Perception of low handicappers...

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mikeyh

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Just something thats crossed my mind after reading many posts on here.

What do people expect/think low handicappers to be able to achieve on the golf course?

I play off 6 and am hoping to go lower but i certainly don't have complete control over my game. Sure i putt well, have a good wedge and chipping game but my irons long irons are not great and my driving is decent. I don't try and shape shots, just use my natural shot and go from there. Is the key good course management??

Be interested in your thoughts.

Hope this makes sense
 
Mikeyh

I sometimes play with an ex pro who has got his amateur status back and I have to say the biggest difference is the short game. Yes he hit's it long and straight, but there are longer at the club. But when this guy misses a green he will invariably get it up and down 90% of the time.

By the way I used to play at China Fleet when I lived in Plymouth, lovely course.
 
Mikey - you gotta be able to play to play off 6, anywhere.

Obviously you know & play to your strengths well, and consistently perhaps, whereas someone like me, off 11, perhaps takes on too many shots that are too risky perhaps, I dunno.

I hit my irons well usually, and perhaps the difference in my 11 & your 6 is the course possibly too. I know my own course is notoriously tight, and altho is only a SSS68, has 4 Par 4's over 400yds, one of which is 470yds, and we have 5 Par3's that off whites, are 200yds, and hard holes.
I play at other courses and sometimes am well under my H/C.

You're doing something right, so keep on.
 
ChrisMc, your course sounds very similar to mine. sss 69, very tight. 5 par 3's, one is about 230, one 200 one 180.
Its very tight and the better players do well because they always keep the ball in play. If they do miss greens or fairways its not by much.

I play off 19 but my round yesterday wouldn't reflect that.

6 F.I.R (others not far away)
7 G.I.R
9 pars
31 putts.

I think the major thing about lower H/C's is they dont have major blow ups and keep the doubles off the card.

If I hadn't have taken an 8 on a par 3 (3 bunker shots, last one went 70 yards, was meant to go 10) :D Then I would of played to about 8.
 
I agree, I play off 6 too and I don't think higher handicappers realise how bad some of us off single figures actually are !!
There are loads of players off 10/12 that could be mid single figures.
To me there are three factors that got me from 10/12 to 5/6.
1. Course management. Don't put yourself in the position where you may rack up a big score and always look to take the trouble out of play.
2. Accept the bad shots. Don't let one bad hole turn into three, accept a bogie if the alternative is to risk an 8 etc and don't get upset if you don't strike the ball like a pro very often.
3. Probably most important, learn to putt and chip and practice this. Most single figure players have a good short game.
 
Chris i know exactly what you mean about the course. My handicap was gained on what i would consider an easier course, that said i have shot a gross 69 (par 68) on it and been inside my handicap many times in non competition.

My new course is a lot longer and has some very long par 4s and is a par 72 (about 1000 yards longer than my last). I would also say its tighter. I have had 5 rounds so far and my best is gross 79. I also think learning the course has a major issue here, as i am now realising the best places to hit and sides to miss to get the best results.

I agree with the blow up thing, my playing partner suffers from this. I don't think that i am that much better than him but his mental game suffers when bad shots occour!

Wildrover, it is a really nice course, they just need to improve the greens and it would be amazing. Coming from St Mellion to China Fleet the greens just don't compare!
 
If I hadn't have taken an 8 on a par 3 (3 bunker shots, last one went 70 yards, was meant to go 10) :D Then I would of played to about 8.
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I was just thinking the same thing, 9 pars isn't generally associated with a 19 handicap :)

My best mate plays off 5.4 and his swing is pretty shocking. He does however keep it in play and is pretty tight from 100yards. My general thought of low handicappers is STUBBORN :) They won't change anything because a)they think they are already good b)they don't want to jeopardise what they have.

The guys who get to scratch invariably will try whatever it takes, learn every-which-way to swing a club and PRACTICE.

(BTW: Great question!)
 
add....

I did read once upon a time that you should add 4 shots to your score when playing around your own course because you know it like the back of your hand, so 5 over is really equivalent of 9 over on any other course :)
 
I played with a guy off 5 this weekend. He hit it no better than me, we both shaped shots off the tee and to the green. The main difference between us was that he was miles better on and around the green.

But like was said above lower h/cap players blow up less often.

I often play with a guy off 16, he could play to 10 if he was less self destructive. But he insists on going for impossible shots, never hits enough club (tries to match me instead) and just ruins good scores.

Now, being off 8 I'm not bad but not brilliant, but he is hardly ever in holes as often as me despite having a similar quality putting game.

So I'd say the shots from 15 down to 10, are from not blowing up & the shots from 10 down to 5 are from better short games.

Of course I am generalising somewhat!
 
I agree, I play off 6 too and I don't think higher handicappers realise how bad some of us off single figures actually are !!
There are loads of players off 10/12 that could be mid single figures.
To me there are three factors that got me from 10/12 to 5/6.
1. Course management. Don't put yourself in the position where you may rack up a big score and always look to take the trouble out of play.
2. Accept the bad shots. Don't let one bad hole turn into three, accept a bogie if the alternative is to risk an 8 etc and don't get upset if you don't strike the ball like a pro very often.
3. Probably most important, learn to putt and chip and practice this. Most single figure players have a good short game.
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hi fyldewhite this is the first post of yours I have seen and i think it sums up the situation up perfectly. very sage words indeed

Having played with TonyN and VIG at Hoylake last week I could see that both could easily be single figures (I know VIG was indeed off 8 a good while back and Tony has a lovely swing that is technical very solid) but what set us apart on the day (apart from my local knowledge!) was that I got up and down from 4 or it might have been 5 bunkers and that I didn't make any big numbers.

A key part of this is knowing that even though you might be able to pull of a shot its often not the wisest option to attempt it as the downside is too large.

Tour pros often say to us that the most successful players week in week out are the ones who make the fewest mistakes not the ones who make the most birdies
 
Agree with you Mike. I'm from the other end of the spectrum 26h/c but even I can see its the guy who makes the least amount of mistakes who will normally take home the winning prize.

See Brian Gay a few weeks ago, only two bogey's in 72 holes. If your not dropping shots you only need half the amount of birdies to win.
 
add....

I did read once upon a time that you should add 4 shots to your score when playing around your own course because you know it like the back of your hand, so 5 over is really equivalent of 9 over on any other course :)
Click to expand...

I don't know where you read that but that is utter crap.
 
Hi,
The Pro I got my short game lessons off reckons that the key to getting the handicap down to single figures in never to take more than 3 shots from inside 100 yards, his simple breakdown of a round on a par 72 course was on the 4 par 5 holes two shots to get inside 100 then 3 shots for a par, the par 3's depending of the length should be no worse than 2 over for the 4 of them, then the 10 par 4's hitting half of them in regulation and 2 putting 5 more pars and gettin up and down in no worse that 3 would leave you with a round of 79 and that would have been with no single putts and no up and down in 2 sounds very easy to be a single figure handicapper the main diff is the never taking more than 3 from inside 100.
Mike
 
I nearly always play better golf away from home, I guess it is a concentration thing, and also not knowing your bogey holes.

The thing with single figure golfers is they can afford to take their medicine, as they know they can limit the damage to the one dropped shot.

For me, the chip out sideways is a dropped shot, then I will most likely miss the green for the third shot, and then chip on and 3 putt for a 7. In going for the insanely optimistic shot for the second, instead of chipping out, I am minimising the damage, and will probably get away with a 5 or 6.
 
I agree, I play off 6 too and I don't think higher handicappers realise how bad some of us off single figures actually are !!
Click to expand...

I agree also as I have seen single figure handicappers with unbelieveable swings but equally you can get the opposite, people always say to me that I shouldn't be of 20 with a swing like mine, but thats what the card says,and I aint no bandit it's how many not how. Am hoping the scores will come though and the handicap go down
 
To the OP..excellent topic for discussion

Before taking a few years off I got down to 3. I played a lot of inter club scratch stuff and loads of those 36 hole scratch opens , so i've seen an awful lot of low handicappers.

you could tell the ones that were really low (scratch or better), they just looked superb in every thing they did. The confidence just used to ooze out of them and tbh I felt a little intimidated to start with. Those off say 7 to 3 you couldnt really tell who had which handicap by watching them swing but you certainly could tell them apart when you got anywhere near the green.

Without question the lower they were the better the short game/recovery/birdie conversion and mental attitude to ignoring a bad shot and getting on with the next.

The lower I got the more I believed in myself and you can literally see the belief poring from the better players
 
As mentioned eirlier it does matter on which course your playing for your handicap.
Click to expand...
It does or doesn't? Was it mentioned?

As far as I'm aware (because I read it BUT who knows the validity) you should know your own course like the back of your hand, where to drive to, where to lay up, safe parts of the green, subtle breaks, green speeds, yardages, carry, club selection, plus a comfort factor of knowing the turf and being able to recount previous shots. This is supposed to equate to about 4 shots. Of course you still have to produce the shots. Sounds pretty viable to me.

I'm happy to admit to not being comfortable the first time I play a new course - can I rip my drive? how bad is that downslope that the guy next to me just mentioned? etc etc.

I definately need to play more new courses (and intend to) over the coming season.
 
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