One thing….

[Crazyface]

… “drive for dough, putt for extra dough”

Excellent. But this could be applied to the pros, for us you could say drive for lower handicap putt for even lower handicap.
I always say, if you can't get the ball a decent distance away from the tee you'll always have a high handicap

 

[AliMc]

Cut back on medals and play 'friendly competitive' 3 or 4 balls with mates/fellow retirees

 

[Boomy]

… “drive for dough, putt for extra dough”

Excellent. But this could be applied to the pros, for us you could say drive for lower handicap putt for even lower handicap.
I always say, if you can't get the ball a decent distance away from the tee you'll always have a high handicap

A decent distance is all that is required, you don’t have to be crazy long at all - the key is the ball in play and out of trouble off the tee ?

 

[Deleted member 23344]

Realising that a slower swing is more effective due to an increase in the consistency of strike.

 

[howbow88]

Thinking of the swing as if I'm playing baseball.

I will also add that using a line on the ball for putting has helped loads too... I hate it though, as it now takes me much longer. I guess it evens itself out as I probably am saving 2 putts a round...

 

[nickjdavis]

Slower swing, shorter backswing (your backswing is almost certainly a lot longer than you think it is), maintaining tempo and not gripping the club like I'm trying to strangle someone.

Ok...that's 4 but they actually all relate to each other.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Slower swing, shorter backswing (your backswing is almost certainly a lot longer than you think it is), maintaining tempo and not gripping the club like I'm trying to strangle someone.

Ok...that's 4 but they actually all relate to each other.

I was nodding at each point you made. All apply to me ?

 

[BrianM]

One thing for me I suppose is getting your swing videoed, big difference seeing what your doing to what you think your doing….

Some excellent tips so far.

 

[clubchamp98]

… “drive for dough, putt for extra dough”

Excellent. But this could be applied to the pros, for us you could say drive for lower handicap putt for even lower handicap.
I always say, if you can't get the ball a decent distance away from the tee you'll always have a high handicap

I agree to a certain point.
But I would say the biggest thing that helps higher caps is modern drivers.
They are so forgiving now most high caps are not that far behind lower lads.
The big difference is the short game and putting imo.
I have never seen a high capper practicing his chipping, seen loads smashing balls with driver.
But low men spend as much time chipping as on their long game.
Just my observation at my club practice ground ,there are always exceptions.
But you are correct if you can’t drive a decent distance the game is very hard.

 

[Golfnut1957]

Working on the driver… “drive for dough, putt for extra dough”

I 100% disagree with “drive for show, putt for dough”

If I’m in play off the tee I’ve a chance to card a good score regardless of how I’m putting. If I’m in trouble off the tee then it’s bogey & double time.. If I’m in play off the tee and putting well then… PB time!

I agree 100% with you. I have a mate who despite always returning his best scores whenever he is driving well, subscribed to the mantra "drive for show putt for dough". He would claim that you could make up for a bad drive with a good putt, but 3 putts was 3 putts.
I often enquire how you recover from 3, or even 5 off the tee with a putt, but being rather obtuse I never did get a satisfactory answer from him, and he no longer subscribes any more having come to realise the value of belting one down the middle.

 

[Deleted member 23344]

I will also add that using a line on the ball for putting has helped loads too... I hate it though, as it now takes me much longer. I guess it evens itself out as I probably am saving 2 putts a round...

Following putting lessons earlier this year, I now use the word “Supersoft” on the ball as a putting line and it has made a huge difference … probably saves three putts a round.

 

[Bassfisher]

A putter fitting then spending £250 on a putter has encouraged me to focus more on putting, It’s made a huge improvement

 

[BiMGuy]

Using the tried and tested GM Forum method of using a sample size of 1 to prove a point.
These are Sam Burns SG stats from this week. Drive for dough, hit better approaches for more dough. Putt average and still win.

 

[HowlingGale]

Using the tried and tested GM Forum method of using a sample size of 1 to prove a point.
These are Sam Burns SG stats from this week. Drive for dough, hit better approaches for more dough. Putt average and still win.
View attachment 38783

All the top guys in the world are average putters at best (I'm talking PGA tour average, not my average ?). Think in the top 10 they all make more shots up on the field because they bomb it and then putt averagely.
The number one putter on the PGA tour last year was some guy I'd never heard of and he finished in place 100 and something. He was a poor driver.

They used DJ as an example. If he averages 20 yards more than everyone else he makes up 0.1 shots on the field. Do that over 14 holes and it's 1.4 shots per round. It's more for amateurs.

Drive for dough, putt for show.

 

[Bassfisher]

All the top guys in the world are average putters at best (I'm talking PGA tour average, not my average ?). Think in the top 10 they all make more shots up on the field because they bomb it and then putt averagely.
The number one putter on the PGA tour last year was some guy I'd never heard of and he finished in place 100 and something. He was a poor driver.

They used DJ as an example. If he averages 20 yards more than everyone else he makes up 0.1 shots on the field. Do that over 14 holes and it's 1.4 shots per round. It's more for amateurs.

Drive for dough, putt for show.

Interesting! So if I’m 40 yds behind my playing partner because I can’t use a driver and he can, then he’s already 0.2 X 14 = 2.8 shots ahead of me over the round? Providing he lands safely up the fairway every time, now that’s a big ask!

 

[BiMGuy]

Interesting! So if I’m 40 yds behind my playing partner because I can’t use a driver and he can, then he’s already 0.2 X 14 = 2.8 shots ahead of me over the round? Providing he lands safely up the fairway every time, now that’s a big ask!

If you playing partner was in the semi rough or rough the SG advantage would be smaller, but with that distance they would still have an advantage.

 

[clubchamp98]

I think the guys with really good putting stats are the ones just missing the green.
They chip/ putt close and hole out. = 1 putt green but it could be for bogey or worse.
Those stats don’t tell the truth really
But fairway off the tee equals more GIR .
They are both very important imo.

 

[patricks148]

A couple for me the main on was using a premium ball, was using any old ball right up till I got to single figures, found it hard to keep the ball on the green esp once they firmer.

The other was getting a range finder, didn't use anything for DM before.

 

[HowlingGale]

Interesting! So if I’m 40 yds behind my playing partner because I can’t use a driver and he can, then he’s already 0.2 X 14 = 2.8 shots ahead of me over the round? Providing he lands safely up the fairway every time, now that’s a big ask!

No I don't think so. He's making those strokes on all the amateurs around the world who have their stats recorded on the strokes gained app, not just you. Like I say it's probably more than 0.1 for us amateurs.

It also doesn't matter if he's in the light rough or on the fairway, the difference is negligible. Now he does need to have an unimpeded shot to the green though and he can't be in the heavy rough.

 

[HowlingGale]

I think the guys with really good putting stats are the ones just missing the green.
They chip/ putt close and hole out. = 1 putt green but it could be for bogey or worse.
Those stats don’t tell the truth really
But fairway off the tee equals more GIR .
They are both very important imo.

GIR isn't the most helpful stat for the reason you point out, and people are beginning to phase it out of their thinking. You could miss by an inch or 60 feet and it's still a missed green. Both very, very different shots.