Playing but not scoring better!

[Evesdad]

At the moment I'm enjoying playing every weekend for the first time in my life, I'm def playing better all round especially with my driver but my score at the moment is not lowering overall. I will score great for a couple of holes then blow up on a couple so frustrating! Today i finally made a great tee shot on the first, second shot just short of green, third goes 3 ft into the bunker! 2 to get out and 2 putts, hole ruined yet the first two were prob my better shots. Hay ho just got to keep plugging away.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Playing regularly is key to playing well which I guess is why most of us play better in the summer when we can get out in the evenings. SOme days you will hit the ball great and not score. It's frustrating but its part of this great game. Other times you'll feel as though you've not hit it great and wonder where those 40 points came from.

Don't get too frustrated and relish in playing more often

 

[goldenbare]

At the moment I'm enjoying playing every weekend for the first time in my life, I'm def playing better all round especially with my driver but my score at the moment is not lowering overall. I will score great for a couple of holes then blow up on a couple so frustrating! Today i finally made a great tee shot on the first, second shot just short of green, third goes 3 ft into the bunker! 2 to get out and 2 putts, hole ruined yet the first two were prob my better shots. Hay ho just got to keep plugging away.

This situation might strike a chord with a few people

 

[BROOKIE]

I'm on a learning curve at the moment,one more ,and its a
full circle..

 

[feary]

I know how infuriating it can be to strike the ball well and not score well!!

 

[SatchFan]

Couldn't sum up my own game better.

 

[ScienceBoy]

I had this problem until I changed two things in my game:

FIRSTLY I stopped taking on silly second shots. A bad drive would put me in the rough or a bunker

I used to fire off a club to get me to the back of the green on a par 4 or get up to the green on a par 5.

Now I get myself to within the 150 marker in the fairway, this means I have a decent chance of getting to the green. This has stopped my having so many 8s and 7s on the card, now its two 7s at worst.

SECONDLY

I stopped going for shots I didn't feel I was actually capable off often. I now lay up on long par 4s or tricky par 4s and try and get up and down. On Par 5s I started looking to get within 150 but avoiding any trouble, if the trouble is at 90 I play to 100, if its 110 I lay up to 120. (yardage book helps this).

To do the above I had to spend a lot of time working on my chipping, putting and pitching as well as wedge play. I also did not try and knock every greenside shot dead. I still take at most the medium risk shot to give me a fairly easy two putt.

As I got better at the long game the birdie chances increased so I began to make my shots back with nett birdies and making my worst holes nett bogeys at the worst!

 

[JustOne]

If you were going round in level par every time then had a round when you shot 4 over you'd be just as annoyed, it's the same no matter what you're scoring.

 

[TonyN]

Let me give you a piece of advice that lowered my scores!

Practice short game ever opportunity your get. Even if its only 10 minutes before a game, practice some little 7 irons and pw bump and runs. I used to practice short game for 2-3 hours at a time! It paid off massivly.

And practice putting! No matter how well you strike the ball, if you hit greens and cant sink the ball in two, your not going to score well!

I don hit alot of greens really, but I save alot of pars with my short game!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I have to agree. Putting and chipping will save shots more often than a heroic thrash from 200 yards out in the rough

 

[Evesdad]

Thanks for keeping my chin up! Since joining in October I've prob played more than the last 2 years combined! Playing regulary has def helped me feel more at ease, I've stopped taking on shots that put me into trouble and laid up more. Also my short game has improved, although I've not put any practice in as stuck at work but the playing more has helped. Putting needs work, I was pretty satisfied with it before Xmas but all if a sudden my overall game has improved my putting has disappeared! Nearly every hole was a three putt this weekend and last! The three par 3's I was on in one(which amazed even me) but came away with a four! The longer days can't come quick enough a, more golf to play & b, more time to practise!

 

[link80]

Let me give you a piece of advice that lowered my scores!

Practice short game ever opportunity your get. Even if its only 10 minutes before a game, practice some little 7 irons and pw bump and runs. I used to practice short game for 2-3 hours at a time! It paid off massivly.

And practice putting! No matter how well you strike the ball, if you hit greens and cant sink the ball in two, your not going to score well!

I don hit alot of greens really, but I save alot of pars with my short game!

Couldn't agree with that anymore. Only started playing last year myself but i've always watched golf and used to do a bit of bag carrying as a teen, so before I played a round I got plenty of practice in and mainly on the short game. I have still only played 11 rounds but have managed to shoot a couple of 85's with my worst score being a 99. The two lads I play with are both members, have been playing about 3 years, and play a lot more than me, but the only shots they hit are on the course, neither practice and they both struggle to break 100 everytime.