rickg
Money List Winner
Young lad at my club went from 6 to scratch in a year......to be fair, he was always miles better than 6, but that's what his handicap was. He played in the Open Qualifier at the London Club but didn't qualify.
Non golfer to scratch in a year could it happen ?
- Thread starter sydney greenstreet
- Start date
S
Snelly
Guest
Charming......
Rooter
Money List Winner
I wouldn't take offence, i replied to you the other week and apple devices autocorrect the spelling to Smelly! LOL
Piece
Tour Winner
What this man says right here. The person may pop in one round of par, but to be consistently scratch in 12 months will not happen. Three years of learning and I'll still only give it a tiny chance...
MadAdey
Money List Winner
Stupid bloody electronic devices with pictures of a Granny Smiths on he side.........:rant:
Simbo
Tour Rookie
Couldn't agree more, not forgetting to actually get to scratch he would have to consistently shoot UNDER CSS.
I don't think a lot of people realise just how difficult playing at scratch level is, even a good quality scratch player who has been playing for years will only play to scratch/buffer a small percentage of the time. Scratch golfers are a different kind of animal!
I played yesterday with a mate who played of scratch, he's not played seriously for a year, is no longer a club member and his game was miles better than mine, 25 yards further, 10 feet closer, almost every time. And he reckons it would take him a while to get back to scratch when he rejoins
gregk2
Medal Winner
A better question, i feel, would be could someone get to single figure H/cap in the same time frame/ circumstances. scratch is just silly and not ever going to happen
Fader
Tour Winner
The answer to this one is yes... I got into watching golf when Kaymer won the PGA but didn't start hitting balls until the following February and had a few lessons. Then joined a club on 30 July 2011 first handicap by mid august of 19, by the following March I was off 9. Problem is since the changed jobs and had less time to practice and have stagnated.
Must start putting the work in again.
Simbo
Tour Rookie
Yes, not that difficult!!
ScienceBoy
Money List Winner
Heck I shot 77 after practically having to re-learn the game from December.
I used to play off 12 but that was only after 16 months of golf so it was not long enough for it all to properly bed in. I did squeeze in a bit of golf in the summer of 2012, somehow managing to win a scratch cup with just a few rounds and 3-4 months of regular range sessions.
If I can do what I have done in my fragmented time in golf, ~27 months golf out of possible 40, then someone could get to 9.5 or less in 12 months (with the 77 being one of their handicap rounds I assume).
Last edited:
HawkeyeMS
Ryder Cup Winner
The man talks sense. Maintaining a low Cat 2 h'cap is hard enough, getting to and staying in Cat 1 is something most could only dream of. Playing between 0 & 4, I can't even imagine how hard that is.
There's a guy I played with last year who was off 4, has just spent a year at a golf college getting golf tuition on a daily basis and is now off of 3. I noticed the other day he played in the Penfold trophy which was held at our club. He shot rounds of 71 & 72 to come 5th and qualify for the BB&O amateur championship. The boy done good, his handicap went up 0.1.
gregk2
Medal Winner
I've said on numerous threads numerous times that teens to single figs in a year is quite likely and been done numerous times, in fact it's old hat.
Cat 1 is harder but an old club of mine had about 40+ players at 5 or 6.
Getting from 5 to 3 is very hard and I only managed it once with lots of practice and comps.
Getting from 3 to scratch is in a different league, some might say a different game altogether and I would agree.
I know many 0-3 h/caps and some plus 1's and 2's, they play a game I'm not familiar with.....unfortunately
Cat 1 is harder but an old club of mine had about 40+ players at 5 or 6.
Getting from 5 to 3 is very hard and I only managed it once with lots of practice and comps.
Getting from 3 to scratch is in a different league, some might say a different game altogether and I would agree.
I know many 0-3 h/caps and some plus 1's and 2's, they play a game I'm not familiar with.....unfortunately
PNWokingham
Journeyman Pro
Can't remember the name of the book but this Irish guy set a task of hacker/non-golfer to a level round in a year - that is certainly possible but I can't believe it would be possible under the handicap system to get to scratch. Putting it in perspective, a guy at our club is now off 1.6 and is in his 40s - was very good when younger and off +2 I believe. He plays regularly and has just won the club champs - he beat me and my partner in the winter pairs a few years ago with a 7 under - if he can't keep a scratch handicap no way a beginner could get there in one year!
Simbo
Tour Rookie
D
Deleted Member 1156
Guest
Serious question..... what is your handicap and what is the lowest you've ever been?
HawkeyeMS
Ryder Cup Winner
Given that something like 90% of golfers will never break 80, I would argue that doing so is actually quite difficult, as is getting to and staying at single figures.
Sid Rixon IV
Head Pro
Coincidentally I ordered it this week.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B006CQCI5Q?ie=UTF8&ref_=oce_digital_UK
harpo_72
Journeyman Pro
I don't think attaining the handicap is possible, but getting to the point of shooting a level par round is, I have done it from a 23 handicap, therefore it is possible in my mind. I know I can shoot level par rounds and do it consistently but my handicap will not be less than 2 at best. Having said that though I cannot be bothered to go to less than that number.
Simbo
Tour Rookie
90% of golfers don't take 4 hour lessons 3 times a week for a year as per the OP question which is what I thought the other guy was still talking about when he changed the handicap from scratch to single figures.
As of today My handicap is 6 (5.8) the lowest Iv ever been is 5. I played for 2 years or so when I was 15, i stopped playing when I was 17, I never swung a club for 15 years after that. Took it up again when I was 32 and joined a club, got my first handicap which was around 13 or so, can't really mind tbh, got into single figures in the next couple years, again I can't remember exactly how long, Iv played off 6/7 for the last few years and beleive you me smelly knows what he's talking about when he says the journey from 10-4 and from 4-0 is like chalk and cheese!!!
And is 90% really that stat on how many golfers fail to break 80??????
