits and anything from 130 on others so par 3's causing a massive problem as dont know what im going to get.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Currently just gone back up to 9 (8.7) as have 0.1 in the last few comps so to get to Cat 1 i suppose could be achieved but is going to take lots of practice which is something i seriously lack in at the moment but i do play atleast twice a week.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated and practice tips especially because i could count on two hands how many times i have been on the range, putting green or chipping green in the last year.

Really struggling with my irons at the moment also as ball striking not consistent enough so possibly looking at trading them in why AG are offering double. Problem i have for example is a 6 iron will go 160 some hits and anything from 130 on others so par 3's causing a massive problem as dont know what im going to get.

If you are having strike issues then surely simplest answer would be to get a lesson, get it sorted and get consistency in your distances and hitting more greens. Good luck with getting to Cat 1

 

[Hosel Fade]

See where the poor strike is coming from via a lesson as Homer said and then the best way to get better is to play/surround yourself with people who are better than you imo.

 

[Crawley1981]

If you are having strike issues then surely simplest answer would be to get a lesson, get it sorted and get consistency in your distances and hitting more greens. Good luck with getting to Cat 1

Have tried lessons, in some ways i dont think im good enough for the MP-25's. In the summer i didnt struggle on the harder ground though and probably all in my head. However possibly be a good idea to try another lesson and explain the problem as last lessons were when i got the new irons and was just to try and improve my game.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Have tried lessons, in some ways i dont think im good enough for the MP-25's. In the summer i didnt struggle on the harder ground though and probably all in my head. However possibly be a good idea to try another lesson and explain the problem as last lessons were when i got the new irons and was just to try and improve my game.

Two choices then. New clubs that are more forgiving or have lesson(s) and see if that makes a difference. Hard at this time of year though off sodden fairways

 

[Oddsocks]

Why stop at cat1, get to scratch!

 

[bobmac]

If your contact is inconsistent you're moving your head.
Keep your head still

 

[bladeplayer]

My ball striking struggles when im too fast going back , so slow & deliberate going back and power through the ball .. you have to see the club hitting the ball tho , thats a must . concentrate on that & follow through would be my advice


Had aim of cat 1 myself last yr , started on 7.5 finished on 8.0.. so i guess 6.something would be a good yr , it aint easy ..

Good Luck

 

[User62651]

As a long time cat1 player in the past to get to cat 1 first you need pars and lots of 'em and limit damage to bogeys only, doubles or worse will kill you.
Stating the obvious but hitting fairways is key, don't go driver all the time, play the percentages and use 3w or hybrids to ensure you're hitting 2nd off the short stuff. Get a higher loft driver and grip down a little. Short grass is more important than yards. Machismo/ego needs to go.
Iron play - timing is key as is getting through the ball for consistent strikes and consistent distances, if its off currently swing easier, take more club, get a rhythm going then work it up to speed. 90% of male golfers don't club correctly, generally too little club for shot.
You need to develop one miss, either right or left, not both, you can course manage that way, almost impossible if you miss both ways.
Short game is obviously key, you need those pars so getting good with the pitches and chips is also key as is bunker shot technique, pitching/chipping takes a combo of loads of practice, knowing all your distances for full and half shots with 3 wedges, and leaving yourself in spots you can chip from (see misses earlier).
Putting you can easily work on, as a cat 1 player you will have an awful lot of short putts you need to hole to stay in buffer - practice. Leave yourself uphill putts whenever you can.
Engage your golf brain - know you weaknesses (everyone inc v good players has them) and play to strengths for effective course and score management!
Got to enjoy it too, if you get hung up on cat 2 too much you'll be too tense to relax, relaxed muscles swing a club better. Getting to cat 1 wont change you, as soon as you play off 5 you'll want to be off 4 etc etc.

 

[Lump]

As a long time cat1 player in the past to get to cat 1 first you need pars and lots of 'em and limit damage to bogeys only, doubles or worse will kill you.
Stating the obvious but hitting fairways is key, don't go driver all the time, play the percentages and use 3w or hybrids to ensure you're hitting 2nd off the short stuff. Get a higher loft driver and grip down a little. Short grass is more important than yards. Machismo/ego needs to go.
Iron play - timing is key as is getting through the ball for consistent strikes and consistent distances, if its off currently swing easier, take more club, get a rhythm going then work it up to speed. 90% of male golfers don't club correctly, generally too little club for shot.
You need to develop one miss, either right or left, not both, you can course manage that way, almost impossible if you miss both ways.
Short game is obviously key, you need those pars so getting good with the pitches and chips is also key, takes a combo of loads of practice, knowing all your distances for full and half shots with 3 wedges, and leaving yourself in spots you can chip from (see misses earlier).
Putting you can easily work on, as a cat 1 player you will have an awful lot of short putts you need to hole to stay in buffer - practice. Leave yourself uphill putts whenever you can.
Engage your golf brain - know you weaknesses (everyone inc v good players has them) and play to strengths for effective course and score management!
Got to enjoy iy too, if you get hung up on cat 2 too much you'll be too tense to relax, relaxed muscles swing a club better. Getting to cat 1 wont change you, as soon as you play off 5 you'll want to be off 4 etc etc.

Great post.
Everyone makes a huge fuss about the distance they hit it on here. As pointed out in the above post, its meaningless if it 300yrds in the rough/tree's. HIT THE FAIRWAYS! its my biggest key to going low, as even as a cat1 player I'm going to miss greens but I'll have a better chance from a fairway of making pars/birdies.
You don't have to be a range rat, but practice of some sort is needed. Work out what your weaknesses/strengths are. Work on both and spend lots of time from 120yrds in.

 

[Crawley1981]

Two choices then. New clubs that are more forgiving or have lesson(s) and see if that makes a difference. Hard at this time of year though off sodden fairways

I'm thinking new irons possibly as another problem im having with the MP-25's is round the greens. I used to be so good with with a 9 iron chip and run putt shot and would get up and down more times than not but do not like how thin the new irons are and a bit like the 6 iron don't know what im going to get. Currently using the putter for these. Will have a good practice this week On the chipping green and try and get some confidence back.

Not really making it sound like CAT A can be done so far am i. Hopimg to use this thread though to motivate me and make me practice rather than just turn up twice a week and play.

 

[Crawley1981]

Why stop at cat1, get to scratch!

Will start that thread when i make it to cat 1.

 

[Crawley1981]

Thought i'd update this every once in a while, don't worry i don't expect you to read all of it and won't do it every week.

So this week i managed two rounds: (Par 71 course)
89 - 9/13Fairway 6/18GIR & 38 putts - Made up of 6 pars, 9 bogey, 1 double, 1 triple and 1 quadruple. The triple and quadruple were because I had a 4 putt followed on the next with a 5 putt and even though putting is one of my strong parts i couldnt blame the greens this time. Felt like Ernie at the masters.


81 - 10/13Fairways, 5/18GIR and 28 putts - Made up of 2 birdies, 8 pars, 6 bogey, 1 double, 1 triple (Greenside bunker in two on 1&3 led to double & triple).


Practice - 3x range sessions:
- 50 balls - 6& 8 irons,
- 100 balls 5&7 irons half and half using a tee and approx 30 with driver as have been hitting a few dodgy ones left.
- 50 balls 10, 6 iron warm up followed by 3 wood


20 mins chipping green - 9& PW chip & runs)

Went to an American Golf Demo/Fitting day yesterday and bought a Callaway XR16 3 wood which will hopefully bridge the gap nicely between driver and 7 wood. Also subject to mizuno still making them i am going trade the MP25's in for the MP H5's which i already have the 4 iron in as i was so much more consistent with them. Shame because the 25's are really nice when you do catch it right but i dont think i would ever be 100% confident with them.

 

[MendieGK]

Fairways are massively overrated. As you've stated above you hit 10/13 fairways (77%) which would basically be the best on tour.

the reason your only hitting 6 greens in reg? Because you're leaving yourself too much club in. So basically I couldn't disagree more with the comments from the other cat1 golfers.

To to give some context. I hit 6 of 14 fairways today (at Burnham a tough golf course) but I hit 13 greens in regulation (2 of the missed ones were par 3s).

You wont miss many greens with a wedge in your hand from the rough. You WILL miss a lot of greens with a 6iron left in from the fairway!!

everyone plays golf different, but the courses we play (in comparison to the pros), the rough will not penalise you.

Im not suggesting slash the driver everywhere but you have to no when being a long way down there and potentially in the rough is a better option than laying up a long way back. Ever get a chance to watch some top amateurs play, they aren't hitting irons off tees to hit the fairway, they are bombing driver everywhere.

 

[Hosel Fade]

Fairways are massively overrated. As you've stated above you hit 10/13 fairways (77%) which would basically be the best on tour.

the reason your only hitting 6 greens in reg? Because you're leaving yourself too much club in. So basically I couldn't disagree more with the comments from the other cat1 golfers.

To to give some context. I hit 6 of 14 fairways today (at Burnham a tough golf course) but I hit 13 greens in regulation (2 of the missed ones were par 3s).

You wont miss many greens with a wedge in your hand from the rough. You WILL miss a lot of greens with a 6iron left in from the fairway!!

everyone plays golf different, but the courses we play (in comparison to the pros), the rough will not penalise you.

Im not suggesting slash the driver everywhere but you have to no when being a long way down there and potentially in the rough is a better option than laying up a long way back. Ever get a chance to watch some top amateurs play, they aren't hitting irons off tees to hit the fairway, they are bombing driver everywhere.

I agree with this, especially knowing Woldingham which begs to be attacked after the first couple tee shots where they run down the massive sideslope into trees much past 200. Only really dangerous tee shot is the 10th imo.

 

[Parsaregood]

It really depends where you're losing most of your strokes how you should go about practicing. If you are really serious about putting work in I'd probably get a lesson every 3 weeks alternating between short game and full swing. Also make sure you get out and play a bit, being cat 2 you can get cut pretty quickly as it's 0.2 for every shot. My handicap came down pretty sharply until I got to 2 then it became a little more difficult, but everyone is different.

 

[srixon 1]

Good luck, but unless you have natural hand eye coordination it will take lots of effort and dedication. Like others have said, get good from inside 100 yards and hole most of your putts from 6 feet or less and you will do it.

 

[Crawley1981]

1st Comp of the season today for me in the Mid Week medal and was going so well being 2 over after 10. Got lucky on the par 3 11th with a 4 after going from greenside bunker to the one on the opposite side of the green but then ended up doubling the fairly easy par 3 15th and par 5 16th which was annoying.

28 putts today which was impressed with as have been working on it. 2x3 putts not so pleased with.

5 GIR's and they were all on the first 9. 8/13 Fairways.

Lost 4 of the 9 shots on the par 3's so going to try and work on that this week as only hit 1/5GIR on them and left myself difficult 2nds on 3 of them.

Happy with staying the same overall as only 2nd time of the proper comp tees this year.

 

[Three]

Currently just gone back up to 9 (8.7) as have 0.1 in the last few comps so to get to Cat 1 i suppose could be achieved but is going to take lots of practice which is something i seriously lack in at the moment but i do play atleast twice a week.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated and practice tips especially because i could count on two hands how many times i have been on the range, putting green or chipping green in the last year.

Really struggling with my irons at the moment also as ball striking not consistent enough so possibly looking at trading them in why AG are offering double. Problem i have for example is a 6 iron will go 160 some hits and anything from 130 on others so par 3's causing a massive problem as dont know what im going to get.

First thing is to start thinking like a cat 1 golfer.

So get rid of that list of what clubs you use, that'll be a good start 😉

 

[patricks148]

1st Comp of the season today for me in the Mid Week medal and was going so well being 2 over after 10. Got lucky on the par 3 11th with a 4 after going from greenside bunker to the one on the opposite side of the green but then ended up doubling the fairly easy par 3 15th and par 5 16th which was annoying.

28 putts today which was impressed with as have been working on it. 2x3 putts not so pleased with.

5 GIR's and they were all on the first 9. 8/13 Fairways.

Lost 4 of the 9 shots on the par 3's so going to try and work on that this week as only hit 1/5GIR on them and left myself difficult 2nds on 3 of them.

Happy with staying the same overall as only 2nd time of the proper comp tees this year.

TBH it sounds like you are over thinking it.

played a medal myself on Sat, no idea how many putts i had or fairways in regulation etc.

enjoyed, it shot an OK score and was cut (came 2nd)